THE TRIAL OF ALL AGES

Text: Matthew 26:57-68 and 27:1-2 & 11-26;  Mark 14:53-65 and 15:1-15

          Luke 22:63-71 and 23:1-25;  John 18:12-15 & 19-24, 28-40 and 19:1-22

Throughout the course of history many men have been brought to various courts of law and been made to stand trial. Some were innocent and some guilty, some famous and some not so famous. We have all read of the trial of Benedict Arnold for his act of treason during the Revolutionary War, his conviction and his public reprimand and the cowardly act of him fleeing to Britain for his safety. We also are familiar with the trial of Aaron Burr for the slaying of Alexander Hamilton in a duel. The trial of Joan of Arc for sorcery and witchcraft and subsequently being burned at the stake; and the trial and public be-heading of King Charles I of England, which many believe led to the writing and the adoption of such documents as the Magna Carta in England, the Bill of Rights and writs of Habeas Corpus in the United States of America.

There is little doubt but what these trials and others greatly affected the way of life in several different countries. Yet there was one trial throughout the records of human events and journals of history that has in one way or another affected all of man-kind, and makes all other trials pale in comparison. You see, these above mentioned trials were based on secular issues such as taxes, writs, mans sense of morality or lack of same. The trial that overshaded all is the trial of Jesus of Nazarath, the one born of a virgin who was and is GOD manifest in the flesh. This is the trial upon which we will focus this study.

It was during the time of the Passover, some 1,970 years ago, that the man we know as Jesus of Nazarath was betrayed by a supposed friend and disciple, a follower named Judas of the city of Kerioth. This has always struck me as being that very first instant that gave birth to the old saying, “with friends such as this, we don’t need enemies.”  The scripture tells us that Jesus was be­trayed by this friend, Judas, and delivered into the hands of those which hated Him...John 18:1-14!  We need to seriously reflect upon the trial of Jesus of Nazarath, if for no other reason than that the events before, during and after His trial are central to the very tenets of our Christian faith!  That would be His life, His death and His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven.

Matthew 13:55-58, Mark 6:3;  The Jews in His day referred to Jesus with such contempt as "the carpenters son" and do so even today. We who are his, know Him as Jesus the Christ, the only begotten son of GOD. . .John 1:14 & 18!  I Peter 1: 19-20 tells all that He is the lamb slain from before the foundation of the world (this presupposes him in Old Testament times as the lamb prepared for the Passover sacrifice). The trial of Jesus and His execution at the urging of the Jewish mob accomplished for us the one thing which would free us from our sins and reconcile us to the loving care of YAHWEH-GOD. Romans 5:12, when Adam, the Federal head of our race fell into sin, we all sinned, and as he died, we also shall die. However, it only stands to reason that if a kinsman is responsible for our death, a kinsman could also be responsible for life. Romans 5:15-21. It says so right here folks, if sin by one man can bring upon man judgement by condemnation, the righteousness of one man can give us the free gift unto justification of life. In keeping with the law of God, it would take the price paid by a near kinsman to redeem once again that which was lost or placed in abeyance, and we see this happen as is told in Hebrews 2:9-17. Reconciliation can only be made after a price is paid in full and verse 17 is clear on the point that only Christ was able to make payment in full and verse 13 says it is only for those whom the Father has given Him. Colossians 1:18-22 lays out the root cause and effect of the act of the "Atonement made, price paid and reconciliation established thru the blood of Christ on that last Alter of sacrifice, the Cross"! 

Before we can continue we must establish one important fact which must be existant before a criminal trial is allowed to commence and that is, “there has to be evidence that a crime has been committed". There can be no indictment issued in a legitimate court unless a crime is proven to have been committed. Next we have to establish "what the crime really is", and we turn to I John 3:4 and read; “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is transgression of the law.” (Sin is english for "chata", a primitive root word in the Hebrew which means lead astray or condemn; "chet", a crime or offence. From the Greek it is, "hamartia", meaning offence, to miss the mark, tres­pass or sin.) (Transgresseth is from the Greek word "anomia" meaning wicked­ness and violation of law). Sin is a crime against the law, and if you ask whose law, I will say to you, “Sin is a crime against the law  of God.”  So in all reality we must say that Crime & sin and criminal & sinner are terms which are cut from the same cloth. Now we have a question for the Social World Church, “What are you in the business of doing?” If as your doctrine states, the law of God has been done away with there can-not now be  crimes committed,  sins to be held accountable for, or transgressions made. Thus there are no sinners to be redeemed and no repentance required to be made.

