SECTION FIVE Mark 14:53 to 15:15 10. TRIAL BY THE Mark 14:53-65 (Matthew 26:57-68; Luke 22:66-71; John 18:19-24) 53 And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and there come together with him all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.--[Caiaphas was the high priest. Those assembled with him were the chief priests. These, with the elders of Israel and scribes, constituted the Sanhedrin--the Jewish high court. After the destruction of the national independence it remained as the highest tribunal of justice among the Jews. They tried all cases of heresy of religious teaching and decided cases of differences among the Jews. The Romans permitted them to decide cases, but they could not inflict punishment of death without the sanction of the Roman governor, and there was right of appeal then to Caesar at Rome. They sought grounds to put him to death; then they would bring the case before the governor for his approval. They (his avowed enemies) determined to kill him--were his judges; and they sought testimony to convict him. Such a trial is a farce.] 54 And Peter had followed him afar off,--John tells us that another disciple followed (John 18:15), who was probably John himself, though, with his accustomed modesty, he does not name him. even within, into the court of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers,--Some of the force which had assisted in the arrest of Jesus. and warming himself in the light of the fire.--The night and early morning are cool in Palestine even when the day is very warm. It was still night. Luke 22:55 says the fire was kindled in "the midst of the court." The palace was a quadrangle around an open court, and here the fire was kindled on the ground or marble floor. Here took place "the denial." [Peter had courage to come back to see the end, but did not venture near. 55 Now the chief priests--These were the heads of the twenty-four temple courses, and ex-high priests, members of the Sanhedrin. and the whole council--The great Sanhedrin, variously represented as consisting of seventy, seventy-one, and seventy-two members. It was composed of chief priests, elders, originally heads of families or tribes representing the people; and scribes (or lawyers), the interpreters of the law; probably twenty-four of the first, the same of the second, and a number of the third, bringing up the full number of the council. sought witness against Jesus to put him to death;--Why are they seeking witnesses now? Why did they not have them ready, such as they intended to accept? The explanation is found in the suddenness with which they had decided upon the arrest. They had intended to postpone it until after the feast (Mark 14:1-2), but when Judas came rushing to them the evening before, they yielded to his urgency and resolved to avail themselves of the opportunity of Gethesemane. They must now hunt their witnesses. Matthew (26 :59) says they "sought false witness." and found it not.--These parties [constituted the court to try Jesus. They had predetermined the case, and became the prosecutors. In all civilized nations a man who has formed or expressed an opinion in a case involving the life or liberty of a prisoner is incompetent to try it. A judge in any way connected with a case is incompetent to try it. Yet these men, especially interested in, and seeking testimony to convict him, are the judges who decide the case. They were determined to put him to death. This was a religious body. The charge on which they sought to convict him was blasphemy against God. When they brought him before Pilate, the charge was treason against Caesar. This shows they suited the charge to excite the prejudice or interest of the judge.] 56 For many bare false witness against him,--These are not lacking as they are always to be found where there are influential men with means and money at their command to furnish them. and their witness agreed not together.--The law of Moses required that an accusation should be sustained by two witnesses at least. (Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:6; Deuteronomy 19:15.) No two could be found, for a while, to testify to the same statement. [Matthew (26:59, 60) says: "Now the chief priests and the whole council sought false witness against Jesus, that they might put him to death; and they found it not, though many false witnesses came." They sought witnesses that would swear falsely in order to convict him. They found none--that is, although many witnessed falsely, they so convicted themselves of falsehood as to destroy their testimony. It is very difficult for a man to tell a falsehood and not expose his guilt in it. All surroundings tend to expose it. A falsehood requires ten other falsehoods to cover it, and each of these ten more to cover it up, and the workings of time uncover them. A man can always afford to tell the truth. Others telling falsehoods may contradict him for the time, but all the developments of the future will tend to confirm and vindicate truth. So the false witness of these men contradicted and destroyed itself.] 57 And there stood up certain,--Matthew (Matthew 26:60) says "Afterward came two," the legal number, "and bare false witness." and bare false witness against him, saying,--Mark calls it false witness because, although Jesus said something similar, the words were not correctly reported. John (John 2:19) tells us that he said: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up," speaking of his body. In every age new witnesses arise. Satan changes the front of attack, but in every age the witnesses fail. 58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.--[The Jews (John 2:18-19) asked: "What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Jesus meant this of his body, which, if destroyed or killed, should be revived; but when spoken in those days, the Jews applied it to the temple, and replied: "Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days?" But he spake of the temple of his body. They misrepresented his statement. He said this temple--his body--not made with hands. They say he said this temple--made with hands.] 