Introduction
A. I’m sure you are aware that jury trials can be conducted with great precision and the highest ethical standards or they can be conducted otherwise.
1. For instance, in one Massachusetts trial, and lawyer was cross examining the medical examiner with this line of questioning:
2. Question: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse? Answer: No.
3. Question: Did you check for blood pressure? Answer: No.
4. Question: Did you check for breathing? Answer: No
5. Question: Then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy? Ans: No
6. Question: Doctor, how can you be so sure? Answer: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
7. Question: Finally, the lawyer asked: But couldn’t the patient have been alive nevertheless?
8. Answer: It is possible that the patient could still have been alive and practicing law somewhere.
B. Sadly and tragically, there are no perfect legal systems, because there are no perfect people – no perfect judges, lawyers, or juries.
1. Any of those individuals, judges, lawyers, and jury members, can succumb to extortion, bribery, perjury, bias, nepotism, evidence suppression, obstruction of justice, or just human frailty.
2. Justice systems aren’t always just, but they are better than the alternatives.
C. Which trials come to your mind when I ask: What are the most famous trials of history?
1. Perhaps you thought of Martin Luther’s Trial of 1521 or the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.
2. How about the Lincoln Conspiracy Trial of 1865 or the Scopes “Monkey” Trial of 1925?
3. Did you think about the Nuremberg Trials of 1945-49 or the O.J. Simpson Trial of 1995?
4. I would say that the most important trial in history was the Trial of Jesus in A.D. 30.
D. We have been in a sermon series from the Gospel of Mark and I decided to stay in that series for today’s sermon on Family and Friend’s Day.
1. We have arrived at the point in the life and ministry of Jesus where He was betrayed, arrested and tried.
2. Earlier in this sermon, I mentioned that justice systems are not always just, and as we will see today, that was certainly the case when Jesus was on trial.
3. But God knew that would be the case for Jesus and so God used that as part of the plan for bringing about the salvation of all people.
4. Whether a person is aware of it or not, every one of us on this side of the cross of Jesus have been affected to some degree by Jesus’ trial, crucifixion and resurrection.
5. Let’s spend some time on the events surrounding the arrest and trial of Jesus and hopefully realize the impact that they can have on us.
E. We will be picking up the story where we left off last week.
1. Last week we watched Jesus share the Passover meal with His apostles and institute the Lord’s Supper during that meal.
2. After leaving the upper room, Jesus and His apostles walked out of Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley toward the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.
3. During that journey, Jesus announced that they would all desert Him and as you would expect they all promised that that would not happen.
4. After arriving in Gethsemane, Jesus spent time in prayer with His Heavenly Father praying three times that there might be another way other than the cross, but Jesus concluded not His will but the Father’s will be done.
5. After His time of prayer, Jesus awoke His disciples saying that the betrayer had arrived.
I. Scene #1: The Betrayal of Jesus (Mk. 14:43-52)
A. Mark wrote: 43 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. With him was a mob, with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. 44 His betrayer had given them a signal. “The one I kiss,” he said, “he’s the one; arrest him and take him away under guard.” 45 So when he came, immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. 46 They took hold of him and arrested him. 47 One of those who stood by drew his sword, struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear.
48 Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal, to capture me? 49 Every day I was among you, teaching in the temple, and you didn’t arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”
50 Then they all deserted him and ran away. 51 Now a certain young man, wearing nothing but a linen cloth, was following him. They caught hold of him, 52 but he left the linen cloth behind and ran away naked.
B. The quietness of Jesus’ prayer time in Gethsemane was interrupted by the lights, voices and clamor of swords and clubs.
1. Mark vividly describes this action-packed drama and each of the characters stands out clearly.
C. First, we notice Judas the betrayer.
1. Judas had set up a signal with the mob to identify which man was Jesus.
2. It was customary to greet a rabbi with a kiss and so Judas told them that he would identify who Jesus was with a kiss of greeting.
3. But when Mark described the kiss Judas gave Jesus, he did not use the word for a kiss of greeting, but used a word that means to kiss fervently or affectionately.
4. The betrayal must have felt like being stabbed in the back with a knife and then affectionate kiss must have felt like the knife being twisted.
D. Second, we notice the arresting mob.
1. Mark tells us that the mob had been sent from the chief priest, scribes and elders.
2. This band of men probably started out as a well-armed squad of the temple guard, but as the group made their way to Jesus, they were probably joined by an assorted rabble of others.