Jesus Christ, being betrayed and falsely accused was placed under arrest then arraigned and indicted on the criminal charge of blasphemy upon the whim of the sanhedrin council. The question which must be addressed is, “Was the trial of Jesus of Nazarath legal or lawful?

I.) The Biblical record discloses three distinct elements of illegality in the arrest of Jesus:

(1) The arrest took place at night in violation of Hebrew law;

(2)The arrest was effected through the agency of a traitor and informer, in violation of a provision in the Mosaic Code and a Rabbinic rule based thereon; 

(3)The arrest was not made from the result of a legal court mandate or an investigation by such whose intent would be to conduct a legal trial for the purpose of reaching a righteous judgement.

The fact that the arrest of Jesus took place at night is attested to in the writings of John 18:3 where it states that the men and officers representing the chief priests and the pharisees came with lanterns, torches and weapons. Then Judas, being an employee of these other mercenaries for the wages of 30-pieces of silver, constitutes the second unlawful and illegal act in the arrest of Jesus. The arrest of Jesus was ordered upon the supposition that He was a criminal and a law breaker, and this would have meant that Judas was an accomplice as he had aided and abetted Jesus at times in the propagation of the faith. If the Sanhedrin did not see Judas as an accomplice then Jesus should have been seen as innocent of all charges and not subjected to arrest or harassment by these who accused Him. The mandate for the arrest did not come from a court whose intentions were to conduct a legal trial for the purpose of reaching a righteous judgement. Rather, it was the execution of an illegal and factious resolution of the Jewish Sanhedrin Council. The arrest of Jesus was made as an executive act rather than a Judicial one, and was accomplished in view of a sentence to be pronounced without legal justification.

II.) The private examination before Annas (or Caiaphas) was illegal for the following reasons:

(1)The examination was conducted at night in violation of Hebrew law;  

(2)No judge or magistrate, sitting alone, could judicially interrogate an accused, or sit in judgement upon his legal rights; 

(3)Private preliminary examinations of accused persons were not allowed under Hebrew Law.

Following is a general order of events following the arrest of Jesus: He was first taken to the house of Annas; after a brief delay He was sent by Annas to the high priest Caiaphas, in whose Palace the Sanhedrin, or a part of it, had already been assembled; Jesus was then brought before this group and was tried and condemned; He was held for the duration of the night, in the palace of this High Priest, and was exposed to the many insults and outrages of His keepers and jailers (who in reality tormented and tortured Him). He was finally sentenced to death by the Sanhedrin which had then reconvened at the break of day. Mark 14:60-64.

III.) The indictment against Jesus was, in form, illegal, as is made plain in gospel records:

(1)The accusation at the trial before Caiaphas was twofold, vague and indefinite;

(2)The accusation was made in part by the High Priest who was one of the judges, while Hebrew Law forbade any but leading witnesses to present the charge. The Sanhedrin could not originate charges, it was to investigate the charges brought before it. Biblical record has shown us that Caiaphas originated the charge of blasphemy, which was an illegality. He also leveled the charge of sedition against Him by declaring that it was the intent of Jesus to destroy a national institution i.e. the Temple. .Mark 14:58 (this charge was brought on hear-say of false witnesses alone).

