The Trails and Opposition
Study Scripture: Mark 14:53-65; 15:1-3
Lesson 3

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Key Verse

And the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin sought for witness against Jesus, to put Him to death. And they found none. 

Mark  14:55

INTRODUCTION

Jesus’ earthly ministry was coming to an end; the hour was fast approaching when he would die for the sins of his people, God’s elect.
The ministry of Jesus was radical from the outset, his teaching was set apart from all others; he was described as one who taught with authority. Great and authoritative teaching was not all there was to Him.

There was a reason for the circumstance described in our lesson today that Jesus found himself in. There was a purpose.

All men had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. They were under the power of the Devil and thus of death. Many were subjected to slavery all their lives as stated in Hebrews 2:14-15. The world was an unrighteous place and in order to save the lost, God determined
His Son, a member of the Triune God, Jesus Christ, would become incarnate, that is, be born as a man.

He would be made like a man in order to be humanity’s Prophet, Priest, and King, and effect the salvation of men through his life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension.

It was determined in eternity past that man's righteous Prophet, Priest, and King would have to: “ suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.” (Mark 8:31, Luke 9:22.)

The Son Of Man had come to seek and to save that which was lost. The prophecies had indicated that he would come to his own and his own would not receive him. He would be despised and rejected of men.

Note carefully that we are now beginning to see the fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah 13:7
“ Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, against the man who stands next to me, says the Lord of hosts.
Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered.”

Jesus himself had referred to this prophecy as the Lords Supper ended and he and his disciples made their way to the Garden of Gethsemane. Mark 14:26-31.
“ And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them,
“ You will all fall away; for it is written, ‘ I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Peter said to him, “ Even though they all fall away, I will not.”
And Jesus said to him,” Truly, I say to you, this very night, before the Cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
But he said the vehemently, “ If I must die with you, I will not deny you.”
And they all said the same.”
(Revised Standard Version)

One writer makes this very important comment about the hymn sung by Jesus and the disciples as the Lord’s Supper ended and they walked to Gethsemane.
“ The very hymn that Jesus and the disciples sang as they left the upper room was a part of the Old Testament. Unquestionably, it was the Scripture we now know as Psalms 113-118. This was the traditional hymn called the great Hallel that was sung at the close of the Passover Feast. Hallel is the Hebrew for “Praise to God” and these Psalms focus on one theme: Hallelujah. It is significant that the closing verse of the great Hallel includes these words,
“ Bind the festal sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.”
(Psalms 118:27 NASB)

Clearly, Jesus knew what was going to happen to him, for the prophets had revealed the divinely appointed program and he was its author.

He often told disciples about the coming ‘Cross’, and the coming light of the Resurrection. He knew that the confidence of Peter and the other disciples, which rested on human determination, was surely going to fail and all their arrogance and resolve would melt away.

The agony in the Garden of Gethsemane marked the beginning of the ‘smiting of the Shepherd’.

It is interesting to note that false Christ and Messiahs were not uncommon and that most were likely dismissed as crackpots. None received the notoriety of Jesus, though some of their claims would have amounted to the same charge for which Christ was accused and crucified.

Jesus stood apart by the truths he taught, the power and authority he displayed throughout his ministry and his attacks on the distortions of the Commandments of God, threatened to undermine the status quo of these religious leaders. He taught this clearly:
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven, (Matt.5:20).

Jesus faced much opposition from the outset. The High Priest had his field operatives constantly trying to catch Jesus in a missed word or deed that they could use against him. They were determined to get him.

Today’s lesson takes us to the last hours of his life and the pinnacle of the opposition that he faced. As indicated previously, it was the time of Passover and Jerusalem was teeming with visitors from near and far coming to celebrate the Passover. Spiritual fervour and excitement was at an all time high.

There were less than two days remaining before the feast and the High Priest and the scribes were looking for a way to kill Jesus, (Mk 14:1).
They wanted to kill Jesus before the feast began; they were afraid that if the people got wind of their plan there might be serious repercussions.

Judas had agreed with the religious authorities to betray Jesus and he would leave the company of the disciples and go do his dirty work.

