Why do you Strike Me?

Notes:

Introduction:

Kangaroo Court

Originated American West:

Local courts set up to protect gold-miners from “jumping” to other claimed areas.

Courts that “jumped to conclusions”

Kangaroo Court:

Harvard Law Review: Inferior, Informal, Inequitable.

Unfair, mob mentality, Subjective, undue process,

Bypass the normal legal process because of power imbalance.

Think, the Godfather, how Vito Corleone or, later on Michael Corleone operated apart from the normal judicial systems to achieve their own definitions of justice or self-interest…

Our short story reveals the beginnings of a Kangaroo Court, and we shall see how Jesus wants nothing to do with such a biased, ridiculous, and unjust process… He knows he’s going to die, but this passage shows us that even in the process of him coming closer to the cross, he wants to do so with the utmost integrity!

High Priest Emeritus Questions the King

19 The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.

John 18:13 “First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.”

Confusing: Can you have more than 1 high priest??

Father of 5 sons considered part of the High Priestly Family.

Ruled and governed

Three wealthy priestly families controlled the position of high priest

Annas “was the patriarch of one of these powerful families of high priest.” Served from A.D. 6–15… Continued to be called high priest as a title of honor. Deposed in A.D. 15 by Rome, but the people of Israel consider the position of high priest as lasting a lifetime.

High Priest emeritus.

Godfather: 5 families (Corleone, Tattaglia, Barzini, Cuneo, and Stracci families)

Enough power to manipulate the justice system

Annas has the power to manipulate the justice system…

Arrested without a trial

Early morning sent immediately to trial...

Early morning arrest: “If that conveys a sense of haste we are getting the picture accurately.” Milne Frank Morison’s Who Moved the Stone?:

What kind of threat is this??!!

One could imagine Annas dictating this process a bit… Godfather voice: “Before you send him off to my son, I want word with him.”

As this once deposed but yet still powerful and influential figure in Jerusalem, Annas drills Jesus with questions.

What kinds of questions was he asking?

Later, when Jesus is on trial before Caiaphas, we get a sense of the types of issues the Annas priestly family would have been digging for:

Questions from the Caiaphas Trial: John doesn’t record what happened at that kangaroo court, but we have the other gospels that shed light on it:

Matthew and Mark: Crime? Political Insurrection:

Matthew 26:59-61 “59 Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’ ””

Mark 14:57-59 “57 And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’ ” 59 Yet even about this their testimony did not agree.”

Luke: Crime? Blasphemy:

Luke 22:66-70 “Counsel: “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 70 So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.””

So one could safely assume that Annas asked questions of Jesus along those lines:

What kind of threat are you? Are you here to dismantle our power. What kind of cult are you creating? What do you believe about the Temple again? You know that’s my workplace, right?

Annas had already been deposed, right, the last thing he wants is to be taken out all over again. Is he plotting out a plan to storm the walls? Get the people are stirred up?

The King Questions the High Priest Emeritus

20 Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.”

Question #1: Why do you ask me??

Why do you ask me now when I have taught openly?

Why not get your own witnesses in here to convict me?

Essentially, why aren’t you giving me a fair trial?

“Where’s your evidence?”

Jesus demands a fair trial.

Understand Formal Official Preceding:

Accused does NOT get questioned, at least not at the offset of the trial.

Need AT LEAST 2 witnesses with a similar witness:

At last two [false witnesses] came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’ ””

These 2 witnesses were particularly damning for Jesus.

Bornhauser: “On [the witnesses] testimony everything depended. If two witnesses agreed in essentials, then the accused was doomed, no matter what he might say in his defense.”

Necessity of Witnesses before the arrest:

Milne: “Witnesses indeed should have figured in the arrest in the garden; but this is no time for the finer points of process.”

And so Jesus is calling out Annas:

Why drill me with questions when you know full well you should be asking these accusatory questions to my disciples:

Question #1: Why do you strike me?

“If what I said was wrong, bear witnesses about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?”

The Message: “If I’ve said something wrong, prove it. But if I’ve spoken the plain truth, why this slapping around?”

Jesus knows what he’s talking about. The officer slapped Jesus because Jesus was basically calling out Annas for skipping essential elements of the judicial process.

Gary Burge: “Jesus has thus reminded Annas of judicial procedure, which the guards interpret as insolence.”

“Why do you strike me if you know what they’re doing is wrong!”

Official heard Jesus say something like, “You know how the judicial process works, and you butchering it!”

Jesus: Can you at least give justice a try here?”

Jesus knew the verdict would be unjust, but he still desired a just process towards an unjust verdict.

Result of Jesus response:

Annas dismisses Jesus and sends him to his son-in-law:

“Jesus emerged as the winner in this episode of challenge and riposte—he had not been shamed by Annas or his officials.” Colin Kruse

Three Applications from this Passage:

Integrity in the Face of Injustice

“I’m going to hold your feet to the fire while we go through this unjust process.”

Jesus: “I know the verdict will be wrong, but don’t go hijacking the legal process to get their.”

Even in his hour of death, he was a man of integrity.

