Matthew 26:57-75. In a room built for goodness and understanding, a man stands in the midst of men while Peter sits with the servants and the women outside, wondering what is happening to his friend. His bravado has ebbed and, as happens with humans, reality has set in. He ponders his recent swordsmanship and watches the stream of scurrilous characters who go into the room where he cannot go. They go in with a look of hauteur and power on their faces and come out looking like scared children. "Liars, caught in their lies!" the thought goes through his head. The first young woman walks through the courtyard and sees him by the fire. She recognizes him and, before he can stop himself, the reality that has set in pushes its way past his lips and he hears his own lying words. "I don't know Him." Was that the face of Judas he saw in the crowd as the words echo off the walls.
Finally, two men go into the great hall together and speak words of truth with a mixture of exaggeration that provoke the firestorm of malice: the mainspring of the High Priest's life. Straining to hear, Peter is accused again and then quickly again. Cursing lies crash through the night as the false witnesses who told the truth about Truth Himself (John 14:6) rush past with the look of drunkards who have money from street corner begging -Will Work for ... Lies. Palm Thursday night erupts as men drunk with malice slap Jesus with open palms and High 5 each other with glee.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. What if you tell the truth about him with the intention of destroying him?
Day breaks with the true voice of a rooster. Good Friday
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