Jesus’ Betrayal, Trial and Crucifiction

Well this morning is a topic I have talked and preached off probably most Sundays

Something we highlight during the Spring Season

I heard someone say Easter is like the Super Bowl for Christians

And we have keyed in on the Betrayal and Crucifixion of Jesus during that time and even not during Easter

Because we don’t just celebrate the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus we don’t just remember those events during one time a year that was created by the greeting card company

But rather these events are a catalyst to the rest of our lives

They are launching points for us to never be the same again

It is because of the arrest and crucifixion of Christ that has forever changed us

I mean you all continue to show up and give money you all continue to show and pray you all continue to show up and discuss the book that centers around these events

If they were not that important you would have forgotten them years ago

The evidence that this is important and life changing is sitting in this room it is you

You are alive today not just physically but spiritually alive today because of these events

So we know that from last week after they had eaten the bread and drank the wine that Jesus went to pray

We know that after He spent time in prayer he was arrested

Matthew 26:47–56 NASB95

47 While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48 Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.” 49 Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 50 And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. 53 “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 “How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?” 55 At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me. 56 “But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

Jesus being arrested was to fulfill the scriptures

Judas who had just eaten dinner with him and had just had his feet washed by Jesus is now betraying Jesus for the price of 30 pieces of silver

They arrest Judas

We know that Peter is the one who chops off the high priests guards ear

In the midst of his arrest

Jesus completely heals the ear

This is exactly what Jesus came to do

Completely 100% heal the people

So when you are saved the only remanent you have of the former life is the fleshly body

What Jesus actually did is to completely remove ever remanent of sin in your life to wash you clean

That is exactly what we see happen here with the ear of the guard

Jesus completely heals the ear so where you can’t even tell that Peter cut it off with a sword because had that happened it is a very real possibility that Peter would have been hauled away for an assault on the priest’s guard

That is what Jesus’s death does to completely take away your and mine own sin past, present and future

Forever because of the deal of Jesus you and I are 100% completely justified before God if we have accepted the gift of Jesus’s death and resurrection

But this begins the night of trials for Jesus

Mark 14:53–65 NASB95

53 They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together. 54 Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire. 55 Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. 56 For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. 57 Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, 58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’ ” 59 Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. 60 The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” 61 But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying 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 Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63 Tearing his clothes, 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 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.

We know that Jesus is arrested by the Jewish religious leaders and they had him hauled off

We know that from some earlier scripture they had been planning to find time and a way to arrest him

They also needed people who would testify against Him

Which is why this trial is so very different than the rest of the trials

This one was held at night time

See for sometime they had used back door channels to try and get Jesus arrested

They had to pay someone to set Jesus up so they could arrest Him

Jesus didn’t seem to have a chance

They first stopped by Annas’s house sort of like the Godfather of the religous elite

As Annas is the Father-in-law of that years High Priest Caiaphas

Then they go to Caiaphas’s house who would make the ultimate determination of blasphemy

Then they would lead Jesus off to the Sanhedrin to give us the Jewish governing body determination

Annas was probably a member of the Sanhedrin who was once the Highpriest

So they would have had all they needed to convict Him except witnesses to testify against Jesus

They had arrested him at night and called people who they could coerce to testify against Jesus because they couldn’t have dont that in the day time because Jesus follower would have been able to make a stink

The trial being at night made this whole process a shame

But they knew they wouldn’t be able to carry it out during the day because as we said earlier

Believers in Jesus would have protested against the whole process

They then had to bring to Pilate the Roman Governor to be able to kill Him

John 18:28–33 NASB95

28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. 29 Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” 30 They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.” 31 So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death,” 32 to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die. 33 Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

Jesus comes before Pilate to be crucified

The Jewish people were not permitted to execute anyone

The Jewish leaders knew that a charge of blasphemy would not be enough for Pilate to put Him to death

So they brought a charge that Jesus was King of the Jews

We know that Pilate eventually and wanting nothing to do with the execution of Jesus decides to go ahead with the execution

