Jesus before the Council

Mark 14:53-65.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on January 03, 2021.

Today, we will pick back up in the Gospel of Mark.  Jesus has been arrested and is brought before the chief priests and their council.  The events of this passage underline the importance of holding fast to Christ even when the institutions of justice in this world are perverted and twisted in order to bring about injustice.

Our Lord promised us that in this world we would have trouble, but that we were not to fear because he had overcome the world.  And, we shall too with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within those who are believing upon the Lord Jesus.

Let’s look at our passage.

Jesus is interrogated during the night

The Law of Moses (more properly, the Law of God given to Israel through Moses) had protections for the accused, which would counter humanity’s penchant for rash lynchings.  Several aspects of the proceedings before Christ’s crucifixion do not pass muster and make the proceedings illegal.  Yet, it is still being done under the color of law.  When those who are responsible to uphold the law are intent on breaking the intent of the law, they have a powerful ability to make an illegal thing legal, as if they were innocent of any wrong and merely providing justice.  This abuse of power is not a rare thing among human governments.  Thus, we see that the most righteous human who ever lived received injustice at the hands of those in this world who were responsible for giving justice.  This is an indictment of all of us.

Mark’s Gospel does leave out some critical details that the Gospel of John helps us to see.  There are actually three meetings between Jesus and religious authorities.  The first is a meeting with Annas who was a previous high priest and also the father-in-law of Caiaphas.  It is unclear who all is at this meeting.  It may have taken place as the greater council was being assembled.  The second meeting is where Jesus is brought from Annas to Caiaphas and the religious council of Israel, the Sanhedrin.  The time is roughly around 4 am, and thus this is an informal interrogation, or trial.  An official trial could not take place in the middle of the night.  Mark’s account does not mention the first meeting and details the second one.  The third meeting is mentioned in Mark 15:1. This happens as soon as it is morning.  It appears to be the official, on the books, meeting of the Sanhedrin where they determine to send Jesus to Pilate with a petition of execution.

The setting of this second meeting is in the compound of the high priest.  It has an inner courtyard surrounded by buildings, and perhaps even a large balcony.  I mention a balcony because Luke’s account will mention that, when Peter denies Jesus the third time, a rooster crows and Jesus turns to look at Peter.  Jesus must be either in the courtyard with the Sanhedrin, or on an elevated balcony with the group of 70 or so men.  It is quite likely that the meeting with Annas also took place somewhere within this compound.

I have mentioned Peter already, but it is the Gospel of John that tells us the details of how he was able to get into the high priest’s courtyard.  John records that another disciple was known by the high priest and his house.  This disciple first went in and then arranged for Peter to be admitted.  Most scholars believe this other disciple is John because John displays a tendency to leave himself anonymous in his Gospel.  Is John with Jesus, or in the courtyard with Peter?  The biblical account does not tell us.  This is where Peter’s infamous denials will take place, but we will save that for next week.

This second meeting with Jesus involves many witnesses who are brought forth for the event.  Obviously, they had been told in advance that they would be needed for such.  Mark tells us that none of their testimony was trustworthy.  However, one charge does surface from among the others that has legal clout.  It is purported that Jesus claimed to destroy the temple and then rebuild it in three days.  This is not exactly what Jesus said in John 2:19. The witnesses are talking about the time when Jesus had cleansed the temple.  Afterwards, Jesus is asked to give a sign to back up his actions.  Jesus tells them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it up.”  John then goes on to say that Jesus was talking about his body, and not the temple building.  So, on one hand there is a misunderstanding of what Jesus means by temple.  However, on the other hand, there is a twisting of just who Jesus said would do the destroying.  Notice that Jesus does not say he will destroy the temple.  He posits that they would destroy the temple and that he would do the rebuilding.

Now, to destroy the Temple of God was an unthinkable thing to the Jews, but even the Romans held the destruction of any temple in its lands as a capital offense.  It was treated as an act of terrorism that would threaten Rome’s control over an area.  Ultimately, the religious leaders needed something that they could use in order to convince the Roman Governor Pilate to execute Jesus.  This would do it.

Even then, Mark notes for the second time that their testimony didn’t agree.  Thus, the testimony in general didn’t agree, and then on the one item they were able to treat as legitimate the testimony was still flimsy.  The Law called for at least two witnesses.  The witnesses would clearly have to agree on the salient points for there to be a conviction.  When you testify against the truth, your testimony will be full of errors.  An individual who is not telling the truth has enough trouble keeping a story straight, much less multiple people called at a moment’s notice in the dead of night.

It is clear that the high priest recognizes the weakness of the case because he first questions Jesus about the temple allegations.  Jesus does not answer it.  This leads to the high priest asking Jesus straight forwardly if he is the Christ, that is the Messiah.  This would be a second point of contention with Jesus that the Romans would also take as serious.  If Jesus claimed to be the Messiah then Rome would see that as a threat to their political authority. Remember, Messiah would not only be king of Israel, but ultimately of the whole world.

