As we continue to follow Jesus' final hours before the crucifixion, we are going to examine the timing of the events. The Son of God was arrested by the Jewish religious authorities shortly before 3:00 am. The Sanhedrin was a legitimate judicial authority but they intentionally disregarded their ethical obligations when they ramrodded a guilty verdict in less than three hours. Jesus was in the custody of the High Priest's soldiers until 8:00 am when He was turned over to the Roman governor.

The hypocritical Jewish leadership did not want to enter the palace of Pontius Pilate and contaminate themselves spiritually since it was the Passover week. Their Talmudic laws stated they would be unclean but they had no qualms about perverting justice to convict an innocent man.

Pilate was forced to go outside to talk to these pious Jews and hear their accusations. He felt there was no case against Jesus and ordered the Son of God to be taken to the judgment hall where He could be questioned in private. When Pilate learned that Jesus was from Galilee, he transferred Jesus to King Herod, who happened to be in Jerusalem that week. The Jewish leadership pressured Herod, who returned Jesus back to Pilate.

Herod and Pilate both agreed that Jesus was innocent of the charges against Him but politics is a dirty game and Caiaphas and his ilk were relentless that Jesus must die. Pilate tried to pacify the Sanhedrin by having Jesus whipped but they became incensed when Jesus was to be set free and called all the more loudly for Jesus to be killed. Pilate yielded to the Jewish leadership and ordered Jesus to be flogged and crucified. He then performed a publicity stunt by washing his hands of the matter and declared he was innocent of Jesus’ death.

Kangaroo courts give the illusion of a fair legal process, deciding the fate of the accused beforehand to secure a conviction. This happens by manipulation of true court proceedings and/or by denying the accused a proper defense. The Sanhedrin obviously favored a speedy trial over proper procedure. Jesus got more injustice from Pilate, who weakly argued with the Jewish leadership that the Son of God was innocent. When the Jews insisted that Jesus must die, Pilate caved and Jesus never got a fair trial. It was nothing less than political murder. Studying these events shows us the horrible suffering our Savior endured at the hands of evil men and gives us an appreciation of His great love for humanity.

Print out the sermon outline and let's examine the Scriptures together Sunday morning at 9:00 AM PST.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor John S. Torell