Two weeks ago, we talked about the disciples betraying and abandoning Jesus. Last week, we talked about Jesus’ arrest. This week we are looking at his trial – more a description of his experience than a name for the procedure that took place – we look at Jesus’ trial before the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes.
This is pretty intense stuff.
These verses are thick. I want to focus on one moment, one thought, one crystalizing picture that really captures the fullness of the mystery of the incarnation: the question posed by the high priest to Jesus, “Are you the Messiah?”
In that moment we see the depth, breadth, and scope of human brokenness from God. I realize that does not seem like a great setup for a feel-good sermon. It is not. However, it is very important we recognize and realize the truth of our condition and circumstances against and without Jesus. In short: we need to see how broken we are in order to appreciate our need to be saved – our need for a savior.
Then, and only then, in that very same moment, can we also see the depth, breadth, and scope of God’s love for us.
I. What Happened?
Let me take a few moments to explore what it is that we have read. Jesus was in custody. He had been apprehended by a “crowd with swords and clubs” and then brought to the high priest. Just to be clear: this was not a real trial. This was not a process in which there were rules. This was not a search for the truth. It was the very definition of a kangaroo court with robes. The outcome was predetermined.
Mark reported that all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes were assembled. It is probably an overstatement that all the chief priests, elders, and scribes were there – it was more likely that the executive group from each was represented acting on behalf of all. It was a hastily arranged meeting. It was at night with no prior notice given to anyone. It does not diminish the significance of what happened. Mark was making clear that this group was acting on behalf of the whole.
This process looks crazy to us. There were no particular charges being leveled against Jesus. Rather, Mark reported that the chief priests were looking for a charge – they were looking for testimony to be able to take Jesus before the Romans to seek the death penalty. This was a judgment in search of a reason.
The tragic irony here is that the chief priests ran this kangaroo court as if it had legitimacy; looking for the two witnesses that the law of Moses required. They had a tough time. In fact, they failed. We are not really sure what was the problem. Mark lingered here but did not provide a lot of detail. “Many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree.” Ok, that makes sense. But then Mark added one example, “Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, ‘We heard him say, “I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.”’ But even on this point their testimony did not agree.” It sounds as if they had the statement correct, but messed up on the details of where and when they had heard him say it. We just do not know what was the problem. Threatening domestic and theological terrorism – destroying the temple – would have been sufficient for seeking the Romans’ help in sentencing Jesus to death. But, for whatever reason, inconsistencies in the testimony made it impossible for the chief priests to justify going forward.
Only then, and with disdain, did the chief priest ask the question, “Are you the Messiah?” Missing in our translation is the inflection – in Mark’s recounting, there is implicit in the phrasing the intonation of derision, “Are you the Messiah?” As in, are you kidding us? You are a disappointment. Here you are – we took you into custody with no problem – and you are the powerful one, the anointed one of the Most High, the one who is going to come and save us? Again, you can almost hear the unstated conclusion, “I don’t think so.”
Why were they so sure Jesus was a fraud? Why were they so sure he was a pretender? Jesus did not act they way they expected the Messiah to act. He did not obey their traditions the way they expected a hero of the faith would obey. He did not respect their authority the way that they expected he should. In short: Jesus was not what they expected in their messiah.
Because he was not anything like what they expected – or wanted – it was dangerous to have him around. He was a liability, a potential revolutionary problem that could bring the power of the Roman Empire crashing down on them, destroying their way of life. Their circumstances were not optimal, but if this guy was not going to miraculously rid them of the Romans in the way they thought he ought, then the status quo was better.
“Are you the Messiah?” Then, Jesus spoke. “I am.” I cannot imagine how powerful a moment that was. It must have sucked the air out of the room. Because he had been silent, they probably thought he would continue to be silent. He did not meet their expectations – again. Jesus went on,
“and,
‘you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Power,’
and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.’”
Jesus’ affirmation was sufficient to throw the assembly into chaos. The second part of his statement was a declaration of judgment on their sin and brokenness. Ron Kernaghan noted,
In order to appreciate fully the prophetic element in this image, we need to keep the court scene clearly in mind. The court considered itself to be in a position to judge any claim about Jesus and any claim he might make. The prejudice of the court is manifest, however, and its members are accordingly cast in the role of Jesus’ enemies. To be seated thus at the right hand of the Mighty One is to take a position above David and to wait while God vindicates the one who has been so wronged by his enemies. This part of the prophecy is therefore both an assertion that they do not have the right to pronounce judgment on his messianic authority and a prophecy that God would judge the witnesses and members of the court.[1]
If the assembly was already smoldering with hatred towards Jesus, this was like the spiritual equivalent of the Beirut explosion we saw a few weeks ago. They went apoplectic. They went crazy. They went nuts. The condemned Jesus. They spit on him. They struck him. and the guards took him and beat him.
We recoil at their reaction. Here were the religious leaders resorting to violence and abuse against Jesus. It would be difficult to imagine a clearer manifestation of brokenness.
As much as we recoil from their sinfulness, we need to see, admit, and confess our own. It is not tough to point out the sin and brokenness in our own nation right now – politics, sports, celebrity culture, social media – it is too easy to go down that list and point fingers. The hard truth is that we use the “look out there!” to avoid looking at the sin and brokenness inside the church. It hurts me to say this because I am a participant in that sin and brokenness: the church has become comfortable with the status quo. We bristle at the notion of suffering like Jesus or with Jesus.
We are hesitant to lose the respect of our neighbors or community by sharing how we need to be saved – yes, we are sinners because everyone is; but we do not have any failings or imperfections that we are willing to share because others would think less of us. We are hesitant to risk offending our neighbors by inviting them to see the error of following worldly priorities because people ought to be free to live as they choose – and in that way, we avoid the hard work of loving our neighbor as ourselves.
