Scholars Crossing The Second Person File Theological Studies 2-2018 The Final Week of Jesus Christ's Ministry - Friday (Part Two) Harold Willmington Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/second_person Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Willmington, Harold, "The Final Week of Jesus Christ's Ministry - Friday (Part Two)" (2018). The Second Person File. 150. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/second_person/150 This The Final Days of Jesus Christ's Ministry is brought to you for free and open access by the Theological Studies at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Second Person File by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE FINAL WEEK OF JESUS CHRIST’S MINISTRY: FRIDAY—PART TWO HIS UNFAIR AND ILLEGAL TRIALS FRIDAY • THE OUTLINE The Religious Trials A. The trial before Annas, former high priest (Jn. 18:13-24) B. The trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin (Mt. 26:57-68; Mk. 14:53-65; Lk. 22:54) 1. Caiaphas was the current high priest and son-in-law of Annas. 2. Jesus is falsely accused of threatening to destroy the temple (Mt. 26:59-62). 3. He affirms His deity and warns of His Second Coming (Mt. 26:63, 64; Mk. 14:61, 62). 4. He is accused of blasphemy, is then spat upon, struck, and slapped (Mt. 26:65-68; Mk. 14:65). C. The trial before the entire Sanhedrin (Mt. 27:1; Mk. 15:1a; Lk. 22:66-71). He once again affirms His deity and warns of His Second Coming. The Political Trials A. The first trial before Pilate (Mt. 27:2, 11-14; Mk. 15:1b-5; Lk. 23:1-5; Jn. 18:28-38) 1. Pilate asks if He was the King of the Jews (Mt. 27:11). 2. Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world but one of truth (Jn. 18:36). 3. Pilate asks, “What is truth?” but leaves before hearing Jesus’ answer (Jn. 18:37). 4. Pilate reports to the Jewish mob that he could find no fault in Jesus (Jn. 18:38). B. The trial before Herod Antipas (Lk. 23:6-12) 1. Upon learning that Jesus was a Galilean, Pilate sends Jesus to Herod who had jurisdiction in this matter. 2. Herod was glad to see Jesus and hoped He would perform some magic tricks for him. 3. But Jesus remained silent. In anger Herod had Him dressed as a pretender king and mocked by the court. C. The second trial before Pilate (Mt. 27:15-26; Mk. 15:6-15; Lk. 23:13-25; Jn. 18:39-19:16). 1. Pilate is warned by his wife not to be involved in the case against Jesus (Mt. 27:19). 2. However, in a feeble attempt to save Jesus, Pilate offers to release an imprisoned murderer, bandit, and rebel named Barabbas, hoping the crowd would select Jesus, the lesser of the two (Mt. 27:15-18). 1 3. But the crowd screamed out, “Release Barabbas, crucify Jesus!” (Mt. 27:24-26a) 4. In a final attempt he reminded the mob that neither he nor Herod had found fault in Jesus, but all to no avail (Lk. 23:14, 15). 5. In fact the crowd threatens to report him to Caesar if he did not permit them to murder Jesus (Jn. 19:12). 6. Pilate washes his hands of the whole affair and delivers Jesus to the Roman soldiers (Mt. 27:24-26a). 7. By all this, former enemies Pilate and Herod, now became friends! (Lk. 23:12) The Military Trial A. The trial before the Roman soldiers (Mt. 27:27-30; Mk. 15:16-19): 1. He is scourged (Mt. 27:26). 2. He is then stripped of His clothes, and mocked as a clown-like king. 3. They placed a scarlet robe on His back, a crown of thorns on His head, and a reed in His right hand, all the while bowing before Him, striking Him with the reed and crying out, HAIL, KING OF THE JEWS! (Mt. 27:28-30). 4. He is then led out to be crucified (Mt. 27:31). • THE ANALYSIS Jesus suffers His first unfair trial (before Annas, the ex-high priest): "And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year. Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people... The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spake 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. And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so? Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?" (Jn. 18:13-14, 19-23). Here we are told Jesus was struck in the face. This was just the beginning of the terrible ordeals suffered during His trials. He would thus be: 1. Misquoted (Mt. 26:60-61) 2. Spat upon (Mt. 26:67; 27:30) 3. Struck with fists (Mt. 26:67; 27:30) 4. Repeatedly slapped (Mt. 26:67) 5. Ridiculed (Mt. 26:68; Lk. 23:11) 6. Blindfolded (Mk. 14:65) 2 7. Falsely accused (Lk. 23:2, 10) 8. Insulted (Lk. 22:65) 9. Stripped of His clothes (Mt. 27:28) 10. Flogged (Mk. 15:13) B. Jesus suffers His second unfair trial (before Caiaphas, the current high priest) "And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But Jesus held his peace, 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 further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands." (Mt. 26:57-67) 1. Jesus both warned His foes and promised His friends that He would come again. Compare this passage with John 14:1-3. 2. We are told here that Caiaphas tore his clothes. The high priest was forbidden to do this under the Mosaic Law: "And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes." (Lev. 21:10) 3. This shameful session ends by the Jewish leaders spitting upon Jesus. To spit in one's face was considered by the Jews to be an act of total repudiation and gross personal insult. A person was considered disgraced for seven days after having his face spat upon (Num. 12:14). Job's enemies showed their utter contempt for the suffering patriarch by spitting in his face (Job 30:10). The Savior Himself had predicted all this through the prophet Isaiah some seven centuries before it actually happened: "I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting" (Isa. 50:6). 4. After being blindfolded, they demanded that He tell them who struck Him. This 3 reflected a traditional test of Messianic status based on a rabbinic interpretation of Isa. 11:2-4. According to this view the true Messiah could know who was hitting Him even though blindfolded. C. Simon Peter denies Jesus at this time. (Mt. 26:58, 69-75; Mk. 14:54, 66-72; Lk. 22:54b-62; Jn. 18:15-18, 25-27). Note: An exact chronological arrangement of these denials is impossible. In fact, it has even been suggested that Peter denied his Lord not three times on one occasion, but six times on two occasions, and that Christ predicted both events. 1. The first warning Place: The Upper Room Prophecy: That Peter would deny Christ three times before the cock crowed at all (see Jn.