THE TRIAL OF THE AGES
MARK 14:53-65
If you are old enough, you probably remember where you were on June 17th, 1994. If you turned your T.V on that afternoon you likely witnessed the infamous police chase involving a white Ford Bronco driven by A.C Cowlings. In that vehicle was an O.J Simpson, a football legend, sportscaster and actor, who had just been indicted for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman. 95 million viewers watched the "low speed chase" for more than an hour, it ended with O.J Simpson being arrested at his home in Brentwood California. That was far from the end of the story; from January 24th 1995 until October 3rd of 1995 you could not turn on the Television without seeing some sort of coverage of Simpson's trial. On October 3, in one of the greatest travesties of justice, Orenthal James Simpson was found not guilty of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Though public opinion was split along racial lines at the end of the trial, today a majority of Americans believe that Simpson is guilty.
That trial became known as "The Trial Of The Century". It is very likely that on October 3rd 1995 a guilty man was set free, but 2,000 years ago there was another travesty of Justice; on that occasion a completely innocent Man was convicted for crimes He had never committed.
I am speaking of course of the illegitimate trial of Jesus by the Sanhedrin. I would like to examine this trial for a little while and preach on "The Trial Of The Ages".
As we walk through this chapter we will find that:
1) There Was An Illegal Trial
2) There Was Insufficient Evidence
3) There Was An Irrational Judge
4) There Was An Innocent Defendant
5) There Was An Incorrect Verdict
- Let's begin in verses 53-59 and consider that:
I. THERE WAS AN ILLEGAL TRIAL v53-59
v53 And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. 54 But Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire. 55 Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. 56 For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree. 57 Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying, 58 "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.' 59 But not even then did their testimony agree.
After His arrest in Gethsemane, Jesus was taken to the home of Annas. - John 18:13 And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year.
Annas was a man of great influence among the Jews. When he was finished questioning Jesus, he sent Him bound to Caiaphas. In our selected text, Jesus is standing before the Sanhedrin. The word "Sanhedrin" means "a sitting together," or a "council." The 71 members of the Sanhedrin were the supreme judicial council of the Jews. Like our Supreme Court, the Sanhedrin was the highest court in the land. Members of the Sanhedrin were greatly respected by the Jewish people. These men were expected to be fair, just and impartial in their rulings. Caiaphas, The High Priest, was in charge of the proceedings that took place in this passage.
It seems that the enemies of Christ had planned every detail and orchestrated the events of that night/early morning. As Judas and the angry mob seized and arrested Jesus, the members of the council were gathering together at Caiaphas' palace anticipating this illegitimate trial. For some time these men had sought to stop the ministry of the Lord Jesus, now it seemed that they had their chance! What they did not realize is that the only power they had over Him was what He allowed them to have.
The trial that took place that evening was illegal for many reasons.
The timing of this trial made it illegal: This trial was held at night and at Passover; this was clearly prohibited by Jewish law. When a person's life was at stake the trial could only be held during the day. It was also illegal to try someone on the day before the Sabbath or before a holy day.
The location of the trial made it illegal: John tells us that this trial took place at the palace of the High Priest. According to Jewish law, this trial should have taken place in the "Hall of Hewn Stones" located on the Temple grounds.
The proceedings during this trial made it illegal: The Sanhedrin were not permitted to bring charges against someone, their job was to investigate charges that were made by others. Also, the charges against Jesus were illegally changed in the middle of trial. First they charged Him with threatening to destroy the Temple, then they charged Him with blasphemy, then when He stood before Pilate, He was charged with claiming to be the King of the Jews.
None of the charges against Jesus were thoroughly investigated by the court, they did not give Him the opportunity to call His own witnesses and there was no possible way for Jesus to mount a proper defense. This council did not care about right and wrong. They hated Jesus and they conspired against Him in order to condemn Him to death. They knew that Jesus had done nothing that was worthy of death sentence. But they were willing to fabricate evidence if necessary to secure a guilty verdict. The members of the Sanhedrin ignored the truth about Jesus. They made up their own facts about Him. In spite of all that they had heard and seen, they rejected Jesus as Messiah.
Many people today respond to Jesus the very same way. They ignore the truth about Him and some attempt to make up their own facts about Him. Many people in our culture believe that Jesus was a great teacher, some look at Him as a great philosopher and others have the image of a hippie who promoted peace and love.
