The Holy Spirit’s purpose
in inspiring John to write his version of Jesus’ trial is to contrast
the glory of Jesus against the sinfulness of mankind. If you think about
it, the basics of Christianity is built upon the fact that Jesus Christ
is the visible manifestation of the glory of God, who came to earth
to redeem sinful mankind. The only reason why we are here this morning
is to give thanks to God for saving us through the death of his only
son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we look at Jesus’ trial, we need to keep in mind that it is not a
minor detail in his journey to the cross. It is the means that God used
to ensure that Jesus would go Calvary, where he became sin for us so
that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Let’s begin our
second leg of Jesus’ journey to the cross, his trial, by looking first
of all at the multitude that had come out to arrest him--v. 12.
In them we see a snapshot of how the rejection of the Lord Jesus is
not simply something the Jews did. But it is something that crosses
all boundaries of race & social status. Because within this multitude
you have Gentiles & Jews, servants & soldiers, and heathen & religious
people. And though they may not have much in common, the one thing they
all have in common is that they all are guilty of rejecting Jesus, which
is the only sin that will keep us out of heaven. It is said that the
only level ground on earth, the only place where all of mankind is equal,
is at the foot of the cross. For there we all stand as sinners.
And they give us a good illustration of how sin blinds our mind to the
reality of who Jesus really is. This group of people have not been moved
an inch by one of the most powerful miracles in all of history when
Jesus restored Malchus’ ear. Neither were they moved by the fact that
they have just been given the privilege of seeing the glory of God as
Jesus revealed himself to them as God. That’s because their hearts were
so hardened by sin that they refused to believe what they had just seen.
This helps us to understand how Satan uses the affects of sin to dull
our senses to the Spirit’s call to give our hearts to the lordship of
Jesus Christ. Paul tells us that “The God of this world has blinded
the mind of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel
of Christ should shine unto them.” (2
Cor. 2:4) The blinding power of sin is clearly manifested by those
who rejected Jesus that night. John goes on to tell us that this group
of people then took Jesus to Annas--v. 13.
There is a good reason that Jesus was lead first to Annas. Annas had
served many years earlier as the high priest. And the Jews believed
that the office of high priest was a position for life. But the Romans
wanted to control this important office, so they selected an ‘official’
high priest. Even though Annas had not been the official high priest
for many years, he still had much influence. So much, that the next
7 high priests that were appointed by Rome to be the high priest, were
5 of his sons, his grandson, and his son-in-law, Caiaphas.
Not only did Annas still play a major role in the Jewish religious system,
he was also in charge of the Temple concession booths that were set
up in the Court of the Gentiles. Some of the booths were used to exchange
the animals that could be used for sacrifices. The other booths were
used to exchange the money the Jews put in the offering boxes located
throughout the Temple.
According to the Old Testament, any animal used for a sacrifice had
to be without any kind of spot or blemish. And when the people would
come to Jerusalem, to make their sacrifices, they would bring their
own animals. But before the animals could be used, they had to pass
an inspection by some of Annas’ men. Who of course made sure that they
found something wrong with them. The only thing the people could do,
if they wanted to make a sacrifice, was to trade their animals in for
an animal that had been approved for sacrifice. And since the price
of the approved sacrifice had been greatly over-inflated, the people
had to come up with the rest of the money.
Along with monopolizing the market on the animal sacrifices, Annas also
controlled the money that was used for exchange purposes as well. At
this time, many of the Jews lived throughout the world. And when the
came to Jerusalem they would bring the currency of the place where they
lived. Annas had made it so they couldn’t use foreign money. So the
people werer forced to exchange their money for Temple money. Which
of course was also highly inflated. I came across an article that said
the rate of exchange was 5:1. So we see that Annas was making a fortune
by extortion.
The reason it is so important for us to know this is that twice Jesus
came and messed with Annas’ operation. When Jesus first began his public
ministry, he chased all the money changers out of the courtyard. And
he did it again 3 1/2 yrs. later, after he entered into Jerusalem on
the first Palm Sunday.
