Lesson 8
The Trials
Jewish Trials
John 18:12-14,
19:24,28
Matthew 26:59-68, Mark
14:55-65, Luke 22:63-71
Roman Trials
Matthew 27:11-24, Mark
15:1-15
Luke 23:1-24, John
18:28-40, John 19:1-4
Coming from
Gethsemane, Jesus was met by His accusers with a band of Roman soldiers. It is dark, they are coming with lanterns and
torches in the night, and weapons at their sides. Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss. Peter in his might and strength cuts off the
ear of Malchus, the servant of the High Priest.
Jesus then performs a miracle, and heals the injured Malchus with a touch
of His hand. Even in His betrayal, He is
compassionate and heals.
Now Jesus is
bound, captive and is subjected to three Jewish trials. He is brought from Gethsemane to the home of
Annas, the former High Priest. Annas is
the father-in-law to Caiaphas, he has not been the High Priest for twenty
years; however, his influence is known and his power of great importance.
The first of
the Jewish trials: “Now he is before Annas—who is sitting as a sole judge, and
it is still night, both of which conditions make the hearing itself
illegal. Though he has been arrested,
there is as yet no charge lodged against him.
Annas, therefore, questions him about two things: his disciples and his
doctrine....As far as the record goes, Jesus ignored the attempt to involve his
followers.... As to the doctrinal inquisition, he said: 'I spoke openly to the
world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews
always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.
Why askest thou me? Ask them
which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said'.”
(McConkie, B.4, p. 146-147) “Answerest
thou the High Priest so?” (John 18:22)
“As one of the officers which stood by said these words, he was the
first to strike the face of the Master with the palm of his hand. This was a 'burst of illegal insolence'.”
(Farrar, p.643) The brutality had begun.
The second
of the Jewish trials is before Caiaphus.
Jesus has been taken from Annas' palace to Caiaphus' palace, which is
just across the court. Jesus is still
bound. These accusers, the chief priests and elders and all the council hold a
second private and irregular stage of the trial. “At least 23 members of the Great Sanhedrin
were present, the number required for a quorum.” (McConkie, B.4, p. 149) One of the things written as a witness
against these malefactors, is they sought false witnesses against Jesus to put
him to death. (Matthew 26:59) False
witnesses, and even during this trial,
they found none, whose testimony could convict Jesus. “None could devise a charge that would stand
up before the Roman law.” (McConkie, B.4, p.151)
Then, in
violation of Jewish law, Caiaphas put Jesus under oath to witness against
Himself, “And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the
living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
Jesus saith
unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I
say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the son of man sitting on the right hand
of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Then the
high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is
guilty of death.” (Matthew 26:63-65)
“Thus
the judges in Israel, comprising the high priest, the chief priests, the
scribes and elders of the people, the Great Sanhedrin, unlawfully assembled, decreed
that the Son of God was
deserving of death, on no evidence save that of His own
acknowledgment. By express provision the
Jewish code forbade the conviction, specifically on a capital charge, of any
person of his own confession, unless that was amply supported by the testimony
of trustworthy witnesses.” (Talmage, p. 580-581) “Then they did spit in his face, and buffeted
him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, Saying Prophesy unto
us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?” (Matthew 26: 67-68) “And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and
smote him. And when they had blindfolded
him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it
that smote thee? And many other things
blasphemously spake they against him.” (Luke 22:63-65)
The third
Jewish trial was the formal trial.
''Jesus
stood convicted of the most heinous offense known in Jewry.” (Talmage p. 581)
“The law and
practice of the time required that any person found guilty of a capital offense,
after due trial before a Jewish tribunal, should be given a second trial on the
following day....Between the two sittings on consecutive days the judges were
required to fast and pray, and to give the case on trial calm and earnest
consideration.” (Talmage, p. 582)
“Thus
Caiaphus, now before the whole council, demanded: “Art thou the Christ? tell us.” Perhaps he would say something that the
Romans would interpret as being seditious.