IV. The proceedings of the Sanhedrin were illegal because they were con­ducted at night. Hebrew jurisprudence positively forbade the trial of a capital case to proceed at night. Since the infraction of this rule would involve the question of jurisdiction, a court without jurisdiction could pronounce no valid verdict or judgement. A court which convenes and acts at a time forbidden by law has no jurisdiction. Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane about midnight and His first trial took place between two and three o’clock in the morning. Why do you think things were done in this manner? From what I have read in the gospel of Matthew 21:1-15, I will venture to guess that the fear of GOD was in the heart of the Jews. They knew that after witnessing His triumphant entrance into Jerusalem while riding on the colt of an ass, no charges in a legal open court would ever stand. They knew that a proper daylight trial under legal forms and with Jesus’ friends as witnesses they would have an acquittal on their hands.

V. The proceedings of the Sanhedrin were illegal because the court was con­vened before the offering of the morning sacrifice, which lasted for about one hour. Any session of court before the morning sacrifice would then be one which is considered as a night session. Also, consider this, “The constitution of the Hebrew Commonwealth (the Royal Law of GOD given at Mount Sinai) was an emanation of the mind of YAHWEH, and the Temple in which the court met was His residence on earth, and the judges who formed the great sanhedrin were the administrators of His will. It is then reasonable to suppose that an invocation, in sacrifice and prayer, of His guidance and authority would be the first step in any and all judicial proceedings conducted in His name. Thus it is entirely probable that the morning sacrifice was made by law an indispensable prerequisite to the assembling of the supreme Tribunal of Israel before the transaction of any serious business. This gives us reason to believe that if these rules of Law were not followed the court had no jurisdiction or authority to act".

VI. The proceedings against Jesus were illegal and unlawful because they were conducted on the day preceding a Sabbath; They were also held on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the eve of the Passover. The law reads; Exodus 20:8-11, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of YAHWEH thy GOD: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days YAHWEH made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore YAHWEH blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exodus 35:2-3 states that whoever doeth any work on the Sabbath shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitation upon the Sabbath day. There is a conflict or difference of opinion as to whether Jesus was tried on the first day of the celebration of the Passover or on the day preceding it. But from a legal point of view it becomes immaterial since the law forbade a trial on a Feast Day or on the day preceding it.

VII.) The trial of Jesus was illegal because it was concluded within one day. A trial that convenes after the morning sacrifice and ends prior to sunset of that same day, if it is a capital crimes trial, may not end in a decision of guilt or innocence and have punishment named or carried out in that period of time. Sunset begins a new day, and the judges in a capital crime trial must, in accordance with Hebrew Law, retire to their homes for fur­ther mediation. They must abstain from eating heavy food and drinking wine They were to do nothing that could keep them from correct thinking. The next day things would be reviewed to detect possible errors if any had been made previously, and it could not be before that afternoon that a final decree could be made and a capital sentence given.

VIII.) The sentence of condemnation which had been pronounced against Jesus by the Sanhedrin was illegal because it was founded upon His uncorroborated confession alone. It is a fundamental principle of jurisprudence that no one can bring an accusation against himself, the reason for the rule being that the witness who confessed was his own relative and a relative is not a competant witness under Hebrew law. Modern jurists feel that men have been known to confess to certain crimes to gain a certain notoriety or in some instances, the weak-minded have been induced to do so by others. We read in Numbers 35:30, “but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.” Also in Deuteronomy 17:6 we are told the same thing, that the death penalty can only be given at the testimony of two or three witnesses. It also stipulates here that, “at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.”

IX.) The condemnation of Jesus was illegal because the verdict of the Sanhedrin was unanimous. We find this hard to believe when compared to our system of trial by jury where it takes a unanimous decision to reach a verdict of guilty. However, under Hebrew Law there were no lawyers or any advocates to argue for the defense of one charged. Thus the judges were the defenders as well as the prosecutors. Now if a verdict came back as 100% saying guilty in favor of death it was evident that the prisoner had no friend of the court or defender. A verdict of 100% guilty was looked at as the equivalent of mob violence(which this court was guilty of). It at the very least argued a conspiracy. You ask, How could they ever convict under Hebrew law? The answer is simple, a majority of votes by two or any less than unanimity would convict. A vote with a majority of one would acquit. The Great Sanhedrin consisted of 71-members so it took 37 to con­vict, and 36 would acquit. Mark 14:64 is proof that the condemnation of Jesus was illegal in so much as, “they all(all who were present) condemned Him to be guilty of a crime to death.”

