CSSA 1-4-22 - THE TRIAL OF JESUS

Language English

97. THE TRIAL OF JESUS

"We have no king but Caesar."

Aim

To show how Jesus was tried by Jews and Gentiles and falsely sentenced to death.

When Jesus gave himself up to the soldiers who had come to arrest him, his disciples did not know what to do. They feared then for their own lives, for if these men put Jesus to death, would they not kill his disciples as well? They did not yet understand that he must first suffer, to fulfil the scriptures, and afterwards he would be glorified. Peter and John, however, could not keep away. They had to find out what was happening to their beloved Master, who was prepared to give his life for them. They were there at the High Priest's house when Jesus was questioned.

John 18:19-40; 19:1-16. See also Matthew 26:57-27:26; Mark 14:53-15:15; Luke 22:54-23:25.

AT THE HIGH PRIEST'S HOUSE

From this time on Jesus was taken from one person in authority to another. Now that the rulers of the Jews had captured him, they only had the rest of that night and the next day to find a charge against him worthy of death, if they wanted him to be put to death before the feast of Passover began.

So they took Jesus first to Annas, who lived in the High Priest's palace, but though this man questioned Jesus, he could find nothing to help him lay a charge against him.

From there, the soldiers took him to Caiaphas, the High Priest. The chief priests, elders and scribes had been roused as soon as it was day. According to the Law, two witnesses were needed to prove a man guilty (Deut. 17:6). They brought in many false witnesses, but nothing they said against him deserved a death sentence. At last someone found two false witnesses who were ready to accuse him, but their stories did not agree.

(Remember, that on this council were two men who were honest and upright. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, who later took Jesus' body and buried him, would not have approved of the things that were going on. They had no power to stop them, but they knew Jesus was innocent. So those evil councillors, who wanted him crucified, had to pretend to be doing everything legally.)

Throughout his questioning, Jesus remained calm and silent. Caiaphas felt very frustrated. If only they could get him to say something wrong, they could bring a charge against him.

Finally, Caiaphas asked him straight out: "Tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God". This was a question that Jesus would gladly answer. "Thou hast said," he replied (meaning, "Yes, I am"), and added, "Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven".

"Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death" (Matt. 26:63-66). From that time on Jesus was spat on and punched and slapped, as the rough soldiers of the high priest, no longer afraid of him, as they had been in the garden, brutally mocked him. Jesus endured it all, without a protest, for he was indeed the Son of God.

JESUS BEFORE PILATE

The next morning they hurried Jesus off to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. Now that they had decided he must die, they wanted the Romans to crucify him, nailing him to a tree. According to the Law, anyone hanged on a tree was "cursed of God" (Deut. 21:23). They wanted everyone to be able to look on him and think that God had cursed him.

They told Pilate that Jesus had said he was Christ, a king, setting himself against Caesar, the emperor in Rome. Pilate questioned him, but could find no fault in this man who stood so meekly before him. This made the Jews angry. So they accused him of being a trouble-maker, stirring up the people from Galilee to Jerusalem. When Pilate heard them mention "Galilee" he decided to send him to Herod, who was in Jerusalem at the time, for Galilee was under Herod's control (Luke 23:2-7).

JESUS BEFORE HEROD

Herod had heard a lot of stories about Jesus. He was glad to have this opportunity to see him. Perhaps Jesus would show him some miracle. Yet though he asked him many questions, Jesus refused to answer this wicked man. The chief priests and scribes stood around watching, shouting out accusations against him. Herod, however, found nothing to accuse him of and when he and his soldiers had mocked him, he sent him back to Pilate (Luke 23:8-11).

BEFORE PILATE AGAIN

Pilate was determined to release Jesus, for neither he nor Herod could find any fault in him, and Pilate "knew that for envy they had delivered him" (Matt. 27:18). He was disturbed, too, when he received an urgent message from his wife, saying: "Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him" (v19).

Pilate was now even more anxious to let Jesus go free. It was a custom that the governor pardon a Jewish prisoner at this time of the year, because it was a special feast day. So Pilate used this custom to try to have Jesus released.

