Lesson for June 16, 2021

The Life of Christ

The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

(Luke 19:1-48)

The time of the Crucifixion was near, and Jesus began His journey towards Jerusalem as the crowds followed Him. His journey took Him through the town of Jericho where He met a very wealthy tax collector named Zacchaeus who had come to see Jesus. In order to see Jesus, Zacchaeus had to climb a tree. When Jesus passed by, He told Zacchaeus to come down so they could go to Zacchaeus’ house. While there, Zacchaeus believed in Jesus as Savior. Jesus then related a parable to demonstrate how the nation of Israel had rejected His Messiahship and His earthly reign in the Millennium.

Before Jesus entered the city limits of Jerusalem, He sent His disciples to find a young donkey and bring it back. It was upon this donkey that Jesus would enter Jerusalem to the cheers and the praises of the people of Jerusalem. As if they were greeting Him, the people of Jerusalem shouted praise and thanksgiving to God. It would be only a short time after this that the people of Jerusalem would cry, “Crucify Him.”

The Jewish Religious Leaders Question Jesus

(Luke 20:1-47)

While Jesus was in Jerusalem, He was teaching in the Temple when He was confronted by a group of Jewish leaders and questioned. Their question was by what authority did Jesus teach and preach in the Temple. This right was reserved for only those who had authority or permission granted by the Jewish religious hierarchy. Of course, the authority that Jesus had was from His Heavenly Father. Jesus in His own magnificent way reversed the role and became the questioner instead of the one being questioned. His question was designed to stop the attack of the Jewish leaders in their tracks, which it did. The question Jesus posed was regarding the baptism of John and by what authority John baptized. The Jewish leaders, not wanting to lose popularity or worse, could not come up with an answer. Jesus, therefore, refused to answer their question.

Jesus then related another parable to demonstrate how the nation of Israel had rejected all those who God had sent to testify of the Messiah. In this parable He demonstrated how the Son of God would also be rejected and killed by the people He had come to save. Continuing their quest to trap Jesus into doing or saying something punishable by death, the priests and scribes tried to get Jesus to oppose the Roman government. This time they took a coin and asked Jesus if they should pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus’ reply was great. Jesus said to give to Caesar that which belongs to Caesar and give to God that which belongs to God. The Jewish leaders had no reply.

Now a different group of religious leaders attempted to trap Jesus with a point of law. These men known as the Sadducees, who denied that there would be a future resurrection, wanted to know who a person would be married to after the resurrection occurred. Jesus explained to them that there is no marrying after the final resurrection. Seems a strange question for a group who denied the resurrection. However, they were as always trying to catch Jesus in a blasphemous offense. Once again, they could not. 

Jesus posed a question to this group, which they could not answer nor understand. The question was how could the Messiah be called “Lord” and “David’s son” at the same time? The Jewish leaders who were supposed to be experts had no answer. The answer is because Jesus Christ is both God (the Lord) and a man from the royal bloodline of David (son of David) in One Person forever. 

It is a puzzle to somehow a group of Jewish scholars could have missed all the passages pertaining to the resurrection, and yet the Sadducees did just that. Job said he knew that his Redeemer lives and that one day he would stand together with Him in the last day. David, Isaiah, Daniel and Ezekiel all foretold the final resurrection of the dead. (Job 19:26; Psalm 17:15; Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2; Ezekiel 37)

The Last Passover

(Luke 22:1-20)

It was the Feast of the Passover that Jesus and His disciples were celebrating the night He was betrayed by Judas. It is the last Passover supper that Jesus would partake of, and it has become the Church Age ritual of Communion. It was Christ Himself that set the precedence for this transition in the upper room. (Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; I Corinthians 11:23-26)

Passover memorialized the time in Egypt when the Angel of Death passed over the house of those who put the blood of a lamb on the doorpost. The story is told to us in Exodus 12, outlining the command from God to take a lamb without spot or blemish and apply its blood to the doorposts. The death angel had been sent to destroy the first-born male child in each home, in response to Pharaoh’s refusal to set the Jews free. 

Passover demonstrated the doctrine of redemption, Jesus Christ being our Redeemer. The lamb was to be without spot or blemish, a type of Christ’s perfection. It was to be eaten, an illustration of faith. It was to be roasted under fire, signifying God’s judgment of Christ. And it was to be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, a picture of Christ’s sinlessness and the bitterness of His death. Christ, therefore, becomes the perfect sacrifice for the believer. Just as the life of the innocent lamb was sacrificed for the Jews that night, so an innocent Christ was sacrificed for each one of us. (I Corinthians 5:6-7; I Peter 1:18-19)

Jesus Betrayed and Taken before Annas and Caiaphas

(Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22-23; John 18)

Following His arrest in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was tried as a common criminal and sentenced to death. During the night and into the next morning a total of six trials were conducted – three by the Jews (religious) and three by the Romans (civil). All six were illegal.