X). The proceedings against Jesus were illegal in that;

(1) The sentence of condemnation was passed and pronounced in a place forbidden by law;

(2) The High Priest rent (tore) his clothes;

(3) The balloting was irregular. In the trial of capital cases, the Great Sanhedrin was required to meet in an apartment of the National Temple at Jerusalem, known as the Hall of Hewn Stones. Outside of this Hall, no capital trial could be held and no capital sentence could be pronounced. .Deuteronomy 17:8-13, paying particular attention to verse 8. The council had to meet and remain in that place which was chosen by God, yet we know that Jesus was tried in the palace of Caiaphas. John 18:28 declares, "They led Jesus from Caiaphas unto theHall of Judgement", and this Hall of Judgement was not the Hall of Hewn Stone, it was rather, the Praetorium of Pontus Pilate. Now, we read from Leviticus 10:6 where Moses told Aaron and Eleazar and Ithamarhis, his sons, not  to uncover their heads nor to rend their clothes because they were made after the express orders of God and were figurative of His office. This is a law given Moses at Sinai, not some added Rabbinic ruling.

Next, the Hebrew Law required that each judge, when it came time for him to vote should rise in his place, declare his vote and state his reasons for voting that particular way. In all capital cases the balloting began with the youngest member and proceeded upward to the High Priest who was generally among the oldest. Two scribes were to be present to record the votes and the reasons for each vote being cast the way it was. Now, lets review the language of scripture in connection with the decision: "Ye have heard the blasphemy, what think ye? And they all condemned Him to be guilty of death.” It is very clear that the balloting was not done in a singular fashion as the Law required. In fact it is shown that the vote was taken “en masse”, or as we would suspect a unanimous voice vote. According to Matthew 26:65, Caiaphas, before calling for the votes exclaimed: “He hath spoken blasphemy” and vs 66 “What think ye?” Under Hebrew Law he should have kept his personal opinion con­cealed until all others had voted.

XI). The members of the Great Sanhedrin were legally disqualified to try Jesus. In the days of the Israelite Nation before the dispersion and before the division into two seperate nations or kingdoms, the members of the Great Sanhedrin represented the most perfect mental, moral and physical aspect of the Hebrew people. A man who had a serious mental, moral or physical defect could not serve on the council. He must be learned in the written and the unwritten law. He must have judicial experience and be an accomplished linguist. He had to have been modest, popular, of good appearance and free from haughtiness. He must have been pious, strong and courageous. And above all else he must have been friendly in his attitude toward the accu­sed. At the time of Christ the Sanhedrin under Roman rule, and infiltrated by those of "dubious ancestry" had grown to be degenerate and corrupt. They were the tools of the Roman soldiers, as they were appointed and removed from office by the Roman governor of the country. Biblical and secular history are proof that the Sanhedrin were the enemies of Jesus and were thus disqualified to try Him. These men believed in but one thing their own infallible authority and in the perfection of their own souls above all else. How it must have galled them to hear the words of Jesus Christ. Matthew 23:2-7, “The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat, do not  after their works: for they say and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on mens shoulders...But all their works they do to be seen of men:...and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues. And greetings in the markets..” Vs-13 ..."for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men". .vs-14.".ye devour widows houses" . .vs-15, "ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him two-fold more the child of hell than your­selves". Verse 33, "Ye serpents, ye generation(race)of vipers", vs35 "That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth". These words of Jesus were a sting unto this race of serpents forever, and the Jews of today carry the conviction of these words with them where ever they may be found.