Obviously this did not make Jesus very popular with Annas. So if the
Jewish leaders wanted to get a quick indictment against Jesus, who better
to take Jesus to then Annas? After all, since Annas hated Jesus, surely
he would be the one who could quickly, and quietly, have him put to
death. John also makes mention of Caiaphas--v. 14
What John tells us in this verse is important to know. One of the criticisms
against the movie The Passion is that it portrays the Jews as being
responsible for killing Jesus. Now we know that Jesus’ death was God’s
plan that had been established in eternity past. But John is showing
us that there is one person who was working overtime, who was working
behind the scenes, to kill Jesus. This person is the one who manipulated
all the circumstances to ensure that Jesus was put to death. And that
person was none other than Caiaphas.
Caiaphas knew that he was merely a political puppet. He knew that he
could be taken out of office anytime the Romans wanted to replace him.
So Caiaphas was scared to death that Jesus might cause him to lose his
job. When Jesus started his public ministry, the people flocked to him
in mass numbers. Jesus had become very popular, very quickly. Remember
that less than a week from this night, the majority of the inhabitants
of Jerusalem had come out to greet Jesus. And as he made his Triumphal
Entry into the city, the people were crying out, “Hosanna to the son
of David: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in
the highest.” (Matthew
21:9)
Caiaphas felt so threatened by Jesus that earlier he met with the other
religious leaders and stated that the best thing that could happen to
the nation of Israel was for Jesus to die. The only reason Caiaphas
said that was because he was afraid that Jesus would start a revolution,
which would cause the Romans to crack down on the nation of Israel.
And if this happened, it might cause Caiaphas to lose his job because
he couldn’t control the Jews. And just like his father-in-law, Caiaphas
hated Jesus. So he too was ready to get rid of Jesus. Both of these
men had the motive to murder Jesus. The only problem was how could they
do it without being guilty of murder. And the way they did it was to
have an illegal trial--v. 19.
Now according to Jewish law, just like in our legal system, a person
was innocent until proven guilty. And when a person was brought to trial
for an offense worthy of death, he couldn’t testify against himself.
The Jews had something like our 5th Amendment, except the person was
forbidded from condemning themself by his/her own words. The evidence
had to be presented from other witnesses. Therefore, Annas had no right
to ask Jesus anything at all.
The reason Annas asked Jesus about his disciples & his doctrine was
because he was trying to get Jesus to incriminate himself. He was hoping
he could get Jesus to talk about a how he & his disciples were going
to overthrow the Roman government. Or he hoped that he could trap Jesus
by having him teach some heresy. For if Jesus did either one of these
2 things he could be put to death. Two of the crimes that carried the
death penalty in those days were being a revolutionary or being a heretic.
But the real question is not who is Jesus’ disciples, or what is Jesus’
doctrine, but rather who do you say Jesus is? Is he a liar? Is he a
lunatic? Or is Jesus Lord? That is the question which Annas avoided.
People do not mind talking about Jesus Christ. Since The Passion has
been released there has been much talk about Jesus. But have you noticed
how quickly the subject is changed when the reason for Jesus’ death
is brought into the picture. People are talking about the violence of
the film, but they don’t want to talk about why Jesus had to suffer.
For when a sinner is confronted with the reality that the sins he/she
committed is what caused Jesus to endure what he did, it is just too
much for the sinful mind to endure. So to avoid facing the consequences
of their sin, sinners will put up smoke screens. Annas focused on the
sinful behaviors of Jesus’ disciples, who had all deserted him. And
he focused on the differences of opinions that Jesus had concerning
what the Law stated.
What Annas did is what sinners still do today. Many people reject the
claim of Jesus because of the hypocrisy they see in those who claim
to be followers of Jesus. And the fighting that has gone on between
the different denominations, over differences of doctrines, has also
hurt the cause of Christ.
I’m not trying to excuse the sinfulness of Christians, or trivialize
the seriousness of the division that is within the body of Christ. But
neither one of these things gives someone the right to reject Jesus
and still expect to get into heaven. Please don’t tell God that you
refused to believe in Jesus just because those who claim to be followers
of Jesus don’t always live like Jesus. Whether you were baptized as
a baby or as an adult is not what will get you into heaven. It’s not
whether or not you speak in tongues that secures you a place in heaven.
