The Ultimate Miscarriage of Justice

Everything is illegal, the arraignment is illegal, the testimony is illegal, the interrogation is illegal, and the sentence is illegal. So all those centuries and all those years of working out a very carefully crafted system of jurisprudence and justice, thrown away so they could kill Jesus. How profound is sinfulness? This is Grace to You with John MacArthur.

I'm your host, Phil Johnson. You can imagine that throughout history there have been many people who have been put on trial and found guilty and even been put to death for crimes they didn't commit. But there's only ever been one person in that situation who was absolutely and perfectly innocent of all wrongdoing. That person, of course, is Jesus Christ, and his trial is John MacArthur's focus today, as John continues his brand new series, The Divine Drama of Redemption. This study is a fast-paced survey of the cross and the resurrection and key events just before, helping you better grasp the mercy of Christ and all that he endured to save sinners like you and me.

And so, with the lesson now, here's John MacArthur. I want you to turn to the sixteenth chapter of Deuteronomy, the sixteenth chapter of Deuteronomy. There is all kinds of instruction in the book of Deuteronomy about their conduct, a reiteration of the Law that God gave on Mount Sinai, a reiteration of many of the requirements for spiritual life and social life, how they were to live among the nations, how they were to conduct the feasts, the festivals, the Passover, all of that.

And then there is tucked into chapter 16, a very important portion in verses 18 to 20 where God lays out to the people of Israel the responsibility they have to function as a society in a just way. Through the history of Israel, there was an effort to take this instruction seriously. Through the years, the Jews developed a very sophisticated system of jurisprudence, a system of justice.

They were proud of it. You know, of course, that the Jewish society of our Lord's time was fastidious about observance of the Law. That fastidiousness was basically led by the Pharisees and the scribes who made sure that people adhered to divine Law. Divine Law not only in Scripture, but divine Law that had been passed down in tradition, but was nonetheless they believed from God. One of the things that they were very proud about adhering to was the Mosaic call given here in Deuteronomy chapter 16 to be a just society. To have a system of law and a system of courts and judges and court officials, prosecutors and defenders who would be able to maintain justice.

Having said that, let me say this. The Jewish trial of Jesus violated all those laws...all of them. It violated all principles of justice and perpetrated the greatest miscarriage of justice ever.

It was illegal from the beginning to the end in every possible way. That's the Jewish trial. The Gentile trial was equally unjust. It was a secular tribunal, but it was a travesty of injustice, a violation of truth. The religious Sanhedrin trial had three parts, the arraignment before Annas, the trial before Caiaphas and the public retrial by the Sanhedrin in the morning.

The series of trials are one of the most fascinating parts of the accounts of the gospels concerning the last day of our Lord's life. Justice could have done no worse. The illegalities here are just blatant and consistent. Let's start with an illegal arraignment, okay? An illegal arraignment. The verdict was in before the procedure began. The decision was made as to what they were going to do with Him. They were going to kill Him. The procedure was formality, looking for some reason to explain why they were killing Him. So verse 53 says, they led Jesus away to the high priest and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together.

That's the composite of the Sanhedrin. They have come together already in the middle of the night because Judas got them together to point out where He was. They've been to the Garden, they have Him under arrest and now they've got to come up with some reason to execute Him. Matthew and Mark give us a record of His main trial before the Sanhedrin in the house of Caiaphas. John adds the first phase. So we have to leave Mark at this moment and go to John 18 for just a minute. John 18, because here you have the first phase of our Lord's trial which is the arraignment. Before He was led away to the high priest and the Sanhedrin, as verse 53 says, something else had happened.

And John 18 tells us what it was. Verse 12, so the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him, and then verse 13, and led Him to Annas first. For He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year. They led Him, first of all, to Annas. Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas. They led Him to Annas first, why? He was the evil brain behind the Sanhedrin. He was the real power.

That's why the temple operations were called the bazaars of Annas. He was the one who was going to come up with an indictment, an arraignment. He was like a one-man grand jury.

We've got to have a crime here if we're going to have an execution. He's the smart one. He's the brains behind the operation.

