The Kangaroo Court (Part B)

We know, because the Bible tells us later, that the saints will be with Him. And we should have a blessed assurance of our faith. We're not ashamed. We're not ashamed of Christ. And that means that we believe Him when He says, He who believes in me, though he shall die, he will live. He's not going to die.

He's going to be with me. Whatever happens and comes our way and says that's not true, we rebuke it with truth. The Old Testament law, which these men were supposed to be dedicated to uphold, required at least two witnesses against the accused before they could condemn them to death. Well, they don't have the two witnesses. They don't have one witness. They're going to keep at it, aren't they? Are they not? In verse 56, it continues, For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.

Why? Why did they bear false witness against Him? What did He do to any of these people? Human beings, so messed up by sin.

It's, again, intentional. For many bore witness, not just a couple, not a few, many. Many liars eager to tell their lies at His expense. They had everything to gain favor with the court.

Who wouldn't want that? There are still many bearing false witness against Christ. You ever be around someone that thinks they know who Christ is and what He is about and they think they know the Bible's filled with contradictions and they're just ready to, you know, bear false witness against the truth?

It is, I have to admit, it is a great pleasure with satisfaction to shoot them down. But they often don't give you the chance. Well, not knowing what they were talking about did not stop them from talking about it, not caring what harm it would cause someone else. They didn't consider, hey, maybe this man has a mother that loves him or, you know, friends, and here we are prosecuting him with lies. Proverbs, Paul, before I read Proverbs, isn't it a little creepy that these righteous men knew where to find these guys? We'll read in the book of Acts that they did a similar thing against Paul, lewd men of the baser sort, says the King James. Not these same men but others wanting to stop the gospel found some thugs to come against Paul. Proverbs 14 verse 7, go from the presence of a foolish man when you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.

Don't hang around these guys. They'll bring you down. I think it's a good question for every Christian to ask themselves, do I drain the environment of joy and Christ and truth?

When I show up, is it incoming, you know, incoming or am I a blessing? You know, some Christians just, I don't know what they think, but they just are always dragging their knuckles, always sad and making no effort to fight these things. We all have a reason to be sad.

We all have reasons to drag our knuckles from time to time, but not drag others down with us. And just a reminder, because everything we're reading in Scripture is supposed to contribute to making us stronger servants of Jesus Christ. We're not reading about these guys simply because we don't like them and making these comments. Well, I'm making the comments, right?

I'm innocent. Because for the edification, that's what it's for to build up the saints for the work of ministry, for the edification of the body of Christ. And so as we consider these characters, we have to say, Lord, may this contribute to me contributing to your glory. These men were lying witnesses. We are supposed to be honorable and truthful witnesses. So they lined up, they took their oaths before God, and then they took their shots with their fabricated testimonies against the one who healed their sick, against the one who gave sight to their blind, who cleansed their lepers, who fed the hungry multitudes, who preached the truth to them.

That was life-changing, and yet this is what they do. They come and they turn against Him. Evil is energetic. It has a lot of energy, and it likes to spend that energy.

Where does it come from? Well, a lot of people don't believe there's a very real Satan that has the power to sway people. John tells us that. John says in his first letter at the end in chapter 5, the whole world is under the sway of the wicked one, and they don't even believe it, which he loves, incidentally. But their testimonies did not agree, it says in verse 56.

Christ's rejectors still can't agree on why they reject Him, though they are in agreement in their rejection. They felt that in the midst of corruption, these priests and these elders and these scribes and Pharisees, these religious officials, they felt that they should at least have an appearance of justice. What just makes the crime worse?

Why not just hire assassins? Why go to this kangaroo court? Because again, they wanted that appearance. It meant so much to them. They felt that the witnesses should at least agree on something, but they could not. They wanted someone to help them lie, even if it were with a diseased dignity. Again, the work of Satan is some serious stuff, and we who believe know it full well, and so we pray, we persevere, we look to be edified, we study to show ourselves approved workers who do not need to be ashamed.