E. Third, we notice the man who drew his sword and struck a blow in defense of Jesus.
1. Mark does not give us the identity of the man, but John’s Gospel tells us that it was Peter.
2. Here we see Peter trying to live up to his earlier oath.
3. Peter drew his sword and likely took a swing at a man’s head, but being a fisherman and not a soldier, all he cut off was the man’s ear.
4. The man’s ear he cut off happened to be a servant of the high priest.
5. Luke’s Gospel tells us that Jesus immediately healed the man’s ear – can you imagine the powerful effect that must have had on everyone present?
6. It’s a wonder that they arrested Jesus after that display of power and grace.
F. Fourth, we notice the apostles.
1. Just as Jesus had predicted and in spite of their promises, they all deserted him and ran away.
2. Maybe if they had been able to stay awake and stay in prayer, they might have made a better showing.
G. Fifth, we notice Jesus Himself.
1. What an amazing picture of Jesus – while everyone else was in a frenzy, Jesus was calm.
2. The crowd was stirred up, the disciples were shaking, but Jesus stood confidently and at peace.
3. I can hear Jesus almost chuckle as He asked, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal to capture me?” – “I’m not an armed lunatic and I’m not going to harm you!”
4. Their show of power was so ironic, because it would have been no match for the power Jesus actually had at his disposal (like the old song: “He could have called 10,000 angels”).
5. The only reason that they were able to arrest Jesus was because He complied with God’s will.
6. I saw a plaque in an office that read: “If you have peace when everyone around you is in a panic, maybe you don’t understand the problem.”
7. Jesus was at peace when everyone around Him was in panic, not because He didn’t understand the problem, but because He trusted His heavenly Father.
H. Finally, we notice the mention of a certain young man who ran away naked.
1. Only Mark’s Gospel includes this parenthesis about a certain young man who was with Jesus there in the garden, witnessed His arrest, and who escaped with his life, but without his clothes.
2. Most scholars agree that the young man had to be Mark, the Gospel writer himself, who was too humble to include his own name.
3. But why did Mark include this? Perhaps Mark was trying to say: “Hey, listen, I was there and that was a night I will never forget!”
II. Scene #2: The Late-Night Trial of Jesus (Mark 14:53-65)
A. Mark wrote: 53 They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes assembled. 54 Peter followed him at a distance, right into the high priest’s courtyard. He was sitting with the servants, warming himself by the fire. (Mk. 14:53-54)
1. Jesus’ captors ushered Him into the presence of the Sanhedrin which had gathered at the home of the High Priest, Caiaphas.
2. The Sanhedrin was the supreme court of the Jewish people.
a. Its 70 members included the high priest, chief priests, teachers of the law, and the elders.
3. Jesus was placed in their midst, but meanwhile, just outside in the courtyard, Peter sat with servants warming himself around the fire on that cold spring night in Jerusalem.
B. Mark continued: 55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they could not find any. 56 For many were giving false testimony against him, and the testimonies did not agree. 57 Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, stating, 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another not made by hands.’” 59 Yet their testimony did not agree even on this.
1. This trial was clearly a farce from start to finish.
2. The outcome of the trial was already decided before it began – Mark tells us that they were looking for evidence so they could put Jesus to death.
3. The trial was illegal according to Jewish law for several reasons.
a. First, the trial was held at night, and Jewish law stated that all trials before the Sanhedrin were to be held during the day.
b. Second, the trial was held in an illegal location – trials were to be held in the temple area.
c. Third, the Sanhedrin was required to wait 24 hours between a hearing and the sentencing.
d. Fourth, the condemnation of death required the unanimous testimony of two witnesses.
C. In spite of the illegal nature of the trial, it took place, and it accomplished the goal the Jews desired.
1. In their determination to eliminate Jesus, they were willing to do anything.
2. When they couldn’t find anything legitimate to hold against Jesus, they made something up.
3. I find it comical that those who came forward to give false testimony couldn’t get their stories straight.
4. It reminds me of the old cartoons or movies where the bad guys always had dim-witted assistants who always messed up the plan.
5. Despite the illegality of the trial, including the contrived testimony, the trial was not going well for the powers that be.
D. In frustration, the high priest did something terribly wrong, he was supposed to be the judge, the guarantor of justice, but he assumed the role of the prosecutor.