After all, the Jewish concept of a Messiah was one of a Deliverer, a
Deliverer from all alien yokes, Rome included.
But Jesus said: “If I tell you, ye will not believe.” (Luke 22:67) “How
sad and how true! Gospel truth is taught
by testimony: the spiritually alive, believe;
the spiritually sick, question; the spiritually dead, deny and
reject. And here stands the Lord
Omnipotent, the being by whose hands all things are, the being through whom
salvation comes, ready to testify again of his divine Sonship with full
knowledge that his testimony will avail his hearers nothing.” (McConkie, B.4,
p. 168)
Now Jesus
standing before the Great Sanhedrin answers Caiaphus' question: “Art thou the
Christ? And if I also ask you, ye will
not answer me, nor let me go. Hereafter
shall the Son of man sit on the right has of the power of God. Then they all,
Art thou then the Son of God? And he
said unto them, Ye say that I am. And
they said, What need we any further witness? For we ourselves have heard of his
own mouth.” (Luke 22:68-71)
The entire
Sanhedrin ask the question to Jesus, and
He has to answer again. And again He is
convicted by His own witness, not by the witness of someone else. The whole counsel condemned Him, and bound
Him, and carried Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate. (Mark 15:1-2) The Jewish trials were now complete. The
Sanhedrin take Jesus to the Romans and the Roman trials now begin.
Pilate now
becomes the judge, as the Jewish Sanhedrin did not have the authority to
pronounce death on a person, even though they did in the case of Steven, and he
was stoned to death. They were bound by
the Roman law and needed to have death pronounced under Roman law, which could
only be done by the current Roman leader, who was at the time Pontius
Pilate. Also Roman death was by
crucifixion, a Jewish death sentence was by stoning. Volumes have been written about the list of
illegalities that took place during the trial of Jesus. These will not be
addressed in these lessons. These proceedings were done with the influence of
Lucifer.
Pilate
interviews Jesus, and finds no fault with Him, Jesus is then sent to Herod,
because, Jesus was a Galilean, and so because of this Jesus could be sent to
Herod for judging. Herod was pleased to
have Jesus come to his court, so that it might be possible that He would perform
a miracle in front of Herod. But Jesus
does not even speak while He is in the company of Herod. Jesus is mocked and “arrayed in a gorgeous
robe” in Herod's palace and sent back to Pilate.
Something to
note here, is that Jesus has surprised Pilate with his submissive and majestic
demeanor. His humility
and His patience is beyond anything we in our lifetime have ever experienced,
He is the Son of God they are judging, and He stays the course. But Jesus is sent back to Pilate by Herod to
be judged none the less.
In the first
trial with Pilate, he asks Jesus: “Art thou the King of the Jews?” (John
18:33) “Jesus' answer will depend on
what Pilate means. Is he speaking temporally or spiritually? Yes this Suffering Servant is the king of the
Universe; before him every knee shall one day bow, while every tongue acclaims
him Lord of all. No, he is not the
temporal Messiah, the Deliverer of Jewish expectation, the kind of king who
would lead an armed assault against a Roman fortress. “Sayest thou this thing
of thyself,” Jesus asks, “or did others
tell it thee of me?” (John 18:34)
Pilate's
response is disdainful. “Am I a Jew?” he
says. “Thine own nation and the chief
priests have delivered thee unto me....... What hast thou done?” (John 18:35)
What
indeed! “I have preached the gospel to
the poor, proclaimed liberty to the captives, and opened the prison door to
those who were bound. I have opened
blind eyes, unstopped deaf ears, and given strength to lame legs; I have cast
out devils and called back rotting corpses from their graves; I have fed
multitudes, stilled storms, walked on raging waves; I have been and am the
manifestation among men of the Father who is in heaven. I am his son.”
