The Gospel of John. The Trials of Jesus ~ The Jewish Trials John 18:12-27; Various Passages

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1 The Gospel of John The Trials of Jesus ~ The Jewish Trials John 18:12-27; Various Passages JOHN! IT WAS A HOARSE, guttural whisper, unrecognizable. John! Is that you? John had been hurrying through the narrow streets of the lower city. He froze and flattened himself to a wall. The night was impenetrable. John son of Zebedee! Where are you? The young man almost crouched down in order to hide. Instead, he surprised himself by calling out, Who s that? Who s there? The whispering stopped. Except for a distant clatter of running feet, the city was still as stone. John suffered a moment of panic then a hand grabbed his shoulder. He whirled and delivered a blow to the side of someone s head. It cracked his knuckles, and he yelped. The voice said, Relax. It s me, Simon. Simon! John snapped. What s the matter with you? Sorry, said Simon. Sorry. Where are you going? John, rubbing his hand, began to walk at a quick pace. Simon followed. I know you ve got some sort of a plan, he said. John bent his elbows and started to trot. Simon, puffing harder, ran, too. First you went toward Bethany like the rest, Simon said. But then you stopped. I saw you. You turned round and came back to the city. I followed you. You knocked on someone s door. Who was that? I saw him rush out ahead of you, throwing on his robes as he went. You re going after him now, right? Yes, Simon and if I don t get there when he does, I miss my chance. You ve already taken more time than I can spare. John broke into a steady running. Get where? Simon called. What chance? The bigger man was having trouble keeping up. To be with him! Him? Who? Jesus! To be with Jesus! Jesus? Where? The high priest s palace! Jesus! Simon exclaimed. That s exactly what I thought! But John said nothing now. He was running swiftly up the ancient steps to Mount Zion. Simon, gasping for air, fell farther and farther back. On the heights of Zion other people were hurrying through the dark streets, too, all converging northeast of the Essene quarter. John tempered his speed to match theirs. He didn t want to attract attention. These people were members of the Sanhedrin, summoned suddenly by Caiaphas to his palace. John knew of the meeting. It was a trial. Joseph of Arimathea had told him. He turned a corner and ran along a low wall, then stopped at the gate of the high priest s courtyard. It was shut. But there, just inside, was Joseph himself, peering anxiously into the night. As soon as he recognized John, he spoke to the maid who was keeping the gate, gestured toward John, then dashed through the courtyard to stairs that led to an upper chamber. The maid came and opened the gate to John. There was too much light in here. Officers were standing by a central fire, warming themselves. Lanterns were attached to the walls round about. John felt uncomfortable. He bowed his head and began to walk toward the stairs, when a voice boomed, John! John here! Out here! Simon, lathered and breathless, was standing at the gate.

2 Quickly John went to the maid who had admitted him and smiled. That man is also a friend of the high priest, he said. The maid glanced back and forth between the two men, suspicious. Finally she went and opened the gate. If Simon came in, he was on his own. John was already mounting the steps to the chamber whose windows glowed with an interior light. Voices grew louder the closer he came, the general murmuring of many men. John did not try to enter. He crept along a stone walkway that circled the outside of the room till he was hidden from the courtyard below, then he brought his face close to a window grill and looked inside. Men s heads blocked his vision. They were standing with their backs to the wall. But they nodded and muttered and craned to see, so John caught glimpses of the proceedings within. Jesus! A head moved and John saw Jesus! His heart leaped: there stood Jesus, solitary in the center of the room, as calm as a white candle, though his clothes and his flesh were soiled, and the hair that hung down his back was a falling mass of knots. 1 IX Jesus Arrest, Trials and Crucifixion Chapters C. The Trials of Jesus 1. The Jewish Trial(s) Various Passages a. Before Annas Verses 12-14, b. Peter s Betrayal Verses 15-18, c. Before Caiaphas Verse 24; Mark 14:55 65 d. Before the Council Luke 22: The Civil Trial(s) Verses 1-11 Introduction: Now things are about to get a bit complicated. Depending on one s point of view Jesus either had two or six trials. Even if one holds the view that there were two, then each of those was broken down into three sections. We will also see that all of the six aren t included in each of the four gospels. So again, for the sake of clarity, I will go to the Synoptic Gospels for the ones missing from John. The other issue I want to make clear is the illegal nature of the Jewish trials. Accordingly I will go into some detail. I want us to understand just how desperate the powers that be were, those who had been concerned with Jesus breaking of the Law, in that they now totally disregard the Law themselves. 1. The Jewish Trial(s): a. Before Annas: As we pick up in John we see the conclusion of the arrest in the Garden. Jesus is bound and taken before Annas. And here too we need some clarity because Annas is identified as the father-in-law of Caiaphas the High Priest. But in Verse 19 John refers to Annas as the High Priest. How could there be two High Priests? And scripturally there couldn t be. The quick answer is politics. Boice explains it this way: the issue is somewhat confusing because John calls both Annas and Caiaphas the high priest. The reason he does so is because Annas was the true high priest, appointed for life as high priests were. But the Romans had replaced him with Caiaphas, the son-in-law of Annas, so that both held the title at the same time. 2 1 Wangerin Jr., Walter; The Book of God, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, P Boice, James Montgomery, Boice Expositional Commentary, The Triumph of the King (Matthew 18-28), Baker Books Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI 2001, p ) 504 (