Give Him the job. While Jesus is before Annas, the Sanhedrin is gathering at the house of Caiaphas to plot their course in their mock trial. While Jesus is before Annas, the Sanhedrin is gathering together. And also chapter 18 of John describes something else that's going on, Peter is denying Jesus. So you have some scenes going on here, Sanhedrin gathering, Peter denying Annas to come up with an indictment. Verse 19, the high priest then questions Jesus, this is Annas, about his disciples and about his teaching.

This is illegal. You can't come up with an indictment against someone by something they confess to without evidence. He is asking Jesus to admit something for which He can be executed.

That's essentially what he is saying. Tell me about your disciples. Tell me about your teaching. Let me see if I can find something to indict you for. Jesus answered him, I've spoken openly to the world.

I always taught in synagogues in the temple where all the Jews come together. I spoke nothing in secret. It's all out there. Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them, they know what I said. Jesus essentially is saying this is illegal.

I demand a legal process. He knows that He is not allowed to self-incriminate. Where are the witnesses?

I've said nothing in secret. Ask those who heard Me, call witnesses. Well, Annas didn't like that. When he said this, one of the officers standing nearby struck Jesus saying, is that the way you answer the high priest? Jesus answered him, if I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong, but if rightly, why do you strike Me?

Annas can't cope with Him. So verse 24 says, Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas, the high priest, and that's where the main trial takes place. The religious trial is a sham. The religious trial is fraud.

The decision is already made. The whole indictment attempt is illegal. They have no crime. They have no witnesses. No testimony is given. The whole thing is out of bounds. Without a crime, without any testimony to corroborate a crime, they want Him dead and they're trying to figure out how to do it.

So they ramp up the violations of justice in a mad dash to get it done before the light breaks and the people start to show up. Well let's go back to Mark. Now before we go to the trial in the house of Caiaphas, Mark gives a glimpse of Peter. Peter had followed him at a distance right into the courtyard of the high priest and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire. You know, there's something very...very like Peter about his being there, isn't there? Immense curiosity, really good intentions, strong affections for Christ.

You know I love you, you know I love you. He says to him later. But he's in a dangerous place and he's prayerless, slept through the prayer meeting. For the moment, Mark just locates Peter, that's all he does, he just locates him. He's in the courtyard of the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, sitting with the officers warming himself at the fire.

He's trying to blend in and stay warm. He's on the side stage. But boy, is he in a vulnerable spot, as we will see when we get to verse 66 and Peter's denials are there recorded by Mark. But for the moment, we just know he's there.

Now the Sanhedrin's inside, one of the rooms in this courtyard, typically the house would be built four sides around a center courtyard. The Sanhedrin is going to need to work fast. This trial has got to be done and over before dawn. Peter's denials actually took place before the cockroach, that would be 3 A.M., and it's still ahead of us in Mark's accounting. So this trial has to be happening before Peter's denial, which is before 3 A.M. They shouldn't be even meeting in the middle of the night. Jesus is in a large room, Peter outside in the dark courtyard near a fire with Roman guards, temple police and other servants.

He's caught between curiosity and cowardice, isn't he? So you have an illegal arraignment...an illegal arraignment. Then it's followed by a series of illegal testimonies...illegal testimony follows. Now the chief priest, verse 55, and the whole council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death. They had determined the outcome. They had determined the sentence...death.

They just had to find a crime. So here you have these religious people so fastidious about the Law, trying to find liars in the middle of the night. Matthew 26, 59 says, they were bribing them, the very thing that Deuteronomy 16 forbid. They found some false witnesses but they while they would do it for the money, were not consistent. Some it says in verse 57, stood up, began to give false testimony against Him.

But verse 59 says, even in this respect, their testimony was not consistent. They had no time to get together. They had no time for collusion. They had no time to meet with people and get the same story. They had no time to plot everything out...confusing, garbled, concocted, bribed liars couldn't come up with a sufficient crime.

Still bent on killing Jesus, they will not relent...they will not relent. This is not a trial. This is a conspiracy. They can't come up with a legitimate crime that they can sell the Romans so the Romans will execute it. So you have an illegal arraignment and an illegal trial, essentially, illegal testimony. Thirdly, you have an illegal interrogation...an illegal interrogation.

This is quite interesting. In verse 60, the High Priest stood up, it's getting frustrating now, their first effort bringing in these bribed witnesses collapses. The High Priest then stands up, came forward, questioned Jesus saying, do you not answer?