Judas returned at night when the crowds were not around to identify Jesus to a large contingent of Temple guards,. who had come with him to arrest Jesus and take him to the High Priest. Judas with great treachery, betrayed Jesus with a kiss of friendship, and though Jesus is in command and is quite able to destroy all those who had come to arrest him with a single word, he played along with them so that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.

THE ACCUSERS

Caiaphas was the High Priest that year. It was he who unwittingly prophesied to the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court, that Jesus should die for the people,(Jn 11:50). Caiaphas was a Sadducee and a member of the council; his father-in-law was Annas, who he had succeeded.

Annas, was clearly the power behind the throne and according to one writer, he was politically savvy and was able to hold this office under Roman rule for nineteen years, when the average term was only four years. We are told that several of his sons, some say five sons, were appointed High Priests after him, and finally Caiaphas his son-in-law was appointed. Jesus was first brought before Annas and questioned by him but Mark does not record details about this trial or questioning.

Another commentator writes:
Annas - Was high priest A.D. 7-14. In A.D. 25 Caiaphas, who had married the daughter of Annas (Joh_18:13), was raised to that office, and probably Annas was now made president of the Sanhedrim, or deputy or coadjutor of the high priest, and thus was also called high priest along with Caiaphas (Luk_3:2). By the Mosaic law the high-priesthood was held for life (Num_3:10); and although Annas had been deposed by the Roman procurator, the Jews may still have regarded him as legally the high priest. Our Lord was first brought before Annas, and after a brief questioning of him (Joh_18:19-23) was sent to Caiaphas, when some members of the Sanhedrim had met, and the first trial of Jesus took place (Mat_26:57-68). This examination of our Lord before Annas is recorded only by John. Annas was president of the Sanhedrim before which Peter and John were brought (Act_4:6).

Because Israel was ruled by Rome at the time, Jesus had two trials; a religious one overseen by Annas and then Caiaphas and a civil trial overseen by Pilate. The Jewish authorities wanted desperately to execute Jesus but they had no power to carry out the death penalty, since the Romans had reserved this power to themselves.

The Jewish religious authorities in their religious trial had to find some reason under Jewish law to justify a death penalty, such as Jesus claiming to be God, which would be blasphemy and thus worthy of death and then they had to find some justification that the Romans would consider to be sedition under Roman Imperial law, thus warranting a death penalty, such as Jesus preaching insurrection against Caesar.
Of course, all the charges that were brought against Jesus would of necessity be trumped up charges, none of which would bring a conviction in a proper court of law. The High Priest, the scribes and the elders however, who were supposed to uphold the law, would outrageously violate and break virtually every point of the law, all in an attempt to kill Jesus.

In their minds they had predetermined that Jesus be put to death. The trial would clearly be a farce. We should note that the trial would be illegal from the very beginning and violate Jewish law as well as any concept of justice.

Note that evil people, including religious people, when they have predetermined an outcome because they hate someone, will never pay attention to the instructions or the wishes of God. It makes no sense thinking that they cared for ‘righteousness’, or that they will stop pursuing their course of iniquity.

True believers can rest assured and be comforted that as
Psalm 76: 8-10 states:
“Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still,
When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth
Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt though restrain.”

The trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin can be viewed in four stages.
1) Accusation vv 55-59
2) Interrogation vv 60-61a
3) Condemnation vv 63-64
4) Humiliation vv 65

This same process would take place before Pilate. In both farcical trials there would be no justice.

But let us remember that the Son of Man in a position as representative of the Saints of the God Most High, must suffer defeat and oppression at the hands of his enemies (Isaiah 52 and 53) before coming into His glory (Daniel 7:15-25).

Though no one can or will ever face the physical, mental and emotional torment that Jesus endured; it is clear that in his sufferings, he set a pattern for believers.

It is certain that as we strive to serve God, we will also have to endure great trials and opposition. Jesus, for our sakes had to ‘drink the cup’, for it was the Father’s will. As we also submit ourselves to God we will find that there is no true fellowship without suffering. Indeed all who live godly will suffer.

