April 15, 2001

Jesus Trials

The surest historical fact about Jesus of Nazareth is that he was crucified in 35 A.D. by the Romans for sedition.

The manner of his birth, objective of his career, meaning of his teachings, and events involving His persona after being taken down from the cross are matters for Christian ministers to explain.

Certainly Jesus had something important to do and say. Two billion people believe He is the Son of God and that He revealed a code of conduct that will assure the forgiveness of sins, resurrection of the body and life thereafter everlasting.

Why, then, was Jesus executed after three, inclusive trials? Were those trials fair, or was he falsely executed?

Let us examine the facts as a newspaper editorial writer of that day might have.

The Christus evangelists -- Mark, Matthew, Luke and John -- recorded Jesus' short ministry in the same, general order. However, Biblical scholars rely heavily on the Gospel of Mark because it was written nearest the event by the apostle himself.

Mark, set down his account as an old man in Rome shortly after Titus had defeated the last Jewish rebellion. Chief purpose of his "gospel" appears to be that of portraying the personality and teachings of Jesus in such a way that Christians in their hour of severe trial would summon the power to endure and remain faithful.

Mark was a young man when he followed Jesus, perhaps 19 or 20. It is likely that he was the apostle in the Garden of Gethsemane who whacked off the ear of the chief priest's servant. This story is not related by the other Gospels and therefore is regarded as Mark's "signature" to his account.

The non-payment of tribute was one of the causes of the ultimate Jewish Revolt of A.D. 66. Mark represented Jesus as loyal to Rome over the tribute question - "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's."

Nevertheless, there remained the undeniable fact that Pontius Pilate crucified Jesus as a rebel.

Mark endeavors to meet this difficulty by transferring responsibility for the crucifixion to the Jewish leaders. There was ample justification inasmuch as the priests and scribes hated Jesus for his challenge to religious and political authority.

It is important to keep in mind that religion and politics were intertwined those days, just as now in Israel. As an occupied, Roman protectorate, the High Priest Caiaphas was appointed by Pilate and was held accountable for native affairs.

Thus, Jesus' violent act of driving out moneychangers from the Temple was a demonstration of religious heresy AND political insurrection. It was a serious act that set in motion the chain of events resulting in the trials, humiliation, agony and death of Jesus.

Roman coins were impressed with the image of Caesar who professed to be God as well as ruler. Thus, these coins violated the commandments regarding "no other God," and "graven images." Therefore, these had to be exchanged for Temple currency in order to make donations or buy doves for sacrifice.

It is likely that the moneychangers and dovesellers gouged their pious customers - and that the Temple priests got "rental." Yet, the system was necessary to observe the commandments. Early in Jesus' ministry, He proclaimed adherence to Jewish religious practices: "I come not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it."

For several days after the attack on moneychangers, Jesus attended Temple and taught his religious message of love to man and devotion to God. The priests and scribes questioned him sharply regarding his politics and his adherence to Jewish religion.

Jesus shared a Passover meal with his disciples - during which he introduced a Communion ceremony of bread and wine. He then went with some of his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray and await the terrible fate ordained for him by scripture.

The prophet Isaiah - author of the longest book in the Old Testament - proclaimed 750 years before the birth of Jesus that a "suffering servant" would come someday to deliver the Jews from oppression (Ia 53):

"He is despised and rejected of men, but he was wounded for our transgressions. With his stripes we are healed. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter. He was taken from prison and from judgment, for he was cut off out of the land of the living when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin."

While Jesus was praying, Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, ruling body of the Temple, decided that the influence of Jesus must be challenged. They sent a well-armed group of Temple workers in the dark hours of a new day to bring Jesus to a trial for heresy.

The charge brought against Jesus - and sworn to by false witnesses says Mark - was that Jesus had declared He would destroy the temple made by hands and in three days build in its place one not made with hands.

Jesus did not answer, so the high priest demanded, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" This was the first time the question of Jesus' messiahship had come to open expression between Him and his opponents. Theretofore, the possibility had been openly discussed only by ordinary people.

This was the climatic moment of Jesus' career. The time had come to consummate His mission. Jesus replied, "I am, and ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven."

With this, Caiaphas tore his clothes and cried out, "What need we of any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy."

All members of the Sanhedrin declared Jesus guilty, spat upon Him, slapped Him and condemned Him to death.

As a ruling body appointed by the Roman procurator, the Sanhedrin had no power to unilaterally carry out an execution. By Jewish religious law, death would be by stoning. Therefore, at daylight, Jesus was bound and taken before Pilate for a political trial.

Mark does not mention the charge presented by the Sanhedrin. But obviously it was sedition, because Pilate's first question to Jesus was, "Are you king of the Jews?

Thus, we discover that the Sanhedrin's principal concern about Jesus was political, not religious. The first trial was simply an excuse for religious authorities to seize Jesus.

If blasphemy was their real grievance, they would simply have asked permission to kill the heretic in the usual way.

There was another, more immediate reason for getting rid of Jesus.  Apostle John reports in his gospel (Jn 11:47) that Caiaphas importuned the Sanhedrin : "What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation."

Apostle Luke also is specific about the Sanhedrin's charge. In presenting Jesus to Pilate, Caiaphas said, "We found this man perverting our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king."

To Pilate's question whether Jesus was king of the Jews, Jesus again acknowledged a personal description He never had before - one, which He knew, meant death.

Jesus replied, "Thou sayest it. To this end was I born, and for this cause I came into the world - that I should bear witness unto the truth."

Luke says that upon being informed Jesus was from Galilee, Pilate ordered Jesus be taken to Herod for trial. Herod was the appointed Jewish governor of Galilee and in Jerusalem for the Passover.

Herod commanded Jesus to prove his divinity by performing a miracle. When Jesus would not do so, Herod sent him back to Pilate. Mark says Pilate asked the priests to relent. When they would not, Pilate was said to ask that a basin of water be brought that he might ceremoniously "wash his hands" of the responsibility for Jesus death.

This action is suspect inasmuch as Pilate ordered Jesus to the scourged (whipped with a cat-of-nine-tails tipped with barbs) and then crucified. This was the punishment reserved expressly for sedition.

Pilate personally wrote out the superscription nailed to the cross: "King of the Jews." He ordered Jesus to be crucified between two "las-tas" which the King James translators render as "robbers." Modern scholars interpret lastgas (lestai) as "zealots" or "insurrectionists."

Despite the three, trumped up trials -- and execution of three enemies of the social order - real insurrection came 30 years later. The Jews were defeated and dispersed. The Romans drifted into decadence and decay. And Christianity became a major religion through the inspiration of Paul of Tarsus who had never known Jesus, and through the conversion of the Roman king Constantine.

Author: Lindsey Williams

cutline -  3 col. Jesus on trial

Illustration from a 15th century manuscript

[ Jesus, standing, being tried by Caiaphas, high priest of the Jewish Temple at Jerusalem. ]  

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