Preached Palm Sunday, April 26, 2009
Matthew 26:57-68
Theme: During His trial before the High Priest, our Savior’s true character was proven.
(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
One dark night, about two-millennia ago, several men could be found running hurriedly throughout the city of Jerusalem. They made their way along the streets and through the alleyways after midnight; until they came to the homes of select Pharisees, Scribes, and elders of the people. They knocked upon the doors—firmly so as to awaken the inhabitants, but carefully so as not to draw too much attention to themselves.
We can imagine that an irritated occupant of one of these homes opened the door to find one of the High Priest’s messengers—panting from his run, and with a torch in his hand. Rubbing his eyes, he asked why he should be disturbed from his sleep. The messenger explained in a whisper that he was being called to come to the High Priest’s home for a session of the council.
“At this time of the evening?” the man said. “What could be so important that the council should be called to assemble now?” And the messenger replied, “It’s because that man who has put our nation in great danger—the one called Jesus—has been apprehended and delivered up for trial.”
Immediately, the man of the house would have remembered words that were spoken in the session of the council just a few days before—words that are recorded for us in John 11:47-53. Jesus had just raised a man from the dead; and many of the Jewish people were believing on Him. John writes;
Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death (John 11:47-53).
And remembering this, the man of the house would have been fully awakened to the realization that the opportunity had come. He told the messenger, “I’ll get dressed immediately. Tell your master I’m on my way.”
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Now; at the same time as this would have been going on, another man was making his way through the city of Jerusalem. He wasn’t running, however. He was creeping along behind another crowd sheepishly—somewhat at a distance.
Peter had just witnessed a multitude—armed with swords and clubs—apprehend Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane and take Him away. Peter, who had shortly before then boasted that he would defend Jesus to the death—Peter, who had said that he would never deny His Lord—was one of those disciples that ran away in fear and forsook Him. And now, he followed along and watched helplessly, as that same mob led Jesus through the darkness of the night and to the courtyard of the High Priest.
And all of this gives us the setting for the most notorious “trial” in all of human history. Matthew 26:57-68 tells us what happened next:
And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end. Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’” And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.” Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?” (Matthew 26:57-68).
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This is—on the surface—a very unpleasant portion of Scripture. And there has been much written over the years about the injustice of our Lord’s trial. Scholars and historians, who have studied the legal rules and regulations of the Jews, point out the different ways in which those rules and regulations where set aside in Jesus’ case. But even if you didn’t know about those rules and regulations, common sense would reveal the injustices.
For example, think of when this trial was held: not in the daytime, when everyone would be aware of it; but late at night, when it could avoid public outcry. Or think of how Jesus was apprehended and brought to trial before any witnesses against Him were found. In fact, note how the witnesses had to be sought diligently after the facts. This trial wasn’t motivated by a desire for justice; but rather, it was motivated by a verdict that had already been decided upon in advance. Or think further of how the High Priest sought to make Jesus incriminate Himself. He couldn’t get Jesus to respond to the outrageous claims that were being brought against Him by false witnesses; so he had to force the Lord to say something under oath that would make it possible to charge Him with a capital offense. And then think of how, after the charge had been made and the verdict declared, the council—composed of the religious leaders and rulers of the people of Israel—began to spit on Jesus, and strike Him, and mock and insult Him.
There’s no explanation for such behavior except the one Jesus Himself gave—that this was their hour, and the power of darkness (Luke 22:53). Jonathan Edwards once preached a sermon titled, “Sinners In The Hands of An Angry God”—but here’s the Son of God in the hands of angry sinners. And if ever there was a picture of the depravity of the human heart on display, it would be in this passage.
But this morning, I ask that we give our attention—not so much to the wickedness of man—but to the character of Christ. In this morning’s passage, the Lamb of God—who was about to be hung on a cross for your sins and mine—is put on trial before our eyes. Let’s consider the things the Holy Spirit would have us conclude from it about His Son—our atoning Sacrifice.
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The first thing we can see is . . .
1. HIS INNOCENCE.
Matthew tells us, “Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death . . .” (v. 59). Obviously, that’s not what they would have called it—”false” testimony. But it was, nevertheless, testimony that was sought apart from the facts in order to justify putting Him to death. Therefore, it couldn’t be anything but “false” testimony.
