Jesus on Trial

Well, good morning, church. Wherever you may be, turn with us in a Bible, if you have one,

to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 22, beginning at verse 63. We'll be reading from there through

Luke 22 · chapter mention

to chapter 23, verse 25. Luke, chapter 22, beginning at verse 63.

Luke 22 · chapter mention

Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. They also

blindfolded him and kept asking him, prophesy, who is it that struck you? And they said many other

things against him, blaspheming him. When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered

together, both chief priests and scribes, and they led him away to their council, and they said,

if you are the Christ, tell us. But he said to them, if I tell you, you will not believe,

and if I ask you, you will not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man shall be seated at the right

hand of the power of God. So they all said, are you the Son of God then? And he said to them,

you say that I am. And they said, what further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves

from his own lips. Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate.

And they began to accuse him, saying, we found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us

to give tribute to Caesar and saying that he himself is Christ, a king. And Pilate asked him,

are you the king of the Jews? And he answered him, you've said so. And Pilate said to the chief

priests and to the crowds, I find no guilt in this man. But they were urgent, saying,

he stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.

When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he belonged

to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time.

When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him,

because he had heard about him. And he was hoping to see some sign done by him.

So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer.

The chief priests and the scribes stood by vehemently accusing him.

And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him.

Then arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate.

And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day,

for before this they had been at enmity with each other.

Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people and said to them,

You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people.

And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him.

Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us.

Pilate said,

So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted.

He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder,

for whom they asked.

But he delivered Jesus over to their will.

Pilate said,

And that our world is currently facing because of COVID-19.

It's not primarily about how to deal with unemployment and financial stress

or how to persevere in a job that suddenly has become ten times more stressful.

It is not primarily about how to endure physical isolation

or how to make the most of an extended season at home with spouse and children.

It's not about how to avoid spreading illness or getting sick oneself

or how to discern appropriate boundaries or an appropriate risk to take for the sake of loving God and others.

So on the face of it, this passage may not immediately speak to every one of our present circumstances

and conditions and conundrums.

But this passage is about a day when the darkness only seemed to get darker.

In verse 53 of chapter 22,

Jesus said to those who had come out to arrest him,

This is your hour and the power of darkness.

And even though the rooster had crowed and the day had dawned,

it would be a bitter and evil day

when the Son of God would be sentenced to death,

when the powers of darkness would seem to prevail.

You know, sometimes when we're overwhelmed by our burdens in the present

and by our anxieties about the future,

I think it's helpful to hear from someone else that we know and love

who is enduring or who has endured a very different kind of trouble.

Now, it's not that one person's trouble matters and another doesn't.

It's not usually helpful to try to rank

different kinds of human troubles against each other,

but it is helpful to remember that my troubles

are not the only ones that matter in this world.

Other people are fighting their own battles,

externally or internally,

often in ways that are invisible

and unknown to me.

So this morning, I want us to turn our eyes

from our present troubles and concerns

to the trial that Jesus, our Savior, endured.

This is a long series of events that we just read.

First, Jesus was brought before the Jewish council.

Then he was taken to the Roman governor, Pilate.

Then Pilate sent him over to Herod.

Then Herod sent him back to Pilate.

Then Pilate pronounced his verdict.

Then the crowd protested.

And so Pilate reversed his initial decision

and ultimately issued the death sentence.

But rather than taking each of these events one by one,

I want to look at three themes that run through the whole story.

First, the sufferings Jesus endured.

Second, the steadfastness Jesus displayed.

And third, the salvation Jesus secured.

The sufferings Jesus endured,

the steadfastness he displayed,

and the salvation he endured.

So first consider the sufferings that Jesus endured.

In verse 63 to 65,

Jesus was shamefully beaten

by cruel temple officials.

Physical pain is hard enough to deal with,

and here Jesus was beaten.

But being repeatedly humiliated,

shamefully mocked,

that can cut even deeper.

And the wounds can last even longer

than those of a physical beating.

And the Gospels all emphasize

not only the physical pain

of Jesus' trial and crucifixion,

but also the shame and dishonor

that was heaped upon him

from all sides.

But that wasn't all.

Then in verses 66 to 71,

Jesus was forcibly interrogated

before hostile religious authorities.

