The Day Christ Died The Trial

As we lead up to Easter, we have been taking a closer look at the momentous events that took place on the day Christ died. We began in the Garden of Gethsemane. And we saw that as Jesus prepared himself for the ordeal that lay ahead, his disciples failed him in every conceivable way.

They boasted of their loyalty
They failed to stand watch with Jesus in prayer
Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss of friendship
Peter attempted to use violent means to defend Jesus
They all ran away

Yet in spite of their utter failure, Jesus loved them anyway. He didn’t write them off – he went ahead and died for them. And after his resurrection, he found them and restored them to fellowship and commissioned them to be his ambassadors.

Now we come to the trial of Jesus. Let’s take a look at the time frame involved.

The Last Supper ended late on Thursday evening. Jesus and his disciples made their way from the upper room in Jerusalem, out of the city and across the Kidron Valley to an olive grove called Gethsemane – the oil press. It must have been getting pretty late by this time. We know that the disciples were tired because they kept falling asleep when they were supposed to be praying.

It may well have been midnight or even later when Judas showed up leading a large band of armed police and soldiers to arrest Jesus.

The trial of Jesus then unfolded over the next several hours in the middle of the night while the city slept. This is quite extraordinary, as judicial proceedings don’t normally take place in the middle of the night. Indeed, the Jewish law, which was in effect at the time, prohibited any trial from taking place outside of daylight hours. This was to ensure that everything be done openly and publicly.

Many scholars have concluded that the Gospel accounts are simply wrong when they describe such things. They say “Such a trial could never have happened” – therefore it didn’t happen. Others are willing to concede that perhaps such a trial did happen, but that it couldn’t have taken place under the auspices of the proper Jewish religious authorities, since it obviously broke so many of their own procedural rules.

They have suggested that there was more than one Sanhedrin in existence at the time – a proper religious Sanhedrin of the Jewish people, and another “sham” political Sanhedrin which was controlled by the Romans. The second body could easily pull off such a stunt as having a trial in the middle of the night, since they weren’t concerned with methods as much as they were with results.

Whether there was one Sanhedrin or two, I am not in a position to say. I do believe that the Gospels are correct and reliable when they say that the high priests and the top Jewish religious leaders were involved in this trial. These were men who hated Jesus – they saw him as a threat to their own position and authority, and as a dangerous, destabilizing influence on the people. They simply wanted him out of the way.

And early on in Jesus public ministry, they began to try to find a way to do that. Now, on the eve of the Passover, they had their chance. And it doesn’t surprise me that they would find a way around certain procedural rules – because if we know anything about human nature – we know that we will do pretty much whatever it takes to get what we want.

One significant thing about this trial was that the verdict was pronounced after dawn – as perhaps a way of deflecting criticism. It wasn’t until dawn on Friday morning that the trial finally came to an end and the verdict was pronounced. There was a lot of coming and going during the night, as the authorities dragged their prisoner from place to place, and hearing to hearing.

Think of the personal toll this took on Jesus. He was awake all night and was subjected to all sorts of abuse – both physical and verbal. This would have been an enormous drain on him, both emotionally and physically. And, of course, the horrors of the crucifixion still lay ahead.

The trial unfolded this way:

Jewish Phase
1. House of Annas, the former high priest
2. House of Caiaphas, the present high priest and son-in-law of Annas
3. Meeting Place of Sanhedrin
Parentheses
1. Denials of Peter
2. Suicide of Judas
Roman Phase
1. Praetorium – before Pilate
2. Palace of Herod
3. Praetorium – before Pilate

You can see how these proceedings would easily occupy a whole night. And you get a sense, as you read these accounts in the Gospels, of the urgency, of the pressing need that the authorities felt to get this thing done. Their immediate concern was to seize the moment. After years of trying, they had Jesus now in their power – right where they wanted him. And they wanted to deal with him and get him out of the way before the Feast of the Passover took place. So there was a sense of pressure that was moving them along.

