Mark 14:53-65 "Jesus' Religious Trials"

Good Morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!

Thank you for your prayers… as this past Monday I had an “over the age of 45” medical screening.

Great news… I have no major diagnoses…

And, the Dr. also did a minor treatment which has me feeling in better health and stronger than I have felt in about 8 years.

So, praise God… and thank you again for your prayers.

Let’s turn in our Bibles to Mark 14 as we continue our chapter and verse journey through the Gospel of Mark. Mark 14:53-65 today.

Last time, we observed the rather difficult scene of Jesus being taken by force… arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.

It’s a rather chaotic scene… Jesus’ Passion begins as He agonizes over prayer… knowing the hour of His trial has begun… and soon He would drink the cup of wrath on sin.

The disciples were sleeping from the sorrow they felt… despite Jesus’ requests for them to “watch and pray.”

And, then hundreds of Roman Soldiers and Jewish Temple Guards arrive bearing lanterns, torches, and weapons.

They ask for Jesus… He responds “I am” and they all fall to the ground.

Judas then betrays Jesus with a kiss.

Peter cuts off Malchus’ ear… and Jesus puts it back on.

He tells His disciples to sheath their swords… ‘God was still in control.’

And, Jesus allowed His arrest… so “the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled”...

Then the disciples fled, in fulfillment of Jesus’ prediction in V27… and fulfilling Zech 13:7.

To put a cherry on top… Mark writes himself into the story as the young man who followed Jesus… wearing only a night gown… and the soldiers try to seize him, but get only his clothes… and he flees the scene naked.

Thank you Mark for adding that detail. Our lives are ALL richer as a result.

If you missed that roller coaster ride last week… well just buckle up… because today’s as equally a bumpy ride.

Today, we observe Jesus being led from Gethsemane… back into Jerusalem… for “Jesus’ Religious Trials”… our message title this week.

Let’s Pray!

In reverence for God’s word, please stand as I read our passage.

Mark 14:53-65 “And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. 54 But Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.

55 Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. 56 For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.

57 Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying, 58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.’ ” 59 But not even then did their testimony agree.

60 And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” 61 But He kept silent and answered nothing.

Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”

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

63 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? 64 You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?”

And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.

65 Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.”

Praise you Jesus for all you endured and for your written word! Please be seated.

What we see here in Mark is actually the 2nd of 3 religious trials before the Jewish High Council… the Sanhedrin.

There are 6 trials altogether… 3 Religious trials (which we will view today)… and 3 Civil Trials… 2 before Pontius Pilate (the Roman Governor over Judea)… and 1 before Herod Antipas (the ruler over Galilee).

Already… just saying what I’ve said thus far… 3 religious and 3 civil trials… in 5 different locations…

You already should get a sense of how much of a mess this was… and I haven’t even shared the illegalities of the trials yet… but we’ll get there.

I actually found an ancient picture depicting the court scenes… it’s entitled “Kangaroo Court.”

I think it’s first century authentic… but you may want to ‘fact check.’

Looks VERY authentic to me, but what do I know?

If you’re not familiar with the term “Kangaroo Court” is a ‘mock court in which the principles of law and justice are disregarded or perverted.’

And, we’ll see today… this is exactly what happened in Jesus’ trials.

What’s amazing about that… is… He let it happen.

He could have spoken a word and it would have ended… last week we read He spoke “I am” and all the soldiers fell to the ground.

Jesus also said He could pray and the Father would send Him more than twelve legions of angels.

But, Jesus stayed… first so Scripture was fulfilled as He said in V49… several OT prophecies spoke about His arrest, suffering, death, and resurrection… and Scripture cannot be broken.

Plus, a few days prior… on Tues/Wed of this Passover Week… in Jesus’ own words I think we get a key insight as to why He let all this happen… He said to His disciples in John 12:23-27, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. 27 “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.”

Jesus shared a paradox that death is the key to life… His death specifically would allow for much life to happen.

Jesus is the only way to eternal life according to John 14:6

And, He came to the earth to for a key purpose of death… for this hour where He would become the sacrificial lamb of God… taking on the sin of the world… and propitiating or satisfying God’s wrath on sin.

All the very difficult things we are observing we are seeing today… fulfilled many purposes… including bringing you and I back into relationship with God.