(McConkie, B.4, p. 176)
Jesus then
answers Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world: If my kingdom were of this
world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the
Jews; but now is my kingdom not from hence. (John 18:36) Pilate therefore said
unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus
answered, Thou sayest that I am a King. To
this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I
should bear witness unto the truth.
Every one that is of the truth hearth my
voice.” (John 18:36-37)
Jesus was the eternal king, not the mortal king.
Now again
Jesus is before Pontius Pilate. Pilate
already knows He is not guilty of sedition and treason. Jesus has been mocked, bound, smitten, spit
on, derided, and sent back from Herod wearing a gorgeous robe. “Pilate speaks: 'Ye have brought this man unto me, as one
that perverteth the people,' and who forbids the paying of tribute to Caesar,
and who claims that he himself is a king, 'and, behold, I, having examined him
before you, whereof ye accuse him'--'He is innocent; as I said unto you before,
I find in him no fault at all'--'No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and
lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto Him.' (Luke 23:2, 14-16) So spoke
Pilate the Procurator; so spoke Herod the king.
There was, then, only, one just thing to do: Release the Innocent Man; and further, if
need be protect him from the anger and hatred of the wailing mobs.” (McConkie, B.4, p. 183)
The mobs
have now formed, presumably at the direction of the Sanhedrin, and Pilate puts
before them Jesus, to be released as the prisoner, which was the custom at the
time of the passover. But the mobs cry
for the release of Barabbas, and for the crucifixion of Jesus. “Deliver him unto us to be crucified. Away with him. Crucify him.
And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed.” (Luke 23: 21,23)
Pilate
though knowing Jesus was innocent, and also being warned by his wife that He
was innocent, sent Jesus to be scourged and prepared for crucifixion. Pilate at
this time, had a basin of water brought to him, and washed his hands with water
from the basin to symbolize that he was innocent of Jesus' blood. “I am innocent of the blood of this person,
see ye to it.” (Matthew 27:24)
The mob then
answered “His blood be on us, and our children.” (Matthew 27:25) What a thing to say! But over the years we have seen the
destruction of the Jews in so many parts of the
history of the world.
Yes, their children have suffered.
“Perhaps in
a last attempt to elicit sympathy for Jesus from the Jews, that he might
release Him, Pilate had Jesus scourged.
Often, scourging killed the victims before they could be crucified. After the scourging, the Roman soldiers, in
mockery, placed a crown of thorns on the Master's head, dressed him in a purple
robe, and beat Him with their hands.” (Ridges, p. 12) The crown that Pilate wore at the time was
made from a laurel wreath. The crown of
thorns was a mockery of Pilates crown.
“Scourging was
a frightful preliminary to death on the cross.
The instrument of punishment was a whip of many thongs, loaded with
metal and edged with jagged pieces of bone.... In accordance with the brutal
customs of the time, Jesus, weak and bleeding from the fearful scourging He had
undergone, was given over to the half-savage soldiers for their amusement. He was no ordinary victim, so the whole band
came together in the Pretorium, or great hall of the palace, to take part in
the diabolical sport. They stripped Jesus
of His outer raiment, and placed upon Him a purple robe. Then with a sense of fiendish realism they
platted a crown of thorns, and placed about the Sufferer's brows, a reed was
put into His right hand as a royal scepter; and as they bowed in a mockery of
homage, they saluted Him with: 'Hail, King of the Jews!' Snatching away the reed or rod, they brutally
smote Him with it upon the head, driving the cruel thorns into His quivering
flesh; they slapped Him with their hands, and spat upon Him in vile a vicious
abandonment.
Pilate had
probably been a silent observer of this barbarous scene. He stopped it, and
determined to make another attempt to touch the sprigs of Jewish pity, if such
existed. He went outside, and to the
multitude said: 'Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find
no fault in him.' This was the governor’s third definite proclamation of the
Prisoner's innocence.
