Trial of Jesus Christ: The Truth Distorted

As we begin this morning, we will be spending some time looking at what I think is the most frustrating story of Jesus’ Passion narrative, the story of Jesus before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin as he is tried for blasphemy and treason. As we delve into this passage, I want you to know that I am going to be a little tough on us this morning. This is a story that makes my blood boil but also makes me squirm in my seat because, not unlike the crowds that have gathered to witness Jesus’ trial, we often stand by and just let things happen to those around us or even to us, so consider this a bit of a warning that my words may make you squirm in your seat this morning and maybe it’s time we spend a little time squirming. But before we get into that, I want to give us some food for thought and set the stage a bit...

Last week, I asked you to envision a time in your life when you were betrayed by someone. This week, I want you to think of a time when someone said you said or did something that just simply was not true or a time when someone took your words, twisted them, and then used them against you. Everyone have a time in your life when that happened to you? This should be another one of those quick memories to access because it probably caused a fair amount of pain in the moment. Got one? Good, now here’s your food for thought as we move forward this morning…when the truth is distorted or an outright lie is told about you, is it merely just false words about you or is it simply restating the facts in way that benefits the person who distorted the truth? In other words, when we take what someones says or does and twist them to our benefit, who is the one who ultimately pays the price? What makes a person turn to lies rather than stating the truth?

The Story of a Mock Trial...

In Mark’s Gospel, we hear a very shortened version of what the other Gospel writers report that night as Jesus stood before not only the Jewish authority of the day, the Sanhedrin but eventually before the Roman authority of that territory in Pontius Pilate. For our purposes and discussion this morning, though, Mark has all the details we need to try to digest what is happening…now, I am not going to retell the story because I think we heard enough of it in Lorraine’s reading of it but there are some details that I think we need to consider in order to take a lesson from this story for us today. With that in mind, I want us to focus on a few things....

Who, Where, When...

Jesus has been taken before the Sanhedrin (In the NT synédrion is used for judicial courts in general (Matt. 5:22; 10:17; Mark 13:9) and the supreme judicial and legislative court in Jerusalem presided over by the high priest (e.g., Matt. 26:59; Mark 14:55; Acts 5:21). *Saldarini, Anthony J. “Sanhedrin.” Ed. David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck. Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible 2000 : 1166–1167. Print.)

Peter, who has fallen back and only approached from a distance

Guards who arrested Jesus in the Garden

A large crowd who must have heard the commotion as they brought Jesus into Jerusalem

We are in the courtyard of the High Priest, Caiaphas

It is very early in the morning after the Last Supper, so Friday morning before the crucifixion

I want to make a very special point about that last statement. We find ourselves in the middle of the night. I don’t know about you folks, I might have been a bit weary and confused about what was going on if someone had awoken me from a deep sleep at around 4 or 5 o’clock in the morning, let alone when this probably took place. I am thinking at this point, from what the other Gospel writers record that this might be taking place at somewhere around 1 to 3 AM. So, for a crowd to have gathered to witness to this event let alone participate by giving false testimony, especially in the middle of the night, it is a bit odd in my mind.

The trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin

There are so many things wrong about this mockery of a trial in which Jesus found himself. Number one, the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, we believe, as the highest court, only met at certain times and this was by far not one of them. The judges who would have had to vote to condemn Jesus to death would have needed to be woken from their sleep, come to the courtyard, would have needed to hear arguments of acquittal first, then arguments of condemnation and if there was a close enough vote, they would have needed to vote for Jesus to be put to death multiple times. Let me ask you, in any of the accounts that you have ever heard about Jesus’ trial, did any of this seem to occur?

Aside from this, there were those in the crowd who seem to be giving false testimony about what Jesus has said over the last few days...

False evidence is sought

Not only did these Religious leaders attempt to carry out a trial at a time when one should not have occurred, they looked toward the people to testify about their charges against Jesus. It just seems to me that we have the beginnings of a mob mentality and rule over this trial. Mark tells us this about what people were saying...

Mark 14:58–59 NIV

“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’ ” Yet even then their testimony did not agree.

