Pathway To The Passion
Part 4-The Trials of Jesus
(Luke 22:66-23:31)
The arrest, trials, and execution of Jesus should go down in history as the quickest action of any judicial system. If the trials of Jesus were held today, they surely would make headlines(not in a good way) and have legal rights groups up in arms.
Let’s look at a quick summary of the last day of Jesus’ life.
1:30am Jesus is arrested
2 am unauthorized trial at Annas’s house
3am unofficial trial at Caiaphas’s house
6am formal, official trial before the Sanhedrin(Jewish Supreme Court)
6:30am 1st interrogation by Pilate
7am audience with King Herod
7:30 judgment by Pilate
8am scourging in Praetorium
9am nailed to the cross
12 noon darkness falls
3pm Jesus’ death
In less than 24 hours, Jesus goes from arrest, to trial, to execution.
Either this was the greatest example of a fair and speedy trial or something was seriously wrong. Mostly what was wrong was Jesus’ trials were all illegal.
How were Jesus’ Trials Illegal?
1 Even before the trial began, it had been determined the Jesus must die.
There would be no “innocent till proven guilty”.
Mark 14:1
It was now two days before the Passover celebration and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and put him to death.
2 False witnesses were sought to testify against Jesus. Usually the religious leaders went through an elaborate system of screening witnesses.
Matthew 26:59
59 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death.
60 But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, there was no testimony they could use. Finally, two men were found 61 who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’
The witnesses were distorting what Jesus had said
John 2:19
19 “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 “What!” they exclaimed. “It took forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can do it in three days?” 21 But by “this temple,” Jesus meant his body.
Jesus had spoken these words at the distress of seeing the Temple turned into a marketplace full of thieves and dishonest businessmen.
Jesus was also speaking prophetically about his resurrection.
3 No defense for Jesus was sought or allowed.
Luke 22:67-71
66 At daybreak all the leaders of the people assembled, including the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. Jesus was led before this high council, 67 and they said, “Tell us if you are the Messiah.”
But he replied, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me. 68 And if I ask you a question, you won’t answer. 69 But the time is soon coming when I, the Son of Man, will be sitting at God’s right hand in the place of power.”
70 They all shouted, “Then you claim you are the Son of God?”
And he replied, “You are right in saying that I am.”
71 “What need do we have for other witnesses?” they shouted. “We ourselves heard him say it.”
To those present this was considered blasphemy.
Matthew 26:65-66
65 Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror, shouting, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your verdict?”
“Guilty!” they shouted. “He must die!”
Blasphemy seems a common occurrence today. Under Jewish law, blasphemy was punishable by death.
Leviticus 24:16
16 Anyone who blasphemes the Lord’s name must be stoned to death by the whole community of Israel. Any Israelite or foreigner among you who blasphemes the Lord’s name will surely die.
The high priest’s refused to even consider if what Jesus was saying was true (Remember what the Jews thought a Messiah would be)
Like them, you also have a choice to make if what Jesus said was true. Your decision has eternal implications
4 The trial was conducted at night. This was in violation to Jewish law.
Mark 15:1
Very early in the morning the leading priests, other leaders, and teachers of religious law—the entire high council—met to discuss their next step. They bound Jesus and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.
Remember that the Roman day began at midnight and the Jewish day began at 6 am.
Mark’s Gospel was written with a Roman audience in mind from a Jewish standpoint.
Therefore, 6:30 am was early for the beginning of the Jewish day.
5 The high priest put Jesus under oath, but then incriminated him for what he had said.
Matthew 26:63-66
63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God that you tell us whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
64 Jesus replied, “Yes, it is as you say. And in the future you will see me, the Son of Man, sitting at God’s right hand in the place of power and coming back on the clouds of heaven.”
In this verse(26:64), Jesus is also speaking prophetically of his 2nd coming
6 Cases involving such serious charges were to be tried only in the high council’s regular meeting place, not in the high priest’s home.
Mark 14:53
53 Jesus was led to the high priest’s home where the leading priests, other leaders, and teachers of religious law had gathered.
So now that we see how the trials were illegal, let’s look at the individual trials
The 1st three trials had to do with Jewish Religious Law.
The 2nd three had to do with Roman Civil Law.
We’ll see later how Roman law comes into play.
Trial #1 Inquiry at Annas’s House
Accusation: trumped up charges
Illegal: Held at night. No specific charges
Result: Found guilty of irreverence and sent to Caiaphas.
John 18:13,14,19-24
13 First they took him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, “Better that one should die for all.” 19 Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them. 20 Jesus replied, “What I teach is widely known, because I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple. I have been heard by people everywhere, and I teach nothing in private that I have not said in public. 21 Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said.”
22 One of the Temple guards standing there struck Jesus on the face. “Is that the way to answer the high priest?” he demanded. 23 Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong, you must give evidence for it. Should you hit a man for telling the truth?” 24 Then Annas bound Jesus and sent him to Caiaphas, the high priest.
Annas had no official power. He had been “out of office” so to speak for almost 15 years. He was still respected as a elder. Protocol suggested he be consulted first. Caiaphas, the current high priest, was his son-in-law. The question of Jesus asking for evidence of his wrongdoing is never answered.
Trial #2 Inquiry with Caiaphas
Accusation: claiming to be the Messiah
Illegal: held at night, false witnesses
Result: declared guilty and sent to the Sanhedrin
Matthew 26:57
57 Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and other leaders had gathered.
Matthew 26:59,60
59 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. 60 But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, there was no testimony they could use. Finally, two men were found .