And, so I encourage you to have a reverent heart… praising Jesus as we look at the passages ahead…

If you would… please turn over to John 18… we will begin looking at His first trial…

My New King James Bible entitles this section “First Jewish Trial Before Annas.”

John 18:12-13 “Then the detachment of troops [Roman soldiers] and the captain and the officers of the Jews [Temple Guard] arrested Jesus and bound Him. [This all happened in the garden scene] 13 And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year.”

Annas was the High Priest from 6-15 A.D.... and High Priest rightfully, but was deposed by Rome and Caiphas (his son-in-law) was appointed High Priest from 18-36 A.D.

Which was all totally against Jewish practices… the position of the High Priest was a lifelong appointment and only passed on AFTER the death of the priest.

But, Rome, specifically procurator Valerius Gratus (the predecessor of Pontius Pilate)…

Gratus forced Annas to step down as it was a turbulent time in Jewish politics.

Though... Annas still had considerable power behind the scenes… as clearly evidenced by this scene where Jesus is brought to Annas first.

And then, Jesus’ second trial will be before Caiaphas.

I hope you wrote down all those names. There will be a test next week.

Still in John 18… V15 tells us the location was the ‘courtyard of the high priest’… which I have a slide depiction of… and no Kangaroos this time…

The disciple John went into the courtyard… Peter stood initially at the door outside… following at a distance, but would eventually sit in the midst of the courtyard…

… warming himself by the enemies fire… where Peter will deny Jesus 3x.

This scene happens at night… an important detail… and I’ll explain why in a moment… and we know it’s at night because a fire was needed during the cool of this springtime night… and the third trial of Jesus begins with the words “As soon as it was day...”

Luke tells us Jesus was led “into the high priest’s house”…

Mark 14:66 states, “Now as Peter was below in the courtyard”… so during the second trial… it would seem Jesus was led to an upper room… but still within eyesight of Peter… because following Peter’s third denial… Jesus looked at Peter (according to Luke).

All this was possible… as this was no small home… it was an enormous mansion in Jerusalem…

The High Priest was immensely wealthy… largely because he and his family turned the temple into a den of thieves… selling sacrificial animals at inflated prices… and charging high exchange rates to change Gentile coins to the Temple Shekel.

If you recall… Jesus cleansed the temple twice in the course of His three year ministry… flipping tables, driving money changers out… making a whip of cords… because people came to worship… and the religious leaders were ripping them off.

He wasn’t always ‘Gentle Jesus meek and mild’… there was a time for righteous anger.

I wonder how He will handle the many charlatans today who are still ripping people off… who just want to honestly worship God?

It was here at the enemies fire that Peter would first deny Christ… and twice more at the second trial…

Mark details Peter’s denial of Christ after the account we are looking at today… so we’ll circle back to Peter’s denial of Christ next week…

After painting the scene, John then details the interaction between Annas and Jesus… John 18:19-23 reads, “The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine.”

So, this trial at night… in the home of Annas… is a bit of a preliminary trial…

But, NOT designed to find objective truth…

The sentence of guilty had already been passed… this is simply a meeting to formulate an accusation… to find a charge that will stick…

And, so the High Priest probes about Jesus’ doctrine… which they had done many times prior…

So often we previously read how scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus questions about Sabbath Law… and Laws on cleanliness and separation from tax collectors and sinners… and so forth.

So, V19 is a mere attempt to find fault with Jesus… which will fail.

V20 “Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. [Interesting… Jesus operated in the light as opposed to these hypocritical religious leaders who arrest Jesus in secret and are now having this secret trial.] V21 “Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said.” 22 And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, “Do You answer the high priest like that?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?”

If you haven’t gathered this already… what’s happening here is highly illegal.

They are beating a suspect… one not yet charged… nor convicted, but just appearing before the judge for the first time.

They are breaking their own Jewish Law.

Even today… imagine standing before a judge and being smacked in the court room for your answer.

If we even back up to the Garden arrest… the illegalities of Jesus’ trials are many…

Let me paint this picture to help you understand just how bad it was

Imagine you’re leading a prayer gathering that goes late into the night…

Suddenly… the police arrive… arrest you violently… without formal charges… and take you not to a holding cell… but to court in the middle of the night…

… where you will stand before 2 different judges…

At the first trial, the bailiff doesn’t like your response to the judge… so he smacks you in the face…

And, at the second trial… false witnesses testify against you… you are mocked, the court officials spit in your face… and then you are blindfolded and beaten.

