2024-12-18A
(The four Gospels collectively contain a wealth of information about Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. However, as in the previous study guides, we will concentrate on Luke’s account and will only refer here and there to the accounts of the others.)
A. WHAT CAUSED JESUS TO BE CRUCIFIED?
a. The Father’s reason for allowing His Son’s crucifixion.
To understand Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, we must understand what led to it. From God’s perspective, it was necessary for His Son to die for the sins of humanity for God and man to be reconciled on a righteous basis. The Father Himself would not stretch out His hand to harm His Son, but there was the devil and man who would gladly do so. So He left it to them. He let them go their own way to accomplish His will.
b. The devil’s reason for Jesus’ crucifixion.
Since he succeeded in causing Adam and Eve to fall into sin in Paradise, he has held all of humanity in his powerful grip. By inheritance, every human being is a slave to sin, unable to free himself from it by his own strength. Day by day the devil delights in plunging man deeper and deeper into the whirlpool of self destruction by tempting him to sin again and again.
The incarnation of Jesus was therefore a tremendous blow to the devil and his rule on earth because He came to reveal the Father’s love, holiness and omnipotence. He gave mankind new hope that a life of victory and inner fulfillment was within everyone’s reach. Many seized the opportunity and became disciples of Christ. This was a tremendous threat to satan’s rule: a threat he dared not tolerate. There was only one solution from this dilemma: the Son of God had to be killed.
c. Humanity’s reason for Jesus’ crucifixion.
As for man: every person establishes his own little kingdom, an independent, selfish existence in which he himself decides what is right or wrong. The strongest and smartest rule. Everyone, from the king on his throne to the maidservant who gatheres sheaves in the field, is his or her own little king in his or her own little world (though some are dominated by others). Man carefully guards this personal little world. If Jesus wants to heal and provide him with food, fine, but to deny himself and follow this Jesus in humble surrender, no, never, never.
That is how mankind is today and how it was at that time. That is why, when He was unwilling to do their bid by using his supernatural power to remove the Roman yoke off their shoulders, they cried out, “Crucify Him, crucify Him, and give us Barabbas.”
d. The Jewish leaders’ role and reasons for Jesus’ crucifixion.
~~~1. They took the initiative to do away with him.
For decades, the Chief Priests, Scribes and Pharisees had been the undisputed leaders of the Jewish nation, who benefited little thereby. They were more concerned for their own honour than for the welfare of their flock. The Law and ordinances the Lord had given by Moses to lead His people into the freedom of a holy life, was used as a whip rather than a staff. They added many interpretations and ordinances as they saw fit, commanding the people to observe all of these to the very letter. This was was humanly impossible and kept the people of God captive in a state of perpetual guilt. They ruled them like slaves. As for themselves, they observed these rules outwardly only, and that to impress the spiritually less literate.
~~~2. No spiritual power to bless man.
The so-called observance of these laws did nothing to advance their relationship with God. They had no relationship with Him and therefore no spiritual power to heal man’s body nor spirit. It was about the Law of God and not about the God of the Law. More rules than love. They stood between God and man, making religion a painful burden instead of a delight as it was for Enoch, Abraham, David and Moses.
~~~3. No divine love.
When Jesus commensed His earthly ministry, He did so by revealing His Father’s eternal love for mankind. The man on the street drank in his words like parched earth absorbing the early rain. He healed their sick, cleansed their lepers, cast out demons from their children, and raised their dead. He spoke words of comfort, hope, and encouragement. He taught that the Law and the teachings of the prophets could be summed up in one, Great Commandment: “Love God with all your heart and your neighbour as yourself”. He put love back into the interpretation of the Law. No wonder that great crowds followed Him continually (although some did so for selfish reasons). His ministry was in stark contrast to that of the Jewish leaders.
~~~4. False icons.
Moreover, He exposed their hypocrisy and denounced them in the hearing of the crowds, calling them blind guides and whitewashed tombs, having a beautiful appearance on the outside, but full of dead men’s bones on the inside.
~~~5. Venomous enemies.
All of this left them in a state of disrepute, gnashing their teeth in anger. At the same time, they were green with jealousy because of the power Jesus had to perform miracles and for the following He enjoyed.