What is that? You know, it's like, well, I didn't know what to say to the person. Well, because you aren't studying? Is that the reason, or is it just, you know, a moment that, you know, you just couldn't get it, the little spirit wasn't blessing you? And if it's, well, because I haven't been doing what I'm supposed to be doing, then we have a sense of shame. Not that it's a condemning shame, but because when the Lord points these things out, you know what, you should have had that one. He's not doing it to destroy us.

He's doing it to build us up, to make us say, yes, Lord, that's not going to happen again, at least not easily. And that is what it takes to go against the gates of hell. We've got our gates, too, and we are supposed to prevail. Sometimes it doesn't seem like that, but it is that way. Anyway, there's no honor amongst thieves, incidentally. I don't know who came up with that, you know, honor among, there's no honor, I mean, give me a break.

They're up to no good all the time. And there's no honor amongst these men, because they are thieves. Jesus said, my house should be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves. What is a den of thieves? It's where the thieves go to count their loot. That's what a den of thieves is. After they've ripped you off, and they scurry to their hideout to divvy up their loot. Well, dirty reasons to have a clear conscience, that's what's going on with these guys.

That's good enough for them, and that's why it is a kangaroo court. It is not just, and they're just hopping along doing damage to God the Son, verse 57. Though we don't lose sight, before I read verse 57, we don't lose sight that, you know, well, who was the one that crucified Jesus? Was it the Romans? Was it the Jews?

Was it me? Really, it was him in this sense. No one could crucify him without his permission.

And then you begin to peel the layers back to that, and that's why we love him so much. Anyway, verse 57, that's not the only reason why, but that is, without that reason, verse 57. Then some rose up and bore a false witness against him, saying, and a false witness is a polite way of saying, then some liars stood up. Verse 58, we heard him say, I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. They heard no such thing.

They're lying. That's why Mark is telling us. John's Gospel, chapter 2, is where, what they're referencing. Jesus answered and said to him, what sign do you show to us since you do these things? Jesus answered and said to him, pardon me, the Jews first answered, now Jesus is answering, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Out of that, out of Jesus' comment, destroy this temple in three days, and I will raise it up, they get that he's going to destroy this temple, which is, of course, not what happened.

And so we understand that. Verse 59, but not even then did their testimony agree. Well, once more, there's never been a shortage of people who have had their facts jumbled up concerning the Christ. They're conflicted in their words, but unanimous in their hostility.

They have the same disdain, disrespect for Christ. There, the Lord stood, listening to this gibberish. How difficult it is to listen to somebody, you know, mouth off lies and just gibberish.

It's really difficult, is it not? Even unbelievers understand that. They go to a church and they hear a pastor preaching things from the scripture that they don't care for, they get up and leave. They're not going to listen to it sometimes.

Otherwise, they're going to pin the needles the whole time waiting for an earthquake or somebody to pull the fire alarm to get them out of there. The Lord knew that they wanted to kill him and that they would kill him. He wasn't uncertain. You know, any human being in any court, you know, take historical figures such as Martin Luther, the Deed of Worms, he knew they wanted to kill him, but he didn't know if they would succeed or not.

Well, they did not succeed. Christ knew what he was facing. He knew that they were going to do this to him, but again, not without his permission. John's Gospel Chapter 10, Jesus said, no one takes it from me. That is his life. I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again.

And that is just what he did. And you either believe it or you do not. If you do not, you must ask yourself, have you investigated it? Many people continue to reject Christ because they refuse to look into the evidence because maybe it might be true. A lot of people want the Bible to be a lie. They can't prove it's a lie, but they want it to be. And this is where we come in to start being used by the Spirit to say, why do you think that way?

What is wrong with you? What is in the Bible that you want to be not true? And well, they may have an answer for you. And no, we are supposed to study to show ourselves the proof to have an answer, a counter answer.

Ultimately, it's going to be their choice. Verse 60 now of Mark's Gospel Chapter 14, and the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus saying, do you answer nothing what these men testify against you? The high priest, really? Of what religion?

Of what book of scripture are you the high priest of? Well, their devotion to their religion meant nothing good. What he is saying here is, Jesus, will you please help us find a legal reason to kill you? That's really what is happening here.