But we know that there was an even greater hand involved – the hand of God. At the Day of Pentecost, Peter described it this way…

Acts 2:23 This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

The timing of it all was God’s doing. Jesus, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, had to be crucified at Passover – when the Passover lambs were being slain – so that the rich symbolism of all of OT Jewish history would be fulfilled in him.

And so all of these events – even those events that were seemingly being driven by the desperate wickedness of men – were all under the control of a sovereign God.

And because he knew that, Jesus had an uncanny calm about him through all of this. While his accusers were raging around him in anger and hatred, he stood silent. And when he did speak, he spoke without any bitterness or resentment at the treatment he was receiving.

At one point, he said to Pilate: “You have no power over me except that which is given to you from above.”

I don’t know what is going on in your life right now. It may be that you find yourself in the midst of a crisis. It may be a physical crisis, a medical crisis, a financial crisis, an employment crisis, a relational crisis, a family crisis. But whatever it is, you feel as though events are just spinning out of control, and the forces of darkness are winning. It seems that the devil has the upper hand.

I want to tell you to remember Jesus as he is going through his trial. Remember his peace. Remember his calm. Remember what HE remembered – that God is in control. Even when life seems to be spinning out of control, God is in control.

God will not allow anything to happen to you that is not part of his perfect, loving plan for you.

Let us look at how the trial of Jesus unfolded…

First Jewish Phase – before Annas (described in John 18:13-23)

Annas was a man of enormous power and influence. Quirinius, governor of Syria, had appointed him high priest back in 7 AD. Valerius Gratus deposed him in AD 15, but Annas continued to be the real power behind the priesthood, and continued to be referred to by the honorary title of high priest.

Five of his own sons and one son-in-law, Caiaphas, inherited the position after him. But all through their tenure, Annas was the patriarch – the “godfather”. A good indication of this is that after they arrested Jesus, the Temple guards took him first to appear before Annas.

Annas questioned him and then sent him bound to his son-in-law Caiaphas for a more official hearing.

Second Jewish Phase – before Caiaphas (Mark 14:53-59)

Mark 14:53-59 They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, elders and teachers of the law came together. Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.

Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.’” Yet even then their testimony did not agree.

How ironic it is that the forces of darkness attempt to convict the Son of God by using a judicial proceeding. A courtroom is a place where truth is supposed to be paramount. A legal proceeding is intended to have as its outcome justice. And yet, neither truth nor justice seem to be of much concern here.

But the reason I mention this is that it reveals the true character of evil.

The trial of Jesus represents the cosmic clash of evil versus good. This is where Satan, the author of evil, takes his best shot at God. And yet, look at what he has to do, and where he has to go, to accomplish that. He has to go to a courtroom, a legal proceeding. He has to use the terminology of law and truth and justice and right and wrong in order to press his advantage. Isn’t that ironic?

Evil can only borrow, never create. Evil, in order to exist, has to depend on there being a prior good. Without truth, there can be no lie. Without love, there can be no hatred. Evil has no independent existence of its own – it can never be more than a perversion or corruption of that which is good.

In that sense, you might say that Satan never plays home games, only away games. He always has to operate on God’s turf, in a universe that God created, using principles that God designed. And he tries to bend them or warp them to his own advantage.

That’s what’s happening here in the trial of Jesus. Lies are being told, but they are masquerading as truth. Because the high priest and others involved know that for this trial to have any legitimacy, people are going to have to believe that proper procedure was followed, the truth was told, justice was done.

But in the attempt to bend the truth in order to pervert justice, look at what happens…

Mark 14:56 Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.

Mark 14:59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree.

The result of evil is chaos. The result of lying is contradiction. There is no unity, no coherence. The laws of logic and reason are broken. And in that way, evil contains within itself the seeds of its own destruction. It may appear to succeed for a time, but in the end it fails because it breaks to pieces against the unbreakable laws of God’s universe.

Psychologist M. Scott Peck wrote a book several years ago entitled “People of the Lie”. In it, he describes several of his patients who had seemingly built their lives around lies. They lied to themselves and lied to others simply as a way of life – it had become an ingrained habit. And Peck says that their lives were utterly chaotic because of it. There was no coherence, no unity of personality, no possibility of having any sort of true friendships or relationships because there was nothing at the center except falsehood.