What is it that these men are testifying against you? As if Jesus had any legal duty to respond to liars who by virtue of their own law should have all been executed. These contorted concoctions required no reply from Him.

There was nothing to the accusations, therefore there was no reply necessary. Verse 61 says He kept silent and didn't answer. He understands the legal order. Isaiah 53 verse 7 says, He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth.

Like a lamb led to slaughter, like a sheep that is silent, so He did not open His mouth. Listen, He had no obligation to make sense out of their lies. Nothing legal going on at all. There isn't a legal aspect to this whole thing, they violate every law.

The arraignment is illegal, the testimony is illegal, the interrogation is illegal and that leads us to the sentence which is illegal...the sentence. What are they left with? The High Priest must make His move.

One option remains. Verse 61, again the High Priest was questioning Him and saying to Him, are You the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One? Are You the Messiah? Are You the Son of God?

Which they knew to be a title of equality with God, absolute deity. This for the first time is a legitimate question. This is not a what did you do question. This is who are you?

Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One? This is the first legitimate thing in the trial, it is a legitimate question. It does not call for self-incrimination but merely a truthful response. It is the first legitimate aspect of the proceedings and Jesus knows the intent of the question but He answers anyway and the intent of the question is to play the final trump card, the blasphemy card. They all know what He's claimed. They know He has claimed to be the Messiah.

He's done it again and again and again and again. You find it strung out all through His ministry. They know He has claimed to be the Son of God, repeatedly through the gospel of John in particular. They confront Him about making Himself equal with God. And Jesus said, and He answers because the question is legitimate with the ego eimi, the tetragrammaton, Yahweh, the name of God, I am. Matthew adds, you have said it, I am. John loves that. Twenty-three times in the gospel of John, Jesus says, I am. Jesus knows His answer means death. He knows that.

But after all, that's where He's headed and He knows that. Jesus enhances His answer, it's not just I am. He then adds to that answer, and you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven.

Instead of saying, I am, but...but...but let me explain and trying to reduce the impact of that. He says, I am and escalates the reality of it. Yes I am the Messiah, yes I am the Son of God and you will see Me sitting at the right hand of power, that is at the right hand of God and coming with the clouds of heaven. Psalm 110 1 pictures the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God.

The Lord said unto My Lord, sit at My right hand. What He is saying is, yes I am and My death is not the end. I will be exalted to the throne of God.

I will return in glory to judge and reign over the earth. This is a glorious moment for our Lord. The question serves Him well because it allows Him in the horrors of facing the cross to rehearse what's coming after the cross. He sees past the cross, past the burial, past the resurrection, past the intercession to His coronation and His exaltation. They judge Him unjustly, He will one day judge them justly. And they'll get a preview of that judgment in 40 years at the destruction of Jerusalem. He knows these words will bring about His death, He is ready, He has been through the Garden Agony and He will do the Father's will all the way to the cross. Then comes the verdict. This is the unjust sentence. Verse 63, tearing His clothes, the High Priest said, what further need do we have of witnesses?

Tearing clothes is a ceremonial and contrived display. In this case, fake righteous indignation. The High Priest responds as if Jesus is blaspheming by claiming to be Messiah, Son of God, sitting at the right hand of God, returning to judge and reign. And what is the punishment for blaspheming? Leviticus 24, 16, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. So the High Priest says, what further need do we have of witnesses?

Caiaphas at this moment calls an end to all the legalities with an illegal sentence. He condemns Jesus to blasphemy when He and the Sanhedrin are the blasphemers because Jesus is the Messiah, He is God, He is the one who sits at the right hand of the throne of God and He is the coming King and Judge. They are the blasphemers, but they render Him the blasphemer.

Verse 64, you have heard the blasphemy, how does it seem to you? Let's take a vote. No hesitation.

They are instantly responsive. They all condemned Him to be deserving of death. It is unanimous. Everything is illegal. The arraignment is illegal. The testimony is illegal. The interrogation is illegal. And the sentence is illegal. So all those centuries and all those years of working out a very carefully crafted system of jurisprudence and justice, thrown away so they could kill Jesus.

How profound is sinfulness? And to show you their attitude, they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. These are religious leaders now, essentially 24 chief priests, 24 elders, 24 scribes and a high priest. And verse 65 says, some began to spit at Him. Luke says this began with the Sanhedrin. They began to spit at Him. Matthew says that they began screaming He deserves death.