God is not even going to ask you what translation of the Bible you read.
The only thing that matters is what did you do with Jesus. And what
you did with the knowledge of who Jesus Christ is, will either get you
into heaven, or condemn you to hell. The only evidence that we will
be judged on is did we accept or reject Jesus as Lord.
The response of Jesus shows us that he knows that this is an illegal
trial--v. 20-21.
As I said earlier, there were certain laws in Judaism regarding someone
being tried in court, especially for capital offenses. Not only could
he not be forced to incriminate himself, but there had to be two or
more witnesses who would testify against the man before he could be
found guilty. And another law stated that the trial couldn’t be held
at night. But Annas knew that Jesus was so popular, that the only way
to convict him was to have an illegal trail.
Now Jesus isn’t being rebellious here. Jesus just wants to make sure
that everybody there knew that this was an illegal trial. He wants it
to be on public record so that all will know that he is innocent. In
Annas’ attempt to discredit Jesus, in reality he was fulfilling the
prophecy that said “They hated Me without a cause.” (John
15:25, Psalm
35:19, Psalm
69:4) Annas is so blinded by his hatred of Jesus that he couldn’t
even see that he was proving that Jesus is the promised Messiah.
However, Jesus’ response wasn’t received very well--v. 22
The Greek words that are used here indicates that Jesus was struck across
the side of his face with a club. Once again John is showing us that
Jesus is not a victim, but the victor. Little did that policeman know
that the moment he hit Jesus, he too proved that Jesus was the Messiah.
For Micah prophesied that “They will strike the judge of Israel with
a rod on the cheek.” (Micah
5:1) Despite that the fact that not only is it cruel to hit a prisoner,
but it was also illegal to do so, Jesus doesn’t respond with anger.
He didn’t become violent in response to being violently and illegally
hit, which he had the right to do.
Instead he responds calmly to show that he still is in complete control--v.
23
This is not the normal response people would have given. If you hit
me for no reason, I promise you that I will hit you back 3 different
ways: fast, hard, and continuously. Now don’t pick up your rocks to
throw at me, for you would do the same thing. That’s because there is
within our nature a desire for self-preservation, and a sinful desire
to get even.
But to further prove the sinlessness of Jesus, he didn’t get mad, he
didn’t get even. At this moment, if he had wanted to, he could have
called down a legion of God’s angels. And we know that an angel of the
Lord, all by himself, wiped out 185,000 highly trained soldiers. So
if Jesus had wanted to, he could have called for his guardian angels,
and they would have wiped out the entire population of the earth. If
he had done that, then he never would have had to endure the suffering
that was about to be inflicted upon him. But he didn’t, because “God
did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved.” (John
3:17)
The whole trial exposes the hatred that was in the religious leaders’
hearts towards their Messiah. For months they had been plotting and
scheming to arrest Jesus. They decided his guilt before ever trying
Him. So they tried him at an illegal hour, and in an illegal way, all
in an attempt to get some criminal statement that was worthy of death.
But even when Jesus didn’t do what they wanted him to do, because of
the intensity of their hatred towards Jesus, instead of letting him
go, they continued their illegal pursuit to murder him--v. 24.
John doesn’t give us any details of what happened when Jesus stood before
Caiaphas. But in the other gospels we learn what happened in this phase
of Jesus’ trial. Though they found witnesses who would testify against
Jesus.
But when they came forward to accuse Jesus, they contradicted what the
others had said. So in sheer desperation Caiaphas finally asks Jesus,
“Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One? Jesus said, ‘I am,
and you will see me, the Son of Man, sitting at God's right hand in
the place of power and coming back on the clouds of heaven.’” (Mark
14:61-62) That was all they needed to find Jesus guilty of blasphemy,
which made him a heretic. And this was a crime they could put Jesus
to death for committing.
This is where every detail of the trial is essential. The Jews had no
ability to put anyone to death by crucifixion. They could only put people
to death by stoning. So why didn’t they stone Jesus, which was their
penalty for committing heresy?
First of all, Jesus had to be crucified to prove that he was the Messiah.