'Then came Jesus
forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the
man'!” (Talmage, p. 592-593)
And also
remember how tender His skin was after the bleeding at every pore in the Garden
of Gethsemane only hours before this! Only a God could have endured such
brutality!
Judas
Iscariot returned to the chief priests and elders and exclaims that he has
“betrayed innocent blood,” and for only 30 pieces of silver. He then hangs
himself from a tree.
Andrew
Skinner in his book Golgotha, shared with us a great lesson about the Savior.
It goes with the sufferings that have taken place during the trials of
Jesus. “All of us will have challenging
circumstances to pass through in life. The Lord himself will reach out and tug
at our very heartstrings, and if we cannot submit patiently to his molding and
shaping, we will not be fit for his kingdom.
Sometimes we may think that his molding and shaping are more than we can
handle, or that they are not worth the pain.
Nevertheless, we may take comfort in knowing that even for God, the
greatest of all, a crown of thorns had to precede his crown of glory. And it is precisely because Jesus experienced
the crown of thorns that he has the knowledge and power to wipe away all of
our tears.” (Skinner, Golgotha, p.104-105)
To this
end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should
bear witness unto the truth. (John 19:37)
Now wearing
a purple robe and a crown of thorns, he is presented to the multitude by
Pilate. Behold the man. We, of course, know he was not just a man,
but a God.
Awe
is a word that becomes so much bigger and has so much more meaning!
Awe—Christ's
week of Awe!
The Trials
Prepare
Jewish Trials
John 18:12-14,
19:24,28
Matthew 26:59-68, Mark
14:55-65, Luke 22:63-71
Roman Trials
Matthew 27:11-24, Mark
15:1-15
Luke 23:1-24, John
18:28-40, John 19:1-4
This
chapter is a very emotional chapter in the
last
week of the Savior's life. There are
many
things in this chapter that young children are just
not
prepared to hear yet in their lives.
Tell
the story of the trials, the misrepresentation of Jesus,
and
the illegalities of what took place.
Share:
how did Jesus feel? Could He have been spared of this?
What
did the Sanhedrin do? What did the
Romans do?
Who
were the people Jesus was sent to, to be judged?
What
did Pilate do? Did he think Jesus was
guilty?
Remembering
While
we were on our mission in Africa we had many
opportunities
to drive through small villages where
we
did humanitarian work for these very poor people. On these drives
were
the beautiful Acacia trees of Africa.
Looking closely
at these
trees I was able to notice that they were filled with huge
thorns,
and immediately thought of the Savior.
One
day I asked Dana to stop and we went out and cut
a
bunch of branches off these trees and brought them home.
I
made 3 crowns of thorns with these branches.
Admittedly,
I was scarred from making these crowns, because
working
with these thorny branches was quite hard and brutal.
I
can't even imagine how they would feel on my head, let alone
what
they did to my hands and arms.
While
living in Georgia, I was also able to make a crown of thorns
with
thorny greenery that grows everywhere there.
It
was much easier to make than from the Acacia trees, but
it
turned out pretty nice too.
Try
to find thorny branches or rose branches from your area
and
make a crown of thorns. Or find a
picture of a crown of
thorns
to remember the trials that Jesus lived through.
Act of Service
What
act of service can you do to represent what Jesus experienced
through
the night and day of trials from the Jews and Romans.
Remember
He was so very patient with these men,
“One
suspects that Jesus was able to endure all of this patiently because
his
mind and heart were focused on his Father and his Father's will.
He
knew his Father loved him and that this was what his Father
wanted
him to do in order to ransom all of his Father's family.
Like
the firstborn in Israelite society, who was given a double
portion
of the inheritance to rescue the family and help family
members
out of their difficulties, Jesus, the firstborn of all our
Heavenly
Father's spirit children, used all of his strength, all of his
physical,
emotional, mental, and spiritual reserves, to rescue
his
family. (Skinner, Golgotha, p. 102-103)
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