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 away found this in 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 16th chapter of Deuteronomy the 16th 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 fees the festivals the Passover.

All of that and then there is talk 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. The system of justice. They were proud of it. You know, of course, that the Jewish society of our Lord's time was fast, hideous about observance of the law that the festive business 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 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 the Jewish trial the Gentile trial was equally unjust. It was a secular tribunal, but it was a travesty of injustice violation of truth, the religious Sanhedrin trial had three parts. The arraignment before Annis the trial before Caiaphas and the public re-trial 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 and illegal arraignment. The verdict was in before the procedure began. The decision was made as to what they were going to do with them. They were going to kill him. The procedure was formality looking for some reason to explain why they were killing 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 been to the garden.

They had him under arrest and now I'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 is 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 offices of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him and then verse 13 and led him to Annis first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year they let him first of all to Annis. Annis was the father in law of Caiaphas. They led him to Annis 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 Annis. He was the one he was going to come up with an indictment and arraignment. He was like a one-man grand jury that have a crime here for going to have an execution is the smart one is the brains behind the operation give him the job.

While Jesus is before Annis the Sanhedrin is gathering at the house of Caiaphas plot their course in their mock trial. While Jesus is before Annis the Sanhedrin is gathering together and also chapter 18 of John describe something else that's going on Peter is denying Jesus so you have some scenes going on here. Sanhedrin gathering Peter denying Annis to come up with an indictment, verse 19 high priest then questions Jesus this is Annis about his disciples 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 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 asked those who heard me call witnesses in Austin like that when he said this when the officer standing nearby struck Jesus saying is that the way you answer the high priest Jesus answered him, five spoken wrongly testify the wrong but if rightly, why do you strike me Annis can cope with them. So verse 20 forces Annis and inventor 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 are 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 in the people start to show up. 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. The fire and other something very, very like Peter about his being there is immense curiosity really good intentions, strong affections for Christ.

You know I love you. You know I love you says to them later, but he's in a dangerous place, and he's prayerless slip to 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 that the fire is 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 if we get to verse 66 and Peter's denials are there recorded by Mark but for the moment. We just know he's there at the Sanhedrin's inside one of the rooms in this courtyard. Typically, the house would be built for sides around the center courtyard Sanhedrin is going to need to work fast.

This trial is gotta be done and over before dawn. Peter's denials actually took place before the Cockrell I would be 3 AM 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 AM. They shouldn't 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 another servants he's caught between curiosity and cowardice. His knee, so you have an illegal arraignment when illegal arraignment then is followed by an by a series of illegal testimonies illegal testimony follows.

Now the chief priest verse 55 in the whole counsel Trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put them to death.

They determine the outcome. They determine the sentence that they just had to find a crime. So here you have these religious people so fast Eddie is about the law trying to find liars in the middle of the night. Matthew 2659 says they were bribing them 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 read lent, 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 so you have illegal arraignment in an illegal trial. Essentially, illegal testimony. Thirdly, you have an illegal interrogation and illegal interrogation.

This is quite interesting in verse 60, the high priest stood up and frustrating. Now their first effort bringing in these bribed witnesses collapses the high priest then stands up came forward. Question 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 was nothing to the accusations. Therefore there was no reply necessary for 61 says he And Didn't Answer. He Understands the Legal Order. Isaiah 53 Verse Seven 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 Is in the Legal Aspect of This Whole Thing They Violate Every Law. The Arraignment Is Illegal. Testimony Is Illegal 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 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. Jesus Knows the Intent of the Question, but He Answers Anyway on the Intent of the Question Is to Play the Final Trump Card Blasphemy Card They All Know What He's Claimed They Know He Is Claimed to Be the Messiah.

He's Done It Again and Again and Again and Again You Find It Strong That All through His Ministry. They Know He Is 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 Any Answers Because the Question Is Legitimate with Diego, a Me the Tetrick Grandma Thanh the off Way the Name of God. I Am Matthew As You Have Said It.

I Am John Loves That 23 Times in the Gospel of John, Jesus Says I Am Jesus Knows His Answer Means Death Knows That. But after All That's Where He's Headed and He Knows That Jesus Enhances His Answer Is 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 Let Me Explain and Try 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 That 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. Someone 10 One Pictures the Son Of Man Sitting at the Right Hand of God, the Lord Said in the 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 Pass the Resurrection past the Intersession through His Coronation and His Exaltation. They Judge Him Unjustly.

He Will One Day Judge Them Justly and They'll Get a Preview That Judgment and 40 Years of the Destruction of Jerusalem. He Knows These Words Will Bring about His Death. He Is Ready Is 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 Closes Ceremonial and Contrived Display. In This Case Fake Righteous Indignation, High Priest Responses. 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 2416 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 and End of 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 He 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 There Instantly Responsive.

They All Condemned Him to Be Deserving of Death That 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 His Sinfulness and to Show You Their Attitude. They All Condemned and Be Deserving of Death.

These Are Religious Leaders Now Simply 24 Chief Priest 24 Elders 24 Scribes and a High Priest in Verse 65 Says Some Began to Spit at Him. Luke Says This Began with the Sanhedrin, They Begin to Spit Heaven. Matthew Says They Began Screaming.

He Deserves Death.

This Is a Supreme Court Is a Religious Leaders Then to Blindfold Him so He Couldn't Know What Was Coming from Home 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 2667 Slap after Slap after Slap Saying Who Hit You, Who Hit You Prophesy. Prophesy. It's a Horrible Scene Marking Ridicule the End of the Section in Verse 65 Says, and the Officers Received Him with Slaps in the Face Sanhedrin Turns Him Back over the Temple Police and the Roman Guards so They Follow the Example of Their Noble Leaders.

They Slap Him in the Face As Well. One Could Conclude That This Nation and the 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. The Sad Thing Is the Same Sentence Falls on Any One Who Rejects Christ to Anyone Who Would Say Want to Be like Judas Anyone. I Was Sick. I Might Be like Those Guys Want to Be like You Are like If You Reject Christ and You Will Spend an Eternity in the Same Place. Those People Will Spend Their Eternity and Our Now There but It's Those Kinds of People in the Kind of People We All Are, for Which Jesus Went to the Cross Right to Provide Salvation for Those Who Repent and Embracing the Savior.

That's John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University in 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 That 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 That I Think the Compelling Answer Comes in One Simple Title of the Lamb of God That 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 Will God Chose a Sacrifice.

Jesus Is the Lamb Chosen by God Is 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 Love the Title.

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