The First Religious Trial – Jesus Before Annas

The Scripture tells us that immediately after His arrest, Jesus was first led to Annas for a preliminary examination. Annas was perhaps the most powerful and influential man in Jerusalem. He served as the high priest from 7-15 A.D. Even after he was removed from office in 15 A. D., he still retained the title. (Luke 3:2; John 18:19, 22; Acts 4:6 – where he is called the “high priest” even though he was not the actual high priest) So great was his influence over the Jewish priesthood that five of his sons, as well as his son-in-law Caiphas and his grandson Matthias, each served as the high priest. Josephus, the Jewish historian said this about Annas: “Annas proved a most fortunate man; for he had five sons, who had all performed the office of a high priest to God and he had himself enjoyed that dignity a long time formerly.” (The Antiquities of the Jews, XX. ix. 1) At the time of these events, Annas was a man of great age and experience, and also great wealth. He reaped a huge profit from the Temple sales (Matthew 21:12-13), which transformed the house of God into a den of thieves. Though not holding the actual office or title, he was considered the high priest in the eyes of the people, and on any matter of great importance, he was always the man to consult. We should not be surprised, therefore, to learn that Jesus was led to Annas first. (John 18:13)

By his questions, Annas was insinuating that Jesus was gathering around Himself a band of followers (His disciples) with the possible intention of political insurrection and revolt against Rome. He wanted Jesus to say something which would make Him appear as one who was seeking to overthrow Roman rule. He knew the Romans would gladly kill anyone guilty of, or even accused of, sedition or treason. In short, he wanted Jesus to say something which would incriminate Him. Notice Christ’s masterful response in John 18:20-21. It was as if He were saying, “I decline to be a witness against Myself, and I demand that you produce honest witnesses as the law requires.” (John 18:22) Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the actual high priest. (Thus, “the high priest” mentioned in John 18:19,22 must refer to Annas the former high priest and not Caiaphas, the actual high priest.

The Question of Legality

The trial before Annas was entirely illegal. It was held at night, contrary to Jewish law; no indictment (a formal written statement charging a person with an offense) was prepared; no witnesses were heard; no counsel or defense attorney was provided for the defendant – all these things were required by Jewish law. Furthermore, Annas was no longer a high priest and could not legally sit as a judge. (Deuteronomy 19:15-21)

Here are some additional reasons this was an illegal trial (John James MaClaren, International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Vol. III, p. 1672):

1. Some of the judges taking part in and directing the arrest should not have acted as arresting officers.
2. The examination before the trial when Christ stood before Annas and the attempt to obtain admissions was illegal.
3. Endeavors of the judges to procure the testimony of false witnesses was immoral and illegal.
4. Commencing and continuing the trial at night was illegal.
5. Examining and adjuring the accused in order to extort admissions from Him was illegal.
6. Rendering a verdict of guilty at the close of the night session, without allowing a day to intervene was illegal.
7. Holding the morning session on a feast day and rendering a verdict at its close was illegal.
8. Rendering both verdicts without any legal evidence was illegal.

In other words, everything they did was wrong, unfair, unjust, perverted and contrary to proper legal procedure. They seemingly broke every law in the book! They sought by any means possible (even illegal means) to condemn Jesus.

The Second Religious Trial – Jesus Before Caiaphas and The Sanhedrin
(Informal Trial Before Dawn)

After His visit with Annas, Jesus was taken next to Caiaphas, the high priest. This corrupt priest is also described in John 18:13-14 and John 11:49-51. As to their character and hatred for Jesus, Caiaphas and Annas were of like mind. The Sanhedrin under the leadership of Caiaphas and under the influence of Annas found some false witnesses (Matthew 26:59). The testimony of these witnesses proved to be a great embarrassment to the Jewish leaders. (Mark 14:56) Finally two witnesses came forth with an accusation based on something Jesus had once said (Matthew 26:61)

Caiaphas stood up and asked Jesus, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” (Mark 14:60). Usually, people try to defend themselves even when they know they are wrong. In this case, Jesus was completely blameless and innocent, and He had every right to defend Himself against the unjust charges that were being hurled at Him. We marvel, therefore, at His silence. (Isaiah 53:7) After the period of silence, the high priest spoke again. (Matthew 26:63) This time Caiaphas placed Jesus “under oath” (“I adjure thee”), the most solemn and the weightiest oath of all, namely, “by the living God.” The Lord knew that it was now impossible to remain silent. He could not deny Who He was! “You have said it yourself” was the answer Jesus gave. Jesus also referred to Himself as the Son of Man who shall come again to judge the world (Matthew 26:64; Daniel 7:13-14).

As soon as Jesus had made His great claim, the high priest gave the verdict – guilty of blasphemy. (Matthew 26:65) The Council then pronounced the sentence – death. (Matthew 26:66) Then they said, “He deserves death.” Then they abused Him by hitting Him and mocking Him. 

This trial was also illegal being held at night, using false witnesses, failure to provide a defense attorney, held during the holy days and violence in the court (all illegal under Jewish law).

The Third Religious Trial – Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin
(Formal Trial at Dawn)

The Council (Sanhedrin) gathered together for one more trial. Jesus was awake all that night, and so along with the mockery, abuse, and punishment would be added sheer physical exhaustion and fatigue, which naturally comes from going many hours without sleep. The Jewish leaders knew that their night trial was illegal, so as soon as it was day, they quickly had another one to condemn Christ to death again, as they had done earlier. (Luke 22:66-71; Matthew 27:1) Now all they needed was the permission and help of the Roman authorities to carry it through. It was still the holy days of the Passover and Unleaven Bread so they could not legally hold a trial or sentence anyone according to Jewish law.

Next week we’ll take a look at the final three illegal trials by the Romans.