And, through a coerced confession… you are charged with blasphemy… a religious charge… and sentenced to death.

Would anyone here have a problem with this?

Of course you would… because what’s happening is a clear violation of the laws of the land BY the leaders who are supposed to uphold the law.

The Oral Jewish law was later transcribed into various writings… and specifically the Talmud and Midrash… are very specific about the administration of justice.

The High Priest… the Sanhedrin… the chief priests and elders… they would have been aware of the following specific violations against the Jewish law...

First, No trial was to be held at night.

But, Jesus’ first two trials were in the middle of the night.

Trials were to be held before the Sanhedrin at a place like the Chamber of Hewn Stone in the temple.

But, Jesus was tried at the palace of the high priest.

No trial was to be held during feast time.

But, Jesus’ trial was during Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Each member of the Sanhedrin was to vote guilty or not guilty.

But, Jesus was sentenced by the high priest alone.

A guilty conviction required one night to pass before the sentence stood… to see if feelings of mercy arose.

However, Jesus received no mercy and faced the cross just a few hours after His trials.

False witnesses were punishable by death.

In the 2nd trial there are two false witnesses… but, there was no punishment for them.

And… no doubt… Jesus who knew the law and their traditions back and forth… was fully aware of these egregious illegalities…

Just take this is… Jesus who come back and judge… who is the KING of kings… The LORD of lords…

… stands on trial by His own creation… in a fixed court… …it’s mind boggling…

Equally mind boggling is the grace of God…

After Jesus’ ascension… at Pentecost… the Holy Spirit empowered the believers to be witnesses…

And people were healed… the Gospel was shared… thousands believed… and the early church began…

This all happened still in Jerusalem… where the crimes against Jesus occurred…

And, check this out… in Acts 6:7 observe this grace… “Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.”

Many Jewish Priests were accepting Jesus as their Messiah…

I do wonder IF some of these priests were present at the scene of Jesus’ trials…

Some of these priests in Jerusalem may have mocked Jesus… beat Him… or spit in His face.

Or… in the least remained silent as others did so…

And, yet… a GREAT MANY of the priests were obedient to the faith. They became followers of Jesus.

This is only possible by the grace of God…

And this verse should provide hope to all of us today…

That even people who mock and offend our Lord Jesus Christ… IF they turn to Him… He will receive them.

Spurgeon preached that men still spit in the face of Jesus:

Men spit in His face by denying His deity.

Men spit in His face by rejecting His gospel.

Men spit in His face by preferring their own righteousness.

Men spit in His face by turning away from Jesus.

And, yet… like the priests in Acts 6… If they turn to Jesus… He is so gracious to forgive and grant eternal life.

We have all heard stories of people who think they have done too many bad things to EVER be forgiven… and this is simply not true.

We need to only examine the life of Paul prior to Christ… as proof that God’s grace is extended to even the most wretched of men.

Paul, formerly Saul, hunted down Christians… so they would be arrested… and face Roman execution…

And, Rome had mastered making executions torturous and violent… with crucifixion being reserved for the most serious of crimes… like revolt against the empire.

When Emperor Nero came into power… especially after the fire in Rome in 64 A.D.... he blamed Christians and increased persecution against them.

If they wouldn’t renounce Christ… He had them fed to lions and wild animals in Gladiatorial rings…

He had Christians repeatedly dipped in boiling wax, pitch and oil… and impaled their bodies on poles… lined them up in his garden… and set them on fire.

And, deranged Emperor Nero would ride his chariot naked through his garden… yelling, “You Christians are the lights of the world.”

Some scholars have titled this torture method the “Roman Candle”…

Use this as a reminder on our upcoming July 4th…

In particular if you light a “Roman Candle”… perhaps praise God for our national freedoms… including freedom from persecution that many Christians still face…

And, so… if a guy like Paul… who rounded up Christians… forcing them to either renounce Christ or face Roman torture… If Paul can be saved…

I can’t imagine the sins of someone today would even compare.

Paul would come to the place in his walk with Christ where he wrote this… “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Rom 8:1)

Paul recognized that sin of the past… and sin of the present has been covered by the blood of Jesus…

And, “… to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

Life and peace is available for all who trust in Jesus…

If you don’t know this peace… would you take a step of faith today and pray with an Elder after service… to accept Jesus… and begin a life in the Spirit… and a life of peace.

