“Sanhedrin” – Mark 14:53-65

We live in a time when truth is more relative than ever. If you were to ask, most people would say that true is not relative, but then you give each person a statement of facts and, depending on their worldview, they will either dismiss the facts or embrace them with all their heart because the facts support what they already believe. In today’s world, we no longer look for truth, only for that which confirms what we already want to believe. After all, someone, somewhere, on the internet will embrace even the most outlandish of ideas, and they will quickly gain a following.

In the last days of Jesus’ life, He faced a group of men who had already made up their minds on the matter of whether Jesus should live or die. As we look at today’s passage, we see what this group have in mind and how they plan to put it into effect.

Background

Almost from the beginning, there has been conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders of Israel. As Jesus’ popularity began to grow in Galilee, word trickled down to Jerusalem, and whether local or not, a group of Pharisees began to follow Jesus and examine Him. They were looking for Messiah, but they didn’t see him in Jesus. If anything, Jesus was a direct opposite of their understanding of Messiah.

They expected a man much like themselves: dedicated to the Laws and Prophets, fanatic in his obedience not only to Scripture but to Pharisaic interpretation and traditions. They expected the creation of an earthly kingdom, not only restoring Israel’s independence, but the glory days of David and Solomon. They believed this kingdom would be a gleaming beacon to a world living in darkness, shining the light of Jehovah brightly and boldly, drawing all men to their understanding of what God wanted and expected of all people.

Toward that end, they didn’t know what to make of Jesus. Here was a man who was clearly knowledgeable about Scripture and the Law, but He refused to embrace their interpretation. He refused to insist on the letter of the law, and He embraced relationships with other people and their needs over adherence to a strict rule of conduct. He performed miracles, sure, but none of the miracles was of such a nature as to convince them that He was Messiah.

The more Jesus said and did, the more their opposition grew, and the angrier they became. They began to call Him names and question His birth and authority. Even when they got so made that they wanted to stone Him for blasphemous statements, He would slip through them and continue His ministry.

For three years, the Pharisees watched, argued with Him, tried to mock and ridicule Him, yet they were afraid to lay hands on Him because Jesus was popular with the people. His message was one of hope and love and freedom, and to the people, Jesus was a breath of fresh air.

Now, as the people of Jerusalem prepared to observe the Passover, one of Israel’s most sacred days, the opportunity arose and the leaders made their grab. Arresting Jesus in the dead of night, while the city slept, Jesus was brought in chains before the most powerful leaders of Israel. Officially, He was to stand trial before the Sanhedrin. In reality, Jesus had already been tried and convicted. All this was to be was a show to allow a whiff of official decree. Jesus had to die, and the Sanhedrin was determined to find a way to make it happen.

Sadly, the attitude of the Sanhedrin has continued to live through the ages. In every decade since Jesus’ death and resurrection, people have found excuses to reject Jesus. It was true in the generations before us; it is still true today. That’s why, as we look at today’s scripture, we need to keep in mind this truth:

Central Truth: Like the Sanhedrin, people today often look for excuses to reject Jesus.

In the “trial,” the Sanhedrin:

1. Tried to intimidate Jesus with their power (53-54)

They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, elders and teachers of the law came together. Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.

I’m told the first time before the United States Supreme Court is a daunting thing for an attorney. While the attorney may be as prepared as he or she can possibly be, standing in front of a row of older men and women, dressed in black robes behind a giant desk, looking down at the proceedings is an intimidating thing.

When Jesus was brought before the Sanhedrin, it was late at night, possibly early morning. In the darkness, Jesus was dragged in chains into the Sanhedrin chambers. There, either standing or seated around Him were the most powerful men of the Pharisee movement. These men had the power in the community. The chief priests were present, as were most of the Pharisee leadership of Jerusalem, maybe as many as 70 men. And presiding over them all was the high priest. Arrayed against Jesus, the intent was to cower Jesus into submission.

In a parenthetical statement, Mark wrote that Peter had followed at a safe distance, and waited in the courtyard. While the Bible states that Peter sat with the guards to warm himself by the fire, it is more probable that he was waiting with the servants, not guards. After all, Peter was afraid of being arrested himself. It would be rather foolish to sit around a group of armed guards in such a case. More than like, then, Peter was in the courtyard with servant of the Sanhedrin, trying to keep warm in the desert night.

Today, people who want to deny Jesus will array their finest ideas and beliefs to refute Jesus. They will marshal all their resources to deny him. Rather than listen to what a testimony about Jesus will do, they will find all sorts of reasons to dismiss Him, just as the Sanhedrin was doing that night so many years ago.

2. Tried to do things by the letter of the law (55-59)

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put Him to death, but they did not find any. Many testified falsely against Him, but their statements did not agree. Then some stood up and gave the false testimony against Him: “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.’” Yet even then their testimony did not agree.

When I was doing bankruptcy work, I would sometimes have a hearing before the judge. In order to bring a case before the judge, both sides would have to file a motion, stating the reason for the hearing and why the case should be decided in that particular party’s favor. Then we would take our argument before the judge.

The judge would read the briefs before the hearing and would know the basic arguments before they were made. Nevertheless, it was disheartening to say the least when the judge would interrupt my opening statement and say, “Mr. Beaty, I really don’t know why we’re having this hearing.” His mind was already made up, and I was going to lose.