~~~6. An evil solution.
They had no honorable answer to this dilemma. Then, in desperation, they concluded that there was only one way out: putting him to death, removing and silencing him forever. To justify such a harsh deed, the High Priest put forward that he feared that Jesus would lead a rebellion against the Roman government who would therein find a reason to wipe out the Jewish nation.
~~~7. Blind leaders lead their blind followers over an eternal abyss.
The combined effect of their self-conceit, jealousy, and hatred blinded them to all the evidence that Jesus was the Son of God, their promised Messiah. (So sure were they of their cause that they were willing to take upon themselves and their children the injustice that Pilate saw in Jesus’ crucifixion. (Could this be one of the reasons why their descendants have afterwards sometimes suffered so terribly and still have to fight for their survival day by day?)
These, then, were the causes of Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
B. JESUS DENIED BY PETER (Please read Luke 22:54-62)
Peter, very sure of himself, had promised Jesus in the upper room shortly before that he was even willing to die for Him. The Lord had however warned him that he would soon deny Him. Here we see how this prophecy came true.
a. Peter followed Jesus.
During Jesus’ arrest, His disciples all fled, but Peter later followed the captors at a distance. Jesus was taken first to Annas and then to the palace of Caiaphas, the High Priest, where they kept Him under arrest in the courtyard. At the request of someone (probably John) who was a friend of the High Priest, Peter was allowed into the premises where he joined others around a fire that had been lit because of the cold. He was there, of course, because he truly loved the Lord Jesus and was concerned about what would become of Him, and one must give him credit for the courage he displayed.
b. He did not understand the plan of God and cherished his own expectations.
Although Jesus had informed His disciples of His coming suffering and death, they never truly understood its purpose or took it to heart. They still hoped that He would use His power to overthrow the Roman government and re-establish the Kingdom of Israel. Peter may have secretly hoped that even now Jesus would suddenly go over to action, destroy His opponents and walk out, a free Man. Peter would then, of course, have joined Him triumphantly.
c. Once, twice …
But it would not be. Just the opposite happened. Suddenly a maidservant approached, looked at him intently, then exclaimed excitedly: “This man was also with Him!” Peter immediately responded with a fierce: “Woman, I do not know Him!” With a pounding heart, he probably held his breath that the soldiers would not arrest him. Mercifully nothing more happened. But, he was just beginning to relax when another bystander noticed him and made a similar indignant remark: “You are also one of them!” Again Peter denied it with a loud: “Man, I am not!” Again he escaped arrest. The flickering light of the fire of course spread only a faint glow and when he reacted so angrily, the two accusers accepted that they had been mistaken.
d. Three times … .
He could breathe again and after an hour he again began to relax; but then it happened a third time: a person who was present when He had cut off the ear of the High Priest’s servant, stood threateningly closer by. With more conviction than the previous two, he pointed his finger at him declaring: “Surely this man also was with Him, for he is also a Galilean!” Now the fat was in the fire and Peter desperately cried out: “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Matthew even says that Peter cursed himself in his zeal to excuse himself.
e. The crowing of a rooster carries a painful message.
Just then, while he was still speaking, a terrible thing happened: day was breaking and suddenly a cock greeted humanity with loud crowing. The formerly brave disciple heard it clearly and turned pale. He forgot the people around him, turned and looked at Jesus, aghast with fear. At that very moment the Lord also turned from his persecuters and looked straight at his dear disciple. Shocked, Peter remembered His words: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
f. Flattened.
What did he see in Jesus’ eyes: reproach, condemnation? No, probably just sadness, perhaps sympathy. Overwhelmed by emotion, he stumbled outside and the big, brave fisherman burst into an uncontrollable flood of tears.
He had always considered himself a strong man, a leader, but now he had to find out how weak he really was. While he had followed the Lord triumphantly as He healed the sick, cleansed lepers, raised the dead, and wisely refuted the words of His accusers, his faith had been like a banner flying high, but now, in the midst of persecution, he had fallen like a great tree cut down just above the ground.
g. Our Embarrassment is God’s Opportunity.