In America, the majority acknowledges His existence but they do not trust Him as Savior. Many respect Him, but they do not recognize Him as God in the flesh. They don't believe that He is the only way to Heaven. One day they will come to the realization that He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Sadly, many will come to this realization too late.
Paul said in - Philippians 2:9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Those who respect Jesus but refuse to surrender to Him, will face Him in judgment. On that day they will humbly bow before Him and confess that He is Lord of all!
Those who were involved in this illegal trial were not convinced. As a result they plotted to seize, arrest and convict Him whether they had any legitimate evidence or not.
- Let's consider that for a moment. Notice in verses 56-58:
II. THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
Here in America, a prosecutor must prove a defendant is guilty beyond any reasonable doubt. This is very tough to do without sufficient evidence. In fact, a D.A will rarely indict someone without having ample evidence on hand to prove their guilt.
- Honest witnesses and sufficient evidence were nowhere to be found at this trial. Let's examine the fact that:
A. THE WITNESSES AGAINST CHRIST WERE DECEPTIVE
The members of the council actually went out and “sought” witnesses who would testify against Jesus. They were willing to entertain an audience from anyone who would come forward and make an accusation against Jesus. It seems that there were many who were willing to do just that. - v56 For many bore false witness against Him...
These men stood and told blatant lies against the very source of truth! Though there were many who were willing to make false accusations against Jesus, there was a problem.... they couldn't get their stories straight. Look at verse 56 again, it says that "many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree."
According to the Law, the testimony of witnesses in a trial had to be in perfect agreement, this is found in - (Deuteronomy 17:6 Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness.) In verses 57-58 two of these "false witnesses" told a story that was similar but still not exactly the same. - (v57 Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying, 58 "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.' " 59 But not even then did their testimony agree.) This is a reference to a conversation Jesus had with the Jews in - (John 2:19 Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body.)
These false witnesses took Jesus' Words completely out of context. They accused Him of threatening to destroy the holiest place in Israel. The fact is, Jesus never said He was going to destroy the Temple. He said "(if you) destroy THIS temple, I will raise it up in three days".
Jesus was not referring to the Temple in Jerusalem, He was speaking of what would take place in mere hours...He was referencing His body that would be destroyed at Calvary and the fact that it would be raised from the dead three days later.
- The witnesses who were present at this trial were deceptive, but to make matters worse, those who knew the truth had departed. If we refer back to when Jesus was arrested, in verse 50 we see that:
B. THE WITNESSES FOR CHRIST HAD DEPARTED
Verse 50 tells us that in the Garden of Gethsemane all of the Disciples "forsook the Lord and fled". Now two of His closest followers (Peter & John) have returned to where He was, but they remained silent.
John 18:15 And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. 16 But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in.
It probably wouldn't have mattered if Peter and John attempted to come to the defense of Jesus, because the Sanhedrin already had their minds made up. They did not want to hear the truth... they did not want to hear from anyone who would testify on behalf of Jesus. It would not have taken long to find people whose lives had been touched by the hand of the Master.
Just think back to all of the people Jesus had healed in the past 3 years: They could have talked to Peter's Mother-in-law, or the many sick and diseased that were healed at His hand. They could have questioned many who were delivered from demons, and those who had their sight and hearing restored. They could have interviewed the many lepers who were cleansed and the paralyzed who were made whole. They could have talked to a man who once had a withered hand, a women who was healed of an issue of blood that she dealt with for 12 years and a man who was previously a deaf mute. Old Bartemaus could have detailed for them how he that had once been blind but now was able to see. They could have interviewed a widow from Nain and her son that had been raised from the dead, or a man named Jairus and his young daughter that had been brought back to life. Then there was Jesus' close personal friend Lazarus who had been in the grave for 4 days, and his sisters Mary and Martha who witnessed his resurrection. They could have even talked to one of the men who helped bring Jesus into the trial named Malchus, he could have told them about how Peter cut his ear off and Jesus healed him completely. Yes, there were many who could have testified on Jesus' behalf. Some didn't have the opportunity and the few who did remained silent.