XII.) The condemnation of Jesus was illegal because the merits of the defense  were never considered. The actual trial of any criminal or capital case shows two essential parts, the accusation and the defense. The absence of the element of defense makes the proceedings no trial at all. It is impossible, to conceive of a proper administration of justice where a defense is

not allowed. After all, the right to combat the allegations of the indictment is the essential principle of liberty under the law. The destruction of this right is the annihilation of freedom by subjecting the individual to the whims of the governing powers. Scripture has told us that the San­hedrin condemned Jesus to death upon His uncorroborated confession. The standard of thoroughness in the investigation of criminal matters is thus prescribed in the Mosaic code; Deut 13:14, “Thou shalt enquire and make search and ask diligently.” Did that High Priest ask the others on the council to do these things? Was the whole of the matter weighed in the sin­cerity of their conscience? In Mark 14:61 we read the question put forth by Caiaphas, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed"? And in the very next verse of scripture we read the reply of Jesus,”I am!” Here it is, an issue between the Commonwealth of the Jews and Jesus of Nazarath. It was the responsibility of the state to establish guilt of a crime by two or more witnesses who agreed in all essential details. If the witnesses were not present it was the duty of this court to discharge Jesus at once. The law made this demand, and it was not done. If the Council had “enquired and made search and asked diligently they would have seen the fulfillment of prophecy in Jesus Christ. At a fair trial in full daylight we would have seen many friendly witnesses whose testimony would have established an exact Messianic prophecy in His birth, life, arrest and trial:

(1)That the messiah was to be born in Bethlehem; prophecy from Micah 5:2 and fulfillment, Matthew 2:1

(2)That the Messiah was to be born of a virgin: prophecy Isaiah 7:14 and fulfillment Matthew 1:24-25 and Luke 1:26-35.

(3)That Messiah was to spring from the House of David: prophecy Jeremiah 23:5-6 and fulfillment Matthew 1:20 & Luke 1:32.

(4)Messiah sould not come until the scepter had departed from Judah and the lawgiver from between his feet: prophecy Genesis 49:10 and fulfillment Matthew 22:20-21 & John 17:31.

(5)That a forerunner like unto Elijah should prepare the way of Messiah:  prophecy Malachi 3:1;  Isaiah 40:3,  fulfillment in   Luke 7:27-28.

(6)The Messiah should begin His public ministry in Galilee: Isaiah 9:1-2 and fulfillment Matthew 4:12-25.

(7)Messiah should perform many miracles: Isaiah 35:5-6 and fulfillment Matt 12:22, Luke 5:24-25 & Matthew 11:4-5.

(8) That Messiah should make His public entry into Jerusalem riding upon an ass: prophecyZechariah 9:9 and fulfillment Matthew 21:6-9.

(9)That Messiah should be betrayed by one of His followers for 30-pieces of silver which would be thrown into a potters field: prophecy Zechariah 11:12-13 and fulfillment Matt 26:14-15 & Matt 27:2-8.

(10)Messiah would be a man of poverty and of suffering; and should be despised and rejected of men: prophecy Isaiah 53:3 and fulfillment Luke 9:58 & Mark 15:19-20

Through reasonable diligence,  witnesses might have been secured to tes­tify to most of the points mentioned above. So the question is, “If all of the evidence marked prophecy and fulfillment could have been introduced at the trial before the Sanhedrin would the judges have been morally bound to acquit and release Jesus if they believed the testimony to be true? The only answer possible is a resounding YES.”

Again, let us suppose that those judges had demanded of Jesus scriptural proof that the divine Son of God was to be born of a woman and was to have therefore, the form of a man and the attributes of a human being. He may have offered and produced the following passages: Isaiah 7:14. . “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”, (which is to say, God with us). Genesis 3:15, "And I will put enmity betwee thee and the woman, and between thy seed, and her seed; and it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel. From the Book of Enoch 62:5 "And one portion of them shall look upon the other, and they will be terrified, and their countenance will fall, and pain will seize them when they see that Son of Woman sitting on the throne of his glory". The first passage is so self explanatory we need not add to it. The second is no mystery to the elect of GOD in CHRIST who are aware that the seed of the serpent entered into the realm of human-kind in the Garden of Eden when Eve was seduced by that Old serpent the devil and brought forth his son, Cain. The announcement also shows us a promise and a prophecy. A promise of a redeemer of fallen man and a prophecy that the redeemer would also triumph over the power of sin and death the curse of satan. His victory over Satan suggests His Divine source and Power.