THE TEXT
Mark 14:53-65

Verse 53. “And they led Jesus away to the high priest. And with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.”
The large company of people that made up the mob that came to arrest Jesus was led by a contingent of the religious hierarchy, the temple guard and Judas, who would betray him. The manner in which the arrest took place was very aggressive and hurried. The authorities were doing things behind the backs of the people, for they knew that the people held Jesus as a prophet and would not readily support these kind of underhanded actions.

“And immediately, while He still spoke, Judas, being one of the Twelve, came, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.” Mar 14:43

There was never any ground on which to arrest Jesus neither was there any intention to conduct a fair trial. We see that before Jesus was even brought into custody or any charges laid, the Sanhedrin was searching for people whom they could bribe to bear false witness against Jesus.
“Mark 14:1 And after two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by craft and kill Him.”
Mat 26:59 And the chief priests and the elders and all the Sanhedrin sought false witness against Jesus, in order to put Him to death.

Everybody who was anybody in Jewish religious circles was there. The official or governing religious body, the Sanhedrin, plus their helpers and advisors, obviously a considerable number, gathered in the inner room at the residence of Caiaphas, the High Priest. They were determined to put Jesus to death, and they would stop at nothing.

These were men who had devoted their lives to the study of the scripture and were extremely zealous in keeping the law. They were very religious but were now about to commit the most terrible act of injustice. One writer lists for us the illegalities in Jesus' trial according to Jewish law:
“a. In Jewish law, all criminals trials must begin an end in the daylight; this was held at night.
b. In Jewish law, criminal cases could not be tried during the Passover season; this was the Passover season.
c. In Jewish law, only a ‘not guilty’ verdict could be issued on day of the trial; guilty verdicts had to wait one night to allow time for feelings of mercy to arise
d. In Jewish law, only decisions made in the official meeting place of the Sanhedrin were valid; this trial took place in the personal goal of Caiaphas.
e. In Jewish law, all evidence had to be guaranteed by two witnesses separately examined and not having contact with each other; this testimony was engineered and contradictory
f. In Jewish law, perjury was punishable by death; obviously, these false witnesses were not so punished.
g. In Jewish law, the trial always began by bringing forth evidence for the innocence of the accused, before any evidence of guilt was presented.

This trial was a farce.
We should note that believers in Christ must be honest and above board in everything that they do. Religion is no substitute for a genuine relationship with Jesus.

Though many pay lip service to Jesus as a truly remarkable historical figure; that is all they do. They disregard the very words of Jesus concerning any relationship to God the Father.

Simply put, there can be no relationship with God without a relationship with Jesus. “No man comes to the Father but by Me…” In the case of Jesus, these men, all the way up to the High Priest, deliberately and systematically committed themselves to breaking all the religious and judicial laws and violate the fundamentals of the moral law, despite knowing the penalty for doing so.

As this mockery of a trial got underway, the evil intent of these men’s heart was revealed. Willingly responsible for their action they are without excuse when they stand before God in the judgment. “Matt 27:25
Then all the people answered and said, Let His blood be on us and on our children.”

The High priest that year was Caiaphas and it was to him and the entire Sanhedrin already gathered to whom Jesus was brought. Leaders always have a tremendous responsibility and must do right. Unfortunately leaders often forget that. The leaders here were about to commit their nation to disaster.

Verse 54. “And Peter followed Him from a distance to the inside of the court of the high priest. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.”

As the angry mob seized Jesus, the disciples fled in every direction; a young man clothed in a linen sheet, some believe to be Mark, barely escaped. As they tried to apprehend him, he slipped out of the sheet and ran away naked.

However after seizing Jesus they appeared to be unconcerned about the other disciples, the apprehension of Jesus was their primary concern. Peter was then able to follow them from a distance till he finally blends into the crowd that had convened at the place of the High Priest.

Though we are often critical and quite harsh with Peter, especially in light of his forthcoming denial, let us note that he is the only disciple mentioned at this time to pluck up enough courage to follow, though it be at a distance.

The private residence of the high priest was where they took Jesus. The residence was actually shared by Caiaphas and Annas. The courtyard was surrounded by several adjoining buildings; and it is here in the courtyard that Peter is literally huddled with the servants and guards trying to keep warm by the fire. (Jn 18:18)

Verse 55. The death penalty could not be given without witnesses to corroborate the serious charges brought against Jesus; but there were none to be found. As mentioned before, a case of this magnitude is started by examining evidence that would prove one to be innocent or guilty. But in the case of Jesus no such procedure was followed. Instead the Chief priest and the Sanhedrin looked for anyone who would bear false witness against Jesus. They were only intent on killing him.

With calculated deliberation they sought to find a way to strengthen their flimsy charade of a case. Of course this could not be accomplished legitimately; because they could not find any witnesses.

In Mark 12: and Matthew 21:33-45 Jesus tells a number of parables that are directed at the Pharisees and ending with a most damning accusation. After the owner of a vineyard had sent servants to collect his due, the workers killed them. Finally the owner sent his son, surely they would respect the owners son. But instead they also killed the son and devised and plan to keep the inheritance. But when the owner comes he will certainly destroy them. Now if you thought the parable was about you, you would probably repent, but not so with these wicked men.
Mat. 21:45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they knew that He spoke of them.

Verse 56. Many violations of the judicial process had already occurred: the arrest without proper cause, the trial by night, the trial in a private residence rather than a public forum and now the process of reviewing evidence and hearing witnesses.

Jesus was alone, there were no sympathizers or witnesses for Jesus, neither were there any attempts to find or call any to come to his defence. In actual fact he was without representation; this was a horrendous travesty of justice. But let us remember that as 1 Peter 2:23 tells us, Jesus entrusted himself to his heavenly Father, since he knew that the God of the universe was supporting him in that courtroom. This Father's support was sufficient for him.

The High Priest and the Sanhedrin did not waste any time in finding false witnesses, people willing for a price to provide false testimony. One may wonder where so many false witnesses came from and if they had not heard Jesus speak on many occasion in the synagogue and been convicted and had repented. Needless to say, if one of his inner circle could betray Him for money, certainly there would be many who did not know Jesus, who would do the same.

Despite the connivance, planning and conspiracy, things did not go so well for the priests. The testimony against Jesus was clearly and obviously false, for though they were the best witnesses money could buy, none of the witnesses agreed and there was no consistency from one witness to another.

The discrepancies were large, and it was abundantly clear to every single person present that the witnesses were either lying, did not witness what they said they saw, or they were clearly wrong. Even though many of them were probably paid and prepped in what to say, during the separate and independent interview process, there was no consistency that would justify the Sanhedrin proceeding with a guilty verdict and having an opportunity to execute Jesus.

Verse 57. The façade was totally embarrassing, as witness after witness was proving completely unreliable and useless. The corruption in the court was blatantly obvious and driven by their evil intent to kill Jesus, they could do nothing other than commit more unrighteousness.

In a desperate attempt to fabricate evidence against Jesus, the High priest and the Sanhedrin committed another infraction of their law, and allowed two witnesses to come before them at the same time to give testimony. This was the only way that they could get two false witnesses to give a testimony that agreed with the other.

Despite this last move, it is almost unbelievable that these last two witnesses could not get the story straight. Although the general information was roughly the same, they were still inconsistent in the details (Mark 14:59). The testimony of these witnesses would be thrown out in any proper court of law.

Verse 58. This verse outlines the discourse of the two witnesses – “We heard Him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.”

There was a germ of truth in what these false witnesses said, and it appeared that they had enough truth there to make something stick. The main line of accusation however revolved entirely around this single statement that Jesus made at the beginning of His ministry.

Speaking against the temple was considered blasphemy and was an offence punishable by death; thus they tried their best to make this flimsy charge stick. What Jesus actually said is recorded in
John 2:18-22. “Then the Jews answered and said to Him, What sign do you show us, since you do these things? Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. Then the Jews said, This temple was forty-six years building, and will you rear it up in three days? But He spoke of the temple of His body. Therefore when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them, and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.”

It could be that the High Priest and the Sanhedrin misunderstood Jesus statement. But their subsequent actions betrayed them and exposed them for the evil intent they harboured in their heart.

They certainly knew that Jesus was not speaking of the physical temple; and this is demonstrated in the act of placing guards at the tomb because they really understood that the raising of the temple was in reference to his body.

Verse 59. Despite the fact that the false witnesses reported only consisted of a few of Jesus’ words, they could not agree. Their memory was obviously not very good and the details did not mesh. Clearly the High Priest saw their case disintegrating before their eyes.

Verse 60. The High Priest now at the end of his wits, again commits another illegal act, in a last desperate effort to save the trial by attempting to get Jesus to incriminate himself. Up to this point Jesus had stood silent before his accusers and simply let them undermine their own evil works. None of the testimony thus far was of any use.

Pretending that he was offering justice and fair play, the High Priest stood up and asked Jesus if he was not going to try and defend himself against these accusations; but still Jesus kept silent, and the served only to aggravate the High Priest even more. This was the fulfillment of prophecy.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth, Isa.53:7.

Verse 61. In a state of utter desperation, in the face of Jesus’ continued silence, the High Priest put Jesus under a solemn oath; according to Matthew 26:63.
But Jesus was silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, I adjure you by the living God that you tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.”.

The High priest ask this direct question several times “Are you the Messiah the Son of the Blessed One?”. Note that this was a direct question as opposed to the false accusations that he was previously asked to answer. In addition to this Jesus was now under a solemn oath, this legally bound Jesus to answer the question.

Luke 22 tells us that before Jesus gave His direct answer, he protested with dignity against the clear indication, that the rulers had prejudged his case and were now unfairly using a procedure that they should not really have used. He said:
“… If I tell you, you will not believe. Also if I ask you, you will not answer Me nor let Me go. From now on the Son of Man shall sit at the right hand of the power of God. And they all said, Are you then the Son of God? And He said to them, You say it, because I AM!” (Luke 22:67-70)

Verse 62. The Jews had used a title for God and applied it to Christ, and Christ then accepted this and linked this title to his second coming. “…From this time you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of the heavens. “ (Matthew 26:64). He addressed the High Priest personally telling him what his own destiny would be. He really told the High Priest that he had answered his own question.

It is also clear that in replying to the High Priest’s direct question, Jesus was informing him personally of his own destiny. Jesus was really telling him that he might think that he was the judge and Jesus the prisoner, but the day was coming when he would see that,
in reality, Jesus was the judge, and he was the prisoner.

The High Priest's response was one of outrage for he recognized that Jesus was pronouncing doom on him and on those that participated in this travesty of justice.

We can read the description of the Second Coming in Revelation 19. It is absolutely clear that Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah and the Son of God. The Jews knew this. They spoke the same language as Jesus and knew all the idioms and expressions of their language. It is therefore incredible that some people claim that Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God. But the Jewish rulers knew better than these people who do not know the language as well as they did.

Verse 63-64 The High Priest hearing this seized the moment in the most hypocritical and dramatic fashion. He tore his clothes and cried out blasphemy. In this charade he abandoned the previously ridiculous and embarrassing line of accusation, judged Jesus to be guilty and closed the possibility of hearing any further witnesses, or having any deliberation on the statement just made.
“…What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy; what do you think? And they all condemned Him to be guilty of death.”

Actually the High Priest was a hypocrite and his outrage was phoney, for this is exactly what he wanted Jesus to say.

This was clearly blasphemous unbelief by this High Priest. It was he who was the blasphemer.

The High Priest was not alone in his condemnation; they all called for a guilty verdict and the death penalty.

The correct procedure would have included an opportunity for Jesus to defend his statement; after all there had been many, many people before him claiming to be the Messiah, yet none of them were subject to the ordeal that Jesus was. But of course they knew if Jesus was given such an opportunity, he could effortlessly turn the tables on them, supplying an abundance of overwhelming and irrefutable evidence of his claim to be the Messiah.

Jesus knew his fate in answering the way he did, so he voluntarily went to his death.
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. (John10:17-18).

Despite all their wickedness, all was being fulfilled according to prophecy and therefore demonstrates the will of God concerning the Jesus and His control over the events of history.
“I gave My back to the strikers, and My cheeks to pluckers; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.” (Isa 50:6;)
He was oppressed, and He was afflicted; yet He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before its shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.
(Isa. 53:7-12)

In every instance things unfolded according to the plan of God

Verse 65. They had long abandoned their morals; they were now completely unrestrained and under the controlling power of their evil hearts, they began to abuse Him in all manner of ways. It appeared that they sensed that Jesus had pronounced their doom, and had warned them of their fate on the Day of Judgment. Their unbelievable reaction is indicative of the possibility that they sensed that Jesus had pronounced their doom and had warned them of their fate on the day of Judgement.

All their pent up hatred, venom and jealousy came out. One can hardly believe that educated, well-trained, cultured men would behave like this. Poor, illiterate, vulgar, uncultured people might be excused for this kind of behaviour, but certainly not people at their level of power and authority.

They spat on him or literally spat in his face, which is the most degrading sign of contempt, they covered his face and hit and punched him repeatedly. They mocked his power and taunted him telling him to prophesy now who hit him. Their hatred, venom and jealousy was poured out on him. Even the officers, and the religious leaders took part in the sport.

It is very possible and some commentators believe, that in the light of his subsequent history, Peter might have witnessed this abuse from his position around the fire with the servants. But he was afraid, and the extent of his fear at what was happening makes us understand better His denial of Jesus, and his cursing and swearing with His denial.

It seems that he never forgot this, for in his letter in 1 Peter we are told how to respond like Jesus when we suffer, are vilified and are threatened.

Actually, it seems that Mark puts Jesus' response to his abuse and brutality from the hands of people who hated him, alongside the behaviour of a man who loved Jesus with all his heart and who had promised to defend him to death. One writer comments:
“ Now why does Mark put these two situations side-by-side? I think he does it so that we might understand that both of them manifest the same thing; both are a manifestation of the undependability of human nature-- the flesh, as the Bible calls it. These Priests were men of the flesh, men who lived according to the ways of the world, men who thought as the world thinks and who were seeking for status and prestige and position.
Jesus was a threat to their position and awakened their hatred and their anger, which they expressed in this terrible accusation and mockery and violence against Jesus.
That is the flesh at work. Everybody recognizes that hatred and anger and vehemence are wrong, and we know those things come from an evil, perverted heart.
But what Mark wants us to see is that the love of Peter was no better. It, too, was depending on the flesh, on human abilities and human resources, to carry him through.
In the power of crisis, it was no more effective than the hatred of the priests. Love and loyalty and faithfulness mean nothing when they rest on the shaky foundation of the determination of a human will. That is why Mark puts these two examples side-by-side so that we might see their similarities.
To me, the most hopeful note here is the tears of Peter. The priests didn't weep; there is no record that Judas wept, though he did display a degree of remorse and of despair. But Peter, when he denied his Lord, threw himself down and wept.”

We can see the difference between Judas the apostate and Peter the backslider. But note that a short time before this incident it would be impossible to prove that Peter was a true disciple and Judas was the false disciple.

We know that Judas was false and was an apostate, because he gave up the truth. Judas was sorry but never repented. His was no godly sorrow.

Peter on the other hand was a backslider because he fell spiritually from the position that he once enjoyed. But Peter repented when he sinned and this was evidence that he was a true disciple.

But just remember that when we do not rest on the power and wisdom of God we are really weak.

We must learn to depend on the power of God that is in us, simply talking to people, witnessing to them, spending time discipling them, personally motivating them and supporting them through all the trials of life.

The only thing that God really want is us: our bodies, and our hearts. We should never let the devil take us away from that and woo us away from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Note that this phase of the trial is over. Jesus was held in custody and not taken to Pilate until sometime after sunrise. Although we are not told exactly what happened during those few hours, one can imagine the continued abuse that Jesus had to endure. With this physical beating and abuse, and even before the scourging that Pilate ordered; Jesus would be a bloody mess. No wonder the Scripture say that his face was marred beyond recognition.

Mark 15:1-3
Verse 1. The High Priest, Scribes and members of the Sanhedrin were all united in their intent to kill Jesus and they wanted to do it as quickly as possible, because the Passover was rapidly approaching.

Having concluded their sham of a court proceeding, which of course they could easily arrange, since they controlled the judicial and religious system, they faced the second and most difficult hurdle. Now they had to concoct a charge that the Roman ruler Pilate would agree was grounds for execution, for only he could authorize capital punishment.

They had finally convicted Jesus of blasphemy, because he claimed to be God, which is what a claim to ‘sonship’ implied. This kind of charge however meant nothing to the Romans, they couldn’t care less about any Jewish man claiming to be God.

The Jewish Justice system was under tight Roman control and Rome allowed the Sanhedrin to deal with religious cases within the Jewish community according to the Law of Moses. This of course reduced the caseload that the Roman courts would have and of course substantially reduced ‘occupation costs’. The council could pronounce death sentences but the Roman Governor had to ratify them. If he chose not to ratify the decisions they would be voided.

The council had to meet and put together some charge or charges that the Romans would consider serious. To carry any weight, the charges would have to be presented by the official leadership. By now deceit was first rather than second nature to them and now they were fully prepared to deliver their lies to Pilate.

Remember that according to the Jewish law, a guilty verdict for a capital crime could not be given on the same day of the trial; of course this meant nothing to them now. Note that the Jews counted the day as beginning in the evening. Thus early in the morning or at sunrise, probably between 5:00 and 6:00 am was the same day in which they bound Jesus and brought him to Pilate.

Not only were they eager to complete this atrocity before the Passover but they knew that other religious or the common people may cause an uproar for desecrating the Passover.

Jesus was led through the streets tied up like a common criminal, in a continued effort to totally humiliate him.

The council had put together three charges. First they charged him with insurrection, inciting the people to riot and causing dissension. Secondly, they said that he taught that Jews should not pay taxes to Rome. And thirdly, that he called himself the King of the Jews and wanted to be king in place of Caesar.

Note that Jesus was accused of doing precisely what he had always refused to do. He had never taken a political position against Rome.

Verse 2. Pilate was no fool. He had his spies in the community and was probably well aware that there was a great amount of tension between Jesus and the Jewish religious leadership of the day. However, if there were real cause for Pilate to take action, he wouldn’t have waited for the Jews to bring it to his attention. Pilate knew that they brought Jesus to him because they were jealous of His rapidly growing popularity and wanted to get rid of him.

Pilate focused on the last charge, namely, that Jesus was king of the Jews and he asked Jesus directly whether or not he was king of the Jews. (John 18:28-40 gives us more detail. Pilate could find no fault and did not consider Jesus a threat to Rome.

The council would have liked to have Pilate simply take their request and have Jesus killed but Pilate questioned Jesus in order to discover whether or not there was just cause for capital punishment. In fact Pilate knew how volatile religious issues could be and he certainly did not want to disturb the peace in the region over which he was governor.

Jesus' answer to Pilate's question was not as direct as the answer he had given to the High Priest at the previous trial. In this case he simply said “You have said so” or “ So you say”, or “According to how you look at it you might call me King of the Jews’. It does not seem to be a denial or an affirmation.

John 18:36-37 makes it clear that Jesus then went on to explain to Pilate that his kingdom was not of this world and was in no way a threat to Rome.

Pilate obviously understood what Jesus was saying and was relieved. He did not have to fear Jesus instigating rebellion against Rome.

Verse 3. Seeing that Pilate was not at all convinced, the High Priest, the Scribes and the elders again saw their case disintegrating and became angrier and began to throw more accusations at Jesus. Pilate would certainly understand that these Jewish authorities were determined to have the death of Jesus.

Verse 10 reveals to us that Pilate saw that the Jewish leaders were envious of Jesus. That was the core and essence of the problem. That was why they wanted to kill him so badly. But through all this, Jesus kept silent.

Note that Pilate knew that the charges were empty and had no substance. He also knew that when people were envious, it meant they wanted something that belonged to another person. When men are jealous or envious it means they cannot have what the other person has, but then they do not want the other person to have or keep what they have either.

In this case the priests and scribes wanted Jesus' power and authority with the people, and when they could not have that, they tried to trap, catch, gainsay, ensnare, and oppose Jesus at every turn. The more they failed, the more foolish they looked and the more angry and envious they became.

This should be a lesson to us for this happens all the time. When people are evil, their evil tends to increase. God really gives them up to their own lusts.

In response to the strange reaction of Jesus, Pilate encouraged Jesus to respond but Jesus said nothing, remaining silent and Pilate marvelled, with astonishment.

Of course, Pilate would not have known that Jesus was acting that way to fulfill prophecy and to voluntarily go to the cross in order to provide salvation for sinners.
 

CONCLUSION

No matter how we look at it, whether from a Gentile perspective or from a Jewish perspective we must marvel at the determination of Jesus and his total and consistent obedience to the plan of salvation.

When Jesus was on the cross he was mocked according to
Mark 15:29-31; “ He saved others; he cannot save himself.”

But they were all wrong. Jesus would give Pilate no encouragement to use his words to dismiss the charge and to free him immediately. Jesus thereby effectively exposed to Pilate and the Gentiles present the true enmity of the High Priest, the other priests and the other religious leaders, taking away their disguise and revealing the jealousy that was eating away at them. It also forced Pilate to make a choice, to accept honesty and justice or to continue to associate with evil, rapacious and wicked people, and continue to be wicked himself.

Pilate, who symbolically represents the Gentiles, was completely responsible for his actions; thus concerning the crucifixion, both Jew and Gentile are accountable for the blood of Jesus.

Note however, that all these events took place inside the will of God, all things are ultimately in God's control, it is He who works all after the council of his own will.

That is what Jesus and the cross does to all of us, it strips away all of our pretence and forces us to see whether there is enmity in our own hearts against him and against his people.

We too must look at ourselves and decide whether like Pilate we are afraid of Jesus but also afraid of the crowd, trying to please two opposing forces, deciding things in our lives on the basis of expediency.

Are we cowards, afraid to make a decision for God on the basis of wisdom, justice and gratitude for what God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit has done for us?

Remember that Pilate and the Jewish religious leaders were exposed for what they did and if we do not do the right thing we too will be exposed for what we really are. One writer says it this way:
“As the cross of Jesus comes into the life of any man, woman, boy, or girl, it has a powerful way off ripping off all our disguise, and we have to answer finally, clearly, and honestly, what our reaction is to Jesus.
That is why the great question of all time is,
“ What we you do with Jesus, who is called the Christ?” what is your attitude toward Jesus? Do you love him?
Paul writes,
“Anyone who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, led him be accursed”.
The word is, “let him be damned”.
Now why does he say a harsh thing like that? Because, you see, that is the test. If you do not love Jesus, what do you love? You love the opposite. Instead of loving love, you love hate. Instead of loving truth, you love lies. Instead of loving honesty, you love deceit. It is the final testing of all-time, of every person. What do you feel about Jesus?”

Brethren, let us understand that serving God requires sacrifice and that “all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer”. When one takes a stand for the truth, it is likely that you will face opposition; you can hardly find an example where this is not true.

Opposition from the world is likely and reasonably to be expected, but opposition, resistance and even persecution and ostracizing may come from those who profess to love and serve God. It is even possible that there is one very close to you who may even betray you.

We know that Christ’s death was an integral part of the plan of salvation and therefore the will of God. Likewise when we are truly in line with the will of God it may involve suffering on our part, albeit momentary.

The Scripture is replete with examples of God’s suffering servants, of which Christ is chief. The scripture are also filled with God’s demonstrated power to deliver his people, however let us not be deceived; it is not possible to totally escape these trials.

It is through these trials that the saints mature and are perfected, thus it is the will of God. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (James1:2-4).

Let us fight the good fight and rest assured that this present suffering cannot be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us.