Back in John… this first trial ends with an exchange of words… Jesus being illegally smacked for apparent disrespect to Annas…

And then John 18:24 reads, “Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.”

Turn back now to Mark 14… and we pick up now looking at Jesus’ Second Trial… which is before the Roman Appointed High Priest Caiaphas…

And, not just Caiaphas alone, but look again at Mark 14:53 “And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes.”

Matt 26:59 adds, “and all the council.”

Caiaphas is assembled with the Council known as the Sanhedrin… which at it’s fullest was 70 men plus the High Priest…

And, as V66 says “Peter was in the courtyard below”… it would seem this Second Trial is occurring still at the Palace of the High Priest, but in a large upper room.

Continuing in our Mark narrative… V54… a side-note on Peter… “But Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.”

And, this scene very much is interwoven between Jesus and Peter.

Jesus… accomplishing from a macro level… mankind’s redemption…

And, still… the importance of what happens here with Peter is not forgotten.

Jesus will look at Peter in the midst of all this…

Which will break Peter in the best of ways… and later he will be restored… and forever shaped into the leader Jesus needed Peter to become.

Which we will look at closer after this scene.

But, let me just say… we serve a really big God… in the midst of prophecy unfolding…

In these last days of perilous times… where people are so consumed with themselves… rather than God…

Where apostasy will abound leading up to the Anti-Christ being revealed…

And, the time of Jacob’s trouble… the tribulation… Daniel’s 70th week…

The second coming of Christ…

So many things unfolding…

And still… He hasn’t lost sight of you… He hasn’t lost sight of me…

Ps 33:18 reads, “Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy...”

Ps 34:15 states, “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.”

His eyes are on you… He’s establishing you “in every good word and work” (2 Thes 2:17)…

He’s “renewing your mind” (Rom 12:2)… ‘conforming you to the image of His Son’ (Rom 8:29)…

“He who has begun a good work in you will complete it...” (Phil 1:6)…

Paul wrote be “confident of this very thing.”

God is presently working out His sovereign plan… and you’re very much a part of it.

Continuing on… Mark brings to light just how rigged this trial before Caiaphas truly was… vv 55-59 “Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony [“false testimony” according to Matthew] against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. 56 For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree. 57 Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, [Matthew wrote, “...at last two false witnesses came forward”] saying, 58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.’ ” 59 But not even then did their testimony agree.”

The desperation of the Sanhedrin is on full display as this trial becomes a circus…

Many people are testifying this and that, but it’s contradictory nonsense…

But, finally two witnesses can mostly, but not full agree (according to V59)… that they heard Jesus say, “‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ”

If you recall, back in John 2:19, Jesus made the veiled statement, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

These two witnesses… misrepresent Jesus’ words as referring to Herod’s Temple. But, Jesus was “speaking of the the temple of His body.”

Now… destruction of a place of worship MAY HAVE given them some grounds for a charge…

But, the witnesses’ stories don’t match…

Jesus and His disciples never actually destroyed a house of worship… yet alone the Temple…

And even if Jesus was speaking about the literal Temple… who would even take such a statement seriously.

Most would assume only a madman would make such boasts… given the massive size of the stones used in Herod’s temple…

It actually took a whole Roman Army to destroy the Temple in 70 A.D.... so this testimony was invalid.

The Sanhedrin was truly grasping at straws… because they knew the Jewish law required two witnesses in cases where a death penalty was being sought…

Deut 17:6 “Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness.”

The Sanhedrin would have to ignore the context of the passage though… because one “deserving of death” was one who worshipped other gods…

Jesus never committed idolatry.

Num 35:30 also wrote about the death penalty, but that was for a murderer.

Also not relevant to Jesus.

And they were definitely seeking the death penalty because we know the narrative moving forward… we know they will shout “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

Plus, looking back to John 11… right before the Passover week… the council had gathered… after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead… because of a great concern that the people would believe in Him and Rome would remove the temple and their status.

John 11:52 reads, “… from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.”

And, now… a couple weeks later… their plan is underway.

After this embarrassing fiasco of witnesses contradicting one another… enough is enough and in vv 60-61 we read, “And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” 61 But He kept silent and answered nothing.”