Now, I could stand here and argue the flip side of what people were saying at that time but it would only frustrate me further, because as we have been saying for the last few weeks, hindsight is always 20/20. In this case, we know more about the story from other writers and it is so difficult to separate our feelings from these events, is it not? I mean, I can see myself standing here, even now getting angry at the injustice that is being carried out in these events and I want to shout back at those who are so afraid of Jesus and what he is teaching that they only want to tear him down and make him look bad so that they can get their way.

Unfortunately, I know how that feels. As a Pastor, I am often the target of those who do not see a larger picture or who may not understand what the leadership might be doing as we walk down a path together. I get frustrated at all the conversations that happen outside of these four walls and especially those who take my words and twist them to their own benefit. Trust me, it happens more often than you think. Here’s the thing though, I know it happens and I know that there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. It is going to happen, does that mean I am ignoring it, nope. I know it’s happening because just about everything gets back to me. Now, I know that I cannot stop it, just as Jesus could not stop those who accused him.

Jesus Christ’s trial centers upon his Messianic claims

We also need to understand that Jesus has only begun to claim to be God’s Son in the recent few weeks or months of his life. And so, the religious leaders have become enraged, because they were once again threatened. These religious leaders expected and taught about a Messiah that was yet to come. They did not believe that Jesus could be the Messiah. He did not represent or teach anything that they were expecting.

It’s like the story of the man whose home happens to be in a major flood. While he is on his roof, praying that God would send someone to save him, one of his neighbors comes alongside his home in a boat and offers to take him to safety, he responds, “No thank you, God will save me”. Then as another boat comes along and the waters continue to rise, these rescuers offer to take him to safety, and he says once again, “No thank you, God will save me”. And finally after refusing a safety rope from the chopper hovering above his home, he is swallowed up in the raging flood waters. As he stands before the Pearly Gates, he asks, “Why didn’t you save me, God?” And I think some of you already know where this is going…God’s response, “How many opportunities and boats did you need to see before you would see that I sent them?”

While that is a funny story, it really does depict how we see things and how we often respond when God sends us an obvious message…what we have in today’s story is a similar idea of how Jesus declared himself to be the Messiah and how people could not see that he truly was, especially those who had been looking so hard for the signs of his arrival…they were looking so hard that they did not see what was right in front of them…so, they charge him with blasphemy and ultimately try him for treason...

Jesus Christ is charged with blasphemy and tried for treason

Blasphemy was a pretty serious charge but it was not as serious as treason. Jesus could have been put to death for blasphemy but because it was nearly the Sabbath and the religious leaders did not want to have to face all those who were following Jesus, they ultimately convinced Pontius Pilate to try him for treason, which was punishable by death under Roman law and carried out by the Roman government, rather than the Sanhedrin. They were washing their hands of this travesty of justice...

I started our time together studying this passage asking if anyone had ever had their words twisted or turned against them or had someone lie about who they were or what they did. I am sure the vast majority, if not all of us, have suffered through something of this nature in our lives. For us, though, we did not have to suffer through the punishment of death.

Jesus’ trial is mockery of justice if I ever saw it. He was arrested because someone was threatened by his authority and teaching. He was sold into this plight for 30 pieces of silver which eventually bought a piece of land which is known to this day as the “Field of Blood” and is a place where those who cannot afford to be buried are laid to rest. Then to add insult to an already inglorious day, Jesus is placed on trial where his words are used against him to prove his guilt of treason. People come together in a mob to falsely testify to his guilt and twist his words to the point that they seem to be true. All of this leads to...

Mark 14:64–65 NIV

“You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death. Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.

Jesus’s world has now come crashing down around him and all those who loved him, swore just a few hours before that they would never leave his side, have run off into the night. He is alone and left to fight against those who are telling lies about who he is and what he represents. In today’s world, I think some of us are just all too accustomed to these things happening that sometimes we just don’t even recognize any more that they happen. It is almost as if it is expected of us…this needs to change. While I am sure none of us will ever die because someone lied about what we did or did not do or we used someone else’s words to get ahead, it is still inexcusable. If we are living out the command to love God, why would anything like what has just happened to Christ ever leave our lips?

I am challenging us this lent to look at things differently, to see how the hurt and pain of this world has come crashing in on us here. We can make a difference in this world, we just need to do something and start somewhere...

Prayer

Let us pray…Lord, challenge us. Open our eyes. Open our ears. Open our hearts. Help us to be your hands and feet in this world to always speak wisdom and truth, Amen.