But note carefully that they had to “seek” testimony against Him. In fact, the tense of the verb in the original language suggests an ongoing effort to seek testimony—an ongoing effort that was being frustrated. They sought, “but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none” (v. 60a). Mark tells us that “many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree” (Mark 14:56). According to the law given through Moses, “one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty” (Num. 35:30); and that whoever is deserving of death “shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deut. 17:6). But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t find two witnesses against Him that agreed with one another.
And wouldn’t the fact that you can’t find a solid witness against a man—even after trying so hard to find it—require that He be must found innocent? Didn’t Jesus even once say to these very Jewish leaders, “Which of you convicts Me of sin?” (John 8:46). No one could. Not even Pilate could accuse Him, because he said, “I have found no fault in Him” (John 19:4). Not even the criminal who hung on the cross next to Him could accuse Him, because he said, “. . . this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:41). Not even the centurion who stood guard at the cross could accuse Him, because he said, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!” (Luke 23:47). And most important of all, not even God the Father accused Him, because He said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).
And I’m glad that Jesus stood trial that dark night—horrible as that night was. He was tried before men, and was proven to be innocent. He bore no guilt of His own; and thus, He was able to bear your guilt and mine on the cross, and pay the full penalty on our behalf!
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Another thing we can see from His trial is . . .
2. HIS SUBMISSIVENESS.
Eventually, the requisite witnesses against Jesus were found. Matthew tells us, “But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, ‘This fellow said, “I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days”‘” (vv. 60b-61).
Now; they were bearing witness to something that was very much like what Jesus said. But it was a “false” testimony, because they misquoted Him, and presented His words out of context. Way back in the early part of His earthly ministry, Jesus had entered the temple and drove out those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves; and turned over the tables of the money changers. He sought to bring honor to the Father’s house by driving out those who were dishonoring it. And when the Jews came to Him and demanded that He show them a sign to demonstrate His authority to do this, He told them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19).
John made it clear that “He was speaking of the temple of His body” (v. 21). But apparently these two witnesses recalled what He said, and misused these words as a weapon against Him. He never said that He would destroy the temple. He said that they would destroy it. And He never meant the temple in which they were standing. He spoke of “this temple”—meaning His own body. And what He did say was, in fact, about to occur. They were, in fact, about to destroy “this temple”—that is, His body. “Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them, and they believed the Scriptures and the word which Jesus had said” (v. 22).
Now; in a court of law—especially in a trial for his own life—wouldn’t it be expected that a man would come to his own defense when his words were so badly misquoted, or when their meaning was so badly misrepresented? But Jesus said nothing. This greatly frustrated Caiaphas. Matthew says, “And the high priest arose and said to Him, ‘Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?’ But Jesus kept silent” (Matthew 26:62-63a). It seems that the High Priest was seeking to bait Jesus into incriminating Himself, but was frustrated by our Lord’s silence.
And I suggest to you that there is a reason why the Lord willingly chose not to defend Himself. It was so that He might fully submit to God’s plan for Him—that He would be handed over to crucifixion, and would be put to death as our innocent Substitute. Psalm 38:12-14 quotes Him prophetically as saying, “Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, and plan deception all the day long. But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; and I am like a mute who does not open his mouth. Thus I am like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth is no response.” And as Isaiah 53:7 explains, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.”
At any time, the Son of God in human flesh could have asked the Father for more than twelve legions of angles to come to His defense. But He didn’t. And again, I’m very glad that our Lord stood trial that dark and evil night. As a result, we can now see His utter submissiveness to the Father—tried and proven—in willingly dying for you and me.
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A third thing we can see from His trial is . . .
3. HIS TRUTHFULNESS.
The turning point in His trial came when—after every other effort against Him had been frustrated—the High Priest used his prerogative to place Him under the most solemn oath possible. “And the high priest answered and said to Him, ‘I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you said'” (vv. 63b-64a).
In the original language, Matthew has it that Jesus’ response was something like this: “You yourself said.” And that may seem rather ambiguous to you and me. But it was not in any respect ambiguous to the council! You can see from their response that His meaning was clear: “Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, ‘He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! What do you think?’ They answered and said, ‘He is deserving of death’” (vv. 65-66). Matthew wrote these words for a Jewish audience; and they would have understood that idiomatic phrase. But Mark, who wrote for a Roman audience, made it even clearer in his Gospel when he quotes Jesus as answering, “I am” (Mark 14:62).
