I get a kick out of hearing things that have actually been said in courtrooms.
Q: Mrs. Jones, is your appearance this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
A: No. This is how I dress when I go to work.
Q: Could you see him from where you were standing?
A: I could see his head.
Q: And where was his head?
A: Just above his shoulders.
Q: You say the stairs went down to the basement?
A: Yes.
Q: And these stairs, did they go up also?
And, a judge, trying to prepare a jury for a trial, said this: “Now, as we begin, I must ask you to banish all present information and prejudice from your minds…if you have any.”
As we come to the last part of Matthew 26, we will see that those intent on trying Jesus were filled with prejudice because their minds were made up before they heard all the facts. Last week we focused on the prayer of Jesus and learned that the Garden of Gethsemane was a place of support, sorrow, solitude, struggle, submission, and finally, strength.
It’s important to keep in mind that Jesus actually had six different trials. Three of them were ecclesiastical, or religious; and three were civil. We’ll look at the religious trials today and the others next week.
1. Examination by Annas. We read in John 18:12-14 that Jesus was bound and led first to Annas. By the way, the Passion movie shows that Jesus is secured with chains as he is led away, and I think that’s probably right. However, Gibson takes some creative liberty when Jesus is pushed off the bridge and dangles in front of remorseful Judas.
In the gospels we read about two individuals who are given the title high priest – Annas and Caiaphas. According to the Old Testament, the high priesthood was a life office, but the Romans had given this role to Caiaphas, even though many still looked to Annas, who was older and very influential. He was like the “godfather” of the temple establishment, and everyone knew that cases had to be cleared with him first. Annas was high priest de jure, but Caiaphas was so de facto. Annas ruled until 15 A.D. Caiaphas was a son-in-law to Annas, and was also powerful and extremely ruthless. He did everything possible to remain on the good side of the Romans so he could remain in power and served until he was deposed in 37 A.D.
There are at least four reasons why Jesus was taken to Annas first.
The leaders respected him and wanted his blessing on their actions.
They were hoping Annas could find some incriminating evidence against Jesus.
He lived close to the Garden of Gethsemane.
During this preliminary trial, the Roman guards were dismissed so the religious leaders could do what they wanted to with Jesus.
In John 18:19-24, we discover that Annas interrogated Jesus. According to Jewish law, it was illegal for the accused to stand before just one judge and be directly questioned. When Jesus answered him, one of the officials smacked Him in the face. Jesus replied, “If I said something wrong, testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” Jesus is then sent by Annas in the darkness to Caiaphas for round two.
2. Caiaphas holds court. This is more of a caucus or a committee, because the entire court was not convened to charge Christ, but just a few leaders who were woken up in the middle of the night. 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.”
3. The Sanhedrin sentences the Savior to death. The decision to murder the Messiah is formalized in Matthew 27:1: “Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death.” Because the religious leaders did not have the right to take someone’s life, they then hand Jesus over to the Roman authorities.
4. Jesus is presented to Pilate. This is recorded by all four gospels (Matthew 27:11-31; Mark 15:1-15; Luke 23:1-5; John 18:28-40).
5. Jesus has a hearing with Herod. Herod, who was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast, was curious about Christ and asked Him a bunch of questions. This is only recorded in Luke 23:6-12.
6. Jesus is sentenced to death by Pilate. This is spelled out in Matthew 27:26-31.
Christ Before Caiaphas
If you have your Bibles, please follow along as I read Matthew 26:57-68: “Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome. The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared, ‘This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’
Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, ‘Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?’ But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, ‘I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.’ ‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied. ‘But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, ‘He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?’ ‘He is worthy of death,’ they answered. Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, ‘Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?’”
Let’s look closely at this account to see how Jesus encountered two different kinds of hypocrisy demonstrated in two completely different men – Caiaphas and Peter (special thanks to Pastor George Kreger for this idea, www.newhopecc.org).
In verse 57, we’re introduced to Caiaphas, who was supposed to be the spiritual leader of Israel. He was the only one who could go into the Holy of Holies in the Temple and offer atonement for the sins of the people. In one sense he was the mediator between God and man. One of his roles was to preside over the Sanhedrin, a court of 71 elders, who decided the major legal issues of the Jewish nation. In verse 58, we read that Peter followed Jesus and was able to come into the courtyard of the high priest, where he sat down with the guards to see the outcome of the trial. We’ll talk more about Peter later.
