Jesus Before The Supreme Court - Mark 14:53-65 Series

Mark 14:53 They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, elders and teachers of the law came together. 54 Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire. 55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. 56 Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree. 57 Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: 58 "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.' " 59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree. 60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" 61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" 62 "I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." 63 The high priest tore his clothes. "Why do we need any more witnesses?" he asked. 64 "You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?" They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65 Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, "Prophesy!" And the guards took him and beat him.

Introduction: Tale of Two Trials

Witnessing

In Mark 13, Jesus told his disciples, “You will be arrested and you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them for my sake.” Now, imagine you’re a Christian in, say, 65 A.D. and Mark’s gospel is a new release, hot off the presses. And you have family members in prison and you could be arrested any day now. And so when you get to the part of Mark’s gospel where he tells the story of when that situation you’re facing happened to Peter and Jesus, you’re all ears. How did they handle it?

Your Bible might title this section, “The trial of Jesus” but a more accurate title would be, “The trials of Jesus and Peter.” Mark wants to make sure we notice trial of Jesus in the courtroom and the informal trial of Peter in the courtyard were happening at the same time. And so he jumps back and forth.

Mark 14:53 They took Jesus to the high priest 54 Peter followed … right into the courtyard Verse 55, back to Jesus. Verse 66 back to Peter. So this whole section is a split screen… —Jesus’ formal trial in the courtroom and Peter’s informal trial in the courtyard—a good example and a bad example running simultaneously.

We’ll cover Peter next time, but I do want to point out one thing now. The fact that Mark puts these side by side tells us that all the principles apply to both formal and informal trials. The same principles apply whether you’re arrested and formally charged… , or you’re just sitting around chatting and some people start mocking Christianity. So what we learn from Jesus’ example here applies any time you face injustice, any time someone lies about you, any time you’re afraid to speak up, and any time you’re mistreated be evil people.

Enemies of God

Mark 14:53 They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, elders and teachers of the law came together.

That’s the same word as in Psalm 2:2.

Psalms 2:2 … the rulers gather together … against the Lord’s Messiah.

Jesus stands alone as the rulers join forces and gather around him like menacing storm clouds.

How to Handle Injustice: Entrust Yourself to Him Who Judges Justly

Injustice

And the thing that stands out the most in Jesus’ trial, right off the bat, is the injustice of it.

55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any.

The trial starts with the verdict. You know you’re in trouble when the judge opens the trial by saying, “Let’s begin the proceedings for this guilty criminal.”

That happens to all of us in informal settings. Someone forms an opinion about you, then all they do is search for evidence to support that judgment. They ignore anything in your favor and make a big deal out of any evidence against you.

False Witnesses

56 Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.

Deuteronomy 19:15 says no one can be convicted without the corroboration of two or three witnesses. So when none of these witnesses agreed, their testimony is inadmissible. And if a witness lied in a capital trial, the law called for them to be executed. All those false witnesses, if they were lying, should have been put to death. But they weren’t.