⁵⁷Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest. The teachers of the law and the elders had come together there. ⁵⁸Not too far away, Peter followed Jesus. He went right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see what would happen.

⁵⁹The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for something to use against Jesus. They wanted to put him to death. ⁶⁰But they did not find any proof, even though many false witnesses came forward.

Finally, two other witnesses came forward. ⁶¹They said, “This fellow claimed, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God. I can build it again in three days.’ ”

⁶²Then the high priest stood up. He asked Jesus, “Aren’t you going to answer? What are these charges that these men are bringing against you?”

⁶³But Jesus remained silent.

The high priest said to him, “I command you under oath by the living God. Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”

⁶⁴“Yes. It is just as you say,” Jesus replied. “But here is what I say to all of you. In days to come, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One. You will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶⁵Then the high priest tore his clothes. He said, “He has spoken a very evil thing against God! Why do we need any more witnesses? You have heard him say this evil thing. ⁶⁶What do you think?”

“He must die!” they answered.

⁶⁷Then they spit in his face. They hit him with their fists. Others slapped him. ⁶⁸They said, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit you?”

Peter Says He Does Not Know Jesus

⁶⁹Peter was sitting out in the courtyard. A female servant came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.

⁷⁰But in front of all of them, Peter said he was not. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

⁷¹Then he went out to the gate leading into the courtyard. There another woman saw him. She said to the people, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

⁷²Again he said he was not. With an oath he said, “I don’t know the man!”

⁷³After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter. “You must be one of them,” they said. “The way you talk gives you away.”

⁷⁴Then Peter began to call down curses on himself. He took an oath and said to them, “I don’t know the man!”

Right away a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said. “The rooster will crow,” Jesus had told him. “Before it does, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Peter went outside. He broke down and sobbed.

Read in Logos