Now these leaders were not asking

sincere questions.

Three times in chapter 20,

they had approached Jesus

with hostile questions

seeking to trap him in his words.

They had been looking for some way

to arrest and kill Jesus

for some time already.

And it's almost certain

that they weren't even following

their own recognized legal procedures

that were put in place

to safeguard the rights

of the accused.

The Jewish Mishnah

from about 200 AD

summarizes the legal rights

of those who were being tried

for capital offenses.

Among other things,

it says these,

A guilty verdict cannot be finalized

in one trial on one day.

It was necessary to sleep on it,

come back the next day,

and then make a final decision.

Also, it says that death penalty cases

cannot be tried on the eve of a festival,

as in the Passover here.

Third, it says that reasons for acquittal,

for letting the defendant go,

or exonerating him from the charges,

must be brought forth

before reasons for conviction.

And finally, it says

that a blasphemy charge

can only be sustained

if the defendant has cursed

God's name itself.

Now, we can't be entirely sure

whether all of those procedures

were in place in Jesus' day,

because that's from a document

that comes from a bit later,

but in Jesus' trial,

none of these were followed.

Jesus' legal rights were denied.

And then it goes on,

verses 1 to 5,

Jesus was falsely accused

before the Roman governor.

The Jewish council did not have authority

to carry out death sentences.

Only the Roman governor, Pilate,

could authorize the death penalty,

and so the leaders brought Jesus

before Pilate and accused him.

We found this man misleading

or corrupting our nation

and forbidding tribute to Caesar

and saying that he himself

is Christ, a king.

Now, if you've been reading

through Luke's gospel

up to this point,

you know immediately

that all these accusations

are false and twisted.

Jesus hadn't been corrupting

the nation of Israel.

It was already corrupt

long before Jesus arrived.

John the Baptist had proclaimed that

even before Jesus came on the scene

and called people to repentance.

And the temple leaders

were perpetuating that corruption

through their love of honor and power.

Jesus had never forbade

paying taxes to Caesar.

In fact, he had pointed to a coin

with Caesar's image on it

and said,

give to Caesar what is Caesar's.

And interestingly,

in Luke's gospel,

Jesus never publicly claims

to be the Messiah,

the Christ.

Now, you might ask why

because Jesus obviously believed

that he was the true Messiah

prophesied in the scriptures.

But see, in those days,

nearly everyone expected

that the Messiah

would be a military leader

who would lead a revolt.

And many men had arisen

even in Jesus' time

and in the century or two beforehand

who had led military,

who had claimed to be the Messiah,

who had led military uprisings,

tried to drive out the Romans

and establish an independent Jewish nation.

They had all failed.

But that was the meaning,

the primary meaning of the term

in people's minds

in those days.

And so Jesus never publicly

introduced himself

using that title

because it was so widely misunderstood.

And because he was

such a different kind

of Messiah

than people expected.

So Jesus was shamefully beaten.

He was forcibly interrogated.

He was falsely accused.

And then that's not all.

Verses 6 to 12,

Jesus was openly ridiculed.

He was brought to Herod.

Herod was the tetrarch,

the ruler over Galilee

where Jesus had done

much of his public ministry

and he was in Jerusalem

likely visiting

to keep tabs on things

during the Passover.

So Pilate says,

well, I'll send him over to Herod.

See what Herod wants to do with him.

Maybe Herod will make a decision

so I don't have to.

Maybe Herod will become an ally

even if he doesn't want

to decide this case.

Either way,

I think it'll

be a positive thing.

But Herod just saw it

as sort of an amusement.

Verse 8,

when Herod saw Jesus,

he was very glad

for he had long desire

to see him

because he had heard about him

and he was hoping to see

some sign

done by him.

notice that Herod

didn't want to hear

what Jesus had to say.

Herod just wanted

to see Jesus

do something spectacular.

A miracle

or Herod wanted

some exciting

spiritual experience

to be able to

check off

something else

on his bucket list.

But when Jesus

didn't provide

the entertainment

that Pilate desired,

that Herod desired,

Herod decided

to make a comedy show

out of it himself.

Dressing Jesus up

in royal robes,

sending him back

to Pilate,

mocking his claim

to be a king.

Herod didn't even

take Jesus seriously.