1. Mark wrote: 60 Then the high priest stood up before them all and questioned Jesus, “Don’t you have an answer to what these men are testifying against you?” 61 But he kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest questioned him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? 64 You have heard the blasphemy. What is your decision?” They all condemned him as deserving death. 65 Then some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to beat him, saying, “Prophesy!” The temple servants also took him and slapped him.
1. The high priest questioned Jesus, but amazingly, Jesus remained silent.
2. There could be no more impressive picture of the dignity of Jesus than His silence in the face of this injustice.
a. In the face of the false testimony of the witness and the anger of the high priest, Jesus gave them what they deserved – silence.
b. From this we learn the lesson that sometimes there is superior power and wisdom in silence than there is in words.
c. On many occasions, superior power and wisdom is on display in action rather than argument – that can be true in marriage, in the work place, and in the church.
d. Rather than being drawn into arguments, self-defense, and controversy, much more good is accomplished by quiet, consistent ministry of God’s love in action.
3. Then the high priest made Jesus testify against Himself when he asked Jesus if He is the Messiah.
a. Jesus knew that He was not getting a fair trial and that He might be condemned to die on the false charge of destroying the temple, or He could be condemned to die on the true charge of being the Son of God, so He chose the latter.
b. Jesus declared, “I Am!” “I am the Son of God,” but Jesus didn’t stop there, He added, “and that means that I will be at the right hand of God and will come in judgment.”
4. At this the high priest tore his clothes as an act of supposed outrage and the Sanhedrin immediately sentenced Jesus to death.
a. Suddenly, the Sanhedrin lost control of itself and began spitting on and beating Jesus.
b. Can you imagine the pain and indignity of being spit upon and being blindfolded and beaten and mocked?
c. Can you imagine this happening in one of our courtrooms? Can you imagine the jurors, lawyers and judges spitting on and beating a person following a guilty judgment?
5. Jesus maintained His dignity and self-control in the midst of all this abuse and injustice.
a. Jesus fulfilled the prophesy of Isaiah, “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”
III. Scene #3: Peter’s Denial of Jesus (Mk. 14:66-72)
A. While Jesus was facing His trial before the Sanhedrin, Peter was in the courtyard facing a different kind of trial.
1. Mark wrote: 66 While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the high priest’s maidservants came. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.” 68 But he denied it: “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about.” Then he went out to the entryway, and a rooster crowed. 69 When the maidservant saw him again, she began to tell those standing nearby, “This man is one of them.” 70 But again he denied it. After a little while those standing there said to Peter again, “You certainly are one of them, since you’re also a Galilean.” 71 Then he started to curse and swear, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” 72 Immediately a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter remembered when Jesus had spoken the word to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept. (Mk. 14:66-72)
2. There have been many sermons preached over the years titled, “Peter Followed Him At a Distance” that focused in on the dangers of remote discipleship.
3. But I think Peter deserves a lot of credit for following Jesus at all – at a distance or not – it is certainly more than the rest of the disciples did.
4. It took a lot of courage for Peter to follow Jesus that night and high priest’s home is the last place we would expect Peter to go after wounding the high priest’s servant.
B. Peter’s problems began with a young servant girl.
1. While Peter was warming his hands at the fire with the high priest’s servants, a young girl noticed that Peter was a stranger to them.
2. Studying his face in the light of the flickering flames, she recognized him as someone she had seen with Jesus and she confronted Peter: “You also were with Jesus.”
a. Peter denied it and acted dumb – “I don’t know what you are talking about” (denial #1) – then Peter moved away from her and went over by the entryway (rooster crow #1).
3. The pesky young lady couldn’t be shaken off his trail, she found Peter again and began telling the people around Peter that he was a follower of Jesus.
a. But again Peter denied it (denial #2) and the matter was dropped.
4. A little while later, those standing with Peter confronted him again, “You certainly are one of them, since you are a Galilean.”
a. How did they know Peter was a Galilean? It was probably his accent – his accent caused him to stand out in Jerusalem, like a Texan would stand out in NYC, and visa versa.
b. At that point, Peter started to curse and swear and again tried to play dumb (denial #3).
c. Immediately the rooster crowed a second time and Peter remembered what Jesus had predicted and Peter was overcome with remorse.
C. Peter’s denial of Jesus three times is one of the most familiar and gripping stories of the Bible and it has some powerful lessons to teach us.
1. We learn that anyone can fall – Peter was so self-assured, but he wrongly estimated himself.
2. We learn the power of panic and group pressure.
3. We also learn the power of self-preservation – there’s no telling what any of us will do in the face of panic and pressure, nor how far we will go to protect ourselves.