I can’t blame Jesus for His silence. Why on earth would He say anything to these foolish men who accused Him falsely?

I wonder if Jesus had Pro 26:4 in mind? “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him.”

Foolish comments can and should be ignored.

This wisdom is still relevant today… don’t get drawn in… lest you become a fool.

How easy it is to digress to the level of a fool… and then feel embarrassed…in retrospect.

Anyone besides me every had this experience?

Everything becomes slow motion as the words leave your mouth…

And you try to retrieve the words…

It’s terrible.

Learn from Jesus… there is a time and place for silence. When asked to respond to the fool’s accusations… silence.

During Jesus’ civil trials… He would stand before another fool… Herod… and again… silence. Luke records, “He answered Him nothing.”

There is wisdom in holding one’s tongue when in the assembly of fools.

Now… for Jesus… this silence was not only wise, but also in fulfillment of scripture…

700 years prior… Isaiah prophecied… Isa 53:7 “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.”

Jesus fulfilled this verse during His trials.

Interesting fact… Later in Acts 8… Isaiah 53 is the exact same passage the Ethiopian Eunuch was reading when Philip came to him.

So, a powerful passage.

Finishing V61… “Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”

Matthew records Caiaphas asked, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”

At this point, the high priest puts Jesus under a legally imposed oath.

The scholar France wrote… “I adjure you is a rare and formal expression, invoking the name of God in order to compel a true answer. This is therefore the climax of the hearing.”

At this point Jesus is not entering into a foolish conversation, so He will respond.

Even more… Jesus must respond because of the formality of the question…

And if we break it down… the High Priest asks two questions:

First, Are you the Christ? The Messiah?

Second, Are you the Son of the Blessed? Meaning… the Son of God? Which in Jewish thinking was equivalent to God.

Jesus is asked… Are you the Savior?… Are you God?

If Jesus answered, “No.” He may have been released, but would have lied and lost all credibility…

And we would have never been saved. All would be lost...

But, He answered honestly and said ‘Yes.’

V62 “Jesus said, “I am. [egō eimi… the same words He spoke which knocked down the soldiers in the Garden. “I am who I am” in Exo 3.] And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

This is one of the most powerful and clear declarations Jesus ever made of His Messiahship and diety.

One of my favorite climatic moments in the Bible.

The High Priest is going to lose His mind over this… and then proceed with a false charge of blasphemy and an illegal sentence.

But this wasn’t blasphemy… this was truth…

Where is Jesus right now? Seated at the right hand of God…

Mark 16:19… at the ascension… Mark wrote, “He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.”

Acts 2… Peter’s first sermon after Pentecost… he said, Jesus is “exalted to the right hand of God...”

And, what is Jesus doing there?

He’s ruling… in 1 Pet 3:22 Peter wrote, Jesus “… has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.”

He’s also praying for us… in Rom 8:34, Paul wrote, “Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”

And, He’s waiting to come again. Heb 10:12-13 declares, “… after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.”

Exactly what will happen in Jesus’ 2nd Coming… which Jesus alluded to in Mark 14:62 when He said, “… coming on the clouds of heaven.”

At His 2nd Coming… Jesus will “appear in heaven”… “every eye will see Him”… “they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”… and “the armies in heaven… followed Him on white horses.” (cf. Rev 1:7, Rev 19:14, Matt 24:30)

And, “all the tribes of the earth will mourn...” Their day is done… when Jesus comes back… He reclaims the earth… and ushers in perfect justice… perfect government… life on earth like we’ve never experienced.

And, we’ll have a part. It will be glorious.

We cry out “Maranatha”… meaning “O Lord come!”

But, until then… from Scripture… we know… in the least… Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father… ruling… and praying… and waiting.

Just as we should be.

As we wait for our Lord’s return… we too are to rule, pray, and wait…

I think of the parable of the Minas which instructs us to rule well over what has been entrusted to us…

The Lord instructed, “Do business till I come.”

And, many verses instruct us to “pray” and to “wait.”

Finishing up V62… I would be remiss not to mention that Jesus is not only responding to the High Priest… and making a declarative Messianic and Divine statement… but He also alludes to two Old Testament passages He would fulfill.

Ps 110:1 “The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

Dan 7:13 “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven!”