Verse 59 tells us that the “chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put Him to death.” Their minds were already made up. In fact, Caiaphas said as much after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead in John 11:50: “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” A few verses later we read, “So from that day on they plotted to take his life” (11:53). The Sanhedrin originated in Numbers 11, when seventy elders were appointed to help carry the burden of leading the people so that Moses would not have to do it by himself. In the New Testament, the Sanhedrin functioned like much like a religious Supreme Court and consisted of 23 priests, 23 elders, and 23 scribes, or lawyers; and two presidents.
They were to be men of character, educated in the law, able to understand Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, and be humble. But these leaders were unbelieving (Luke 22:67-68), interested in their own survival (John 11:49-50), and filled with envy (Matthew 27:18). We see something of their hearts in Matthew 26:4: “and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him.” It’s interesting that in their plot to condemn and kill Christ, they couldn’t find any evidence, even though many false witnesses came forward.
Finally they find two witnesses in verse 61 who declare: “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’” This charge was significant for at least two reasons. First, it was considered a capital offense to destroy a temple. And second, some Jews believed that when the Messiah came, He would demolish the old temple and build a new one. The authorities were saying that Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah and therefore could accuse him of blasphemy. Not too surprising, these witnesses did not have it right. Jesus never said, “I am able to destroy the temple…” According to John 2:19, Jesus actually said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” He didn’t say he would destroy it – He said they would. In addition, John 2:21 indicates that Jesus was speaking of His body which would be raised from the dead after three days.
In any case, Mark 14:59 tells us that their testimony did not agree. Once these “witnesses” contradicted each other, they should have been declared false and the case against Jesus regarded as fabricated. In fact, under Jewish law, in a capital case, false witnesses were supposed to be put to death (Deuteronomy 19:16-21). As time is ticking away, this group is beginning to face some deadlines. P.G. Matthew indicates that there were three time pressures. I’ll add a fourth:
Deadline of nightfall. The Sabbath would begin that evening (Friday) at sundown. They wanted to try Jesus quickly because they couldn’t do anything on Saturday.
Requirements of their law. According to Jewish law, if the accused was declared innocent after one vote, that was the end of the matter. But in a capital case, if thirty-seven or more members voted for death, they were required to go home and sleep for a night before voting again the next day. They were supposed to pray and think of ways to acquit the accused. Since it was night, they wanted to quickly decide and then, in order to fulfill the “letter” of the law, they could wait at least a couple hours before sentencing.
Schedule of Pilate. Since the Jewish leaders did not have the power of the sword, they had to make a politically correct case in a hurry to the Roman governor Pilate if they wanted all this to happen before the Sabbath. Since Pilate only worked in the morning, they were under the gun.
Popularity of Jesus. If they didn’t move fast, Jesus’ popularity with the crowds of people in Jerusalem would force His release and make Him more of a hero.
Caiaphas then came up with a brilliant idea in verse 62 as he stood and asked Jesus a question. To stand indicated that a verdict had been reached. This was illegal because the president was to be still and the accused was not to be attacked directly. Jesus chose to remain silent in direct fulfillment of Isaiah 53:7: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” And then because he was unable to find two witnesses who agreed, Caiaphas called on God as the ultimate witness and put Jesus under a solemn and serious oath in verse 63: “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” If Jesus refused to answer He would be breaking a holy oath and held guilty. If He told the truth, He would be accused of blasphemy. We see in verse 64 that the Holy One had no hesitancy: “Yes, it is as you say…But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
They got more than they bargained for with this answer. Not only did Jesus declare that He was the Messiah, by quoting Daniel 7:13-14 and Psalm 110:1, He also showed that the roles were going to be reversed one day. How could they have the audacity to sit in judgment of the Ancient of Days? Jesus was coming again on the clouds of heaven as the Righteous Judge and Cosmic Ruler of the universe. Jesus will then be the judge and Caiaphas the culprit. Paul later referred to the theological certainty of the Glorious Appearing in Acts 17:30-31: “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
In a show of holy hypocrisy, Caiaphas tore his clothes (which The Passion of the Christ movie shows very vividly). As high priest, he did this because he was declaring that Jesus was committing blasphemy. Friends, for Jesus declare that He was the Son of God was not blasphemy, it was fact. This group then declares that Jesus is worthy of death and in verses 67-68, they let loose on the One who will judge them: “Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, ‘Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?’” These personal indignities were not only illegal; what they did demonstrated their total disregard for Jesus. They want it to appear that instead of being divine, Jesus is hardly worthy to be regarded as human.