God knows our hearts and that is why He allows us to end up in painful situations so that we can get to know ourselves; know who we really are. It is then when we get to know our weaknesses, that we learn to watch and pray, and trust God to work His power in us, because our hearts are willing, but our human nature is oh, so weak.
C. JESUS BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN (Please read Luke 22:63-71).
a. Has any nation ever treated its god like this?
Earlier, in Gethsemane, Jesus had declared that the hour of the powers of darkness had come, the moment when the Light of the World would voluntarily surrender Himself to the powers of darkness to be done with as they pleased. The devil used every dirty and vile act to humiliate and discourage Jesus, so that He would give up His mission to save humanity. Even the servants mocked Him and struck Him in the face. Has any nation on earth ever humiliated their idol, their god, as much as the people of Israel did their Messiah? Him, the only Son of the only God Who had led them out of Egypt, and gave them, slaves of the Pharao, a beautiful land of their own?
b. A farce.
When we study this trial, it is important to note that the Jewish leaders had no intention of determining whether Jesus was guilty or not. They had already decided on this beforehand, even though they could not define or describe his crime. There, in the house of Caiaphas where He was being held, the Chief priests, elders, and the entire Sanhedrin, contrary to the provisions of their own laws, met in the night hours to find charges against Him, so they could have Him crucified. As the trial progressed, they became desperate because, after three years of ministry amongst them, no one could bring anything concrete against Him .
c. The judge provokes the accused to commit a capital crime.
When Caiaphas realised that they were getting nowhere in finding legal charges against Jesus, he tried to create charges by provoking him to commit, what he considered, would amount to blasphemy. He namely made Him swear by God (Matt 26:53) to say whether He was the Son of God. Jesus, of course, did not hesitate to do so, for that was Who He really was. The moment He did so, Caiaphas tore his clothes, turned to the Sanhedrin, and exclaimed, “What further need do we have of witnesses?” The Council, of course, agreed and found Jesus guilty. The first blow had been struck; the first victory gained.
But now they had to persuade the Governor, Pontius Pilate, to confirm their finding and condemn Jesus to death because they were not authorized by the Roman government to impose the death penalty.
D. JESUS BEFORE PILATE (Please read Luke 23:1-25)
a. A hasty court.
It is a principle of every sound legal system that an accused be informed beforehand of the charges that will be brought against him so that he can think it over, then prepare for his defense. For this the Jewish leaders found no time; they wanted to see Jesus nailed to a cross that very day.
b. Jurisdiction?
They however faced another problem: Pilate’s court was concerned with crimes such as robbery, murder, and the overthrow of the Roman government. For a person to claim to be the Son of God, was not something that court had any business with, and therefore his bench was unwilling to condemn someone accused of this; it was outside of his jurisdiction; he had no authority to do so.
c. A trial without an indictment.
The Jews therefore had to come forward with some other complaint and supporting evidence. So, firstly they accused Him of inciting the population not to pay taxes to the Roman Caesar; then that He claimed to be the king of the Jews and thus undermined the authority of Rome. They pretended to have the interests of the Emperor, the State, at heart. What a farce! It was also a lie because Jesus took a coin on occasion, showed the Emperor’s image on it to those present and urged them to pay to the Emperor what was due him. He never indicated that He intended to establish an earthly kingdom and rule over it as king.
d. “I find the accused innocent. “
Pilate, who had much experience in adjudicating legal cases, decided early on in the trial that there was no corroborating evidence before the court to find the accused guilty of a crime that warranted the death penalty. His verdict was therefore short and concise: “I find no fault in this man.”
e. A new indictment, a new court and a new judge.
Then the Jews came up with a new charge, namely that Jesus was a seditionist, stirring up unrest amongst the people. In the process, it was mentioned that He was from Galilee. In this Pilate saw a way of escape, a way to get rid of the Jews by referring Jesus’ case to Herod, the ruler of Galilee who was visiting Jerusalem.
E. JESUS BEFORE HEROD (Please read Luke 23: 8 – 12).
a. The accused ignores the judge and is again found not guilty.