3 So before even getting to the trial we can see the Jewish government had its own problems created by Roman interference. Is it any wonder many wanted out from under Rome? The hearing before Annas is broken down into two sections with the insertion of part of Peter s betrayal. For simplicity s sake I will combine the verses into one section as well as do the same for Peter s betrayal. Verses 19-24: So Annas questions Jesus. It is obvious that in all the Jewish trials the powers that be were looking for Jesus to incriminate Himself so they could call for his death. But Jesus isn t exactly being cooperative. Annas is being disingenuous. We know this because Jesus implies Annas should know exactly what He d been teaching. He is saying that all He has taught has been said in the open before the people and therefore is well known. Underlying this is the message that He d not been speaking of insurrection and rebellion privately. If you want to know what I ve been teaching ask anyone who has heard me. Apparently the guards thought Jesus was out of line and disrespectful with His answers. They appear to have understood His point. So one of the guards struck Him and told Him to quit mouthing off. Now Jesus does speak up for Himself. He essentially appeals to the Law. If He is lying it should be noted. If not, why is He being hit? Notice with both responses He is questioning why the guard hit Him. All of which leaves Annas with nowhere to go except to have Jesus rebound and sent of to Caiaphas his son-in-law, the High Priest. The illegalities: So let s talk about what was illegal with this first hearing. Here I want to quote from Berg because she gives a succinct summary of the illegalities of just this hearing. Numerous illegalities occurred during this preliminary religious trial. First, no trials were to occur before the morning sacrifice. (Mishnah: Sanhedrin 4:1.) Second, all trials were to be public and secret trials were forbidden. (Mishnah: Sanhedrin 1:6.) Third, all Sanhedrin trials were to be held in the Hall of Judgment in the temple area. (Mishnah: Sanhedrin 11:2) The account of Peter s warming himself before the fire in the courtyard of the high priest with the officers and others present, before the rooster crowed, indicates that these events occurred at night and that the proceedings occurred privately in the compound of Annas and Caiaphas. Fourth, capital cases required a minimum of twenty-three judges, (Mishnah: Sanhedrin 4:1.) and perhaps there may not have been a quorum present because of the late hour when Jesus was arrested. Fifth, the assumption of innocence until proven guilty was a hallmark of Jewish jurisprudence. (Num. 5:30; Deut. 17:6; 19:15) Sixth, an accused person could not testify against himself.* Seventh, there were to be at least two or three witnesses, and their testimony had to be in perfect agreement (Deut. 17:6 7; 19:15 20). Eighth, the accused should not be mocked, beaten, or mistreated (Num. 35:9 34). The regulations in Numbers 35 regarding the cities of refuge indicate that orderly legal procedure was to be followed in handling criminal cases. In a city of refuge the accused was afforded protection from mistreatment at the hands of the blood avenger until proven guilty by the testimony of two witnesses. * Mishnah: Sanhedrin 3:3 4. Extensive regulations are stated regarding the giving of testimony and the testing of witnesses, but there is no provision for the accused to testify against himself. When Annas questioned Jesus about His disciples and His teaching, He refused to testify against Himself. He as- ) 505 (