59 And not even so did their witness agree together.--[While each gave his misrepresentation of the statement of Jesus, the testimony of these two witnesses was contradictory. The old Jewish law, as given by Moses, required that no one should be convicted save on the testimony of two or three witnesses. So there was great failure when two witnesses were brought to establish a fact, and they destroyed instead of strengthened each other's testimony. But persons who seek false testimony to destroy a man would convict him without testimony at all. Why, then, the great anxiety to find the false testimony? The reason is the case must go before the Roman governor. It must be according to the forms of law, and the testimony must justify the judgment. If not, the effort to secure testimony was to meet the demands of the Roman governor. 60 And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?--[Jesus was silent amid the false charges made against him. He replied not a word. They involved in no way his true character, and he left them to testify as they desired. The high priest seemed anxious to involve him in a controversy, and wrangle with these witnesses, hoping he might commit himself in some way so as to excite the multitude or give ground for sustaining the charges before the governor. The priests and rulers seem to have been willing to excite the multitude so they would murder Jesus in a mob, so they would have been excused; or, failing in this, they desired to excite him into some act that they might condemn him before the governor.] 61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and saith unto him, Art thou the Christ,--[He held his peace--made no answer to the charges. The priest said, as Matthew (Matthew 26:63) records it: "I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God." This question involved the vital point of his mission to the world, and of his relation to God. The belief that he is the Son of God, and so divine, is the turning point in man's destiny.] the Son of the Blessed?--Matthew (Matthew 26:63) says: "The Son of God." The two phrases mean the same. The lips so resolutely shut were now opened. The witness testifies unequivocally. Jesus will answer to no side issue. We must come to the point. The greater includes the lesser. 62 And Jesus said, I am:--No need of summoning further witnesses. All their former trouble might have been saved. The divine Son will not deny his Sonship. But he does not stop with their question, but goes on to utter one of the most sublime declarations ever made by any one. He answered in the affirmative that he was the Messiah, and not only the Messiah but the Judge, who was yet to come in great power. and ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power,--This expression would remind these rulers of the expression of Daniel, where "there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man." But their intentions were so determined on putting the accused to death that meekness, innocence, and scripture all pass for nothing. and coming with the clouds of heaven.--Jesus had now said all and more than all that his enemies could desire. He had proclaimed himself the Messiah of the prophets, the Son of man of Daniel, and the actual Son of God and sharer of his authority. 63 And the high priest rent his clothes,--[To rend the clothes was to express, in such a case, violent grief that one should so blaspheme against God. He regarded this confession as blasphemy deserving death. This confession was witness enough. For a man to claim to be the Son of God in the sense here meant would be blasphemy--would be claiming for self the prerogatives of God. This is blasphemy in any one not divine. The sin of these men was to refuse to see or accept the proofs of his divine character, and so they rejected all the true testimony, and condemned him on what they knew to be false testimony.] and saith, What further need have we of witnesses?--There was a great scarcity, but now no need. 0, how the world rends its garments over the sins of the church. One peccadillo in a Christian is of more importance than a cycle of sin in those outside. But let our purpose be to walk circumspectly! 64 Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye?--The high priest now seeks to obtain the united judgment of the court to the same thing. He knows well this eagerness to find him guilty, he has but to act the part of a leader to obtain their judgment to the same effect. He has given his own decision. He now asks theirs. And they all condemned him to be worthy of death.--[They were all anxious to condemn him, so they readily agreed it was blasphemy;and that he ought by their law to die.] 65 And some began to spit on him,--Matthew says: "In his face." The Jews knew of nothing more expressive of contempt. and to cover his face, and to buffet him,--They blindfolded him with a view to mock his pretensions as a prophet. They struck him with their fists. and to say unto him, Prophesy:--As Jesus was a prophet, they would ask him to tell who it was that struck him when he was blindfolded. "Prophesy unto us, thou Christ: who is he that struck thee?" (Matthew 26:68.) Supernatural knowledge belonged to Messiah, the prophet. They demanded that he should show this, by telling who struck him while he was blindfolded. But he made no response. (See Isaiah 53:7.) and the officers received him with blows of their hands. --The margin has "or strokes of rods." The members of the council having gratified their malicious hatred for the time being, they delivered him to the officers' custody till they should be ready to lead him to Pilate. In this great and marvelous combat, one strove against all, and yet for all. He suffered as a lamb yet conquered as a lion. He is overcome and yet he is the victor.