A.W. Toja says, they gave reign to blind hate in the name of the religion of love. Even the Jewish religion was a religion of love.

You may say, well, where? Because it doesn't, you know, say it on every page. Whenever it talks about the sacrifices, it's talking about God's love. Because it's saying to the Jewish people, there's a way for your sins to be dealt with and God doesn't have to deal with them.

But he's made a way to do this. And so when the high priest would put on his hat, it said, holiness to the Lord. The fact that he could still stand as a sinner and speak of the holiness of God, speaks of God's love. God did not just wipe men out, but he appointed them to positions that would speak about how we should approach him. And so, as Toja was saying, you know, this blind hate in the religion of love, it is very accurate. They were the very essence of ungodliness, these men. In their robes with their hats and their beards and their power, they trampled righteousness to save their religious and political positions because it offered them wealth and power and prestige, prestige.

Some humans can't live without it. Verse 61, but he kept silent and answered nothing. And again the high priest asked him, saying to him, are you the Christ, the son of the blessed? Now remember, he's standing up because the silence is killing him. He wants Jesus to say something. Don't just stand there and ignore us.

Even though we're lying to you and trapping you and already made up my mind, you're not getting out of this alive, which makes it a kangaroo court. And where's the shame? With the wicked there is no shame, says Zephaniah the prophet.

He kept silent. It's so easy to like persistent no-gooders. We need that word.

It's not a word, but it needs to be a word. These were up to no good and persistent in doing it. And the Lord is just standing there and it is irritating them. They want help to send him to the cross. This man Caiaphas, who speaks on behalf of most of the Sanhedrin, the government, the 70 elders of Israel that ran the nation, their supreme court and their congress all rolled into one, you could even say to some degree. Their minds were fixed and so was their fate because of their choices. Their minds were fixed against Christ without a reason. And this Caiaphas, the leader, the ringleader, he is dragging a boatload of dupes down with him because they enjoy being dupes. They wouldn't call themselves that. They would resent being called that.

We'll cover that at the end hopefully this morning, this study. He says, are you the Christ? He's using truth to murder the unwanted Messiah.

Are you the Christ? He asked him right on the Christ is the Greek for the Hebrew word Messiah, the anointed one, the definite article there, the anointed one. There are others who are anointed. It was the anointed high priest. There were anointed kings, anointed prophets. This one is the anointed son of God. They understood that because that's in his question.

He's the one that phrases the question. And so here is Christ infuriating them with his silence. He ignored their courtroom because it was not just.

He ignored their lies and their distortions. But this man, Caiaphas, we'll get the pilot later, not this morning, unless you want to stay. But anyway, this Caiaphas and his group, they're up to their neck in darkness. Have you ever met anyone like that? I'm sure you have.

You've met people that are just up to their neck in darkness. And so he puts Jesus under oath to incriminate himself so that Christ could incriminate himself in their court. And he asked this question. Are you the son of the blessed? See, are you the Christ, the son of the blessed? This tells us that they believe the Messiah would be the son of God, equal with God, divine, we would say.

They didn't have all of it worked out, but they had that much worked out. And that's why the question is phrased this way. And instead of saying, are you the Christ, the son of Yahweh, why does he not use the covenant name of Yahweh in pronouncing the divine name? Well, he's following yet another superstition that these religious people had created and worked into their religion as a custom, as a tradition of not pronouncing the name of Yahweh. Why did Yahweh give you the name? He didn't say, hey, here's my name, don't ever say it. He gave them the name so they could be reminded and instructed on his nature. Name is nature in the Bible. His name shall be called Immanuel.

The name Jesus means the Savior. These things are not casual. They are profound.

They are well thought out. And here, God is standing, God the Son is standing right in front of them and they despise him. Isaiah 53, and if you're not familiar with Isaiah 53, it is that chapter, that profound chapter written about 700 years before the virgin birth of Christ.

There it speaks of his arrest and his trial, his crucifixion, his sufferings, some of the bystanders, and his resurrection. Verse 3 of Isaiah 53, he is despised and rejected of men. We kind of downsized that word, despised, but how can you, right? In other words, he's hated.

