Matthew 26:57-27:31 Jesus' Trial and Verdict

Matthew 26:57-27:31 4/28/2016

SLIDE 1 How many of you have been to court? Whether you were a defendant/victim or on the jury, there are procedures that must be adhered to if justice will reign. As a Guardian ad Litem, a court appointed voice of the child in court, GAL’s have been able to hear hundreds of cases where children were the victims of abuse, neglect, or abandonment.  Each child has at least social worker, DHHS lawyer, a GAL lawyer, GAL team, and if possible a GAL advocate .  Reports submitted by these advocates are given to the judge to provide vital information about the child.

SLIDE 2 Jesus did not have an advocate at either trial. Luke tells us Jesus first went to Annas the former chief priest before he was sent to Caiaphas. The Jewish Sanhedrin Court was very careful to follow the letter of the law. Although Jesus was arrested in the middle of the night, court could not be held until daybreak. And the two advocates for Christ, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, apparently were not present at the trial. McNaughton shows in his art that Jesus was not alone and not forgotten by the Father.

SLIDE 3 Trials and verdicts

•       Trial by the Sanhedrin; (26:57-68) Caiaphas

•       Verdict-Guilty of Blaspheme

•       Peter and Judas (26:69-75)

•       Trial by the Roman Court (27:1-31) Pilate

•       Verdict-Not guilty

Jealousy, fear, and ambition prevent people from seeing Jesus for who He is.
Ask God to reveal anything that keeps you from truly knowing and obeying Jesus?
SLIDE 4 Using all four gospels will give is added information.
John 18:13 First they led Him to Annas John 18:22 an officer struck Jesus with his hand, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?" 24 Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Caiaphas home probably in Upper City of Jerusalem was large enough to house several families.
SLIDE 5 It is thought that Annas, former chief priest and father-in-law of Caiaphas lived in the same structure. Being large enough to hold the Sanhedrin, Peter appears to have remained in the huge courtyard moving from the entry way to the main courtyard. John says he gained entrance with the help of another disciple. Zondervan commentary

SLIDE 6  Trial by the Sanhedrin; (26:57-68) Caiaphas

•      Son-in-law of Annas former High priest

•      High Priest Appointed by Rome

•      Head of Sanhedrin-70 members Supreme court for Jews

Pharisees,  Elders and Scribes of the Law (Sadducees not mentioned)

John 18:14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.

Matthew 26:57-62                Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. The whole Council were seeking false testimony against Jesus to put him to death. At last two came forward and said, "This man said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.'" ⁶² And the high priest stood up and said, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?"

SLIDE 7 ⁶³ But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, "I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."

·        Matthew 26:⁶⁷ Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him,⁶⁸ saying, "Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?"

·        Mark 16:65 ⁶⁵ Some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in the face. NASV

·        Luke 22:63 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him.⁶⁴ They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, "Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?"⁶⁵ And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.

Ladies, this is the cruelest and most hateful treatment of our LORD, not even death on the cross affected me as much as his brutal treatments by Jews and Romans. To see the humble kindhearted Savior of the world so mistreated breaks my heart. The gospel taken together cannot begin to describe the horrific treatment of Jesus

SLIDE 8 Mark 16:61 Again the high priest asked him, .Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"⁶² And Jesus said, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."⁶³ And the high priest tore his garments and said, "What further witnesses do we need?⁶⁴ You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?" And they all condemned him as deserving death. Verdict-Guilty of Blasphemy
Jealousy, fear, and ambition prevent people from seeing Jesus for who He is.

SLIDE 9 Peter (26:69-75)

•       Part of inner circle

•       Self appointed spokesman,

•       Passionate yet impulsive

•       Walked on water to Jesus, then sunk

•       First to Proclaim “Jesus was the Christ”

•       Rebuked by Jesus

•       Proclaimed faithfulness

•       But all we remember is he denied Christ 3 times

⁵⁸ And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end.
SLIDE 10 ⁶⁹Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean."⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you mean." ⁷¹ And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth."⁷² And again he denied it with an oath: "I do not know the man." ⁷³ After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you." ⁷⁴ DENY-Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know the man."

 SLIDE 11 And immediately the rooster crowed.⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly. Fear prevented Peter from standing up for Jesus .

.SLIDE 12 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.² And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor.