And finally,

in verses 13 to 25,

Jesus was unjustly

condemned.

Three times,

verse 4,

verse 15,

and verse 22,

Jesus heard

Pilate pronounce

a not guilty

verdict.

And every time,

the leaders

objected

and every time,

Pilate

backpedaled.

The first time,

Pilate sent

him over

to Herod.

The second time,

Pilate offered

to punish

and then release

him.

Now that word

punish

referred to

a severe

flogging,

a whipping,

using a leather

whip containing

pieces of bone

and metal.

And the third time,

Pilate granted

their demand

and handed

Jesus over

to be crucified.

Jesus was at

the mercy

of a corrupt

judicial system.

And at the end

of the day,

justice was not

done.

So we see

Jesus shamefully

beaten,

forcibly

interrogated,

falsely accused,

openly ridiculed,

and unjustly

condemned.

Consider the

sufferings

Jesus endured.

But second,

consider

the steadfastness

Jesus

displayed.

Through all

these sufferings

that he endured,

Jesus

didn't

crack.

He didn't

explode in

fury and rage.

He didn't

crumple up in a

ball of despair.

He didn't

plead guilty

to false

accusations

that were being

thrown at him.

He didn't

break down.

Through it all,

he remained

steadfast.

steadfast.

Consider

Jesus'

steadfastness.

Consider how

Jesus remains

steadfast in

his answers,

in his words.

At the end

of chapter 22,

in the beginning

of chapter 23,

Luke records

three questions

posed to

Jesus,

and three answers

that Jesus

gave.

Now,

obviously,

Luke is

presenting an

abridged version,

a summary,

of the trial

proceedings.

Matthew and

Mark include

some other

details about

the hearing

before the

council,

and John

relates a

longer conversation

between Jesus

and Pilate.

But Luke

highlights three

questions,

and they all

focus on

the identity

of Jesus.

Verse 67,

if you are

the Christ,

the Messiah,

tell us.

Verse 70,

are you the

Son of God

then?

Verse 3,

are you the

King of the

Jews?

These are all

questions about

the core of

who Jesus

was claiming

to be.

Now,

at one level,

when you look

at Jesus'

answers,

Jesus doesn't

just give a

straightforward

yes or no

to these

three questions.

Jesus.

And if you

look throughout

the Gospels,

when people

come to

Jesus with

sincere and

straightforward

questions,

when people

really want

to learn

from him,

Jesus

consistently

gives people

sincere and

straightforward

answers.

A scribe

came to

Jesus and

said,

Teacher,

what is the

greatest

commandment

in the

law?

And Jesus

says,

love the

Lord your

God with

all your

heart,

soul,

mind,

and strength,

and love

your neighbor

as yourself.

But sometimes

people didn't

come to Jesus

with sincere

and straightforward

questions.

They approached

Jesus with

loaded questions,

trying to

trick him,

trying to

trap him.

And in

those cases,

Jesus usually

did not answer

them directly.

He often

answered a

question with

another question,

or he spoke

in a parable,

or he directly

challenged the

motives of the

person who

was asking.

You see,

Jesus did not

allow people

who were trying

to trick and

trap him to

completely dictate

the terms of

the conversation.

So,

we see here,

in verse 67,

he challenged

the motives of

the council.

If I tell

you that I'm

the Messiah,

you won't

believe.

And if I

ask you,

who do you

say that I

am,

you won't

answer.

Jesus had

already asked

them multiple

questions,

throughout chapter

20 especially,

and they had

refused to

answer him.

Did John the

Baptist's authority

come from heaven

or from men,

he had asked?

Was it from

God or just

a human initiative?

And they

refused to

answer.

You see,

Jesus challenged

them because

their problem

was not a

lack of

evidence,

but a lack

of openness

to even

consider

whether he

was the

Messiah.

And then in

verse 70 and

verse 3,

he again challenged

his accusers.

You say that I

am.

You say so.

You see,

Jesus was

challenging them,

what do you

say?

Where do you

stand?

Who are you

saying that I

am?

He wants

them to

consider that

all-important

question.

But while

Jesus challenged

the motives of

his questioners,

he remained

steadfast in

his claims.

Jesus'

answers to

these three

questions were

not ultimately

evasive

or unclear

or ambiguous.