4 serted His rights by suggesting that Annas should direct questions to the witnesses and not to Him (John 18:19 20). 3 On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness (Deuteronomy 17:6 ESV). b. Peter s Betrayal: But before moving on to the next trial let s stop for a moment and consider Peter s betrayal. John breaks it into two sections and first of which comes in the middle of the hearing with Annas. And as we already saw with Berg it provides some secondary information supporting the illegal nature of this hearing. As we ve noted before, even though all the disciples were afraid and scattered, two of them did follow Jesus to the courtyard of Annas house. One is Peter and the other is unnamed. But we are told that this disciple was known by the High Priest, that is Annas. And apparently he was so well known that even a servant girl knew who he was. Accordingly this disciple was able to get Peter into the courtyard. Who was this disciple? While there is some speculation over a number of individuals, the best supposition would be that it was John the author of the book. The lack of naming is consistent with how he handles himself elsewhere in the gospel. This disciple is not only well know in the house of Annas but he is obviously known as a follower of Christ which opens up a whole mess of speculative questions that I won t even try to address. But we know he is known as a follower because the servant asks Peter if he is another follower of Jesus. And so we come to the first of Peter s denials. He flat out denies being a follower. It seems he goes out of his way to prove it because he goes over to a fire and stands around with the servants and officers. Hey, I m with you guys not one of His! Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, You also were with Jesus the Galilean. But he denied it before them all, saying, I do not know what you mean. 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. And again he denied it with an oath: I do not know the man. After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you. Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, I do not know the man. And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly (Matt. 26:69 75 ESV). Verses 25-27: Now John picks up with the second and third betrayals in these few verses. By the way John is also the only one who presents Peter s restoration. Anyway, we left him 3 Berg, Laurna L., Bibliotheca Sacra, The Illegalities of Jesus Religious and Civil Trials., Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, TX, 2004 Vol. 161: ) 506 (

5 standing by the fire warming himself when he is identified as a Galilean. For the second time he denies any involvement with Jesus. John tells us a plurality of individuals identified Peter as such. This reconciles the apparent contradictions in the Synoptic Gospels. Mounce notes There is some difficulty in the fact that while Matthew says that another girl asks the question (Mt 26:71), Mark implies it was the same girl (Mk 14:69), and Luke indicates it was a man (Lk 22:58). John has they asked (eipon, GK 3306), which the NIV translates as he was asked. It would appear that the question arose among those around the fire and that, once asked, it was repeated by others as it was being directed to Peter. John s use of the plural ( they ) may reflect rather accurately that the question was being pressed by a number of those whose interest about this stranger in their midst had now been aroused. 4 Finally another servant of the High Priest seems to wonder if he recognizes Peter which isn t surprising in that he was a relative of Malchus. And for the third and last time Peter denies involvement with Jesus. And then a rooster crows and Peter knows what he s done. John doesn t tell us this but as we already saw Matthew show us his grief. c. Before Caiaphas: What is interesting about Caiaphas was he was predisposed against Jesus but was used by the Holy Spirit to prophecy the truth of Jesus purpose. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation. But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish. He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death (John 11:47-53). But we have to move to Mark in that John only mentions this hearing in passing. Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands. Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you? But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 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. And the high priest tore his garments and said, What further 4 Mounce, Robert H., The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Notes, Vol. 10, John, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 2007 ) 507 (

6 witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision? And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, Prophesy! And the guards received him with blows (Mark 14:55 65 ESV). Now while the chief priests and council were present this was Caiaphas hearing. He is the one in charge and he is the one setting the direction for the proceedings. You can see the ever increasing frustration. This is the problem when you re trying to convict an honest man. The powers that be were suborning perjury. But they were doing a sloppy job because they couldn t get any two to agree on their story. So now there are a few that take Jesus words and twist them. Very much what Satan does. They accuse Jesus of planning the destruction of the temple. Of course they were probably referring to His words when He said Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. he was speaking about the temple of his body (John 2:19, 21 ESV). Where the witnesses intentionally misquoting or did they simply not understand? John makes it clear that they misquote Him to find a way to create the foundation for the charges the powers that be were looking to make against Him. But even here their stories were so inconsistent that their testimony was unusable. So Caiaphas stands up and tries to bring things under control. He directly confronts Jesus. And he asks the only question that ever matters. Who are You? Well he actually asks Jesus if He is the Christ and the Son of God. Jesus responds with an ascent to the question. He not only says He is the Messiah and the Son of God, but the day would come when He would sit at God s right hand and will return. I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. The Lord says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool (Daniel 7:13-14; Psalm 110:1 ESV). For the first time Jesus stands before one of the powers that be and says exactly who He is the implications of that. And so the High Priest tears his garments accusing Jesus of blasphemy, which if what He says wasn t true would be correct. And Caiaphas calls for a verdict. Not surprisingly the group says Jesus is deserving of death. The anger of the group had been stirred up to the point where Jesus is spat on, mocked and beaten. And thus ends the second hearing. Now let s finish up this session by discussing The illegalities: So again quoting Berg ) 508 (