He releases Barabbas who was arrested and charged with wanting to over throw the roman Government

Jesus has been charged with something similar over throwing the Roman government

And yet they release Barabbas

We know they end up beating Jesus to within inches of his life

Then Jesus heads to the place of the skull

Luke 23:33–34 NASB95

33 When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.

The crucify Jesus

They continue the mocking of Jesus

Even the criminals on either side continue to mock Jesus

They had arrested Jesus and given him a false illegal trial, and then found people to give false testimony about him in hopes to convict Him

Then the Jewish Religous eleit convinced the masses who just a week earlier who were shouting Hossana to now yell crucify Him

They brought Him to Pilate who had him beaten and now He is going to the place where they crucified people

And through all this please know this

Jesus willingly took this on because this would pay for your debt of sin and my debt of sin

What happens next on the cross is amazing

Luke 23:39–43 NASB95

39 One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” 40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

In the midst of a brutal death one of the men realizes that Jesus is in fact innocent

He also understands that He is deserving of death

What a beautiful picture of the Gospel

This man knew that Jesus was not deserving of what had happened to Him

He also had enough self understanding that He fully deserved what was happening to HIm

This is where we need to be

You and I need to understand that death and destruction and eternal damnation is what we deserve

See I think some of us think we deserve what Jesus did

I think some of us think we are good or at least pretty good

When in truth when must understand we are not good people

To think deep down we are good is a lie we believe from the pit of hell

To know that left to our own devises we will go astray

That we are mean horrible nasty human beings and yet God loved us enough to go to the cross in our place

We see this in the criminal

He understood that

We see grace and mercy extended to the criminal right there on the cross

This criminal in his dying act cries our to Jesus

Jesus says Truly I say to you today you shall be with Me in Paradise

Jesus saves this man on the cross and extends grace in the fact that He did deserve salvation and yet Jesus extends Him salvation because He cries out Jesus

Jesus extends mercy to Him by saving Him essentially keeping Him out of hell

Pastor Allister Begg did a poem or talk called the Man on the middle cross

Let me read it

The Man on the Middle Cross

“The question is this

If you were to die tonight and you stand before God in heaven and he were to say to you why should I let you into my heaven

How would you answer

If you answer that in the first person

Because I

Because I have faith

Because I am this

Because I did that

Because I am continuing

The only proper answer is in the third person

Because He

Think of the thief on the cross

What an amazing story

It will be so exciting to find him in heaven and ask him how that all went down

Because while on the cross you were cussing Jesus out with your friend

You never attended a bible study

You weren't baptized

You didn't know anything about church membership

And still you made it

You made it

How did you make it

Thats what the angel must have said right

What are you doing here

I don't know

What do you mean you don't know

Well because I don't know

Well 

Umm

Well

And you can almost picture the angel at this point almost speechless right

Excuse me let me get my supervisor angel

And the Supervisor Angel comes up to the man and says we have just a few questions for you this morning

Are you clear on the doctrine of justification by faith

Guy said I never heard of it my life

What about the doctrine of scripture

The guy just stares at him

On what basis are you here

And he said the man on the middle cross said I could come

That is the only answer to the original question why should I let you into my heaven and the only answer is because the man on the middle cross said I could come”

Church do we understand that it is only Jesus on the cross that pays our debt of sin

Luke 23:46 NASB95

46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.

Jesus died to pay for your debt of sin

And let me be clear you have a debt of sin

Just like the criminal on the cross

And it was only the man on the middle cross that extended grace and mercy and saved him that day

And He can do the same for you this morning

As we come to a close this morning

The band will come up and we will have a time of invitation

Maybe you are here this morning and do not know Jesus personally

You are invited to come to the front and speak with someone about how to be saved

How to repent of your sin and trust in Jesus this morning and be saved this morning

Or maybe you are here this morning you and you already have a personal relationship with Jesus

Maybe this morning you need to spend some time in prayer at the alter

Maybe you need to make another decision

Maybe its a decision to join this local body of believers this morning

The alter is open