The Trial of Jesus-pt.3

Introduction

Review

Luke 22:54 LSB

54 Now having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest, but Peter was following at a distance.

You may not know it, but we have been in Luke 22:54 for the last 3 weeks.

Luke only mentions Jesus’ arrest and deliverance to Caiaphas in this one sentence.

However, Matthew, Mark, and John mention so much more.

John in fact weaves Peter’s denial of Jesus Christ into this narrative of Jesus’ trials.

It seems, in fact, that Jesus is on trial and passes the test, and that Peter was on trial and fails the test.

Therefore, it is necessary to understand the events as they happened in sequence.

They are as follows:

Phase 1: Jesus is brought to Annas, the retired ring-leader of the entire Temple marketplace.

Phase 2: Jesus is brought to Caiaphas, the son-in-law of Annas, and the current high-priest.

Phase 3: Jesus is brought before the Sanhedrin for formal legal proceedings and verdict.

Phase 4: Jesus is brought to Pilate, the Roman governor who is not on good terms with the Jews.

Phase 5: Jesus is brought to Herod, the procurator of the region Jesus was born and raised in, Galilee.

Phase 6: Jesus is returned to Pilate for final Roman verdict and execution.

Phase 1: Annas

Observation #1: A Malicious False Assertion Made.

They asserted that Jesus was an insurrectionist who is plotted a rebellion with His disciples.

Observation #2: A Malicious False Location for a Trial Made.

They escorted Jesus to Annas.

Jesus’ deliverance before Annas was illegal .

It was at night.

It was without charges made.

It was without witnesses.

It was held in his personal home.

Jesus was assaulted physically.

These were all irregular and against Rabbinic teaching.

Once Annas completed his “interrogation,” he released Him to Caiaphas for further formal/technical trial before the Jewish courts.

This action on behalf of Annas signalled the rest of the leaders of his conclusions.

John 11:53 LSB

53 So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.

Phase 2: Caiaphas

Jesus’ deliverance to Caiaphas was also illegal for all the same reasons.

But, added to this was the fact that Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin worked feverishly to find witnesses to falsely testify against Him.

Observation #3: Malicious False Witnesses Presented

This was illegal because a witness was a witness only if he came forward voluntarily.

Also, a witness cannot be false without impunity.

Caiaphas orders Jesus to say something, but He remains silent for the most part.

Mark 14:60–65 LSB

60 And the high priest stood up in their midst and questioned Jesus, saying, “You answer nothing? What are these men testifying against You?” 61 But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him and said to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” 63 And tearing his tunics, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? 64 “You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. 65 And some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in the face.

Caiaphas acting in typical high priest fashion, goes through the motions of a normal criminal trial before the court, the Sanhedrin.

He stood to address the “guilty.”

The Trial of Jesus: Illustrated from Talmud and Roman Law Chapter XI: Extracts from the Mishna

The Sin of Blasphemy (San. vii. 6, 11).

A blasphemer is not guilty unless he mentions the proper name of God (Jehovah). Through the entire trial the witnesses are examined pseudonymously—i.e. (the blasphemer said): “Jose shall be beaten by Jose.” The name Jose is chosen because it contains four letters, as does the proper name of the Lord. When the examination was ended, the culprit was not executed on the testimony under the pseudonym; but all are told to leave the room except the witnesses, and the principal witness is instructed: “Tell what you heard exactly.” And he does so.

The judges then arise, and rend their garments, and they are not to be mended. The second witness then says: “I heard exactly the same as he told.” And so also says the third witness.

He who curses his father or mother is not punished with a capital punishment, unless he curse them by the proper name of God. If he has done so with a pseudonym, according to Rabbi Mair he is guilty, and according to the sages he is not.

The final testimony:

“We have heard Him say...”

The claim is that Jesus wants to destroy the temple of the Jews.

Matthew 26:60–61 LSB

60 And they did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, 61 and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the sanctuary of God and to rebuild it in three days.’”