In that culture to spit in the face of someone was to repudiate that individual and was one of the worst insults imaginable (Numbers 12:14). We get the word “empty” from the Greek word emptuo, which means to spit. They emptied into the face of Jesus, showing their extreme revulsion. Their spittle gave vent to their spite. By hitting Him with their fists, they were rejecting His claim as Messiah by saying He was too weak to defend Himself; and by blindfolding Him and telling Him to prophecy, they were rejecting Him as a prophet. This is another fulfillment of the foretelling found in Isaiah 50:6: “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.”
In their hurry to convict and sentence the Savior, this sly segment of the Sanhedrin did not see their own hypocrisy. They were so intent on getting rid of Jesus that they were willing to do whatever it took to do so. P.G. Matthew points out the many illegalities of this kangaroo court: “First, they bribed Judas to betray Jesus to them. Then they arrested Jesus and conducted the trial at night. They failed to bring Judas to court to accuse Jesus. They tried Jesus on the eve of the Sabbath and first tried him by a single judge, Annas. They made no formal indictment against him. They tried him even though they were prejudiced and had plotted to kill him long ago. They did not defend him, although that was their duty under their law. They questioned Jesus directly so that he could incriminate himself. They failed to acquit Jesus when there were no witnesses. They deliberately sought false testimonies. They slapped him for no reason. They called his testimony blasphemy when it was the truth. They put him under a most solemn oath. They did not punish the false witnesses for giving false testimony. They voted twice within a few hours of time rather than waiting twenty-four hours…despite all the illegalities, the court proceeded to vote” (www.dcn.davis.ca.us/).
The sentence of death is formalized in Matthew 27:1 and composes the final religious trial: “Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death.” We do know that some members of the Sanhedrin were not present, namely Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, who both had faith encounters with Jesus (John 3:1-21; 19:38). They were probably not even invited because others suspected they were followers of Christ.
Peter the Pretender
Caiaphas was certainly not expressing an authentic walk with God but there was another example of hypocrisy unfolding close by. Let’s review the story briefly. When Jesus was arrested, the disciples split. But Peter turned around and courageously followed Christ from a distance, and was allowed access into the courtyard of Caiaphas. Jesus had warned Peter that before the night was over he was going to deny Him three times (Luke 22:34).
Denial #1: Matthew 26:69-70: “Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. ‘You also were with Jesus of Galilee,’ she said. But he denied it before them all. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ he said.” It’s hard to believe that this was the same guy who had whacked off a soldier’s ear and had boldly declared in Luke 22:33: “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” We know from John 18:15-16 that John was somehow allowed access into the trail and he found a way for Peter to come into the courtyard. Perhaps this servant girl was told by John to let Peter in, which aroused suspicions in her mind that he was a disciple. Luke 22:56 says that she “looked closely at him and said, ‘This man was with him.’” Peter is caught off guard and pleads ignorance, using a standard form of denial in Jewish legal texts.
Denial #2: Matthew 26:71-72: “Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, ‘This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.’ He denied it again, with an oath: ‘I don’t know the man!’” Peter now gets up and moves toward the door. Mark 14:54 tells us that he had been warming himself by the fire, but now things are becoming too hot for him. As Peter tries to get out of there, another girl spots him and declares out loud that he was with Jesus of Nazareth. Peter calls out an oath and refers to Jesus as the “the man,” as if He were a complete stranger to him, and uses an expression that conveys contempt.
Denial #3. About an hour later (see Luke 22:59), after the news about Peter had spread, we read in Matthew 26:73-74: “After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, ‘Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away.’ Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, ‘I don’t know the man!’” One of these accusers, according to John 18:26, was a relative of Malchus, the man Peter had whacked in the garden. They were certain that Peter was a disciple because of the way that he talked. Galileans were careless with their vowels and failed to clearly differentiate the various guttural consonants.
Peter then invokes curses upon himself in the event that he is lying. Peter wasn’t in the habit of swearing, but if that’s what it took to convince the crowd, that’s what he would do. He is saying something like this: “May God do this or that to me if I am a disciple of that man!” The more he talks, the more people hear his accent. And as he calls down curses, people see that he is lying.
