Trial of Jesus

I. The Arrest:

A. Judas had lived with the Lord Jesus for perhaps three years, and had listened to Him teach; yet he knew very little about Him.

B. This was the time for Judas to distinguish himself from the other disciples.

1. The love for money was what motivated Judas.

The love for money was what motivated Judas vs the love for the Lord Jesus Christ that motivated the other eleven disciples.

2. The love for the Lord Jesus Christ that motivated the other eleven disciples.

C. Jesus deliberately met Judas and his band, for He knew what was about to happen.

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1. Christ, the Last Adam met the enemy in a garden and triumphed, while the first Adam met the enemy in a garden and failed.

2. Adam hid himself, but Christ openly revealed Himself.

3. The Greek word for “detachment,or band of soldiers” has been traditionally rendered “cohort” from the Latin which denotes a tenth of a legion, or about six hundred men.

a. The noun is accompanied by the definite article, which refers to some particular band of men.

b. The synoptic Gospels agree that the arrest was effected by a crowd, which hint at an armed mob rather than an organized military guard.

c. Luke uses the phrase “officers of the temple guard”, which would refer to the temple police rather than to Roman legionnaires.

II. The Trial:

A. The trial of Jesus is the most famous in history.

B. The question is whether Jesus received a fair trial.

C. The Sanhedrin should have never held the trial.

1. There Was No Possibility Of A Fair Trial

a. They had plotted to kill Jesus ahead of time.

b. Consequently they were hardly in a position to render a fair verdict as to his guilt or innocence.

1. The High Priest Caiaphas is the one who said that it was necessary for Jesus to die for the entire nation.

2. The High Priest was the supreme judge in Israel, it was his responsibility to see that a person be given a fair trial.

Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (p. 260). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

2. When a person's life was at stake the trial could only be held during the day.

a. It was illegal to try capital cases at night.

3. According to Jewish law, a trial starts when witnesses come forward to testify.

a. The witnesses come first, then the trial.

b. When a person's life was at stake the trial could only be held during the day.

b. Not only should the Sanhedrin have not looked for witnesses, they certainly should not have looked for false witnesses if Jesus were to be given a fair trial. The verdict, of course, was never in doubt.

c. Since the Sanhedrin knew the testimony of the witnesses was false, these witnesses, according to Jewish law, should have been punished.

d. When Jesus was put under oath he acknowledged that he was the Messiah - the promised Deliverer.

1. This admission of Jesus was what caused the Sanhedrin to cry out that he was guilty of death.

2. There was not the slightest interest in attempting to find out whether Jesus may indeed be the promised Messiah.

3. There was not the slightest interest in attempting to find out whether Jesus may indeed be the promised Messiah. There was no evidence that was allowed to be given on Jesus' behalf and they weighed no evidence before making their judgment.

3. There was no evidence that was allowed to be given on Jesus' behalf and they weighed no evidence before making their judgment.