Jesus didn’t want this trial to be swept under the rug. He forced the leadership to face their own corruption head on! Jesus wasn’t willing to just get the cross done and out of the way, he shows here his desire to go through all the processes of injustice to ratify, to officially declare Jesus as GUILTY. He didn’t side swipe the judicial process in order to show reveal the integrity of the Gospel...

We both know this is a sham. We both know you’re doing this illegally. If you’re going to do this, at least follow the correct protocols.

Jesus didn’t poopoo the process. He wanted to receive the full blow of a guilty plea knowing full well he was innocent.

Don’t expedite the conviction… Give me your worst.

The journey to the cross is an interesting one: How public it was...

When Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, it was just the two of them up the mountain only to find that the Lord would provide a ram to take Isaac’s role.

No, Jesus death was a public event, and each step of the way, humanity just reveals its worst… Crooked leadership. Crooked process...

It reveals the human heart: We’d hang Jesus as quickly as possible.

But Jesus forces us to slow down and consider the injustice of it all: Look at the human heart. Look at the process. Look at the injustice.

It’s all proof of our condition: That left to us, we’d kill the Christ.

Jesus loves justice so much, that he’d rather go through all the public humiliation waiting for him at trial before Caiaphas, or Pilate.

He loved justice so much that he obeyed the Father’s will to go and be that sacrifice that would wash away all our crookedness…

Romans 5:15-16 “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass [Adam], much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.”

Do you see the perfect justice in that?

Jesus loved justice so much, that he’d rather go through the gauntlet of humiliation and shame then find a trap door that would accelerate the process.

By Jesus holding Annas’ feet to the fire, he’s saying, Don’t expedite the process that will bring justification in God’s eyes. Your trying to preserve your power and religion. So am I. But let’s not do this half-heartedly. If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do this right. Let’s your legal process of convicting the Christ reveal the need for a Savior.

Something powerful about the example Jesus provides for us as disciples of Jesus:

Don’t want to suggest that this is a moral lesson for us, but I do think this passage teaches us something important about fairness and justice. We should strive for that, even if it’s unpopular and even if it leads to more hardtimes.

FAITH in THIS Jesus means our FAITH must integrate with all of life.

Faith in a God who loves justice and calls us to be just as well should speak into every situation.

Be a person of integrity, even if that leads to humiliation.

Sometimes we’re given an opportunity to cut corners in ways that are unjust. Perhaps a request given to you by your boss. Perhaps in a way that can further your career. Perhaps if you DO say something, you’d lose your job...

2. Hurried to Keep Holy

One can’t underestimate how large of a shadow the Passover had over this trial narrative.

Some commentators discuss the probability of how the leadership conspired to make sure that Jesus crucifixion was going to be done quickly and efficiently. On the one hand, it gave the leadership a timeline:

Arrest Jesus super early.

Ship him off to Annas and then next door to Caiaphas

Get Pilate’s confirmation mid-morning.

Hung by noon.

Taken off the cross by sundown.

Passover’s at sundown, it’s perfect!

Bruce Milne: “It could be done, but would be tight.”

What was Passover?

Celebrate the fact that the Israelite’s firstborns survived the 10th and final plague in Egypt. All those with blood

Passover: Can’t have yeast in your dough: Celebrate it with staff in hand. Celebrate it in haste in order to march out as a FREED People!

Hasty to celebrate your liberation!

So much irony here:

Motivation for Holiness: Kill Jesus and get him buried so we can celebrate our FREEDOM!

Or: Let’s hurry this killing up so that we can prepare our hearts to look to God.

Reveals so much of the human heart:

Let’s ignore Jesus so we can get to more spiritual matters.

Have you ever operated this way?

We’ve got deadlines? We’ve got things to do? We’ve got places to be? Hey, gotta be at church on Sunday…

Before you know it, you’ve gone all week ignoring

What do you follow?

Do you prioritize deadlines over discipleship?

What are you actually trying to become? What kind of person do you want to be?

A religious person who gets to church on time, or one who abides with Jesus each day…

This passage forces us to think about such things…

Do you hastily prepare for religion over seeking the Kingdom and Jesus’ righteousness?

One final Lesson: Lesson of Discipleship

3. Denial and

Brilliantly designed by John

John flanks this passage with another narrative: Peter’s denial.

Splits Peter denials, and this passage falls smack dab in the middle of them.

Before this passage: 1st rejection. After this passage: 2x

Amazing how John uses Peter’s denials in contract to Jesus’ trials

Peter’s denial in the face of opposition

Jesus embrace of the opposition

Peter warming himself by an outdoor fire.

Jesus embracing the fire of accusations

Peter taking the easy route.

Jesus requesting a more difficult one.

Peter’s cowardice

Jesus’s courage.

Raymond Brown: “John has constructed a dramatic contrast wherein Jesus stands up to his questioners and denies nothing, while Peter cowers before his questioners and denies everything.”

What is John Trying to get us to see:

The most religious reject Jesus as the Son of God.

The most intimate rejects Jesus as a friend.

Those who should have recognized Jesus as the Messiah dismissed him quickly and efficiently.

Those who should have been most loyal to Jesus dismissed him immediately and repetitively.

Last week: Theology of Total Undependability comes out here… On route to the cross, Jesus goes through this process utterly alone.

What does this reveal about our hearts?