Caiaphas pretended to be more spiritual than he really was and Peter pretended to be worse than he was. Caiaphas was an obvious hypocrite, while Peter practiced “reverse hypocrisy.” This is pretty common among Christians today. Have you ever acted worse than you are just to be accepted? Recently Time magazine did a story about some high schools where it’s not cool to be a good student so some are faking ignorance and indifference just to be accepted. In college, some people think you’re weird if you don’t drink or sleep around. Do you ever hide your real self, and pretend to be worse than you are, just to avoid being made fun of, or to fit in? If you do, can you hear the rooster crowing in the distance? John 12:42-43 says that some of the religious leaders believed in Jesus but they didn’t want anyone to know because “they loved praise from men more than praise from God.”
As Peter is cursing he hears a cock crowing. I picture him freezing in mid-sentence because the last part of verse 74 indicates that this happened “immediately” after his third denial. Matthew 26:75: “Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: ‘Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.” For people in the ancient Mediterranean world, a rooster’s crowing marked daybreak. However, there were also roosters that crowed between 12:30 and 2:30 a.m. I personally believe that the Lord caused the rooster to crow at that precise moment. By the way, I wish Gibson would have had the rooster’s cry in the movie. In any case, the sound of this crowing caused Peter to run outside and weep bitterly as the words that Jesus spoke consumed his conscience. Mark 14:72 indicates that Peter “broke down and wept” continuously. This word means that he wailed violently.
At the point of Peter’s denial, there’s someone who is looking right into his eyes. This is portrayed brilliantly in the Passion. Jesus sees past Peter’s hypocrisy and sin. Luke 22:61 indicates that “the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.” With his face covered with spit and bruised by the blows He had received, Peter sees pain…and he sees pardon. The look of love from His Lord broke Peter’s proud heart. After His resurrection, Jesus met privately and publicly with Peter and restored him (Mark 16:7; John 21:15-19).
Closing Thoughts
1. Sin killed Jesus. The question about who killed Jesus has a simple answer. You did. I did. Sin did. And the Father did. Sure, there were human instruments involved, but it was our sin that caused Jesus to be our substitute. Remember, it was some Jews who were involved and there were some Gentiles, but it was every one of us that He died for.
2. Baptism is a great way to stand up for Jesus. If you’re a believer and have not yet declared your faith in a public way through the ordinance of baptism, I encourage you to do so. Our next service will be held on Sunday, March 28th. If you’d like to study more about this, you can pick up a copy of “Proclaiming God’s Purposes in Baptism” on the resource table or download it at: www.pontiacbible.org/sermons/archive/20030928.html. Peter denied and he shouldn’t have. You can declare your faith publicly through baptism in a way that you will never forget. Call the church office to reserve your spot.
3. You must make a choice about Christ. You can judge Him like Caiaphas, you can deny Him like Peter, or you can choose to receive Him as your Lord and Savior right now. Listen carefully. There is no neutrality possible. We will worship Him or wish Him away. Jesus Himself said that He came to divide humanity in Luke 12:51: “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” Will you bow before Him or beat Him with your fists? Will you continue to be angry with Him, or will you adore Him? You can attack Him, or you can abdicate to His right to rule your life. There’s another courtroom coming and Jesus will be the Judge, and there will be nothing humorous about it. Will you accept Him now as Savior so that the judgment you rightly deserve will be absorbed by Him?
I’ve seen a bumper sticker that troubles me. It says, “Try God.” I’m bothered for two reasons. One, we don’t try God out for a test drive and if we like Him we negotiate a deal with Him. Second, some of us are “trying” Him as if we have Him on trial. Friend, don’t try Jesus. Instead, trust Him. You can do so right now by praying this prayer from your heart.
“Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. I admit that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. I now know there is more to this life than the way I’ve been living. Forgive me for my hypocrisy. I sometimes try to act better than I really am and other times I behave worse than I am. And yet, I know that you accept me just as I am and that you love me too much to let me stay that way. Forgive me for judging you on the one hand, and for denying you on the other. I repent of my sins by changing my mind about the way I’ve been living. No longer will I close the door when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth and experiencing all that you did for me. With all my heart I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your words are true. I accept you into my heart. Be my Savior and Lord. I surrender to your leadership in my life. Make me into the person you want me to be. Amen.”
