Preparing For The Cross

PREPARING FOR THE CROSS

Luke 23:1-25

#Easter2022

SCRIPTURE READING: LUKE 23:1-25 [person from the congregation]

INTRODUCTION…amacdonaldlaw.com/blog/2016/may/what-is-the-difference-between-innocent-and-not-guilty [adapted]

As we begin today, we are going to jump into some simple law terms. Innocent. Not Guilty. When we think about law and criminal cases and court rooms, there is a difference… I think a big difference… between being ‘not guilty’ and ‘innocent.’ Those are two different truths even though the outcome is the same.

What is the difference between ‘not guilty’ and ‘innocent?’ Innocent means that a person did not commit the crime of which they are accused. Not guilty means that the prosecution could not prove ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ that a person committed the crime. That is the way it is supposed to work in the courts in the United States. Therefore, the court does not pronounce someone as ‘innocent’ but rather ‘not guilty.’

What is innocent? In the United States, when one is charged with a crime, one is assumed to be innocent until proven guilty. By the end of a criminal trial, the person will either be declared ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty.’ I found it interesting that in the laws of the United States, technically, the court never declares someone ‘innocent’ because it is not necessary to prove actual innocence in order to be acquitted. The prosecution's job is to convince the jury that the defendant is guilty ‘beyond a reasonable doubt.’ Going the extra step of proving actual innocence is not required in order to avoid conviction. It is a part of our country's justice system that one does not need to be proven innocent in order to be declared ‘not guilty.’

What is ‘not guilty?’ As mentioned before, the prosecution has to prove that a defendant committed a crime ‘beyond a reasonable doubt.’ This means that even if the jury largely thinks that a defendant committed a crime, they must not have any doubt about it. Doubt can be inserted into a case by the defense calling the prosecution's case into question in many ways like differing witnesses or alibis. Being found "not guilty" doesn't necessarily mean you are innocent. Instead, it means that the evidence was not strong enough for a guilty verdict.

So… what is the difference between ‘not guilty’ and ‘innocent?’ In the justice system of the United States, the difference in the end, does not matter. No one needs to prove that they are innocent in order to avoid conviction for a crime. Our criminal justice system does not require proof of innocence, but rather, that the jury have no reasonable doubts about whether or not a person committed the crime. If they do have doubts, a person will be declared ‘not guilty’ and charges will be dropped, regardless of whether or not the person was actually innocent or guilty.

I bring up the terms ‘not guilty’ and ‘innocent’ because we are preparing ourselves for Easter which is next week (today is Palm Sunday!). Last week, we looked at Matthew 26 and the emotions that Jesus felt in the Garden of Gethsemane as He prepared Himself for everything that would happen to Him. He knew everything that would happen and it weighed heavily on Him. He suffered through and committed Himself to the will of God. Jesus obediently suffered for you. Jesus obediently suffered for me. Jesus obediently suffered for us.

This morning we are moving on ahead as Jesus is preparing for the cross and we see that Jesus endured much before His death on the cross, including at minimum, three trials:

He had one trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin in the middle of the night.

He had one trial, broken up in two parts, before Pilate the Roman governor.

He had one trial before King Herod, in the middle of the trial before Pilate.

Those two terms are important as we read what happened to Jesus. The terms ‘not guilty’ and ‘innocent’ are important as we make our way through Luke 23.

THROUGH LUKE 23

RE-READ LUKE 23:1-25

Then the whole company of them arose and brought Him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this Man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a king.” 3 And Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “You have said so.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this Man.” 5 But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”

Jesus of Nazareth is arrested at night in the Garden of Gethsemane after He is pointed out by Judas Iscariot. He is taken into custody and taken to an illegal trial by the Sanhedrin in the middle of the night. The Sanhedrin, which was the religious leaders of the Jews at that time, accused Jesus of many things, but nothing really could be proven. After mistreating Jesus and lying about Him, they decide to take Jesus to Pilate, who is the Roman governor and the only one with the legal ability to put Jesus to death.