Up to this point, we do not see Jesus defending himself and arguing with those who are giving false testimony.  He is essentially silent before them.  Isaiah 53:7 prophesied that Messiah would be “as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”  The main point is not about never uttering a syllable, but rather about defending himself and trying to get himself out of the charges.  Even a guilty man will brashly rail at truthful charges against him.  How much harder is it to hold your peace when those who accuse you are lying through their teeth?  Jesus is showing us that we are to have as our main defense the testimony and decision of God.  He is completely trusting God, which may seem foolish at the cross, but is clearly wisdom at the resurrection.

When authorities have a flimsy case, they fall back on getting the accused to talk so that their words can be used against them.  We don’t need the 5^th Amendment to teach us that there is wisdom in holding your peace and trusting God.  Yet, now the approach of the high priest has switched from labeling Jesus as a terrorist, and has moved to claiming he is a false Messiah.  Jesus does answer the direct question from the high priest, “Are you the Christ the son of the Blessed One?”

It is clear in the answer of Jesus that he is giving them the truth, and at the same time giving them the political ammunition that they will need to execute him.  First, Jesus answers, “I am…”  He clearly owns the title of Christ, Messiah, but he doesn’t stop there.  Jesus adds to the claim of Messiah an allusion to a figure in Daniel 7:13-14, “and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven!” 

This passage opens with 4 beastly empires that have their way on the earth until the Ancient of Days holds court.  The judgment of God the father is that three of the beasts will have their dominion taken away and the fourth beast will be slain and given over to the burning flame.  At this point, Daniel sees a being that comes on the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of Days, who is seated on His throne, in order to receive an everlasting dominion and kingdom over the whole earth.  This being is described as “like a son of man.”  Son of man is a way of describing someone as human.  However, the text says that he is “like” a son of man. 

The history of how this cryptic figure was viewed in the first century is shrouded in the history that happens after it.  The destruction of Jerusalem destroyed many documents and religious groups.  The Sadducees and their interpretations disband and do not survive.  The Pharisees that went with Israel as it was dispersed to the nations became the sole religious leaders.  They passed down their ideas by word of mouth, until their interpretations were written down in the fourth century AD.  Much of the original religious discussion of that time was lost and even purposefully hidden because of its closeness to Christian theology.  Archaeology and the Dead Sea Scrolls have helped to shine some light on the beliefs of those days.  Instead of going into that, we can determine much about what they thought by how they responded to what Jesus said.

Caiaphas takes this statement as complete blasphemy, even ripping his robe as he declares it.  How is what Jesus said blasphemous?  It cannot be a blasphemy to admit to being the Messiah, at least not up front.  The Messiah would one day come and would need to be able to declare he is Messiah.  There is no law in the Torah that forbids claiming to be Messiah.  It could be seen as blasphemy once a person has proven they are not.  So, it is possible that they believe Jesus has more than proved that he is not Messiah.  I think this is a stretch.  I believe the declaration of blasphemy has more to do with the Daniel 7 allusion than the claim to being Messiah.

The Daniel 7 character is “like” a human, and yet rides the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of Days.  No mortal can ride the clouds of heaven.  It is clear that some groups saw this figure as a heavenly being that looks human. This would be one of the ways to see the statement as blasphemous.  The logic would be that Jesus is clearly a human being, and yet he is claiming to be a heavenly being.  Therefore, he must be a deceiver of the worst sort.

This leaves us with the main witness against Jesus as his own words, which are both truth and anything but blasphemous.  Though this is an informal trial, the group is asked what their decision is.  Jesus is declared guilty of blasphemy and deserving of death.  At first light, they will have an official meeting of the Sanhedrin that will rubber stamp this decision officially, but the real work happened in the dead of night under the hour and power of darkness.

At this point, Jesus is physically abused, which from the Gospels has happened several times before now.  This reveals the hideous hatred that was among the group towards Jesus.  It was an undeserved hatred, much like David of old.  Some were spitting on him as a show of contempt and humiliation.  A cloth is tied over his face so that he cannot see.  Then, different ones take turns hitting Jesus, and some of the servants slapping him.  A sick game commences with them taunting Jesus to prophecy which of them had hit him.

In all of this, the Lord of Glory restrained himself and took it all.  He did so for you and for me, for them, and he did so trusting in the judgment of his Father.  O, how difficult it would be to trust God when He allows such gross injustice.  Yet, trust he did.  If they treated the King of kings and the Lord of Life in such a way, how much more will this world treat us?  Is it only for Jesus to receive shame and only for us to receive glory?  Is not our participation in the coming glory of Christ dependent upon our participation in the present shame and humiliation of Christ before the world?  May God help us to stand with Jesus in the midst of a world that is still seething with a hatred and a rage for Jesus and any who will follow him in truth.  Yes, difficult days lie ahead, but those who know their God will do exploits in his name, amen!

Jesus before the Council audio