4. What is really powerful and special for me to realize is that while Peter failed in the face of these things, Jesus did not – Jesus faced the same things that Peter did, but Jesus didn’t falter.
a. If we keep our relationship with our Father as strong as Jesus did, then perhaps we can stand firm like He did.
5. Perhaps the greatest and most comforting thing we learn from Peter’s experience is that failure doesn’t have to be final or fatal.
a. Peter was sorry for his failure and he later received God’s forgiveness and recommission.
b. Our God is the God of 2nd chances and many chances, if we repent and return to God, then God will forgive us and give us a new start.
IV. Scene #4: Pilate’s Dilemma about Jesus (Mk. 15:1-15)
A. Mark wrote: 1 As soon as it was morning, having held a meeting with the elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin, the chief priests tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. 2 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 Pilate questioned him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? Look how many things they are accusing you of!” 5 But Jesus still did not answer, and so Pilate was amazed. (Mk. 15:1-5)
1. As soon as dawn broke, the Jewish leaders bound Jesus and hurried Him over to Pilate, to ensure a swift execution.
2. On the way, they reworked the charge of blasphemy against Jesus in order to make it fit a Roman crime deserving death.
3. With a slight twist of words, Jesus’ confession of divinity was turned into a challenge of Roman rule and Caesar’s sovereignty and that’s why Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Yes, it is as you say.”
4. Then the chief priests accused Jesus of many things, and Pilate gave Jesus the chance to respond to the charges, but Jesus remained silent and Pilate was amazed.
a. Pilate had seen a lot of accused people do anything in their power to prove their innocence, but he had likely never seen someone remain silent and not defend themselves.
b. Jesus is amazing in every way and we should be stirred to a deep and lasting wonder.
B. Pilate saw through the accusations of the chief priests and was not impressed with their charges.
1. It was Pilate’s job to keep peace over the Jewish nation that the Romans were occupying.
2. Pilate didn’t want to overrule the Jewish leaders and throw them out of his court, so he remembered a custom that was held during the feast, where a prisoner would be released, and thought it would be the perfect way to get out of the dilemma of what to do with Jesus.
3. Mark wrote: 6 At the festival Pilate used to release for the people a prisoner whom they requested. 7 There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion. 8 The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them as was his custom. 9 Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release the king of the Jews for you?” 10 For he knew it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed him over. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead. 12 Pilate asked them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?” 13 Again they shouted, “Crucify him!” 14 Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” 15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them; and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.
4. Pilate thought that surely the crowd would prefer to have innocent, harmless Jesus released rather than the murderous insurrectionist named Barabbas, but he was wrong.
a. Can you imagine a crowd in our time making a choice against Jesus if the choice was between Jesus or Al Capone? Or Jesus and Jeffrey Dahmer? Or Jesus and Larry Nassar?
5. When Pilate’s great idea didn’t work, he asked the crowd, “Then what do you want me to do with Jesus?” They shouted, “Crucify him!”
a. Pilate said, “Why? What has he done wrong?” They shouted all the more, “Crucify him.”
6. Then we come to the saddest commentary that can be made about a person: “Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them; and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.”
C. Pilate made the terrible mistake that we sometimes make – he allowed others to make decisions that only he should make for himself.
1. The most important question he failed to answer for himself was: What will I do with Jesus?
2. A person can reject Jesus and scorn those who believe in Him.
3. A person can patronize Jesus by saying He was a good teacher, but was not God or a Savior.
4. A person can try to ignore Jesus and keep themselves distracted by other things.
5. Or a person can believe in Jesus and follow Him and strive to please Him and be like Him.
6. What will you do with Jesus? Your personal decision has both earthly and eternal consequences, so you must choose carefully.
7. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and this truth will be evident to everyone someday, but that day may be too late.
a. The Bible says that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.
8. It is far better to come to that conclusion and make that confession about Jesus before it is too late.
9. If you have already come to the conclusion and confession that Jesus is Lord, then keep following Jesus and growing in Him.
10. But if you haven’t yet made that confession of faith and given your life over to Jesus, then we would love to help you believe, repent, confess and be baptized into Christ.
Resources:
• Truth for Today Commentary: Mark 1-8 and 9-16, Martel Pace, Resources Communications.
• Jesus on Trial, Sermon by David Owens
• Will You Pass the Test? Sermon by David Owens
• Mark, The Communicator’s Commentary, David McKenna
