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Scripture Reading
Introduction: Setting the Scene (v.
53-54)
Jesus had just been arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane by a large crowd armed with swords and clubs.
That large crowd of people consisted not only of the Jewish temple police, but also of Roman soldiers with a commanding officer over them.
Based on the fact that even the Roman soldiers had been sent out to arrest this man Jesus, it’s evident that they were concerned that He was guilty of a serious crime indeed!
And so they march Jesus from the Garden of Gethsemane towards Jerusalem, in the middle of the night.
We read in verse 53...
“They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, elders and teachers of the law came together.”
(Mark 14:53, NIV84)
Mark records that Jesus was taken to the “High Priest.”
Who was this High Priest?
In Luke 3:2, we read that just when the angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, Annas and Caiaphas were High Priests.
Annas was actually the father-in-law of Caiaphas, and by the time of the trial of Jesus that is taking place here, he is no longer officially high priest, but Caiaphas is.
Annas is nonetheless held in very high esteem, and is still referred to as the high priest at times.
According to John 18:12-13, the soldiers bound Jesus...
...and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.
Later on, Annas would then send Jesus to Caiaphas…
Mark however doesn’t record all those details for us.
But not only was the High Priest there, but we read that all the chief priests, elders and teachers of the law gathered.
This entire group called the Sanhedrin had come out and gathered together in the dead of night in an attempt to find grounds for bringing judgment on Jesus.
We need to consider the dark irony of this scene.
Jesus is brought before the most powerful and trusted man in all of Israel.
The High Priest was the representative for the nation of Israel before God.
He was the one who would enforce the Covenant of Moses, and ensure that the duties and responsibilities in terms of the sacrificial law were being carried out.
Further to this, The High Priest stood as the mediator between God and Israel at that time.
The High Priest had to...
...handle sacrifices and offerings on a regular basis.
…go into the most holy place within the Temple in order to make atonement for the people.
It was this High Priest, with all these responsibilities, that was now presiding over the trial of Jesus, the sinless Saviour.
It was the one who was a representative for Israel before God, who was standing in judgment over the God-man himself.
It was the one who was a mediator between God and Israel, who was seeking to condemn the God-man himself.
We read further in verse 54...
“Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest.
There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.”
(Mark 14:54, NIV84)
Peter was one who, after having deserted Jesus in the Garden, didn’t disappear completely.
Rather, he lingered in the distance, watching where they were taking Jesus, and then following the crowds, he went into the very courtyard of the High Priest.
According to John 18:15, Simon Peter went to the High Priest’s house with another disciple, and this other disciples (who was probably John) knew the High Priest, and that is how they gained access.
So this event actually unfolds in the Court Yard of the House of the High Priest.
As they enter the court yard, because it is night time, and it is cold at night, a fire is lit, and Peter goes to the fire and sits there with the guards, as they all warm themselves together.
Clearly these guards didn’t know Peter well, otherwise they would have arrested him also at this point.
But this is the scene, as Jesus begins to be tested and tried by the High Priest in particular, with all of the Sanhedrin watching.
1. False Witnesses Pour Out Lies (v.
55-61a)
This leads us to our first point for consideration this morning...
In verse 55 we read:
“The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any.”
(Mark 14:55, NIV84)
Notice the order that Mark puts it in as he describes this so-called trial of Jesus.
These noble men of Israel were looking for evidence "SO THAT" they could put him to death.
They wanted him dead, but had to find some grounds to have Him put to death.
At this stage, there simply was nothing against Jesus.
All they knew was that they had an intense hatred towards this man Jesus, who they saw as one stirring up trouble.
And so they began to bring in people who would bring testimony against Jesus in order to find fault with Him, and have reason to put Him to death.
In verse 56 we read:
“Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.”
(Mark 14:56, NIV84)
Notice the "many" here - there were a lot of people who were coming forward in order to bring false witness.
No doubt these were all arranged and brought in by the Jewish leaders in their attempts to find some grounds on which to find Jesus guilty.
The problem was that the statements being brought didn’t agree with one another.
The Jewish law was clear about the need for the testimony of multiple witnesses:
As this mock trial unfolds, they make every effort to find something, anything, against Jesus!
And so the witnesses just keep being brought forward, all the while the Sanhedrin hope that some testimony will arise that will enable them to carry out their plan to kill this man Jesus.
They will not rest until they have the testimony that they seek.
These religious leaders would have argued that what they were doing was for noble purposes.
They would have argued that they were zealous for God, and for the defense of His honour.
But they allowed these false witnesses.
Did they not even have an ounce of guilty conscience, as all of these witnesses came forward, very clearly falsely accusing Jesus?
In their own law, was the command in Exodus 23:1...
In the Ten Commandments that were inscribed in stone for the Israelites as their foundational law, stood the 9th commandment which said:
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16)
Despite this, the Sanhedrin cared little of all those clearly false witnesses coming forward.
If they truly loved God, would it not have been a priority that only true testimony be brought forward, and that they protect the innocent?
But no!!
Those witnesses giving false testimony would be free to go, but they would find something against this man Jesus, the innocent party.
We read then in verses 57-58...
“Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.’ ” (Mark 14:57-58, NIV84)
Eventually a further group / set of people gets up and brings this false accusation against Jesus concerning the temple.
You will recall the words of Christ to the Jews in John 2.
When Christ had been in the temple, clearing out the money-changers and those buying and selling, they asked him by what authority He was doing those things.
In fact, they ask him for a miraculous sign in order to prove His authority.
In response, we read in John 2:19...
That is no doubt where these witnesses got the idea of Jesus speaking about destroying the temple.
But even then, they got the story so confused, that even their version is wrong.
Mark makes it very clear that this testimony that they brought was false testimony.
There were clear allusions in their accusations to things that had truly been said.
But ultimately, they were twisting Christ’s words to mean things that He had not said.
As Mark goes on to explain in verse 59...
“Yet even then their testimony did not agree.”
(Mark 14:59, NIV84)
Even these men, who had some truth within what they were saying, were inconsistent in their accusation and thus could not find Jesus guilty.
What we have then is a string of false witnesses, pouring out lies!
We must ask if anything is different in the ways of man today.
If one looks at the world around us, it seems that expediency for ones own agenda is all that truly matters at the end of the day.
We look at today, and political figures trying to trump up charges against a rival politician - this is typical of the human heart in sin.
As we see this multiplication of evil unfolding, we must remember the very true words of Jesus the Christ that He spoke to the Jewish leaders when He said to them in John 8:44-47...
Those words were spoken by Christ some time before this trial, but just as they were so applicable and pertinent when He spoke them, they were so much more so in this moment of his mock trial.
As this mock trial continues, and even these witnesses are unable to find fault with Jesus, we read in verse 60...
“Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer?
What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?”” (Mark 14:60, NIV84)
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