7 Numerous illegalities occurred during this religious trial, in addition to those points already noted as having occurred in the preliminary religious trial. First, capital cases required that proper procedures be followed in the trial, beginning with arguments for acquittal (the defense presenting the case for innocence), and then followed by arguments for conviction (the prosecutors presenting the case for guilt). (Mishnah: Sanhedrin 4:1.) In Christ s case the arguments for guilt were presented first, and no arguments for innocence were presented. Second, all the Sanhedrin judges could argue in favor of acquittal, but not all could argue in favor of guilt. (Ibid) Third, when the charge was blasphemy, guilt could be established only when the defendant had actually pronounced the very name of God. (Mishnah: Sanhedrin 7:5.) Jesus had merely alluded to Psalm 110 and Daniel, although everyone present clearly understood His claim.* Fourth, a person could never be condemned on the basis of his own testimony alone, for the testimony of two or three witnesses was required (Deut. 17:6 7; 19:15 20). Fifth, each witness in a capital case was to be questioned individually and not in the presence of other witnesses. (Mishnah: Sanhedrin 3:6.) Sixth, each witness in a capital case was to be admonished by the judges that the blood of the accused (Jesus) would be held against those who falsely testified to the end of time. (Mishnah: Sanhedrin 4:5.) Many witnesses testified falsely; however, the intent of the judges in Jesus trial was not to admonish the witnesses in seeking the truth but to secure two witnesses who agreed (Matt. 26:59 62; Mark 14:55 60). Seventh, the witnesses must be in agreement, for contradictions rendered their testimony invalid. (Mishnah: Sanhedrin 5:2.) Mark ironically noted that even when two witnesses were finally secured to provide false testimony, they were not in agreement (14:56 59). Eighth, the verdict must be announced during the daytime and could not be announced at night. (Mishnah: Sanhedrin 4:1.) Ninth, in capital cases the trial and the verdict of guilt must not occur on the same day; therefore a verdict of guilt must be announced the following day.24 Tenth, for this reason trials were not to be held on the eve of a Sabbath or other festival.25 Eleventh, the sentence could not be announced at night.26 Twelfth, a person condemned to death could not be beaten, scourged, or mistreated. Thirteenth, voting for the death penalty had to be conducted individually, beginning with the youngest, so the youngest would not be influenced by the voting of the elder members.27 * Darrell L. Bock, Blasphemy and Exaltation in Judaism: The Charge Against Jesus in Mark 14:53 65 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000), 28, 59, Bock documents that the Jewish leaders would have understood blasphemy to include (a) attacks against the religious leaders who had been installed by God and were representative of Him, (b) attacks against the temple, and (c) verbal misuse of His name. In addition Jesus response indicated that they would see Him enthroned at the side of God, a position of honor and exaltation reserved for very few according to Jewish tradition, and that He shared authority with God to judge them in the future. 5 Conclusion: As you can see when people are desperate enough they are willing to throw out what they believe to accomplish what they want. The powers that be want Jesus dead. And while they were sticklers for even the smallest points of law, they were willing to throw this all out the window to get rid of Jesus. And this is nothing new. The advocates of free speech in the 60 s still believe in it that is as long as you don t say anything to hurt their feelings. If you do, you are using hate speech which is exempted from the concept of free speech. Picasso was another example. He devalued mankind and painted a fragmented world which might be artistically interesting but is a sad reflection on his emptiness. The humanity of people had been lost. But Francis Schaffer notes 5 Berg, p ) 509 (

8 But it is fascinating that Picasso could not really live with this loss. When he fell in love with Olga, and later Jacqueline, Picasso did not consistently paint them in a fragmented way. Rather, at crucial points in their relationships, he painted them with all his genius as they really were with all their humanity. He had many mistresses, but these where the two women he married. 6 What is the problem with these people? Their value system isn t grounded in anything other than their own perspectives. None of these, including the Jewish religious leaders, were committed to God s truth only their own. But as we ll see this lack of commitment to truth continues, which of course is why Christ went to the cross so people can turn to God s truth and be saved. So next time we pick up with the last of the Jewish hearings and move on to the civil trials as Jesus moves Himself on towards the Cross. 6 Schaeffer, Francis A., The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer, Vol. 5, Crossway Books, Westchester, IL, 1982, p ) 510 (

9 The Gospel of John The Trials of Jesus ~ The Jewish Trials John 18:12-27; Various Passages IX Jesus Arrest, Trials and Crucifixion Chapters C. The Trials of Jesus 1. The Jewish Trial(s) Various Passages a. Before Annas Verses 12-14, b. Peter s Betrayal Verses 15-18, c. Before Caiaphas Verse 24; Mark 14:55 65 d. Before the Council Luke 22: The Civil Trial(s) Verses 1-11 Introduction: 1. The Jewish Trial(s): a. Before Annas: Verses 19-24: The illegalities: (Deuteronomy 17:6)

10 b. Peter s Betrayal: (Matthew 26:69 75) Verses 25-27: c. Before Caiaphas: (John 11:47-53; Mark 14:55 65; John 2:19, 21; Daniel 7:13-14; Psalm 110:1) The illegalities: Conclusion: