He was tried twice in two separate trials. The first one was at a Jewish high court for Sanhedrin the Jewish tribunal and ruling body , at the Jerusalem basilica, presided over by Caiaphas, the high priest of Jerusalem, who questioned Jesus.
Jesus was accused of falsely pretending to be a Messiah. But the court lacked the authority to pass a death sentence so Roman authorities were called in. Scholars regard the Sanhedrin as a political body, lacking religious legitimacy, that collaborated with the Romans. Jesus was also charged with blasphemy. If he had been found guilty of that in the Jewish court high priests could have had him stoned to death. Instead Jesus was turned over to Pilate and Roman authorities.
The Gospels do not agree on what happened to Jesus between the time he was arrested and his sentencing by Pilate. One unresolved question is what crimes Jesus was actually found guilty of? Was it political subversion, offensive religious claims or blasphemy. In , archaeologists working in Jerusalem found an ossuary box of bones marked with the family name Caiaphas.
Dated to the first century A. Caiaphas had a privileged position Caiaphas was a supreme political operator and one of the most influential men in Jerusalem. There is a considerable body of evidence to suggest that everything he did was planned and that he knew what the consequences would be. His arrival in Jerusalem on a donkey was a fulfilment of prophecy but it would not have been enough on its own to get Jesus killed. Jesus was steeped in the religious culture of his time; he knew the potential consequences of his actions.
He knew what it meant to proclaim the Temple's destruction and to claim that a new kingdom was forming, the Kingdom of God. The obvious thing for Jesus to do was to leave Jerusalem and hide, and he had plenty of time to run. But Jesus continued to put himself directly in the path of danger; he stayed in Jerusalem and celebrated the Passover with his disciples. As he and the disciples sat together, Jesus called the bread they were eating his broken body and referred to the red wine they drank as his spilled blood.
Later, Jesus identified Judas Iscariot as his betrayer. In one of the Gospels Jesus says to Judas, "Do what you have to do, but do it quickly. It had 71 members, mostly chief priests, and Caiaphas presided over its deliberations.
It was hard work but it had big rewards - modern archaeologists have discovered that Caiaphas and his associates lived lives of luxury with large and lavishly decorated houses. Caiaphas himself was a Roman appointment, so he needed to keep cosy with the governor, Pilate, if he wanted to stay in power and preserve his luxurious way of life.
Jesus was undoubtedly a threat; the public liked him, indeed they may have been paying more attention to Jesus than to the priests, and the public were listening to his condemnation of what he saw as wrong in the religious establishment. Jesus threatened the Temple's income Caiaphas decided Jesus had to be stopped and he called a meeting of the chief priests. Matthew's Gospel tells us that Caiaphas told them that Jesus had to be killed.
The priests weren't at all sure about this. If Jesus was killed, there might be riots. But Caiaphas got his decision and put it into effect at once. We might disapprove of some of the self-interested motives behind Caiaphas' actions: protecting his income and his power-base; but it doesn't amount to a crime of any sort.
Jesus was causing trouble in Jerusalem. He was a known rebel and he was endangering public peace at a time when large and volatile crowds were thronging the city. It was entirely reasonable to arrest him. Archaeologists have discovered mikvehs around the Temple. Mikvehs are ritual baths which Jews use in order to purify themselves before any act of worship.
They had to use a mikveh before they could fulfil their religious obligations. The priests controlled the mikvehs and charged people to use them. Jesus thought the whole thing was rubbish. He taught that the elaborate purity rituals were unnecessary - the Kingdom of God was available to everyone and they didn't have to go through these rituals or pay the money in order to get there. Bad news for the Temple apparatchiks. A quick way to raise a revolt was to tell people that they were being ripped off.
This could cause a riot in the Temple if it got out of hand. Jesus stormed into the Temple and accused the moneychangers and sacrificial dove sellers of extortion and of turning the Temple into a den of thieves.
The ultimate challenge to any religious leaders: What you are doing is against God and God will destroy you and cleanse the whole religious apparatus. And God, as every Jew knew, had the power to do it - he'd demonstrated that many times before. Jesus was doing this in the Temple, in front of the crowds and without any fear or respect for Caiaphas and his staff.
Caiaphas had to do something to show that he was still boss, and he had to do it quickly; Jesus was on a roll, and who knew what he was going to do next. He rigged the trial. Caiaphas took on the usually incompatible roles of chief judge and prosecuting lawyer. Scholars know the rules that applied to Jewish trials at that period and the trial of Jesus broke many of those rules: 1 It was at night - Jewish trials had to take place during the day; 2 It took place on a feast day - this was not allowed; 3 It took place in Caiaphas's house - it should have been conducted in the council chamber.
He needed to prove that Jesus had threatened to destroy the Temple, which would have been both treason and an offence against God. But the witnesses couldn't agree on what Jesus had said. So that charge failed. Caiaphas decided to see if he could induce Jesus to utter blasphemy. Are you The Messiah?
Caiaphas announces that Jesus has spoken blasphemy. The rest of the Court agree. Jesus deserves the death sentence. Just one problem; the court didn't have the power to execute people. And that's where the Romans come into the story.
Actually, there are two problems: blasphemy against the God of Jews was not a crime under Roman Law, and unless Caiaphas could think of something better, it might not be enough to persuade the Romans to execute Jesus. The second trial was before a Roman secular court presided over by a minor prosecutor named Pontius Pilate, who asked Jesus a few cursory questions and ordered his crucifixion.
After the sentencing Pilate famously washed his hands to show the fate of Jesus was no longer a matter of which he had any control over. Jesus was then mocked, spat upon and slapped around. He was taken away by Roman guards who harassed and tortured him the night before his execution.
Pilate was the only one with the authority to order a crucifixion. Jesus accepted his death and did not deny the charges, despite being tempted to. The Romans found Jesus guilty of sedition not blasphemya civil crime not a religious one.
Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great. He is mentioned often in the New Testament. Pilate sent Jesus to him for questioning. Pilate was a cruel former-military leader who served as the Roman prefect for Judea for 10 years. Little is known about his life other than that he was born south of Rome, had difficulty dealing the Jewish priestly class and Jewish sects and had a reputation for cruelty.
Historians and scholars have generally much less kind to Pilate than the Gospels. He ordered his troops to carry imperial images of Caesa in The Temple and appropriated sacred Temple funds to build an aqueduct.
He once surrounded a mob of several thousand people in a stadium and threatened to chop of their heads. The traditional location of the praetorium is the Fortress of Antonia on the East Hill of the city, a Hasmonean castle that was refurbished by Herod the Great in BC and used as his palace for twelve years.
It now housed a garrison of Roman troops that, since the fortress was directly adjacent to the temple, could easily quell any disturbances that might take place in the temple. However, it is likely that, when in Jerusalem, Pilate took up residence in the more sumptuous Herod's Palace, on the West Hill, dominating the whole city.
This more grandiose structure had been built by Herod the Great and became his palace in 23 BC. Pilate accommodates Jewish scruples here. Since they won't enter his palace for fear of defilement, he will come out to them.
While it might appear that Pilate has all the power of Rome behind him, to do his job and remain in power , he must accommodate himself to the local leaders and they to him.
It is a delicate balance that neither he nor the Jewish rulers want to upset. According to procedure, Pilate asks the Jewish leaders for the formal charge against the prisoner.
While John doesn't repeat the charge, it is clear as the narrative unfolds that Jesus is being accused of claiming to be king of the Jews ; , , Luke records the charge:. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.
Though the Jewish leaders have condemned Jesus for a theological reason -- blasphemy -- their charge in a Roman court must be political. So they accuse Jesus of being a revolutionary who is stirring up the populace to rebel against Rome -- a dangerous man who is a threat to Roman sovereignty. None of this is new to Pilate. Earlier, the chief priests had requested a contingent of soldiers from Pilate to arrest Jesus , so they must have made an accusation at that time to warrant their request.
But at his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus hadn't acted like a rebel, and that too must have come to Pilate's ears. Pilate has dealt with these leaders before. They are trying to manipulate him to do their bidding, to accomplish their purposes, so Pilate throws it back at them: "Judge him by your own law.
Don't bother me with trivialities! Roman policy was to let local courts and customs deal with most civil and criminal matters, except those that threatened Roman interests. However, in 6 AD the right to inflict capital punishment had been withdrawn from the Jews and given to the governor exclusively -- except for punishment of pagans who enter into the holy temple.
And so the true reason they have brought him to Pilate comes out -- they want nothing less than the death penalty, and can't inflict it without Pilate's cooperation! Moreover, the Jews want Jesus crucified so that he and his followers will be utterly disgraced according to the Law of Moses Deuteronomy But John tells us that crucifixion was necessary to fulfill Jesus own words verse 32 :.
They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life! Pilate knows he cannot dismiss the Jewish leaders' demand so easily, so he leaves them to interrogate Jesus privately.
How Jesus will answer Pilate's question depends on whether Pilate has a personal interest or is just dealing with the chief priests' accusations. Pilate's answer indicates that it is the latter. What is it you have done? Pilate is trying to cut through the politics of all this. Now Jesus replies to Pilate's first question, about whether he is the king of the Jews. If it were, my servants [] would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews.
But now my kingdom is from another place. Jesus answered, 'You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify [] to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth [] listens [] to me []. To the Jews' accusation that he is a dangerous rebel who claims to be king of the Jews, Jesus acknowledges his kingship.
First he describes his kingdom negatively: that he is not a political king. A political king's followers would have defended him from arrest and put up armed resistance.
Jesus, a rebel? He even healed an ear severed in violence by one of his misguided disciples! No, he is not a rebel king, a threat to Rome.
Jesus explains: "But now my kingdom is from another place" b -- literally, "not from here" NRSV. It doesn't arise from the world. Pilate wants to follow up. Clearly, Jesus is acknowledging some kind of kingship. Pilate observes, "You are a king, then!
Jesus isn't denying his kingship, but he is saying something like "'King' is your word, not mine. In the Synoptics we see a similar answer:. Jesus doesn't deny, but affirms Pilate's words in a qualified manner, meaning something like, "Yes, but those aren't the words I would have chosen. John What do you think the Jewish leaders charged Jesus with before Pilate? If true, why would that be taken seriously by the Romans?
What kind of king does Jesus say he is? Where is the source of his kingship, according to Jesus? What is the danger to our gospel message when we politicize Christian causes? Now Jesus explains in positive terms what his kingship entails -- a king who testifies to the truth he has personally seen in his Father's House.
In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me. John brings together in verse 37b two themes that have been interwoven throughout John's Gospel:. Testifying, bearing witness. So when Jesus says to Pilate, "I came into the world to testify to the truth" , he is not saying idle words.
Throughout his ministry he has been pointing to the Father's truth, the Father's reality. But sadly, his testimony has been largely ignored. To Nicodemus he said sadly:. To Pilate, Jesus gives the same bold challenge concerning the truth he represents and teaches -- truth directly from the Father!
Pilate, if you were "on the side of truth" NIV , that is, "of the truth" ESV, KJV , then you would listen to my words, and like my sheep, "hear my voice" and "follow me" But because Pilate is "of the world," he doesn't care about the search for truth. Like so many in our world today,. Pilate is a politician, all about power, caught up with the values of this world system. Later, about him and all the rest of us, John writes:. For everything in the world -- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does -- comes not from the Father but from the world.
Pilate is blind, cynical, and clueless. Jesus speaks to him passionately of truth, and Pilate questions coldly, "What is truth? When truth is constantly sacrificed on the altar of expediency, one's conscience is seared, deadened. Pilate has the only True One looking him in the eye -- the Son of God himself -- and Pilate can neither perceive this nor care.
How very sad! John Jesus presents himself as the King of Truth, with a mission to testify to the truth. What is the danger when we disciples declare the gospel is absolutely true? How do cynics like Pilate or people in our post-modern age react? If people reject the truth we bring, what is the next step for us? As Roman procurator, Pilate is committed to justice, which would require him to release Jesus.
But as a politician, he is committed to keeping the peace -- and his job! Rome expects him to keep his province peaceful, to diffuse dissent that could become ugly, and, if necessary, to put down rebellion ruthlessly. Pilate sees a possible solution designed to secure Jesus' release -- and shift blame from himself. The plan is to induce the people to release Jesus in the traditional holiday prisoner release. Pilate introduces Jesus as "the king of the Jews" to appeal to the crowd's nationalism.
Do you want me to release "the king of the Jews"? Give us Barabbas! We don't know much about this local custom of releasing a prisoner at Passover; it is mentioned only in the New Testament Gospels. But it sounds like a way for Rome to garner some goodwill at a time when so many Jews are gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast.
Pilate's plan backfires, however. The Jewish leaders have salted the crowd with their own supporters, so that Pilate's condescending "king of the Jews" phrase doesn't have its desired effect. Instead, the crowd insists on the release of Barabbas, a true revolutionary. Barabbas's name could mean "son of the father" or perhaps "son of the teacher, the Rabbi.
He is exactly the opposite kind of person that Pilate wants to release back into the population. Barabbas is a troublemaker, a threat, an enemy of Rome. Clearly, the Jewish authorities are trying to flaunt their power over Pilate in demanding Barabbas -- and, they wanted to force Pilate to execute Jesus. Pilate now tries Plan B to release Jesus -- to gain sympathy for Jesus with the crowd by flogging and humiliating him. Pilate plans to punish Jesus severely to mollify the Jewish leaders, and then let him go in the interests of justice Luke He hopes that the Jews will have mercy on one of their own, especially one who is represented as "the king of Jews," when they see the results of flogging, and recognize that their own nation and people are being punished in the person of this "king.
In the ancient world, flogging was common -- and brutal. Some men were flayed to the bone. In others the flogging was so severe that it bit down to deep veins and arteries, even disemboweling the victim. After the scourging came the mocking, also inside the praetorium The Roman soldiers have no love for the Jews, whom they count as enemies.
They take this opportunity to show their hatred for the Jews by pouring ridicule on their "king. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, 'Hail, king of the Jews! We see four kinds of abuse of the Son of God that followed the scourging: 1 a crown of thorns, 2 a robe to dress him as a king and mock him and all the Jews, 3 insults, and 4 blows.
The crown of thorns is probably designed to mimic the laurel or oak-leaf plaited crowns awarded to victors in a contest, or worn by honored individuals and Roman emperors. It may have been woven from the common thornbush Poterium spinosium , or perhaps acanthus.
The purple robe [] is the chlamys or the red military cloak or mantle worn by Roman soldiers Matthew The mocking involves the soldiers repeatedly [] calling to him sometimes kneeling, Matthew , saying, "Hail, king of the Jews. He is King of the Universe, but in their racial bigotry and cruelty the Roman soldiers cannot perceive it. The striking involves blows to the face [] Matthew and Mark tell us they also spat on him and struck [] his head with a stalk or staff.
This abuse reminds me of Isaiah's prophecy of what would happen to the Suffering Servant:. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Why does Jesus allow this to happen to him? The brutality, the mocking? I think of the writer of Hebrews, who calls us to perseverance in the face of persecution:. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Jesus is determined to complete the task the Father gave him, to redeem the world by taking our sins upon him on the cross! The Romans found Jesus Innocent 3 times. The Six Trials of Jesus:. Three religious Jewish trials where he was found guilty and three civil Roman trials where he was found innocent.
Jesus had six trials: Three religious Jewish , and three civil Romans. Here are the results:. Three Jewish religious trials where he was proclaimed a sinner:. Second Religious Trial: Caiaphas, Mt. Third Religious Trial, Sanhedrin, Mt. Three Roman Civic trials where Jesus was proclaimed innocent. Second Civil Trial: Herod, Lk. Third Civil Trial: Pilate again, Jn. Decision: Not guilty, but turned to the Jews to be crucified Mt.
The Jews found him guilty but the Romans found Jesus Innocent. Pilate said as he washed his hands, "I am innocent of this man's blood" the Jews actually responded, "His blood be upon us and our children". Who was High Priest: Annas or Caiaphas since both are called high priest. Annas was the father in law of Caiaphas. Caiaphas was the High Priest through whom God prophesied that a man should die for the people.
Jn ; The charges against Jesus:. I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days Mt. He has blasphemed Mt. For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth. The Denials of Peter. Peter follows.
But Peter was following Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the officers to see the outcome. Matthew Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest;. Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance.
Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in. Time for Fire to be Kindled, then first denial. Mark After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them.
John Second denial. And he went out onto the porch, and a rooster crowed. Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. Rooster Crows. And immediately a rooster crowed. Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Luke The 6 Trials of Jesus. Time AM. Mt ; Mk ; Luke ; Jn House of High Priest.
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