We look at Jesus before the chief priests, scribes, and elders; and that Jesus does not match up with our expectation of God’s saving messiah. We want the Jesus of healing miracles and nature miracles and spiritual miracles. We want the Jesus on the top of the mountain transfigured and talking with Elijah and Moses. We want the Jesus of Palm Sunday and we certainly want the Jesus of Easter. But here – in front of this group – we don’t expect this Jesus. I would like to just pass this Jesus by so that we can get to the joyful Jesus.
However.
However, we do not get to the joyful Jesus if we are not willing to take a hard look at ourselves to see us as God sees us. Yes, these people were horrible to Jesus. They were sinners trying to sit in judgment of God for not being like they wanted.
Friends, we are no different.
We often sit in judgment of God, tsk-tsk-ing as we see injustices go unaddressed. We complain that things are not fair when circumstances are not pleasing to us. We want what we want, and we want God to serve us to give us what we want. We get angry when God refuses to serve us.
If any of that sounds familiar, resonates a little too well, or hits close to home, then you begin to understand the depth, breadth, and scope of our brokenness. So…thanks for coming today! Don’t forget to put your offering in the plate on the way out.
II. God’s Great Love For Us
No, I am not actually going to stop there. Are you ready for some good news?
Given the level of brokenness, anger, and hatred we see in our text; and given the level of brokenness, anger, and hatred we see in our world; we have to take a few moments to marvel at how deep is God’s love for us. Paul wrote it this way in his letter to the Romans: “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.”
Those words may be too familiar to us. Let me break it down this way: God was at work in Jesus Christ to reconcile to himself the broken, angry, and hating world. God was at work in Jesus Christ to reconcile to himself those who rejected him, despised him, reviled him, condemned him, beat him, spit on him, struck him, and turned him over to be crucified. God was at work in Jesus Christ to reconcile to himself those who blame him, judge him, deny him, and resent him.
Can you imagine?
Can you imagine the depth of that love? It is difficult. But that is who God is and that is how God has revealed himself in Jesus.
Despite the hostility raging against him, Jesus remained calm. For many years, I had the impression our verses were like the courtroom scene in A Few Good Men, where Tom Cruise is cross examining Jack Nicholson. The tension rises, the questions get more pointed, the lawyers on both sides are shouting, and then we get this dramatic exchange,
I’ll answer the question. You want answers?
I think I’m entitled to answers!
You want answers?
I want the truth!
You can’t handle the truth!
And then, NichoIson confesses to the crime he had been trying to cover up. For a long time I had the picture that the high priest simply exasperated Jesus to the point that he finally confessed his identity that for so long he had been trying to keep a secret.
But as I go back through this, I do not think that is really the picture of what took place. If you take a step back and look at how Mark constructed this narrative, it becomes clear that Mark wanted readers to appreciate how calm, in control, and at peace was Jesus. What he was experiencing was awful, but he knew the peace that passes all understanding by being in obedience to God’s will. Coming out of the Garden, coming out of that time of prayer, Jesus manifested deeper and deeper calm as the world around him was manifesting wilder and wilder mania. Consider the contrast:
- Jesus told the disciples, “Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.” Had he wanted to escape, he could have. Then, Judas showed up. Then, the disciples scrambled to defend Jesus, only to be flabbergasted when Jesus did not try to escape or fight back. He stood calmly. They deserted.
- The mob took Jesus to the high priest. The inquest was held. The accusations and those bearing false witness came and failed, came and failed, came and failed, and the tribunal was getting more frustrated. Yes, the chief priests, scribes and elders conspired against him, but don’t miss the spiritual dimension of what was taking place: the demonic hoard clamoring against him. Jesus did not command them out or exercise his authority over them. He chose not to do that in obedience to God’s will. Instead, Jesus said nothing. He was silent and did not answer. He did not argue with liars or spend time disputing what was false. He was calm.
- Then, in frustration and anger, the high priest turned to Jesus and asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Here, when the question was asked – regardless of whether intended or not – when the question asked about the truth, Jesus responded directly and calmly. “I am.” Only then did Jesus respond – in his time, in his way, by his own choice. Had he wanted to avoid the cross, he might have continued to sit in silence and the chief priests, scribes, and elders would have had to try something else. Then he shared a validating affirmation about his identity as the Son of Man. The high priest tore his clothes. The rest condemned him, spit on him, struck him and beat him. In the very next paragraph, three times in increasing intensity, Peter denied his identity as one of Jesus’ followers.
The point is this: Jesus was at the center of the storm while the winds howled around him. He was not agitated. He was not intimidated. He was not overwhelmed. He was not anxious. Instead, we see revealed in Jesus the incredible love God must have for us: to remain steadfastly committed to redeeming us through this horror show.
Looking at Jesus shows us the heart and character of God. Jesus remained as he had been: obedient, faithful, Scriptural, and personal. He was not in pursuit of an idea or an ideal, he was in pursuit of saving his children. He was
As we look at Jesus, we begin to see all the ways we try to impose our expectations on God and they fall away. We see all the ways we try to mold Jesus into our image, and they melt away. We see all the ways the we and the world demand that Jesus please us, and it amounts to nothing. When all else is stripped away, what remains is Jesus: humble, obedient, loving, going to the cross for you and for me. He was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross
The emblem of suffering and shame
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain
Friends, these verses paint the horrible picture of human brokenness. We see hatred, sin, and all the ugly things of life. And, in the middle, we see the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
And I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it some day for a crown
They asked Jesus, “Are you the Messiah?” He said, “I am.”
He is. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Amen.
[1] Ron Kernaghan, IVP New Testament Commentary, Mark, p. 314.