SLIDE 13 Judas (27:1-10)

•       Treasurer of disciples

•       Thirty pieces of Silver from priests

•       Betrayed Jesus with a Kiss

•       In Remorse changed his mind-saw Jesus declared guilty and beaten

•       Threw back the 30 pieces of silver; priest called it blood money 27:3

³Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders,⁴ saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." They said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself."⁵ And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. Jealousy, greed, and ambition made Judas betray Jesus.
Only suicide recorded in New Testament ; condemned by Jews
SLIDE 14 Matthew 27:6 It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.”  Field of Blood bought with silver-for burial of foreigners, 80 burial caves

SLIDE 15 Trial by the Roman Court (27:1-31)Pilate

•       Appointed by Emperor Tiberius –financial officer of a province

•       Procurator/Governor of Judea-legate over military

•       Prefect-high official or magistrate over admin, financial, military, judicial

•       Final Judge in a region(under Emperor) power to pronounce death sentence  seated on the Bema

•       Verdict-Not guilty of plot to overthrow Rome

Pilate saw the strength and dignity of Jesus, and he knew this was no criminal or revolutionary. Pilate actually sat and talked to Jesus Matthew’s gospel is very short on words that Jesus spoke

 SLIDE 16 Luke 23:5-9 "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place."  Pilate asked whether Jesus was a Galilean. And when , he sent him over to Herod, in Jerusalem at that time. Herod gladly saw Jesus: he was hoping to see some sign done by him. But Jesus again was silent.

SLIDE 17 John 18: ³⁶ Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world."³⁷ Then Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world---to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice."³⁸ Pilate said to him, "What is truth?"

SLIDE 18 John 19:¹⁰ So Pilate said to him, "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?"¹¹ Jesus answered him, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin."

SLIDE 19His wife sent word to him “Have nothing to do with that righteous man27:19

SLIDE 20 Luke 23:15 Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him.
Releasing a prisoner for Passover

•       "Which of the two shall I release…27:24

•       "I find no guilt in him.  John 19:4; Luke 23:4

•       This just man

•       "Why, what evil has he done?"  Mark 15:14 &

•       Luke 23:22 I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.”

SLIDE 21 John19:12 From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar."¹³ So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat … Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."

Matthew 27:16 a notorious prisoner called Barabbas, Luke and Mark 15:7 had committed murder in the insurrection; John18:18 Barabbas was a robber.

SLIDE 22 ¹⁶ So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. ..washed his hands before the crowd "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.”27:

²⁶ Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. 24 Blind ambition and fear prevented Caesar from seeing Jesus as the Christs.

SLIDE 23 Such was the Romans' attitude toward crucifixion. It was to be reserved for the worst of criminals, a means of showing extreme contempt for the condemned. The suffering and humiliation of a Roman crucifixion were unequaled. Guzic

Everything about this was intended to humiliate Jesus.28-31

•       They publicly stripped him and

•       put a scarlet robe on him, Only Kings and rulers wore scarlet, the dyes expensive. The scarlet robe was intended as cruel irony.

•       ²⁹ twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head. This was a crown that cut, pierced, and bloodied the head of the King who wore it. A pyracantha bush, thorn long enough to pass through my garden shoes, pierced hands even with garden gloves .

•       put a reed in his right hand.  Scepter symbolizes power. In their mockery of Jesus, they gave Him- but a thin, weak reed.

•        kneeling before him, They offered mocking worship to this King.

•       they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"  In their spite they mocked Jesus with this title. Not only to humiliate Jesus, but also the Jews - saying, "This is the best King they can bring forth."

•       And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.

SLIDE 24 When he had scourged Jesus: The blows came from a whip with many leather strands, each having sharp pieces of bone or metal at the ends. It reduced the back to raw flesh, and it was not unusual for a criminal to die from a scourging, even before crucifixion.

  "Scourging was a legal preliminary to every Roman execution, and only women and Roman senators or soldiers (except in cases of desertion) were exempt." (Dr. William Edwards in the article "On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ" from the Journal of the American Medical Association, 3/21/86)

 The goal of the scourging was to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse and death. "As the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck the victim's back with full force, the iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Then, as the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh. Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock. The extent of blood loss may well have determined how long the victim would survive the cross." (Edwards) Biblegateway.com guzic

 SLIDE25 ³¹ And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

Will you ask God to deal with anything that keeps you from truly knowing and obeying Jesus?