We live in a day and age where Christ is attacked from every side; truth is ignored and His name is blasphemed, so before we go bashing Peter & John for remaining silent, let us ask ourselves "what are we doing to promote the cause of Christ where we are?" Everyone within our sphere of influence may not believe in Jesus, but they should at least know who He is. Let us not be "secret disciples" following Jesus from afar, let us be bold, courageous and devoted to the cause of Christ!
- Moving on, we see that Jesus not only faced an illegal trial with insufficient evidence, He also stood before an irrational judge. Notice:
III. THERE WAS AN IRRATIONAL JUDGE v60-64
Caiaphas was the Jewish high priest from A.D. 27-36. His goal was to convict Christ no matter what. When the witnesses' testimonies would not agree, Caiaphas begins to interrogate Jesus himself. He knew that these witnesses were lying and he questions Jesus as to why He was not defending Himself. Jesus kept His silence and this infuriated Caiaphas. Angrily he asked Jesus "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"(v61) Jesus responded "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."(v62) This set Caiaphas off! He then tore his clothes and said, "What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?" And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. (v63-64)
Caiaphas is a picture of many today who hear the truth about Christ and refuse to believe it. They believe far fetched lies about the Savior and Christianity. They become angry by the truth of God's Word and they seek to attack Christ and His followers every chance they get! Caiaphas was irrational and focused on his agenda, not the truth.
Not only was there an irrational judge at this trial, we also see that:
IV. THERE WAS AN INNOCENT DEFENDANT
As Jesus sat before this "irrational judge", Caiaphas, He remained silent. (v60 And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, "Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?" 61 But He kept silent and answered nothing.)
Jesus refused to dignify the lies of His enemies with a response. This is also another prophecy that Christ fulfilled. Isaiah said in Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
In verse 61 Caiaphas questions Jesus again, he said ("Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" 62 Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.") Jesus' response would give His enemies what they wanted. They now had what they needed to condemn Him to the Cross. When asked if He was the Christ, Jesus said "I am". Jesus boldly professed the truth that He was God in the flesh. Notice that He didn't stop at professing to be the Christ, He informed them that they would one day stand before Him in Judgment!
My friend, let me assure you that the truth revealed in this text has not, nor will it ever change! Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus is God in the flesh, Jesus is the Promised Messiah, He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and He is the Righteous Judge! And one day all who reject Him as such, will stand before Him and find out that He is exactly who He says He is!!!!!
On the night before the Cross:
- There Was An Illegal Trial
- There Was Insufficient Evidence
- There Was An Irrational Judge
- There Was An Innocent Defendant and finally we will see that:
V. THERE WAS AN INCORRECT VERDICT
When Jesus declared that He was indeed the Christ, Caiaphas became even more infuriated that he was before. In his mind he has heard blasphemy, but in reality, he has heard the truth! He "tore his clothes and said, What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think? And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death." (v63-64) It was not within Caiaphas' power to inflict the punishment of death, as a result he sent Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor, that he might pronounce the sentence against him. The other members of the Sanhedrin all agree... they "condemned Him of being deserving of death". The council got the verdict wrong! Jesus was completely innocent. The only thing He was guilty of was loving you and me.
Again let me remind you that the only power Caiaphas & the rest of the Sanhedrin possessed was what Jesus gave them. No one took Jesus' life, He willingly laid it down for the sins of the world.
We must remember that we are the reason all of this took place. We are the reason that Jesus was arrested, we are the reason that He was falsely tried before the Sanhedrin, we are the reason He would be sent to Pilate, we are the reason that He would be scourged and sentenced to die!
Caiaphas and the rest of the Sanhedrin rejected the Lord Jesus, and as a result of their unbelief they were condemned to Hell. The same will happen to you if you continue to reject Jesus as Savior. (John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.)
Jesus is exactly who He told Caiaphas He was... He is the Son of God. And as He promised Caiaphas, He will judge the world some day. (John 5:22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son)
On that day, every lost person who has ever lived, including the ungodly men in these verses, will stand before Jesus in judgment. And they will be condemned to Hell, because they rejected Jesus. (Revelation 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.)
This does not have to be your fate. If you have never been saved I invite you to turn to Jesus today! If you will trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He will save your soul and turn away the wrath of God from your life. You can be saved, if you will come to Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9 if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.)
Salvation, eternal life and a home in Heaven are all available because of what Jesus did for us. This is all possible because He endured the injustice of "The Trial Of The Ages".