Mark 14:57–59 LSB

57 And some, standing up, were giving false testimony against Him, saying, 58 “We ourselves heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this sanctuary made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’” 59 And not even in this way was their testimony consistent.

We need to understand this statement.

It is the statement, in fact, that finally gave Caiaphas and the leaders the “legal ground” to condemn Jesus.

Let’s see what Jesus said:

John 2:13–22 LSB

13 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME.” 18 The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this sanctuary, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking about the sanctuary of His body. 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

The religious fervor and zeal was at a fever pitch during this time.

It was the annual Passover.

The amount of identity, nationalism, and worship that was generated during this time is unprecedented for the nation.

For anyone to speak evil of the activity of worship during the Passover was to create riot and instant antagonism.

However, the Temple resembled a marketplace and not a solemn place of prayer and worship.

Jesus was obviously and necessarily offended at the sight and reacted justly.

John 2:15–16 LSB

15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.”

The Jews demand a sign from Him for indication of His authority for acting this way.

The sign that He has authority would be:

John 2:19 LSB

19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.”

This raising of the sanctuary of God from the dead would be the sign.

Sanctuary = inner holiest place.

Temple = outer housing of the inner place.

Therefore, the statement of the destruction of the Temple and sanctuary was an incendiary remark that, on the surface seemed to be aimed at the Herodian Temple.

But the meaning was very different:

John 2:21–22 LSB

21 But He was speaking about the sanctuary of His body. 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

As with all of His Word, those who do not believe Him do not understand Him.

This false accusation would follow Jesus and His disciples the rest of their lives:

Matthew 27:38–41 LSB

38 At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those passing by were blaspheming Him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying,

Mark 15:29–30 LSB

29 And those passing by were blaspheming Him, shaking their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days, 30 save Yourself by coming down from the cross!”

Acts 6:8–15 LSB

8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and were arguing with Stephen. 10 But they were unable to oppose the wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and they came up to him, dragged him away, and brought him to the Sanhedrin. 13 And they put forward false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases speaking words against this holy place and the Law; 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us.” 15 And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin saw his face like the face of an angel.

It is amazing how long a false testimony can hang on.

Did you catch what Jesus actually said, and what is being gossiped that He said:

Jesus said-”You all destroy this temple…”

John 2:19 UBS5

ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν.

They said He said: “I will destroy this temple…”

“In the examination of these two witnesses on the seven questions called Hakiroth (p. 59), there would be no difficulty. The witnesses would be able easily to give the year, the month, and the day. The incident occurred just two years ago, shortly before the Passover; the exact day and hour would also be in their minds; and the place was that part of the Court of the Gentiles where the money-changers had set up their tables. So far, the witnesses would agree together. It was when the examiners came to the second set of questions, called Bedikoth, that discrepancies would begin to make their appearance, e.g. What were the exact words uttered by the defendant? According to the reports in the Gospels, one witness deposed that He said, “I am able to destroy;” the other witness gave the words as “I will destroy.” This is more than a mere verbal discrepancy, for there is a difference of meaning in the two statements: the first is harmless enough, the second more serious, as expressing an intention to destroy the Temple; and both were contrary to fact. Jesus had not used the first person singular at all, but the second person plural, λύσατε. It was they, not He, who would be the destroyers.” Trials of Jesus, Septimus Buss

They are accusing Him of something that they, themselves, are going to make happen.

The fact is, Jesus did prophesy that the Temple and the city will be destroyed because Jerusalem (i.e. the leadership, and then the people) are going to reject Messiah.

Besides, Jesus was speaking of the Temple of His body, in which the fullness of deity dwells.

“The whole sentence was figurative, and was so understood by those who were present when the statement was made; and it was a wilful misrepresentation to attach to it a strictly literal meaning.” Buss

However, there is some ground for the case that Jesus was threatening the Temple.

Luke 19:41–44 LSB

41 And as He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He cried over it, 42 saying, “If you knew in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. 43 “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, 44 and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

And, again, Jesus said that the Temple would be destroyed:

Luke 21:6 LSB

6 “As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.”

