The Christ of Corrupt Courts
Luke 22:66-23:25
October 24, 2010
If the trials of Jesus were held today in the way they were then, legal watch groups would be protesting in the streets. The arrest, trials, and execution of Jesus likely go down in history as the quickest action of any judicial system. Buy close estimation we know that Jesus was arrested at 1:30am and on the cross by 9am.
Jesus experienced a total of 6 trials in a 6-hour period. In less time than it takes us to put in a day of work, Jesus went from being comforted by the angels in the Garden of Gethsemane to being whipped by roman soldiers in the public square.
We want to just read the script of what happened rapid fire in “Law and Order” style to give you an idea of the speed and confusion surrounding Jesus’ trials.
Since Jesus was a Jew, he needed to be found guilty in Jewish court before Rome would consider trying him.
• The 1st three trials had to do with Jewish Religious Law. Each of these trials happen at night, which in itself is violation of Jewish law.
• The last three had to do with Roman Civil Law.
Trial #1 Annas’s House
John 18:13 [They] brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.
• Annas had no official power. He had been “out of office” so to speak for almost 15 years.
• However, Caiaphas, the current high priest, was Annas’s son-in-law. He was still respected as an elder. Protocol suggested he be consulted first.
Skip to 19…
19Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20"I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. 21Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said."
• The question of Jesus asking for evidence of his wrongdoing is never answered. Instead…
22When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" he demanded. 23"If I said something wrong," Jesus replied, "testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?" 24Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.
• Since no charges have been brought against Jesus, this trial is illegal.
• There would be no “innocent till proven guilty”. Even before the trial began, it had been determined Jesus must die.
• As best we can guess, Annas finds Jesus guilty of “disrespect” and sends him on to the High Priest.
Trial #2 Caiaphas
Matthew 26:57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled.
• Everyone is there waiting. Even though it’s 3am. These men did not have to be woken up for this trial because they had planned ahead of time to try Jesus in this way.
59The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.
• What you would expect to happen next is that the case would be drop. No official charges are brought against Jesus. All the witnesses are known to be false. This doesn’t matter to Caiaphas and the elders. They did not stay up to 3am for nothing. It was now or never.
Trial #3 The Sanhedrin
Luke 22:66 At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them.
• The “Council of the Elders” or Sanhedrin was made up of 70 men. They were the “Supreme Court” of the Jews.
67"If you are the Christ," they said, "tell us."
• Finally a charge has been made. That Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. This charge known as “blasphemy” is punishable by death according to Jewish law. The Jews however could not execute without the approval of Rome.
• No witnesses or evidence have been presented; just the accusation. The only thing that would convict Jesus without evidence or testimony is a confession. Jesus answers the accusation without fear.
Jesus answered, "If I tell you, you will not believe me, 68and if I asked you, you would not answer. 69But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God." 70They all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?" He replied, "You are right in saying I am." 71Then they said, "Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips."
• The Jews 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.
• No vote is made. Jesus is now sent to Roman authority for the death sentence.
Trial #4 Pilate
Luke 23:1 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate.
• Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea at this time.
2And they began to accuse him, saying, "We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king."
• The Romans don’t care about blasphemy. After, all their own Caesar commits blasphemy by calling himself God.
• Because of this, the Jews subtly and illegally change the charge that brought Jesus there in the first place.
• Someone claiming to be a King or telling people to not pay taxes would have been a direct challenge to the authority of Rome.
3So Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
• Jesus is permitted no legal counsel. He is on his own to defend himself.
• Jesus doesn’t much care for defending himself.
"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. 4Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no basis for a charge against this man." 5But they insisted, "He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here." 6On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. 7When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
• Though Jesus is found innocent in this trial, he is kept under arrest and forced to face yet another puppet ruler.
• Because Jesus was from Galilee, Pilate thought he could pass the buck onto King Herod.
Trial #5 Herod
8When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle.
• Herod was another of a long list of bad kings for the Jews. He had already beheaded Jesus’ cousin John The Baptist request of his teenage daughter after she danced seductively for him.
• Herod was very curious about Jesus. He had heard about some of Jesus’ miracles and was expecting to see some proof from Jesus himself. Herod liked a good show. Jesus refused to give one.
9He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. 11Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate.
• Since Jesus would not put on a show, they made a show of him.
• The last thing this appears to be is a trial in a court of law.
• With Jesus not cooperating, Herod sends him back to Pilate.
And as politics make strange bedfellows…
12That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.
Trial #6 Pilate Again
Pilate would not have taken the case again had it not been a personal favor for his new friend. After all, Pilate thought he was innocent and unworthy of Rome’s attention. It’s amazing how this unlikely friendship made such a difference in these events.
Perhaps one of Satan’s best tools is the distraction from friends that you know you shouldn’t have.
Now Pilate is stuck in a dilemma. He does not want to sentence an innocent man, so he will keep baiting the hook until someone else will do it for him.
So…
13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, 14and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16Therefore, I will punish him and then release him."
18With one voice they cried out, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!" 19(Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
20Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. 21But they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"
22For the third time he spoke to them: "Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him."
23But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. 24So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
All their lives people were taught that the only way to be right with God was by keeping the law. Here is a man who kept God’s law perfectly and yet he was executed as the worst offender.
If this stuff seems upsetting, it should.
Not one person in this kangaroo court had any moral grounds to sit in judgment over Jesus. From everything we’ve seen, Jesus was judged by a pagan governor, a pedophile king and a group of power hungry hypocritical puppet priests.
Yet not everything is what it seems in these trials.
Someone needs to take the blame for this. What it Satan? Judas? Pilate? The Sanhedrin? The crowd of Jews shouting “Crucify!”?
It would be very easy for us to blame these people for killing Jesus. But what we’ve seen today isn’t the whole story.
God the Father killed Jesus. Perhaps this statement sounds too strong and even blasphemous? And yet God Himself says the same thing in His word:
Rom 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--
Isa 53:10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
It was God’s will that His Son should suffer and die on the cross. That is why He sent Jesus to earth in the first place.
How can a Father kill His own Son? God asked Abraham to do this very thing with his son Isaac. But just as Abraham lifted the knife over the chest of his son, God spared his son and replaced the sacrifice with a lamb caught in the thicket. But God lifted the knife of death over the chest of His son, but did not spare Him, because Jesus was the Lamb, the Lamb that was slain.
Why? Why did God kill His own Son? He did this for you and me.
2 Cor 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Isa 53:5-6 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
And that, my friends, is hard for us to understand. But although we cannot understand such love, we can respond to it.
Here’s how.
VIDEO: ROMANS 6:1-4