If you ever find yourself in the situation where you have a choice between telling the truth and telling a lie – tell the truth. Tell the truth even if it is going to hurt you to do so. When we tell the truth, we are lining ourselves up with God’s character, God’s nature, because truth belongs to God. God cannot bless your life unless you tell the truth.

As Christians we are commanded to have the belt of truth buckled around our waist as a central part of our spiritual armor. It is the very first item described in the list of spiritual armor given to us in Ephesians 6, because truth is what holds us together. Truth is what gets us into relationship with God in the first place – we’ve got to be willing to acknowledge the truth about ourselves as sinners before a holy God.

Let’s continue in verse 60…

Mark 14:60-64 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?”

But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”

“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death.

If you were a marketing person reading the Gospels, you would have to conclude that Jesus, from a marketing perspective, had an absolutely lousy sense of timing.

When he was popular, when he was out preaching and teaching and healing and feeding the crowds, now and then someone would say “Surely you are the Messiah – you are the Christ!” And Jesus would hush him up and say “Go home, and don’t tell anybody. Keep it quiet.”

But now, in front of these hostile religious leaders, when it is absolutely the worst possible time for him to admit it, he says “I am the Christ. I am the Son of God.” He tells the truth. And in doing so, he signs his own death warrant.

Author Walter Wangerin has some good thoughts on this. He says that we want Jesus to be the celebrity Christ, but Jesus came to be the crucified Christ. And we want to be celebrity Christians, but God wants us to be crucified Christians.

We continue at verse 65…

Mark 14:65-72 Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.

While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by.

When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said. But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.

When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”

He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”

Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

In the midst of this historic drama that’s unfolding, we have a personal drama playing itself out in the courtyard of Caiaphas’ house. We read back in verse 54 that Peter followed Jesus at a distance into the courtyard of the high priest.

When we follow Jesus at a distance, we’ll find ourselves in spiritual peril without the resources we need. Peter is confronted not once, not twice, but three times about the nature of his relationship with Jesus. Jesus is condemned. Jesus is being beaten and spit at and blindfolded. And you can feel the fear rising in Peter’s throat. If he says that he is a friend of Jesus, maybe he’ll get that too.

So he denies knowing Jesus, or belonging to Jesus, out of motives of sheer self-preservation. But he doesn’t run away. He gets up and goes out into the entryway, perhaps to be less noticed. He’s paralyzed between the witness that he wants to be and the weak man that he is.

But there’s something in him that makes him want to stay. He does have a loyalty to Jesus, a concern for Jesus, a love for Jesus that keeps him there to deny that he even knows Jesus not once, not twice, but three times. He doesn’t just high-tail it out of there when his cover is blown.

Can’t you just sense the titanic struggle inside of Peter? Haven’t you felt that same struggle inside yourself? You love Jesus, but it’s so hard to identify openly with him out there in the world, where it’s scary – and maybe even dangerous to own up to your relationship with him.

And in the end, like Peter, we act in the interests of self-preservation. But then the rooster crows, and as Luke says in his Gospel, “the Lord turns and looks straight at us” and we realize what we’ve done, and we break down and weep.

Third and Final Jewish Phase

Mark 15:1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.

In order to maintain an appearance that they were following proper procedure, the Sanhedrin assembled at daybreak in order to pronounce sentence on Jesus. This gathering probably took place, not at the house of Caiaphas the high priest, but at the regular meeting place of the Sanhedrin, which may have been somewhere in the precincts of the Temple.

There was no question in their minds as to whether or not Jesus was guilty. He had declared himself in their hearing to be the Messiah, the Son of God. Listen to the way Luke describes it:

Luke 22:66-71 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.

“If you are the Christ,” they said, “tell us.”

Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”

They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied, “You are right in saying I am.” Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”

So they bound Jesus and led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the Roman governor, because the Jews, as a people subject to the Romans, were not allowed to carry out capital punishment. They needed the assistance of the Romans in order to execute anyone.

We’ll pick the story up there next Sunday.