It was

pretty clear

to everyone

present who

Jesus was

claiming to

be.

Verse 69,

the answer

to the first

question,

Jesus says,

from now on,

the Son of

Man shall be

seated at the

right hand of

the power of

God.

Throughout his

ministry,

Jesus had

referred to

himself as

the Son of

Man.

man.

And here he

says that he

will be

exalted,

he will

reign at

God's

own

right

hand.

And then

when Jesus

said in

verse 70,

in verse 3,

when they said,

are you the

Son of God,

are you the

King of the

Jews,

and he

said,

you say

that I

am,

or you

have said

so,

a similar

phrase is

used about

ten times in

the Old

Testament,

and it

always means

yes.

It always

indicates an

affirmative

response.

So,

for example,

Pharaoh,

another hostile

ruler,

comes to

Moses in

Exodus chapter

Exodus 10:28

10,

verse 28,

and Pharaoh

says,

get away

from me.

And Moses

says,

as you

say,

you say

so,

I won't

see your

face again.

So,

when Jesus

says,

you say

so,

or you

say that

I am,

he's not

being tricky

and ambiguous

and unclear

and avoiding

the question.

He's saying,

you just

said it.

Do you

realize what

you just

said?

You just

said it.

So,

Jesus

remains

steadfast

in his

answers.

But notice

how also

Jesus

remains

steadfast

in his

silence.

Aside

from his

brief answers,

to these

three

questions,

Jesus

remained

silent

in the

face of

his

accusers.

Why?

Well,

in the

ancient world,

probably

many people

would have

recognized

Jesus'

silence

as an

expression

of

self-control

or even

nobility.

But even

more than

that,

it's how

the prophet

Isaiah

described

the

suffering

servant

of God.

As we

read earlier,

Isaiah 53,

7,

he was

oppressed

and he

was afflicted,

yet he

opened not

his mouth.

Like a

sheep that

before its

shears is

silent,

so he

opened not

his mouth.

And by

oppression and

judgment,

he was taken

away.

And we

know that

Luke had

this chapter

in mind

because in

chapter 22,

verse 37,

Luke has

already referred

to that

very chapter.

And Jesus

has said,

the words

of this

prophecy

are being

fulfilled

in me.

Luke

wants us

to see

in Jesus'

steadfast

silence

that he

is that

suffering

servant

of God.

The

sacrificial

lamb who

had come

to take

away the

sins of

the world.

Again,

as Isaiah

Isaiah 53:6

53,

verse 6

says,

all we

like sheep

have gone

astray

and each

of us

has turned

to his

own way

and the

Lord has

laid on

him.

The

steadfast,

silent,

suffering

servant,

the

sacrificial

lamb.

The

iniquity

of us

all.

And that

brings us

now to

our last

point.

The

sufferings

Jesus

endured,

the

steadfastness

he

displayed,

and finally

the

salvation

Jesus

secured.

You see,

Jesus'

steadfastness

in his

sufferings

is not

simply a

model for

us to

admire

from a

distance

and look

back upon

and try

hard to

emulate

and try

hard to

gather up

the courage

for us

to be

steadfast.

No,

Jesus'

steadfastness

in his

sufferings

and

Jesus'

steadfastness

and Jesus'

sufferings

are the

very

means

of our

salvation.

And at

the end

of this

passage,

Luke

gives us

a picture

of the

salvation

Jesus

secured.

Both

Herod and

Pilate had

examined

Jesus

and found

him not

guilty,

but in

verse 18

it says,

they all

cried out

together,

away with

this man

and released

to us

Barabbas,

a man who

had been

thrown into

prison for

an insurrection

started in

the city

and for

murder.

Jesus had

been accused

of misleading

the nation

and stirring

up the

people.

But the

very people

who were

accusing

Jesus of

those things

and demanding

his death

on that

basis,

in the

next breath

demanded

amnesty

for a

man who

was guilty

of those

very same

things and

even more

who was

guilty of

murder.

Now some

people have

questioned

whether this

whole thing

with Barabbas

really happened

because outside

the New

Testament we

haven't yet

found other

historical sources

that mention

Barabbas by

name or

that describe

a custom of

Pilate releasing

one prisoner

at Passover

time.

But the

name Barabbas

was a common

Jewish name

attested from

before the

time of

Jesus.