This is the Supreme Court, these are religious leaders. Then to blindfold Him so He couldn't know what was coming from whom. And this is the comedy that begins, that ends up as the comedy on Calvary.

It's a joke now, it's time for mockery. They blindfold Him so He doesn't know what's coming or from whom and then they beat Him with their fists. Matthew says others hit Him with the palms of their hand, Matthew 26, 67, slap after slap after slap saying, who hit you?

Who hit you? Prophesy, prophesy. It's a horrible scene, mocking, ridicule. The end of this section in verse 65 says, and the officers received Him with slaps in the face. The Sanhedrin turns Him back over to the temple police and the Roman guards and they follow the example of their noble leaders and they slap Him in the face as well.

One could conclude that this nation and this Sanhedrin is rotting flesh, soon to be eaten like roadkill by the Roman eagle. But even more importantly, God will judge them and God has judged them as they have been cast into eternal hell. God's just sentence of judgment falls on them. But the sad thing is, the same sentence falls on anyone who rejects Christ. I don't know anyone who would say, well I want to be like Judas. I don't know anyone who would say, I want to be like those guys.

I want to be like that. You are like that if you reject Christ. And you'll spend an eternity in the same place those people will spend their eternity and are now there. But it was those kinds of people and the kind of people we all are for which Jesus went to the cross, right? To provide salvation for those who repent and embrace Him as Savior and Lord.

That's John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University and Seminary. He's titled his brand new study on grace to you, The Divine Drama of Redemption. Well friend, after hearing about the ultimate miscarriage of justice, the sham trial of Jesus that we looked at today, maybe you're wondering why Jesus had to be so abused or why a loving God would allow his own son ultimately to be crucified.

Those can be difficult questions to answer. The Old Testament even says it pleased the Lord to bruise him. Thankfully, John, the Bible gives us some answers to the question of why. Yeah, and I think the compelling answer comes in one simple title, the Lamb of God. That's the Lamb chosen by God. We all know that when the Jews came to offer a sacrifice, they chose a lamb. They brought an unblemished lamb to make a sacrifice. Well, God chose a sacrifice. Jesus is the Lamb chosen by God.

He's not a victim of men. He is God's chosen Lamb. And of course, that's the very heart of the gospel, that Jesus dies in our place.

He is our substitute. Our sins are imputed to him, and his righteousness is credited to us. This and a lot of other questions concerning Jesus are answered in a wonderful book called The Jesus Answer Book. I love that title, The Jesus Answer Book.

Here's the good news. This is full of answers to the questions that you have about Jesus. Why should you believe in his virgin birth? What do we know about his childhood? What did he say was the unpardonable sin? Why did the Lord treat his opponents so harshly? Why did Jesus not defend himself? Why did he die?

Can we be sure he rose from the dead? Many more questions. They're all answered, divided up by topic in a question and answer format that you can go directly to the question that's on your mind and get the answer. If you've never contacted us before, we would love to send you a free copy of this little hardback book, The Jesus Answer Book.

It's just a way of saying thank you for listening. Call us, write us, request your book at our website if that's easier for you. Again, the free book, The Jesus Answer Book, to anyone who's never contacted this ministry before. And this is a powerful little reference book for answering questions you may have about the Lord, and also for equipping you to tell others what it means to know Christ. To receive The Jesus Answer Book free if it's your first time contacting us.

Get in touch today. Call our toll-free number, 800-55-GRACE, or go to our website, gty.org. The Jesus Answer Book can help you understand maybe better than ever who Christ is and the promises He made to believers. And again, The Jesus Answer Book is our gift to you if you have never contacted us before. Just call 800-55-GRACE, or go to our website, gty.org. And remember, at gty.org you will find thousands of free Bible study resources. If there's a passage in the New Testament that's always confused you, or you simply want to know more about it, John has a sermon on it. Or you can spend some time reading our blog. You'll find series on compelling topics like frequently abused verses of Scripture, or loving the Church, or God's design for the family, the heart of the Gospel, and much more. Our website one more time, gty.org. Now for John MacArthur and the entire Grace To You staff, I'm Phil Johnson. Thanks for tuning in today, and be here tomorrow when John continues his study called The Divine Drama of Redemption, with another half hour of unleashing God's truth, one verse at a time, on Grace To You.