Herod was very pleased to have Jesus before him and hoped to be entertained by Him as a magician would do by performing magic tricks. To provoke Him to this, he attacked Him with question upon question. Jesus, however saw through Herod’s motives from the outset and did not stoop to his level by answering his questions. At this Herod was embarrassed and humiliated before his courtiers because the prisoner had ignored his majesty; had not cringed and pleaded with him to spare his life. In anger he treated Jesus with contempt, mockingly clothed him in a shining robe, then sent him back to Pilate.
This collusion between Pilate and Herod brought them closer together and made them forget their old enmity. There is a brotherhood between evildoers, especially when it comes to rebellion against God.
What is important to note, is that Jesus was also not found guilty by this second independent court of law.
F. JUDAS COMMITS SUICIDE (Please read Matt 27:3-10; Acts 1:16-19)
a. Too late for tears.
The proverb says: “Regret comes too late.” Judas had been afforded three years to get his life in order but had wasted the time. His heart had remained hard and cold towards his Master. In this, the devil saw his opportunity and persuaded him to betray Jesus. Now, at this point in time, when Jesus had been condemned by the Sanhedrin, and acquitted by two courts of state, Judas realized that he had betrayed innocent blood. Mentally overcome by the horror of what he had done, he tried to find inner peace by compensating with a “good deed” in returning the money he had received for the betrayal. This would not do. Of him Jesus said: “ The Son of Man indeed goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if that man had not been born. ” (Matt 26:24). He had finally quenched the working of the Holy Spirit in his life (1Thes 5:19).
b. Strain out the gnat but swallow the camel.
The chief priests did not hesitate to condemn “innocent blood” to death but had a bad conscience about accepting the money they had paid to get Jesus into their power, back into the temple treasury. Why did they call it “blood money”? Possibly because it led to the shedding of Jesus’ blood.
Another prophecy was hereby fulfilled (Zech 11:13).
G. JESUS CONDEMNED TO DEATH BY PILATE (Please read Luke 23:13 – 24)
a. The judge first confirms his previous ruling.
When Pilate saw that his plan to saddle Herod with this tricky court case had failed, he realized that he would have to accept the responsibility himself. The thought of offering the Jews a consolation prize, came to mind. So he called all the persecutors (plaintiffs) together and told them that neither he, nor Herod, had found any guilt in Jesus; certainly nothing that deserved the death penalty. He would, nevertheless, give Him a proper beating, then release Him. In so doing, he would also show them his goodwill and fulfiil his duty by releasing a Jewish criminal to them at their Passover.
b. A wavering judge.
At this offer, however, the whole crowd, incited by the priests, shouted at the top of their voices: “Away with him. Release Barabbas to us!”. Pilate started worrying seriously. The priests were a very influential group and capable of inciting the Jewish community of Jerusalem to revolt against Rome. This would land him in deep trouble with the Emperor because he was responsible for maintaining peace and tranquility within the territory under his rule.
c. A judge is warned by God.
Then another important thing happened, putting more pressure on him. While presiding and involved in dispute with the Jews, a servant brought him a note from his wife. It read that he should “have nothing to do” with this righteous Man because she had suffered greatly in a dream for His sake (Matt. 27:19). Could it have been God Himself who had intervened to keep him from a great injustice?
Right from the start of the trial, Pilate had realized that the real reason for the charges against Jesus, was the Jewish leaders’ intense jealousy of Him. His miracles, authoritative, wise teaching and holy living caused the nation to keep him in awe, even desiring him as their leader. By having him executed, their supremacy would be proved and their honour as leaders restored. The whole nation would see that they, the Priests, Pharisees and Scribes, were more powerful than the carpenter Hero from Galilee; that He was unable to save himself from their hands.
d. A judge “pleads ” on behalf of a defendant.
For a third time, Pilate made a desperate attempt to persuade them to abandon their insistence on the death penalty (Matt. 27:20-26). He appealed to their sense of justice by pointing out again that he could find no fault in Him and challenging them to say what fault they did find in Him.
Again he offered to scourge Him, then let Him go, but they out-shouted him with their united bloodthirsty cry of: “Crucify Him, crucify Him.”
e. A defendant who does not participate in his trial.