He's loathed by these people. How dare you be Messiah without our permission? How dare you be Messiah and not do what we tell you to do?

How dare you be Messiah and not honor us for the criminals that we are? He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. It's so profound, a man of sorrows.

Why? Why was he? Because he saw the sufferings of human.

How many beggars were on the street? How many broken lives and broken families did he see and know about? And he knew there were more outside of Israel in the world. He was not insensitive, and this is why he's referred to as the Son of Man.

He identified with us. He's also the Son of God, but he's the Son of Man. Ezekiel is one of the Old Testament prophets that uses that phrase the most, and it's saying the Messiah, when he comes, he knows what's happening with you. He's not indifferent or insensitive, but there's a program that God is following, and we have to line up with it.

He has to be our Lord through the program regardless of how unpleasant it is. It says a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. It just builds on what I just said about him. And then it says, and we hid, as it were, our faces from him. So Isaiah the prophet is identifying with the Jewish people.

He's saying, when Messiah comes, this is some of the attributes that belong to his character. He's going to be hated for this, and we're going to hide our faces from him like he's not who he says he is, and we're watching it in this court. There's nothing just about this. The court is disgusting enough to have to go to than to have to know that you're going to be the victim of injustice at the hands of those who are sworn to uphold justice. You can't win.

That makes them criminals. Isaiah again, we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised. He repeats it, and we esteemed him not.

We saw nothing in him that we liked because he was not like us. That's what is going on with Caiaphas and those who are in agreement, and it will come out in its true colors when they start abusing him at the end of this paragraph. And the Holy Spirit has written it all down for us to say to us, what are you going to do with it? Okay, you go to Bible studies, you learn about Christ, you learn about the symbolism, the types. What are you going to do with it? Are you going to love like Christ? Are you going to be Christ-minded? What happens? What are you going to do when you fail? What are you going to do as a Christian when you do not achieve, when you find out you're not what you wanted to be in Christ?

What are you going to do with that? That's what Peter's going through. Peter thought he was going to be all this and that. Peter's the one that wrote, humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and he will lift you up in due time. Well, where would he learn a lesson like that?

We just read about a piece of it. Profound teachings, you can't make this up. You can't sit down at some nice, you know, scenic desk at a window with a typewriter and just fabricate the Bible. Had Christ answered this question, are you the Christ? Are you the Messiah, the son of the blessed? If he said no, then his ministry would have been destroyed. If he says yes, they've got him.

What is the charge they're going to really have on him? Blasphemy. Saying that he's the son of God, the son of God.

The definite article, again. Verse 62, Jesus said, I am. Gets right to it, without hesitation. Are you the Messiah, the son of the blessed? I am.

There's a very important moment here. He says, I am, and you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven. And Rick Gasset will be one of the guys with me. He doesn't say that, but he should have.

I'm going to ask him about that. But we know, because the Bible tells us later, that the saints will be with him. And we should have a blessed assurance of our faith. We're not ashamed. We're not ashamed of Christ. And that means that we believe him when he says, he who believes in me, though he shall die, he will live.

He's not going to die. He's going to be with me. And when whatever happens comes our way and says that's not true, we rebuke it with truth. So without hesitation, he answers. He admitted to being the one whom the prophets spoke with such splendor, such unequaled splendor, they spoke of this Messiah. He's saying, I'm it. Here I am, handcuffed, your prisoner in your mind. Here I stand before you and I am your Messiah.

I am God the Son. Thanks for tuning in to Cross Reference Radio for this study in the Book of Mark. Cross Reference Radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia. To learn more information about this ministry, visit our website, crossreferenceradio.com. Once you're there, you'll find additional teachings from Pastor Rick. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe, you'll be notified of each new edition of Cross Reference Radio. You can search for Cross Reference Radio on your favorite podcast app. That's all we have time for today, but we hope you'll join us next time as Pastor Rick continues to teach through the Book of Mark, right here on Cross Reference Radio.