One of the fascinating things we find in the Bible about this High Priest Caiaphas is that he often says and does far more than he himself realizes. A few days prior, he—unwittingly—spoke prophetically about Jesus and said “that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people” (John 11:50). And now—again, unwittingly—the same High Priest puts Jesus under the most solemn of oaths; so that He can clearly declare to the world, under oath before God, that He is indeed the Son of God.
And in all of this, please note Jesus’ faithfulness to the truth. It would have saved His life if He had said nothing. But He was placed under oath to speak the truth before God; and that’s what He did. And I’m glad that He was put under oath in this trial; aren’t you? We now have, forever recorded for us in Scripture, His own sworn testimony to the truth of His identity.
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A fourth thing we see from our Lord’s trial is . . .
4. HIS MAJESTY.
Jesus heard Caiaphas’ call to—under oath—say if He was the Son of God; and He answered Caiaphas to the affirmative. But He goes on to say much more. He goes on to say, “Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (v. 64b).
Jesus is here—under oath—affirming His majesty as the Son of God in the highest possible terms. He is saying that He will be revealed to be sitting at the right hand of God—which Caiaphas would have recognized as a quote from Psalm 110:1 about the Messiah; “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” What’s more, He is saying that He will also be revealed to be coming to this earth in the clouds of heaven—which Caiaphas would again have recognized as a quote from Daniel 7:13-14 about the Messiah; “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.”
There could not have been a bolder testimony that Jesus could have made to His own majesty as the Son of Man than that! What’s more, He even goes on to say that Caiaphas—and all those in the council who were then condemning Him—would see this! He was affirming the promise of Zechariah 12:10; which says, “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”
And there’s something marvelous about that word “hereafter”. He said, “Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see” these things. There would be something that would be proven ‘true’ in this world, from now on, from that time forward. Jesus’ death, His resurrection, and His ascension to the Father; the testimony His apostles would bear of Him, and the miracles they would perform in His name; the gifts of the Holy Spirit poured out on the church, the spread of the gospel throughout this world through its witness, and the blessings it would bring about on the earth—all these things would manifest Him to have been exactly who He claimed to be!1
I’m so very glad that Jesus was tried on that dark night; aren’t you? As a result, we have this marvelous testimony of Jesus’ majesty—a testimony that has been validated throughout the unfolding centuries since it had been spoken, and that is sure to be completely fulfilled on the day of His return.
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And there’s one more thing we learn from this trial about our Lord; and that is . . .
5. HIS MEEKNESS.
The story of His trial before Caiaphas and the council closes with these words, “Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, ‘Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?'” (v. 68). What a demonstration this was of Jesus’ words; “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father” (John 15:24).
They did not consider what it was that they were doing. But let’s be sure that you and I consider it! The Bible tells us that, one day, the kings of this earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, will one day hide themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; and will cry to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!” (Revelation 6:16). And yet, here they are daring to spit in that very face and strike it with their own hands! The Bible tells us that one day, at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, “of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth”, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11). And yet, here they are daring to mock Him by saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?” It makes you shudder just to think about it!
But look at His meekness! He who gave sight to the blind doesn’t strike any of them blind. He who healed the lepers doesn’t make them leprous. He who raised the dead doesn’t strike any of them dead. He took the blows from men meekly—and then went out and died for the sins of mankind.
I’m so glad that He was tried—so that we could see these wonderful things testified about Him.
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Now; before we leave this passage, take a final look at Peter. We’re told that he followed along behind “at a distance” and sat with the servants in the High Priest’s courtyard “to see the end” (v. 58). And I wonder if I may close by reading about the end that He found.
A short time later—after Jesus had been raised from the dead—this same Peter, along with John, was filled with the Holy Spirit; and he boldly preached Jesus in Jerusalem. God even performed a miracle of healing a lame man in Jesus’ name through them. And it was before this same council that he and John were called to give an account of what had happened. Even Caiaphas was there. And here’s what Peter—filled with the Holy Spirit—told them:
“Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:8-12).
That’s “the end”, as Peter discovered it. There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Trust Him today; because He has been tried—and proven!
1John A. Broadus, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, 1886), p. 549.
[podcast]http://www.bethanybible.org/audio/042609.mp3[/podcast]