Trial #3 The Sanhedrin
Accusation: claiming to be the Son of God
Illegal: accusation changed, no witnesses, improper vote
Result: declared guilty of blasphemy and sent to Pilate
Luke 22:66-71
66 At daybreak all the leaders of the people assembled, including the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. Jesus was led before this high council, 67 and they said, “Tell us if you are the Messiah.”
But he replied, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me. 68 And if I ask you a question, you won’t answer. 69 But the time is soon coming when I, the Son of Man, will be sitting at God’s right hand in the place of power.”
70 They all shouted, “Then you claim you are the Son of God?”
And he replied, “You are right in saying that I am.”
71 “What need do we have for other witnesses?” they shouted. “We ourselves heard him say it.”
The Sanhedrin was made up of 70 men. They were the “Supreme Court” of the Jews.
They conducted court according to the Talmud (Jewish Legal Handbook)
They were supposed to vote individually from youngest to oldest so as not to influence the younger members.
Also, according to the Talmud they were not supposed to vote immediately. They were supposed to adjourn for 2 days and nights and then return to vote.
Trial #4 Pilate
Accusation: treason, charges had been changed
Illegal: Christ kept under arrest although innocent, no defense allowed
Result: found innocent but sent to King Herod
Luke 23:1-7
Then the entire council took Jesus over to Pilate, the Roman governor. 2 They began at once to state their case: “This man has been leading our people to ruin by telling them not to pay their taxes to the Roman government and by claiming he is the Messiah, a king.”
3 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
Jesus replied, “Yes, it is as you say.”
4 Pilate turned to the leading priests and to the crowd and said, “I find nothing wrong with this man!”
5 Then they became desperate. “But he is causing riots everywhere he goes, all over Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem!”
6 “Oh, is he a Galilean?” Pilate asked. 7 When they answered that he was, Pilate sent him to Herod Antipas, because Galilee was under Herod’s jurisdiction, and Herod happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.
demanded. 14 But Jesus said nothing, much to the governor’s great surprise.
Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea at this time.
Pilate would have been unconcerned with Jewish religious law, therefore the charge was changed to something that would be of concern to Rome.
Someone claiming to be a King or telling people to not pay taxes would have been a direct challenge to the authority of Rome..
Pilate probably thought Jesus to be of little concern. He probably viewed him as another false prophet or self proclaimed leader.
Pilate could find no reason for Christs guilt.
Because Jesus was from Galilee, Pilate thought he could pass the buck onto King Herod.
Trial #5 Herod
Accusation: No accusation made
Illegal: no grounds, no defense allowed
Result: returned to Pilate without any decision made
Luke 23:8-12
8 Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle. 9 He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer. 10 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the teachers of religious law stood there shouting their accusations. 11 Now Herod and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Then they put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.
Herod was another of a long list of bad kings for the Jews.
Herod had Jesus’ cousin John The Baptist beheaded at the request of his daughter.
Herod was probably very curious about Jesus.
He had probably heard about some of Jesus’ miracles and was expecting to see some proof from Jesus. (Jesus Christ Superstar Illustration)
With Jesus not cooperating, he sends him back to Pilate.
Trial #6 Pilate Again
Accusation: Treason, though not proven
Illegal: without proper proof Jesus is condemned
Result: Jesus is crucified
Luke 23:13-24
13 Then Pilate called together the leading priests and other religious leaders, along with the people, 14 and he announced his verdict. “You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt. I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and find him innocent. 15 Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty. 16 So I will have him flogged, but then I will release him.”
18 Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!” 19 (Barabbas was in prison for murder and for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government.) 20 Pilate argued with them, because he wanted to release Jesus. 21 But they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22 For the third time he demanded, “Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. I will therefore flog him and let him go.”
23 But the crowd shouted louder and louder for Jesus’ death, and their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded.
Jesus has been proven guilty of nothing.
Each trial has been illegal.
There has not been 1 reliable, credible witness.
Yet Jesus was still sentenced to die at the urging of the crowd and priest’s.
Why?
The message that Jesus preached for 3 years was too good for some people to believe.
All their lives people were taught that the only way to be right with God was by keeping the law. Yet nobody kept the law. Not even the priests who were instructed by God on how to uphold it and charged with leading the people in keeping it.
Today we are not bound by the laws the Jews were. We are not bound because of the sacrifice that God made for us in his son.
Jesus was about to endure the last part of his path and purpose.
His path and purpose were clear to him.
Our path should be just as clear and the same-to fulfill Gods purpose for us.
A Muslim in Africa became a Christian and some of his friends asked him why.
He answered: Well, it is like this: suppose you were going down a road and suddenly the road forked in two directions. And you didn’t know which way to go.
If you met two men at the fork – one dead and one alive – which one would you ask to show you the way?”
Today, if you have the faith to believe, Jesus will show you the way.
Missionary Eric Barker from Great Britain had spent over 50 years in Portugal preaching the gospel, often under adverse conditions. During World War II, the situation became so critical that Barker was advised to send his wife and eight children to England for safety. His sister and her three children were also evacuated on the same ship. Although his beloved relatives were forced to leave, he remained behind to carry on the work. On the Sunday following their departure he stood before his congregation and said, “I’ve just received word that all my family have arrived safely home!” He then proceeded with the service as usual.
Later, the full meaning for his words became known to his people. Just before the meeting, he learned that a submarine had torpedoed the ship and everyone on board had drowned. He knew that because all of them were saved they had reached a more “desired haven” (Ps. 107:30). Although overwhelmed with grief, he was able to rise above the circumstances by the grace of God and keep on working for the Lord. The knowledge that his family was enjoying the bliss of heaven comforted his heart. - Henry G. Bosch
I want to have that same comfort for you today. If we were never to meet again in this life, I want to be assured I will see you in the next.