He had to die a death that fulfilled all the spoken & typical prophecies
of the Old Testament. Jesus was aware of this. We see this when before
he made his Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus took his disciples
aside and said, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of
Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will
condemn Him to death, and will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and
scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day he will be raised up.”
(Matt.
20:18-19)
The other reason that Annas & Caiaphas didn’t want Jesus to be stoned
to death was because they wanted to make sure that all the people knew
that Jesus was accursed of God. For in the Old Testament it says that
“Anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse.” (Deuteronomy
21:23) But to arrange for Jesus to be crucified was not an easy
thing. In order for that to happen, Jesus would have to be found guilty
by Pilate. Which is what we will look at next week.
That’s the illegal trial of Jesus. But since the Holy Spirit inspired
John to include the story of what was going on with Peter, it must be
an important part of Jesus’ journey to the cross. So let’s look briefly
at what Peter was doing while Jesus was being tried--v. 15-18, 25-26.
After the fiasco in the garden, I can’t believe that once again Peter
is putting himself in harm’s way. As long as Peter tried to follow Jesus
in the flesh he was no match for temptation. And neither are we.
As long as we are walking in the Spirit, it is easy to fight off temptations.
But the moment we start to rely on our own ability, is when sin hit
us the most. I don’t believe I will ever kill anyone. But I struggle
with my temper. I struggle with always doing what is ethical, especially
when April 15th approaches. I really struggle obeying the speed laws.
And when I try to control these areas of my life in my own power, is
when Satan comes and attacks me the most.
Brothers & sisters, please listen to me, there is no way we can live
our Christian lives without the help of the Spirit. That’s because Satan
is such a dirty fighter, he is so subtle with sin, that he won’t just
attack us with big sins. He also hits us with little sins.
And just like he did with Peter, he hit us when we lest expect it. I
believe Peter was ready to face the Sanhedrin. I believe Peter was prepared
to die for Jesus. But what he wasn’t ready for was an insignificant
girl, who was in charge of the door, accusing him of being one of Jesus’
disciples. Have you ever noticed that most of the times we are tempted
to sin is when we lest expect them? God told Cain that “Sin is crouching
at the door; and its desire is for you.” (Genesis
4:7)
The lesson we learn from Peter is that instead of being independent,
let’s stay inter-dependent upon God’s Spirit. Otherwise you will be
trusting in the power of your flesh instead of the power of the Spirit
to live the victorious Christian life. And the strength to make it safely
through this world is not found in the flesh, but in the moment-by-moment
dependence upon the power of the Holy Spirit.
As much as Jesus’ heart was broken by the Jews rejection of him, I don’t
think his heart was broken nearly as much as when Peter denied him the
third time. Not only did Jesus’ heart break by Peter’s denial, but when
the rooster crowed, Peter’s heart was broken as well--v. 27.
When that happened these 2 scenes came together. Luke tells us that
“At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered
that the Lord had said, ‘Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning,
you will deny me three times.’ And Peter left the courtyard, crying
bitterly.” (Luke
22:61-62)
The reason the Holy Spirit inspired John to include the story of Peter
is that it beautifully portrays the grace of God. Later on in John’s
gospel, Peter has the privilege of telling Jesus 3 times that he loves
him. One time for each time Peter denied Jesus.
The message we see from Peter’s denial is that God is able to restore
even the most wicked of all sinners. For despite the blatant atrocities
of this illegal trial, they aren’t nearly as horrible as when Peter
turned his back on Jesus at the time he needed him the most. If God
can not only restore Peter, but also use him powerfully in his kingdom,
don’t you think he can do that with you as well, no matter what sins
you may have committed?
Let me close by saying that if you aren’t a Christian, there’s only
one thing you need to do. That is to look into the face of Jesus. Let
those eyes penetrate your heart and reveal to you your sins that put
him on that cross. Then take another look into those eyes. This time
see the love that’s in them that caused Jesus to willingly & joyfully
go to that cross to pay off your debt of sin.
Or if you aren’t as close to Jesus as you once used to be, there’s also
only one thing you need to do. That is to look again into the face of
Jesus, and remember what it used to be like when you had a dynamic relationship
with him. Let those eyes of love woo you back into loving him again.
RETURN
TO THE ROAD TO THE CROSS SERIES INDEX