There was a prisoner at the time called Barabbas, an evil man, a robber and a murderer. Pilate brought Barabbas out and asked the people, "Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?" (v17). He felt sure they would see the difference between the two men. But the chief priests and the elders had already persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus destroyed. He asked them what he should, do with Jesus, and they shouted out, "Crucify him". Pilate was amazed: "Why, what evil hath he done?" This only made them cry out more fiercely, "Crucify him" (Mark 15:12-14). Pilate said, "Shall I crucify your King?" but "the chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15).

Pilate wanted to calm the people down, though he knew that Jesus was not worthy of death. So he called for a bowl of water and washed his hands publicly in front of the crowd saying, € I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it". The people did not care. "His blood be on us, and on our children", they answered (Matt. 27:24-25). The awful result of these hateful words was that God brought the most terrible judgment on them in AD70 for rejecting His Son and their children have suffered ever since.

"So Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified" (Mark 15:15).

LESSON FOR US

The Lord Jesus Christ, in all his dreadful trials, sets us the most wonderful example to follow. When he was accused falsely of evil things, he did not answer back. When he was beaten and mocked, he did not hit back. The apostle Peter remembered these things well and later wrote about them in a letter: "Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously" (1 Pet. 2:21-23). He endured all these things (and there was worse to come), because of "the joy that was set before him" (Heb. 12:2). He knew it would please his Father. We will never have to face the things he endured, but God wants us to show the same faith and courage whenever trials come upon us.

There are also lessons to be learnt from the actions of Pilate and the people. Pilate was more worried about his own position as governor, than about doing what was right. What a weak man he really was. The people, too, were easily swayed from what was right by the evil advice of their envious leaders. When we know what is right and true, let us stick with that. We must not let envy blind us to the truth, for envy leads to hatred and hatred can lead to murder, as it did in those days.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

One other sad incident happened that night. When Jesus was arrested, all the disciples fled. Peter and John followed "afar off" till they came to the High Priest's house. John went in, for he was known to the High Priest (John 18:15) and then came back and spoke to the servant at the door, who let Peter in.

Not knowing what to do, Peter sat among the servants and officers who warmed themselves at the fire. The maid-servant who had let him in saw him there and looking carefully at him said, "Art not thou also one of this man's disciples'?" But Peter said, € I am not" (John 18:16-17).

A little later he moved out to the porch, and someone looked at him and said: "Thou art also of them", but he said, "Man, I am not" (Luke 22:58).

About an hour later, they that stood by said again to Peter, "Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto". Again Peter denied, angrily answering them, "/ know not this man of whom ye speak" (Mark 14:70-71).

Just then the cock crowed. At the same moment Jesus, who was inside, turned and looked upon Peter. "And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly" (Luke 22:61-62).

How ashamed Peter felt, especially after boasting that he was ready to go to prison and to death with his Lord. Yet happily the story does not end there, for Peter became one of the greatest leaders of the ecclesia. He truly repented and later endured many things, including imprisonment and death, for the sake of his Master.

There is a great warning in this for all of us. When Jesus first sent his disciples out to preach the kingdom of God, he told them what hardships they would endure. "Ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake", he said (Matt. 10:22). But they were not to be afraid, for if they spoke up and confessed that they believed in Christ they would be rewarded at his coming. "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven" (v33). That is the warning. We must show our love for him in all things as Peter later did.

QUESTIONS

Short Answers

When Jesus was arrested, where was he taken first?
Two councillors did not like the way the trial was held. Who were they?
What question did the High Priest finally ask Jesus?
What did the High Priest accuse Jesus of?
Who was the Roman governor of Jerusalem at the time?
Why did the Jews want Jesus to die by crucifixion?
Did Pilate think Jesus was guilty?
Why was Herod glad to see Jesus?
What message did Pilate receive from his wife?
There was another man in prison that the people wanted Pilate to release. Who was he and why was he in prison?
What did the people want Pilate to do with Jesus?
What did the chief priests say when Pilate said, "Shall I crucify your king?"
What did Pilate do to show that he thought Jesus was innocent?
Why did Jesus endure all these things?