Happy Thursday!
Today we are going to look at Jesus’ trial. It lasted less than 18 hours but Jesus was taken to six different hearings.
Before Jewish Authorities:
Preliminary Hearing before Annas (John 18:12-24)
High Priest was for life and was still considered official by the Jews despite the Romans having appointed another. Annas still carried weight among the Sanhedrin.
Hearing before Caiaphas (Matthew 26:57-68)
Just as the previous hearing, this one before Caiaphas was held in secret and at night. It was full of illegalities.
Trial before the Sanhedrin (Matthew 27:1,2)
Just after daybreak, 70 members of the Sanhedrin met to give their approval of the previous hearings, making them legal. This was not to determine justice, but to justify their own preconceptions of Jesus’ guilt.
Before Roman Authorities:
First Hearing before Pilate (Luke 23:1-5)
The religious leaders had condemned Jesus to death on religious grounds, but only the Roman government could grant the death penalty. This is why they took Jesus to Pilate and accused him of treason and rebellion, c
rimes punishable by death.
Hearing before Herod (Luke 23:6-12)
Jesus’ home was in the region of Galilee and because Pilate saw that Jesus was innocent (but didn’t want to cause an uproar with the religious leaders) sent Him to Herod Antipas who was in Jerusalem for Passover. Herod was only interested in Jesus’ miracles and when Jesus said nothing, Herod sent Him back to Pilate.
Last Hearing before Pilate (Luke 23:13-25)
Pilate was in a tough place because he couldn’t afford an uprising or he would lose his position. He clearly saw that Jesus was innocent and believed having Jesus beaten (which was illegal) would appease the religious leaders, and when it didn’t, Pilate gave the decision to the crowds who shouted “Crucify Him!”.
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