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Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
We are reading and studying in John Chapter 18 and verses 28 to 40. There were so many comings and going. What all happened between Gethsemane and Calvary? Jesus Christ was subjected to what was nothing other than a double trial.
We have regarded it as a trial but really it was an inquisition, and as far as the authorities were concerned when the death sentence was carried out it was more or less judicial murder. Why were there two major trials? Had the charge not been a capital one the Sanhedrin could have decided the matter, without referring it to Pilate.
Rome gave the provinces a fair measure of self-government. This maintained a degree of peace. But, if the death sentence was involved Rome reserved the right of final judgment. Rome could homologate the verdict already pronounced or could overturn the proceedings altogether.
This explains what was going on that long night when Jesus Christ was thrust here and there.
The Temple police arrested Jesus and took Him to Annas who held no position, but he was the power behind the throne. He wielded immense influence and prestige.
Twenty years previously he had been High Priest. Four of his sons succeeded him and when they failed he appointed his son-in-law Caiaphas. It is said that it was Annas who turned the Temple into a bazaar for his own personal gain.
Jesus is sent to Caiaphas. He had been set apart as the guardian of the nation’s soul. He had been consecrated and set apart to be the supreme interpreter and representative of Jehovah, of Jahweh, the God of Israel. It was he who once a year went into the Holy of Holies to make atonement, through the blood.
Yes, this was the man who condemned the Son of God.
History shows that that the best religious opportunities and the most promising environment in the world will not guarantee a man’s salvation, nor will they of themselves ennoble his soul.
John Bunyan ends his book by saying – Then I saw that there was a way to hell, even from the gates of heaven.
News of the arrest of Jesus had brought many members of the Sanhedrin to the house of the High Priest. Legally they could not convene before sunrise.
God’s law did not permit any legal proceedings to be carried out in the hours of darkness. Caiaphas and the others were impatient of any delay, and they decided to proceed with the examination of the prisoner. There could be a formal meeting after sunrise to ratify the decision of this informal meeting. Valuable time would be saved. Matthew gives us something of the detail.
Caiaphas began by putting questions to Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine, His ministry and His men. Verse 19. Was He trying to get Jesus to incriminate Himself with words from His own mouth, so that he could twist them to imply that Jesus Christ had anti-Roman sympathies? This could then be used when Jesus came before Pilate.
This first line of attack failed. All the beliefs of Jesus and the sayings of Jesus were public property. Nothing had been done in secret. His second line of attack was equally unsuccessful. He brought in witnesses, but the witnesses failed to agree and their evidence was so flimsy. Mark writes about this.
Having failed in these two lines of attack Caiaphas tried a third – point blank he demanded of Jesus whether he claimed to be Messiah, and Jesus answered I AM. This they regarded as blasphemy, and with this the court unanimously concurred and the death penalty was decreed.
The Jewish trial was now over.
Formal ratification of the verdict would take only a few minutes as soon as the sun appeared over the Mount of Olives.
Physically, Jesus was now in the hands of the jailors and the mob.
Even members of the court took part in what was an unholy display of bullying and cruelty.
It was when all this was going on that Peter denied that he was a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ.
Peter is still there when Jesus is brought out and taken away across town to Pilate. It may just be that they saw each other from the holding cell.
Sorrow and heartbreak and unutterable pain were in that look and it broke Peter.
All four Gospels record this incident. Did Peter want it recorded? Yes, John was there but Mark got all his information from Peter.
Make sure you write about it. Do not miss out that terrible thing that I did! Why? So that others may know that no matter what they have done, forgiveness and reconciliation and restoration is possible.
Human hearts are the same today as they were then, and Jesus Christ is the same today as He was then.
It was to this Peter, who was on the point of running away altogether, later on, that Jesus said “Feed My lambs” and “Feed My sheep”.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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