The Corrupt Trial of Jesus
Matthew 26:57-68
March 3, 2013
Several years ago, before the prison closed,
We were involved in some prison ministry, seeking to speak to inmates.
And because the prison kept changing hands,
We kept having to go through the whole fingerprint and orientation process over and over again.
And each time the warden would tell us how,
“Everyone in prison is innocent”
(or at least they all claim to be and have a PhD in convinceability)
And we’ve heard that before.
And whether all of their claims are true or not, we’ve all at some point heard a story of someone who was jaded by the legal system.
• We’ve heard stories of corrupt lawyers
• We’ve heard stories of neglected evidence
• We’ve heard stories of lying witnesses
• We’ve heard stories of blood-thirsty judges
And anyone who has ever been closely associated with such instances knows the pain and frustration that goes along with it.
If the guilty are acquitted then the victim feels betrayed and as though the legal system failed them.
If the innocent are condemned then they themselves feel mistreated and as though the system failed.
A corrupt system of justice is very disheartening.
Psalm 11 speaks to some degree about this.
David sat in a place where hope seemed fleeting, namely because he knew that he would get no fair shake from the justice system.
Psalms 11:1-3 “In the LORD I take refuge; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain; For, behold, the wicked bend the bow, They make ready their arrow upon the string To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?”
Those around David would tell him to flee.
• The Danger is Lethal – “the wicked bend the bow”
• The System is Liberal – “If the foundations are shaken, what can the righteous do?”
Now in that Psalm David looks past the manmade courts to the heavenly one
To find strength that even though the courts are corrupt,
God is still the ultimate Judge.
But we do understand the type of hopeless feeling
That comes from knowing the courts may not help.
Well, that is the scene we have here in Matthew’s gospel.
Last week we saw: “The Strange Arrest of Jesus”
This week we see: “The Corrupt Trial of Jesus”
We are in the section of Matthew’s gospel
Where he is outlining the death of Jesus.
• We’ve seen the PLOT (God was orchestrating this through wicked men)
• We’ve seen the PURPOSE (namely the forgiveness of sinners)
And last week we started looking at the PARTICIPANTS in His death,
As we looked at the betrayal of Judas.
Judas actually approached Jesus and fervently kissed Him.
• Giving the type of kiss that was given by the prodigal son’s father as he
returned.
• Giving the type of kiss that was applied to Jesus’ feet by the sinful woman with
the alabaster vile.
• Giving the type of kiss that was given to Paul by the Ephesian elders as they
bid him good-bye for the final time.
And yet Judas betrayed our Lord
With just such a hypocritical display of affection.
And last week we saw Jesus betrayed and arrested.
A crowd of 1,000 came to arrest Him and at this point in the story,
Jesus is in custody and all the disciples have fled.
Now it is time to carry Jesus away to trial.
But before we begin to examine this trial of Jesus
(There were really 4 trials of Jesus – Annas, Caiaphas, Herod, Pilate)
This morning we are looking at the trial of Caiaphas,
But before we do, it will help if you understand
How the Jewish legal system was supposed to work.
Our legal system is actually derived from theirs, so some things are quite familiar.
Now the basis from their legal system came from two sources.
1) Mosaic Law
2) Rabbinical Law
But looking at some specifics of them together
Will help you see what a fair trial looked like,
And the type of trial Jesus had the right to demand and expect.
1) TIMING OF THE TRIAL
• According to Rabbinical Law, a trial could not be held at night.
• Nor could it be held in secret, it was a public affair
The purpose was to make sure all the evidence was available
• Furthermore a trial could not be held during a feast
It took three days to condemn a man,
The second of which was reserved for fasting by those who voted against him,
And since fasting was forbidden during the feasts, no trial could be held then.
(You are already seeing some inconsistencies)
2) WITNESS OF THE TRIAL
• A man could only be condemned upon the testimony of two credible witnesses.
And being a witness was serious for if it was shown that you gave false testimony, Mosaic Law stated that you must suffer the fate you were trying to earn for the man you testified against.
Deuteronomy 19:16-19 “If a malicious witness rises up against a man to accuse him of wrongdoing, then both the men who have the dispute shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days. “The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness and he has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you.”
• Furthermore if a man was condemned, the first person to strike the blow to the condemned had to be the person who first bore witness against him.
Deuteronomy 17:7 “The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.”
For this reason, women, children, and the mentally challenged
Were not allowed to be a condemning witness,
Since they were seen as unable or too weak to give this first condemning blow.
• Furthermore the accused could not be forced to testify against Himself. Even a detailed confession was not viewed as adequate evidence to condemn a man.
3) PASSING JUDGMENT
• 23 votes were cast in order determine a person’s fate.
• It took 13 votes to condemn, but only 11 to acquit
• And if all 23 voted to condemn the man was automatically acquitted since it was viewed that mercy was lacking and the court was flawed.
• When the votes were cast they voted in order of youngest to oldest so that the vote of the older did not influence the vote of the younger
• If a man was condemned, the law required that he could not be sentenced until the morning of the third day.
