The Council

Introduction

Last week we saw Jesus being betrayed and taken into the custody of the authorities. They did this at night so that people would not see them doing this. As they did this all of his followers fled away just like they said they wouldn’t. One even fled away naked! Jesus is now at their mercy and they are dragging him before the council. This is where we are tonight, this is the same night that he was captured and the same night as the supper where they celebrated passover.

This council is made up of the religious authorities and the well to do Jewish people that are here. This group holds all of the authority of the Jews to uphold the Old Testament law. Many of the things in the law require death if they are broken. The thing with this though is that Israel is under Roman rule right now and they are no longer allowed to put people to death, only the Roman authorities can do this. There are times and circumstances where this authority is given back but this is not one of them. This trial, if you can call it that, decides what will happen next.

Let’s start tonight with reading about this time Jesus has before the council.

Mark 14:53–65 ESV

And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, “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.’ ” Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him with blows.

So they are leading Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. Notice too how Peter follows but at a distance just to keep tabs on what is happening on this cold night. The purpose of this council is clear, they want Jesus dead and to do that they need a testimony against him. Many brought a testimony against him but they didn’t line up and according to the law they had to have two or more witnesses so that they could know the truth. The false testimonies continue while Jesus remains silent. Finally the high priest addresses Jesus directly until he says the powerful line in verse 62, lets re-read that one real quick Mark 14:62 “And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”” Wow, that has to be one of the clearest statements of who Jesus is in Mark. At the sound of this statement the high priest tears his clothes and convicts him of blasphemy in their witness. Because of this they begin to mistreat him. This is only the beginning of that though.

There are a lot of concerns among the people in the passage but only Jesus has the right concern. We need to keep our perspective set as we dive into this passage. We know that they will be successful in their killing of Jesus, but we also know that there is even more success in his resurrection where he conquers the grave and accomplishes salvation. We also know that these men did not have the New Testament, they only had the old. Through this though they were to uphold the Old Testament commands and to be preparing themselves for the promised one to come. They disobey the commands and completely miss the promised savior.

Keep this context in your mind as we look at Jesus before the council. Lest pray then we can look at the false testimonies.

The False Testimonies

Mark 14:55–60 ESV

Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, “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.’ ” Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”

The first part of this council meeting is where they are trying to convict Jesus. They are bringing in witnesses and they are running into issues. The issues are that nobody’s stories are lining up. They are all saying different things as they tell what they have supposedly seen.

This is an escalation of the sins that we have seen. There are now people explicitly going against the 10 commandments in an attempt to kill Jesus. See our words matter.

Think about the damage that your words can cause, think about the damage that they have caused. Many people that used to come here and are not anymore, don’t come because of their words. It says in James 3:10 “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” That is exactly what is happening here. Remember what just happened with Jesus? The triumphal entry. Everyone was praising him as he entered town, now they are trying to kill him. Now these might not be the same people but where are those people?

Many people say that if they were there they would not have been with these people, they would not have been telling a false testimony, they would not shout crucify but rather shout praises. Maybe tonight you are thinking this same thing. Do you think you could do better than the apostle Peter, the rock? We are all susceptible in our flesh, that is why we need the transforming power of the Spirit.

The Truth

Mark 14:61–62 ESV

But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

After all of the false testimonies and lies we see frustration begin to set in for the ruling authorities. Eventually they begin to ask the silent Jesus if he was the Christ. They press him ever more and then finally he answers. He says “I am”, a direct confession to him being the messiah.

More than confessing to being the Christ, Jesus also says that they will see him seated with the Father and they will see him returning. This is in reference to the end times. Here in Mark we see Jesus coming like a sheep to be slaughtered but in Revelation we see him returning like a lion. Jesus tells these men, now you see the lamb and this must happen but someday you will see the lion and you will remember this.

The truth about who Jesus is, is such a vital one. There are so many today that try to spread lies about him and distort the truth of who he is. I try to now spend much time on social media but it doesn’t take long for me to find these people creeping into my feed. The people bearing the false testimony are still around and we need to be the people spreading the truth of who he is.

We need to spread the truth that Jesus came to this earth to die for our sins and he did. On the third day he rose making a way for salvation, a way to be forgiven for all the wrong you have ever done and all the wrong you ever will do. We are told to repent and believe to accept this salvation.

This is the truth of who Jesus is, and the rest of the truth is that he will return. When he does the time is up to repent and believe. It will be time for judgment. We read some about this a few weeks back but in summary, you better have your soul right before this.

The True Lawbreakers

Mark 14:63–65 ESV

And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him with blows.

Finally tonight we see the true lawbreakers. They freak out over Jesus’s confession of being the Christ. They then pronounce the death sentence upon him. Remember though that they do not have the authority to kill him themselves so they must take him to the Roman authorities and convince them that he deserves death. After this sentence they begin to mistreat and abuse Jesus.

These men are the true lawbreakers. They never even paused to think whether or not Jesus might actually be the Christ. They beat him and spit on him. They lied and distorted. While they have in their minds they are the good guys they are actually breaking the Old Testament law and condemning the awaited messiah.

So often we convince ourselves that we are right and others are wrong. We always want to be the good guys. The problem is that we are all sinners, none of us are the good guys. We look at these guys and see their failure and think about how bad that they are but we are just the same.

Conclusion

We are no better than these people that spread lies, sentence a innocent man to death, and beat him. Our sins make us just as guilty as them. But remember what is in the middle, the truth of who Jesus is. Even though we are sinners he died for us, he went through all of this for us. It is so that we can be forgiven of our sins. Without forgiveness when Christ returns there will be judgment. Forgiveness is readily available though through faith and repentance.

Jesus has been betrayed and condemned by the Jewish authorities. Now he will go to the Roman authorities who will carry out this sentence. All the people that were shouting Hosanna are now desiring his death. The disciples have fled. Jesus is alone.