And many

rulers both

then and

now have

exercised

their authority

to grant

amnesty in

particular

cases.

And all

four Gospels

Matthew,

Mark,

Luke,

and John

testify to

the exchange.

Even the

pagan Roman

historian Tacitus

though he

doesn't mention

Barabbas also

writes that

Jesus was

crucified by

sentence of

Pontius

Pilate.

You see,

this is not

a fairy tale.

This all

really happened

in history.

But Luke

wants us to

see not

just that

Jesus was

really sentenced

to death

by Pontius

Pilate,

but Luke

wants us to

see why.

Why

was he

given over

to death?

And he

gives us a

clue in

verse 25,

the last

verse in

our passage.

Pilate

released the

man who

had been

thrown into

prison for

insurrection

and murder

for whom

they asked,

but he

delivered Jesus

over to

their will.

He

released

Barabbas,

the murderer,

and he

condemned

Jesus,

the innocent

one,

to die.

And in

that verse

we see a

picture of

the salvation

Jesus secured.

Jesus,

the innocent

one,

was sentenced

to death

so that

guilty ones

might live.

Jesus was

condemned

so that

sinners

might be

justified.

Freed from

the guilt

and penalty

of their

sins,

1 Peter 3

18 says

Christ

suffered

once for

sins,

the righteous

for the

unrighteous.

that he

might bring

us to

God.

This is

the good

news.

That Jesus

Christ

suffered and

bled and

died in

our place

and on

our behalf

to release

us from

our sin

and from

its rightful

punishment,

to release

us from

the fear

of death

and condemnation,

to make

us right

with God

so that

we can

live with

God,

so that

we can

know that

God is

with us

and God

is for

us now

and forever.

And you

might say,

how do I

get that

assurance?

How do I

get that

promise?

And the

answer is

simple,

by trusting

in Jesus,

simply relying

on what

he's done

and receiving

the salvation

that he has

secured

as a gift.

If you

want to

trust Jesus

today for

the first

time,

contact one

of us

after the

service

by phone

or email

so we

can pray

with you

and rejoice

with you

and help

you get

to know

Jesus

better.

But for

all of us

who have

come to

trust Jesus

as our

Savior

and Lord,

he

remains

our

steadfast

Savior

today.

and the

same

steadfastness

that he

shows

here

in the

face of

false

accusations

and open

ridicule

and being

shamefully

beaten and

mocked

and forcibly

interrogated

and wrongfully

executed,

that same

steadfastness

he continues

to hold

out to us

today

as our

heavenly

advocate.

this is a

dark

and challenging

time that

we're living

in and each

of us may

be experiencing

that darkness

in different

ways.

We may be

feeling a

threat to

our physical

health

or our

economic

security

or our

psychological

stability

or our

relational

connections

or our

future

plans

or even

simply

our

personal

freedoms.

Sometimes

we might

feel like

we're

cracking

under

the

pressure.

Brothers

and sisters,

let us

look to

our

steadfast

Savior.

Look to

the one

who remains

steadfast

through his

suffering.

Look to

the one

who has

secured

our

salvation

so that

we who

follow him

might live

without

fear.

Look to

the one

who has

promised

that we

are not

alone

for he

has gone

before us

and through

his spirit

he abides

with us.

even when

the darkness

only seemed

to get

darker

Jesus

remains

steadfast

and today

he is

still

our

steadfast

advocate

able

and willing

to help

us in

our time

of need.

So let's

pray.

Father

thank you

for the

gift of

your son

Jesus.

We praise

you and

thank you

for his

steadfastness.

We praise

you for

the

sufferings

that he

endured

for our

salvation.

That they

were not

in vain

but that

he endured

them in

our place

and on

our behalf

that we

might never

be condemned

before you.

That we

might never

have to

fear

that you

are against

us but

that we

might know

that you

are with

us and

for us.

Father we

pray that we

would look

to Jesus

fix our

eyes on

him the

author and

perfecter of

our faith

who for the

joy set

before him

endured the

cross scorning

its shame

and sat

down at the

right hand

of God.

We praise

you for his

steadfastness

and we

praise you

for his

victory.

We pray that

you would

increase our

trust in him

today.

In Jesus'

name,

amen.