These sayings of Jesus in V62 are as much a warning as they are prophetic to His second coming as judge…

It’s as if Jesus was saying… ‘I say to you… Caiaphas, you may sit in the seat of judgement and judge me now, but know who I am… and eternally, as I sit in the seat of judgment… my sentence will be far more binding on you.’

There are many Caiaphas’ still today… who put Jesus on false trial… make false accusations… and spit in His face.

They miss who He truly is.

To Caiaphas in this passage… Jesus clearly declared who He was… and the response…

vv 63-65 “Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? 64 You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. 65 Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.”

Matthew adds they asked, “Who is the one who struck You?” 65 And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.”

Terrible scene…

The high priest tearing his clothes was symbolic of righteous indignation against Jesus’ declarative statement that He is Messiah and God.

The High Priest SHOULD HAVE BEEN the one to rejoice at the coming of Messiah and to receive Him, but He condemns Jesus.

And, then the entire council… “they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.”

And, now they have a legal charge… blasphemy…

WHICH He was NOT guilty of… Jesus told the truth that He is Messiah and God.

And WHICH holds weight to them, but NOT to Rome…

In fact, the accusation they present to Pilate is NOT Blasphemy, but three charges Rome would care about…

Luke 23:2 reads, “We found this fellow [this fellow… can you believe that?] perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.”

So, they accuse Jesus of turning people against Rome, forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar (but Jesus taught the opposite, “Render to Caesar”… remember that?)… and the third charge of making Himself a King.

And, even still… when they ask Pilate to crucify Jesus… Pilate will ask them, “Why, what evil has He done?”

The second trial ends in V65 with the Sanhedrin mocking and brutally beating Jesus… again… totally illegal.

Jesus was not sentenced… this is a show of them acting in the flesh… being self-righteous… and self-appointed judge, jury, and executioners…

When you read they blindfolded Him and beat Him… you may not realize just how savage that is.

When a boxer steps into the ring, they are trained with tactics like ducking, bobbing and weaving… and so forth to avoid punches or minimize the blow.

Blindfolded… your body absorbs the entirety of the blow… you are totally off-guard…

So, you can imagine how bad Jesus was battered.

In fact, Isaiah prophesied, “His visage [His appearance] was marred more than any man...”

And as Jesus allowed this to happen…

Our hearts should respond in overwhelming praise of Him…

He is worthy to be praised.

And, we should rest assured of His finished work of redemption. “It is finished.”

So, the Second Religious Trial ends… with Jesus being brutalized. And if you turn over to Luke 22… we will quickly view the Third and final Religious trial…

Which is more of a formality…

In Luke 22, Jesus now stands officially before the “council” which in Gk. is sunĕdriŏn meaning “a sitting together” or “assembly.”

This is the basis for the word “Sanhedrin.” The Jewish Supreme Court.

Luke 22:66-71 “As soon as it was day, [daytime now… the legal hour for trials] the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, 67 “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will by no means believe. 68 And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go. [They were already decided… this trial was nothing more than a formality.] 69 Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.” 70 Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?” So He said to them, “You rightly say that I am.” 71 And they said, “What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”

This was the closest to a legal trial, but still far from legitimate. This simply took place to validate their illegal actions from the night prior.

Matt 27:1-2 adds this detail, “When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. 2 And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.”

The Religious Trials of Jesus are heartbreaking… Messiah was in their midst… and yet they could not see Him.

Spiritual blindness is a real impairment of the soul.

As we conclude, do NOT forget that Jesus permitted these trials… in obedience to the Father’s will to redeem mankind… to fulfill prophecies… and in His love for you…

He took on our sin, so as we believe in Him…we never have to stand on trial before the eternal court.

Isa 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

It’s an amazing thought… that the God of the universe gave His Son… to be our scapegoat… so we might be in relationship with Him.

Praise You Lord Jesus!

Let’s Pray!

If you’re here today… and you carry some shame from the past… maybe like the Priests who accepted Jesus in Acts…

It’s time to let that go… there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

Our Elders are coming forward and available to pray with you for any of your prayer needs…

Perhaps for a spiritually blind loved one…

Perhaps for you to take a step of faith and accept Jesus…

Or for whatever your prayer need is. Lay it down at the feet of Jesus.

Family, may you be blessed richly this week in your walk with Christ… praising Him all your days… and resting in His finished work.