The Jewish  Sanhedrin  placed Jesus on trial illegally and pronounced Him guilty unlawfully. They may have turned Him over to Pilate and the Romans may have executed Him outwardly as was prescribed by law. However, it is the Holy Bible that states unequivocally that it was the Jews who murdered the Saviour, Jesus Christ, I Thessalonians 2:14-15. “IN BLACK AND WHITE PAUL SAID, “FOR YE ALSO HAVE SUFFERED LIKE THINGS OF YOUR OWN COUNTRY MEN, EVEN AS THEY HAVE OF THE JEWS: WHO BOTH KILLED THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THEIR OWN PROPHETS, AND HAVE PERSECUTED US...”  (Is there one who reads this and fails to see that Paul has made a line of distinction between the people of Thessalonica, who were Israelites...and the JEWS!!)

What do the writers of the scripture have to say of Jesus; I Peter 1:19,  "But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish or spot (without sin)". Paul tells us in Romans 8:1-3 that Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh and condemned sin in the flesh. II Cor 5:17-21, Jesus Christ who knew no sin was made, to be sin for us (to bear our sins as our redeemer). Galatians 4:4-5 Christ came under the law as law incar­nate. He was never a law breaker, nor was He born in the flesh under the law to abolish the law.

Scripture establishes that Jesus had no sin and that He was not a law breaker. Hebrew law did not allow a trial by a lone or single judge. A court of 3-judges was the smallest allowed and that, to handle what we today would refer to as misdemeanors. Each town of at least 120 families had a minor Sanhedrin composed of 71-judges. There were23 each in the chamber of priests, elders and scribes and two presiding officers. Lawful court hours began after the morning sacrifice at approximately 6:00am and was halted before the evening sacrifice at approximately 6:00pm (sunrise and sunset). No part of any trial, Civil or Criminal could be legally heard except during the hours of 6:00am - 6:00pm! In the course of a trial and after hearing the evidence each judge gave a statement with his views on the case. A vote was taken and if the accused was acquitted he was immediately released. At  this point it needs to be made clear that Bible law took great care to see that an innocent man was not convicted. If a man were found guilty, the trial was recessed until the next day when the evidence was reconsider­ed and arguments made once more as to guilt or innocence and validity of evidence. Another vote would be taken and the only votes that could be changed at all were the ones from Guilty to not guilty. A minimum of 37 votes was needed to convict. If a 100% guilty vote came on the first ballot the prisoner was released and given acquittal for the conviction was felt to have been made as a result of passion and prejudice.

Jesus was sent to His death on the Cross with the final statement made by the Roman governor, Pontus Pilate, echoing forever throughout history, “I find no fault in him” and this relates to the truth of I Peter 2:21-25. Truly there was no sin nor guile in Him. As sons of the living God and heirs of the Kingdom we who are the Anglo-Saxon Israel of God lay claim to the promises made to our ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the safety as found in Exodus 34:23-24, Exodus 30:11-16 and Leviticus 23:4-14. Our Saviour went to the Cross and suffered and died so that we might be reconciled to the Father. He did not do this because He had to,  "it was done as an act of Grace, Love and mercy"!

Through those of us who will make up His remnant in the earth in these latter days, He will work great and wonderful things. God selected us as a peculiar people and a treasure unto Himself. We are to be a covenant keeping people a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy (seperate) nation. Luke 19:13 says for us to be a people who take dominion in the earth in the name of YAHWEH-ELOHIM and to occupy this earth in His name.

We do not map out our own destiny, and the example which Christ gave us as He submitted to the will of the Father and accepted the cup of wrath,  is the example we are to set for our children. We are on trial in this world, not nearly so severe as was Jesus, but we are on trial. We will be vict­orious in the outcome of our trial as we turn loose of the things of the world and embrace the will of God in our lives.  "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit".....Amen!!

PASTOR RICK GIESENSCHLAG

CHRISTS’ CHURCH  MILITANT

Copyright (C) 2000 a.d.