1. Peter's denials (54-62)

Luke writes that Jesus was led away and taken to the house of the high priest while Peter followed at a distance. To follow Jesus at a distance like Peter means that we are likely to compromise ourselves. When the others in the courtyard approached him, Peter was scared to be identified with Jesus and he vehemently denied that he was with him. In fact, Jesus prophesied that Peter would disown him three times before the rooster crowed, and that is exactly what happened. After Peter's third denial, Jesus looked directly at him and Peter remembered the Lord's words. Peter wept bitterly as he learned a painful lesson about the limits of his own strength and character.

2. Jesus was beaten and tried (63-71)

The guards were ignorant of Jesus' true identity. They blindfolded him and beat him, demanding that he prophesy as to who hit him. Little did they know that Jesus had prophesied that all of these events would occur. The religious leaders, on the other hand, were deliberately blind. They refused to believe the Lord's word or to confess what was obviously true. One day, they would see Jesus again, but as the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God. It was a warning that one day they would be judged for their actions.