The second day was required for the fasting of those who voted to condemn, and when they came back the third day, anyone who voted to condemn was given the opportunity to change his mind.
• And even after sentencing as the man was going to his punishment, if on the way he or anyone else remembered evidence that might deliver him, immediately the execution was stayed and the trial was re-opened.
• And if a man was condemned his property could not be seized, it passed to his heirs, in order to keep a man from being condemned for his possessions.
The objective was that life be preserved above all else.
And in those courts, just as ours,
A man was to be considered innocent until proven guilty.
But as you will see, this trial of Jesus
Was truly corrupt on a number of levels.
Nothing they did here would be considered ethical,
In reality it wasn’t even legal in Jesus’ day.
Now, we obviously won’t dwell long on any of them, but to see the trial in the best light, I want you to see 8 facts about this trial that were certainly wrong.
#1 AN ILLEGAL COURT
Matthew 26:57
Here you see that Jesus was instantly led “away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and elders were gathered.”
This actually was not the first trial of Jesus.
As they led Jesus to Caiaphas John’s gospel tells us that
Annas actually intercepted the procession
And held his own trial of Jesus there in the courtyard.
John 18:12-13 “So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him, and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.”
Annas was the one who controlled all of the money making schemes involving the temple and he certainly hated Jesus for clearing the temple.
Furthermore Annas was sort of like the god-father of his day.
All of his sons had served as high priest after him,
And now it was Caiaphas who was his son-in-law.
Annas may not have been priest, but he still called the shots.
John gives us the dialogue here.
John 18:19-24 “The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret. “Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; they know what I said.” When He had said this, one of the officers standing nearby struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.”
So Annas got his digs in on Jesus and now He has been sent up
To this official trial of Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin.
What we notice though is that this court has been convened in defiance of three requirements.
1) The trial could not be at night
2) The trial had to be public
3) The trial could not be during a feast
And yet, here we are sometime between midnight and 2am
And the court is being called to order.
It is not being held in the courtyard,
But in the home of Caiaphas with only the Sanhedrin present.
You may remember the only reason Peter even made it as far as he did
Is because the high priest knew John and he vouched for Peter.
John 18:15-16 “Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.”
Furthermore, it was presently the Passover.
(obviously these men had no intention of a 3 day delay or a fast)
And right from the get go we understand that things are all wrong.
This isn’t a judicial court of law,
This is a lynch mob seeking to use the court’s authority.
It was in fact an illegal court.
By law it could not even be convened.
An Illegal Court
#2 A COWARDLY AUDIENCE
Matthew 26:58
So Peter has come in to the courtyard.
No doubt Peter witnessed the trial of Annas,
And now Peter is sitting with the officers who arrested Jesus,
While Jesus is on trial.
Here is Peter
• Promised to be with Jesus until death
• Slept in the garden
• Tried to fight the soldiers
• Now sitting with them
And Peter is saying nothing.
The entire legal system of Judaism was built on seeking the truth
And finding credible witnesses to testify on behalf of the accused.
And yet, here sits Jesus’ credible witness.
While others arise to lie about Jesus,
Peter is sitting by the fire, keeping the truth to himself.
An Illegal Court, A Cowardly witness
#3 A CORRUPT PROSECUTION
Matthew 26:59
Nothing quite like a district attorney
Who is only interested in the facts of the truth of the matter.
The reality was that the truth would not condemn Jesus
And these men didn’t want justice, they wanted victory.
The only possible way they were going to condemn this righteous man
Was if they colored the story up a little.
So they “kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death.”
They didn’t know how they were going to condemn Him,
But they did know they were going to kill Him.
Jesus wasn’t innocent until proven guilty.
In their eyes Jesus was guilty until proven guilty.
This was not a valid trial.
An Illegal Court, A Cowardly Witness, A Corrupt Prosecution
#4 LYING WITNESSES
Matthew 26:60-61
Well, the prosecution finally got its wish.
At first they couldn’t find any false witnesses.
(60) “They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward.”
That means many men stepped up to lie about Jesus,
But none of their testimonies were even close to believable.
By Law then, each of those witnesses should have suffered
The death they were seeking to put on Jesus.
Each of those men, having been proven a liar,
Should have instantly been carted out as a liar and condemned to die.
But since they were exactly what the court wanted (they may have even been part of the court) their inconsistencies were overlooked.
“But later on, two came forward, and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’”
John 2:18-19 “The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
So this was something Jesus did say, as He referred to His own body.
So it APPEARS we finally have credible witnesses.
The Law actually required that these men would have to give the day, month, and year of this statement and that both witnesses be consistent.
But they weren’t.
Mark 14:57-59 “Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, “We heard Him say, ‘ I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.'” Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent.”
So their statement still wasn’t accurate,
But for a corrupt court it was close enough.
An illegal court, a cowardly audience, A corrupt Prosecution, And now Lying Witnesses
#5 A CROOKED JUDGE
Matthew 26:62-63
We already knew the Judge was crooked.
• He is having court when he shouldn’t be
• He is overlooking false testimony
• And way too willing to accept inconsistent testimony
And here the Judge does something that by Law he could not do.
