The Trial Of Christ (Message #254)

The trial of Jesus Christ was amazing. There were, in fact, two trials. First, Christ appeared before the Jewish court. But the Jewish trial conducted by the religious leaders was illegal. The hearing before the high priest was conducted at night. This was entirely irregular. Since the desire was to put Jesus to death, the witnesses were required to produce the exact same testimony. No differences or contradictions were allowed. The Jewish court system placed a very high value on life, but the religious leaders were not interested in justice.

"The whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, in order that they might put Him to death" (Matthew 26:59). It was also improper for the high priest to speak during a trial. His opinion would sway the whole court. But the high priest entered directly into this trial to solicit a verdict. Then Jesus was physically abused. "They spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him" (Matthew 26:57). The whole trial was a terrible miscarriage of justice. The Jewish Council then sent Jesus to the Roman governor. Pilate asked Jesus, "Are You the King of the Jews?" (Matthew 27:11). Jesus answered, "My Kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). This alleviated the governor's fears. Pilate knew he was dealing with a purely religious matter. So he pronounced his judgment to the people, "I find no guilt in Him" (John 18:38). Pilate pronounced this same judgment three times.

The problem was that Pilate was a coward. Although he knew Jesus was innocent, because the Jewish leaders were inciting a riot, Pilate "delivered Him to them to be crucified" (John 19:16). Here is an example of how mob action perverts justice. It turns our stomachs. And we cry out, 'Why?'

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Contributed by Dr. Dennis J. Prutow. Voice message and free tapes: 1-800-777-0389 [USA] Or order your free tapes online. Visit Dr. Prutow's site.