Jesus stood before a judge and jury whose minds were made up. All they needed was to have a fig leaf to make it look all legal. So the chief priests brought forth their witnesses. Jewish law required the testimony of two witnesses to find someone guilty of the accusation against them. The Bible says that they were looking for evidence to condemn Jesus to death, but none was to be had. After all, Jesus had been obedient to the Father. He was sinless, and therefore had committed no real crime.

To find this evidence, they brought many witnesses against the defendant. We might think that out of the many witnesses, at least two of them would agree, but it wasn’t the case. None of the testimony agreed.

Let us take a moment hear to ask how Mark knew about the trial. He was not present, and only one or two disciples were outside in the courtyard. Was it possible to hear the trial out in the courtyard? It’s possible. More than likely, we know there were certain members of the Sanhedrin who were secret followers of Jesus, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea being two that we know by name. It is probable that those two men were not present, but it’s also possible and probable that other secret followers were present. If so, it would be from them that the early church first heard about the charade of a trial, and the Gospel writers would have an accurate record.

Mark next wrote that some witnesses stood up and claimed that Jesus said He was going to destroy the Temple and build another in three days, a temple not made by man. While this was the most compelling testimony, it was not a capital offense to be braggadocios about something, and Jesus never said those words. Still, as Mark noted, even their testimony could not find agreement.

I imagine it is very frustrating to know what you want to do, and you want all the I’s to be dotted and the t’s to be crossed, only to find that there are no dots nor are there any crosses. There is no record about how long the trial took during this time of false testimony, and there is no record of any defense witnesses brought forward on Jesus’ behalf. But even when the deck was stacked in their favor, the Sanhedrin found itself failing to defeat Jesus.

Just as at that time, so people today will make false claims about Jesus in order to refuse to follow Him. They will find any and every excuse not to follow Him. For instance, there is no perfect day to go to church. It’s too nice a day to stay cooped up inside for an hour or so, or the weather isn’t very good, so it’s better not to venture outside the house on such a day. For those who never want to go to church, there never is the perfect day.

3. Took matters into their own hands (60-65)

Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked Him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming in the clouds of heaven.” The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need to hear any more witnesses?” he asked. “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned Him as worthy of death. Then some began to spit at Him; they blindfolded Him, struck Him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy.” And the guards took Him and beat Him.

In a court of law, when a jury is present, the judge is to preside over the hearings in an impartial manner. The only time a judge would speak to a witness is to try to help the witness feel more at ease or to clarify a point in order that the jury may have a better understanding of what the witness was saying. He may also question the witness to ascertain whether the witness is aware of proceedings that are taking place. Otherwise, the judge will only speak to the attorneys and mostly in response to objections or motions initiated by the attorneys.

In the dark night of the secret trial of Jesus, there was no seeking after justice. There was only the determination to convict a man of a capital offense. With the disarray following the witnesses, the high priest himself interjected himself into the trial. He spoke directly to Jesus in a way that clearly shows he was speaking for the prosecution.

The questions were designed to get Jesus to say something, anything. The hope was that Jesus would slip up, that under the intimidation and pressure of the trial, Jesus might say the wrong thing and He could be hung on His own words.

Sadly for the high priest, he must not have dealt directly with Jesus in the past. Otherwise, he would know that Jesus never misspoke, He never tripped Himself up in saying the wrong thing in the wrong way at the wrong time. Instead, Jesus stayed true to the Sermon on the Mount when He said not to toss pearls before swine.

There was no need for Jesus to speak. They didn’t want to hear what He had to say, and they weren’t going to be swayed anyway. When a person’s mind is already made up, there is no reason to believe a different outcome could occur.

Jesus’ silence must have frustrated the high priest. He tries another direct question, this time invoking an oath. The question cut to the heart of the reason for the trial: “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” The high priest, true to his religious beliefs, would not invoke God’s name on the eve of Passover, instead referring to God as the Blessed One.

Finally, Jesus spoke, and His words cut through the night like a knife. Not only was Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, but He also told them that the next time they saw Jesus in a trial setting, they would be the ones on trial before God Himself.

This was enough for the high priests and those looking to convict Jesus. Their rage exploded. They quickly condemned Jesus as worthy of death. Note that they didn’t say He must be killed. Even under Roman rule, Israel had the right to invoke the death sentence, which would be by stoning. The religious leaders were not content for a stoning, though. They wanted a crucifixion, for only a crucifixion symbolize that Jesus was condemned by man and God, suspended between heaven and earth. There was still more work to do before Pilate.

Yet for the moment, there were still ways they could express their outrage and contempt. They blindfolded Him, taunted Him and spat at Him. The guards took Him and beat Him.

While people today do not physically beat Jesus in rejecting Him, they have a tendency to show contempt and taunts. To deny the very essence of Jesus is to belittle Him and relegate Him to a lesser value than He rightfully has.

Conclusion

And so the first trial of Jesus came to a close. The outcome that was sought was achieved, and soon the desires of the Sanhedrin would be fulfilled.

Even if this was the end of Jesus’ ordeal, He would have suffered cruelly at the hands of those who rejected Him. He would have suffered for simply being Himself and true to His mission.

As we approach the Easter celebration, let us remember that Jesus suffered for us that He might save us. He paid the supreme price for our forgiveness. Don’t we, then, owe it to Him to live a life worthy of our calling? Don’t we owe it to Him to hear and do His will?