He sought to force the witness to testify.
(62) “The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?”
And Jesus actually did right here.
(63) “But Jesus kept silent.”
That was His legal right.
He did not have to testify against Himself.
He did not have to answer, and legally, no one could make Him.
But this was no normal court.
(63) “And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
Now this is interesting.
• First we have Him basically forcing Jesus before God to answer.
• But not only that, you have him forcing Jesus to answer an accusation that has nothing to do with the accusation of the witnesses.
Why didn’t the Judge say, “I adjure You…tell me whether you said that or not.”
Even the judge knew that charge was pathetic.
He wants something juicier and weightier than that.
So he basically commands Jesus to testify at His own trial
And answer a question of the judge’s own choosing.
“tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
It is a corrupt trial and everything here is illegal
#6 AN INNOCENT DEFENDANT
Matthew 26:64
So Jesus has been forced to answer, and He does.
He detects where this court is going
And Jesus gives an affirmation to the charges against Him.
(Had He not, they never would have been able to condemn Him)
And Jesus quotes from Psalms 110:1 and Daniel 7:13-14
Psalms 110:1 “The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
Daniel 7:13-14 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.”
The priest asked if Jesus was the Messiah and Jesus answered yes.
And quotes an Old Testament truth to affirm it.
Now, ordinarily this would have been a blasphemous charge,
Except for in Jesus’ case it was the truth.
He simply told the truth at His trial.
An Illegal Court, A Cowardly Audience, A Corrupt Prosecution, Lying Witnesses, A Crooked Judge, An Innocent Defendant
#7 A BLOODTHIRSTY JURY
Matthew 26:65-66
Now I already told you that the evidence of the accused
Was never enough to condemn Him.
At this point, at the very least, at least more evidence was needed.
• They would have to prove that He did claim to be Messiah,
• And they would have to prove that He in fact was not.
Only then, would He be truly guilty of blasphemy.
This was the way the court was to legally operate.
But they did none of that.
They got an answer they wanted
And instantly passed the verdict they could not wait to pass.
“what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death!”
Never were more untrue words ever spoken.
But this jury wasn’t listening to truth,
They were a mob bent on passing their own verdict.
#8 AN INSTANT SENTENCE
Matthew 26:67-68
And again this was completely illegal.
At this point they should have voted.
Now, because they all thought Him guilty, Rabbinical Law would have demanded His release for the lack of mercy in the court.
Furthermore, all they could legally do at the first hearing
Was determine His guilt,
They could not sentence Him until the third day.
But it seems like we are on the rapid pace.
• No waiting period
• No fasting
• No checking for new evidence or giving someone a chance to change their mind
They get what they think they want and instantly condemn Him to die.
This is an absolutely corrupt and illegal court.
• They shouldn’t have met
• The witnesses should have been thrown out
• Jesus should not have had to testify
• He should have never been condemned
• And His sentencing should have been delayed
And all of those things were conveniently overlooked
Simply to make sure Jesus would be killed.
It was a farce!
NOW WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS INFORMATION?
Well, it teaches us three very important things about our Savior.
1) WE HAVE A WORTHY SAVIOR
He truly was without sin.
Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”
Hebrews 7:26-27 “For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.”
He was the sinless One,
Who could not be condemned in a court of human law if done justly.
The only possible way to condemn Him
Would be to throw all justice and legality out the window.
He was sinless and this makes Him a worthy savior.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
• His sinless nature makes Him worthy to bear our shame.
• His sinless nature makes Him worthy to bear our sin.
• His sinless nature makes Him worthy to do what none of us could have done and that is appease the wrath of God.
2) WE HAVE A WILLING SAVIOR
It does not good to be worthy if you aren’t willing.
But if we learn nothing else from the arrest and trial of Jesus,
It is that He was in fact willing.
1 Peter 2:22-25 “WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”
• He could have let Peter whack away with that sword…
• He could have called 10,000 angels…
• He could have demanded a fair trial…
And that is a just a few in the list of “He could’ve”
But He didn’t.
• He was willing to be falsely accused
• He was willing to be wrongfully arrested
• He was willing to be illegally condemned
He was willing because His desire was to save sinners.
He is a Worthy Savior – He is a Willing Savior
3) WE HAVE A WONDERFUL SAVIOR
If what happened to Him happened to any one of us,
We would fight and complain and appeal and scream and holler
And get mad at everyone involved, maybe even God.
But not Him.
Christ just endured.
At no point was He concerned about His own well-being,
He was only concerned about ours.
Could there ever have been a more wonderful Savior?
John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”
He is a wonderful Savior.
And again I am reminded by that familiar hymn we sing:
“Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”
The love of Christ demands a response.
John said:
1 John 4:19 “We love, because He first loved us.”
DO YOU?
• When you see His agony in the garden
• When you see His betrayal
• When you see Him arrested
• When you see His sham of a trial
• When you see His willingness to endure
Do you love Him for that?
Are you grateful for that?
Then love Him like He loved you.
Give Him your life.
That is the expectation of the cross.
His grace and His love comes with a tremendous responsibility.
It is our responsibility to love Him back!
