Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”  One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?”  Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.  Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters.   It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover.  So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”  They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.”  Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.”  (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when He indicated the kind of death He was to die.). John 18:25-32

The other Gospels say that after Peter denied Jesus for the third time he went out and wept bitterly.  After his third denial, had he caught a glimpse of Jesus our Lord so very bloodied and abused?  Was it that all the time Peter was there by the charcoal fire he was watching for a bold opportunity to speak, preach, witness, and act and yet his personal hopes were dashed as he failed to help Jesus?  What we do know is that Jesus was carrying out the Grand Plan of salvation, and that Peter’s Savior redeems him to preach the greatest sermon at Pentecost ever preached!  Through Peter’s witness thousands come to Christ as Savior and Lord.

Now turn your attention to Jesus’ persecutors.  See that at Jesus’ trial before Pilate both ‘religion’ and spirituality are Juxtaposed — those who would not go into the headquarters to avoid ritual defilement and at the same time are putting to death Jesus, the fulfillment of Passover!   Spirituality recognizes and is humbled by our Savior Messiah.  Those who call themselves religious may too miss the Savior’s Presence.  Let us live with great caution and freedom in Truth, lest we trespass on God’s authority to do all things through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.