Throughout this entire conflict between Pilate and the crowds, Jesus did not utter a single word. This astonished the Governor and probably also unnerved him.
f. A judge forever stains his hands with innocent blood.
Pilate’s political career was more important to him than his judicial duty to see justice done. When he saw that there was no other way to save himself from ruin, he yielded to the pressure, took a basin of water, washed his hands in it in the sight of the crowds, declaring, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man; you see to it.” This would however not free him of guilt. By failing to declare Jesus not guilty and releasing him from custody, Pilate confirmed the Jews’ judgment and sentenced him to death by cucifixuion. A court of law ordered capital punishment for an unknown crime!
The Roman soldiers later nailed Jesus to the cross at his, Pontius Pilate’s command. It would forever go down in history that Pontius Pilate crucified the holy, guiltless, Son of God.
Every man has certain things for which God holds him responsible, accountable. For these he must accept personal responsibility and daily pray to the Lord to enable him to fulfill them according to His directions.
g. A people stains itself with the blood of its Messiah.
“Let his blood be on us and on our children!” they shouted back. Then Pilate released Barabbas, had Jesus flogged, and then ordered him to be crucified (Matt 27:25).
H. JESUS’ TORTURE AND MOCKING (Matt 27:27-31; Mark 15:16-20)
Earlier in the trial, Pilate had Jesus flogged. The soldiers also plaited a crown of thorns and placed it on His head and put a purple robe around Him (John 19:1-5).
Now, after the trial, he handed Him over to a band of about 200 soldiers to be crucified. Before they took Him to Golgotha, they further tortured Him. These rough warriors who had little respect for life, all conjured to mock, belittle and inflict pain upon Jesus. He writes about this in Ps 22: “Many bulls have surrounded me, strong ones of Bashan have surrounded me. ” It was the hour of the forces of evil.
I. CLOSING REMARKS
a. “He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him… ”
Jesus was not crucified by the Gentiles but by the Jews, His own people, His chosen ones, those who had received millions of blessings from His hand over the course of hundreds of years, the only people on earth who held His written Word in their hands and in whose capital city His temple stood. Hundreds of years earlier, God had also complained that His people drew near to Him with their lips, but that their hearts were far from Him and that their worship consisted in the observance of man-made rules and regulations (Isaiah 29:13). Notice also that the Lord’s “Church” chose a criminal, Barabbas, above Him, a perfectly righteous man.
b. “Barabbas, ” is still chosen above Jesus every day.
What was true of the “believers” back then, is unfortunately also true of so many so-called Christians today who serve their church, but not their God. They attend the services, yes even the occasional prayer and Bible studies, but have no contact with their Creator. They are in the church, but not of the “Church.” They are part of the Barabbas group and not of the Jesus group. They “shout for” Barabbas, not for Jesus. Who do you “shout for” when you are outside the church walls?
c. Why didn’t anyone testify for Him at His trial?
Another question that comes to mind is: where were the multitudes of people whom Jesus had healed, delivered and fed? Did not even one of them have the urge to step forward at His trial and testify to the good He had done them: Lazarus whom He had raised from the dead, Bartimaeus whose blind eyes He had opened, the woman who was healed of her flow of blood and so many others?
d. A tragic choice.
As for Governor Pontius Pilate: he was the man who had the Son of God crucified. He knew he was doing wrong but would rather crucify, yes, murder, his God and Creator than suffer for what was right and honourable. Did he later find peace by the Blood of the Man he had murdered or is he still trying to wash His blood from his hands to this day?
e. The Pilate decision we all face.
Government officials daily find themselves in the position of having to make unpopular decisions. Many sadly fail the test as Pilate did, protecting their own interests, siding with the mob. Let us fervently pray for those who diligently walk the narrow path and bear the consequences of being deprived of promotions or even suspended from positions of authority.
What about you and me? Holding up the lamp of truth and being the salt of righteousness in a dark, wicked world, is what we are here for. If you truly walk the narrow way of the cross, you will most certainly often face a situation where you will publicly have to make the Pilate choice: Christ or Barabbas. Are you ready for it?
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