It was not without warrant.

However, these statements were spoken privately and not for the populace to hear.

But, the statement of John 2:19 was spoken publicly and directly at the leaders.

Why was this so significant?

The Trial of Jesus: Illustrated from Talmud and Roman Law Chapter XV: Second Stage, before Caiaphas—Two Witnesses

It was the same accusation that was alleged against St. Stephen: “We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered unto us” (Acts 6:14).

Very similar was the indictment preferred by Tertullus, the Roman advocate, against St. Paul, that he was “a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, who moreover assayed to profane the Temple” (Acts 24:5, 6).

The whole nation had a deep interest in the integrity and permanence of the Temple. It was their pride and joy. “Forty and six years” had it been in building, and Josephus (Antiq. xv. 11) gives a detailed account of the work, stating that a thousand waggons were employed in the work, that ten thousand skilful artisans planed the wood and carved the stone, and that a thousand priests superintended the whole work.

The man who proposed to destroy this building was striking a blow at the religious life of the nation; he was an enemy at once of God and man. He was guilty of sacrilege and blasphemy; and His assertion that He would rebuild it in three days convicted Him of sorcery. No more heinous crime than this could possibly be committed.

God Himself had declared of that same Temple, “I will fill this house with glory. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, and in this place will I give peace” (Hag. 2:9).

The statement put into the mouth of Jesus by these two witnesses, understood literally, as was designed, implied a terrible crime, sacrilege of the worst kind; for no profanation of the Temple could be worse than its utter destruction, and to speak in such terms was to blaspheme the Temple; and to blaspheme the Temple was to blaspheme God Himself. Here, then, was blasphemy as well as sacrilege.

And how could such a Temple be rebuilt in three days? This could not be brought to pass except either by Divine power or by demoniacal agency. Here, then, was a claim of omnipotence: the accused was assuming the incommunicable attributes of the Deity. But this could not be true. The inference, therefore, was that he was guilty of the crime of sorcery. Only by Satanic agency could a man rebuild in three days a temple which had occupied forty and six years in building. We may well believe that such a charge as this might be included in the indictment, for, as R. Travers Herford shows in his “Christianity in Talmud and Midrash” (pp. 54–62), the rabbis, in several places in the Talmud, attributed the miracles of Jesus to His power as a magician.

Phase 3: the Sanhedrin

Matthew 26:59–66 LSB

Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. And they did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the sanctuary of God and to rebuild it in three days.’” And the high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What are these men testifying against You?” But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You yourself said it; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” Then the high priest tore his garments and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; what do you think?” They answered and said, “He deserves death!”

The Sanhedrin was in operation with Caiaphas because they were both committed to putting Jesus to death.

Again, this is without warrant.

It was illegal.

It was immoral.

It was satanic.

John 8:44 LSB

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

The high priest and the Sanhedrin were intertwined with each other.

They could not have one without the other.

The high priests greatest infraction against decorum of the court was when he extended an oath to Jesus, thereby attempting to bind Him by that oath, by His words.

“He will convict Jesus out of His own mouth; he will snatch an accusation from the confession of the Accused.” Buss, p. 90

“On this, Dr. Edersheim remarks, “All this time Jesus preserved the same majestic silence as before, nor could the impatience of Caiaphas, who sprang from his seat to confront, and, if possible, to browbeat his Prisoner, extract from Him any reply.” Buss, p.90.

Jesus’ reply was a carefully worded one.

He had been quiet up to this point.

He was put under oath such that anything He said can, and will, be used against Him in this court.

But, He was under oath!

So, He spoke the truth.

Matthew 26:64 LSB

Jesus said to him, “You yourself said it; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.”

Mark 14:62 LSB

And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.”

Luke 22:66–70 LSB

And as the day came, the Sanhedrin of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their Sanhedrin, saying, “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask a question, you will not answer. “But from now on THE SON OF MAN WILL BE SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND of the power OF GOD.” And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “You yourselves say that I am.”