Luke 22:63 - 23:25 "Jesus On Trial"
Courtroom dramas. We love them. You got the prosecuting attorney, the defense, the judge, the jury, and the accused. Are they guilty? Innocent? Will justice prevail? Will an innocent person go down for a crime they didn’t commit, or will the guilty walk away? How will each side prove their case?
Perry Mason. Judge Judy. Better Call Saul. [Law & Order w/Sound] Law and Order. We’re fascinated with watching people go to trial.
It’s not so much fun when it’s your trial though. When a decision that’s going to affect your life is in the hands of someone else.
We’ve been going through the Gospel of Luke line by line since November of 2021. We’ll end up in chapter 23 today—there’s only 24—we’re getting close to the end. We pick up the story just after Jesus was arrested, today is all about Jesus on trial. What were the charges?
There are basically five courtroom scenes. They all take place within several hours. The first one is an informal hearing at the house of the High Priest, then there’s the Sanhedrin, the first trial before Pilate, before Herod, and the final trial before Pilate.
So, it’s the middle of the night and Jesus is dragged in chains to the house of the High Priest.
Luke 22, starting at…
Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him. Luke 22:63-65
This is how Jesus was being treated in the custody of the High Priest. This is what was going on while Peter was in the courtyard pretending he didn’t know who Jesus was. Man. You would think getting arrested by the religious leaders would be a bit less harsh. This is worse than getting picked up by mafia goons. They blindfolded Him, started punching Him in the face and mocking Him, “Bam! If you’re such an amazing prophet, who just hit you, Messiah Boy?” The cruelty is unbelievable.
It’s not like He didn’t know who hit Him. He knew. It says they said many other things—blaspheming Him—interesting choice of words, mocking Jesus is blasphemy, which is typically reserved for God. Some dudes are literally punching God in the face and laughing. The whole scene is shameful. This is how a person who hasn’t been tried or found guilty is treated? Good grief! Israel had all kinds of laws and regulations for how to treat the accused—not like this. They’re acting like animals.
Well, one of the rules was they couldn’t have a secret trial in the middle of the night, they had to at least wait until morning or the verdict wasn’t valid—at least they held to this standard.
When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.” Luke 22:66-71
This is where they were leading Jesus when they walked across the courtyard just as the rooster crowed. They left the High Priest’s house and went to the place where the Sanhedrin met—the 70 or so religious leaders over all the Jews.
They start the trial—asked Jesus if He is the Christ. Does He think He’s the Messiah? The promised King who would be the salvation of Israel. That’s what “the Christ” means. The Messiah.
“Well, are you? Are you “the Christ?”
Jesus is like, “Ugh. Even if I told you I was, you wouldn’t believe me—you wouldn’t believe. And if I asked you who you think I am, you wouldn’t answer me—just like all the other times. We’ve done this dance before. Here, let me tell you what I’ve already told you—the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” They know what He means by “Son of Man,” it’s from Daniel and Ezekiel, it means “Messiah.” And seated at the right hand of the power of God is pretty bold talk—kind of a threat. “I’m standing here in front of you like you have power over me. That’s cute. You’re not going to be so smug when I raise the fist of God in your face.”
They hear the threat, they know what He’s saying but don’t believe Him, they’re looking for a legal confession, “Are you the Son of God?”
Jesus’ answer doesn’t really make sense in English, it’s an idiom. A phrase they would have all understood but doesn’t translate easily.
He says, “You say that I am.” Which is like when we say, “You said it, mister!”
Like if you ask me, “Hey, Frank, do you want some ice cream?” And I’m like, “You said it! A big bowl of chocolate, please!”
Jesus isn’t being vague. He answers them.
“Are you “the Christ,” the Son of God?” Jesus answers, “You said it! I AM! And I’m about to be seated at the right hand of God.”
His answer actually goes even further. When He says, “I AM” He’s invoking the ancient name of God. “I AM”. Moses asked God what he should call Him and God said, “Tell them I AM sent you.” Moses thought it sounded confusing, too.
The High Council was not confused, though. They didn’t think Jesus avoided the question or was being vague. Look at how they responded to His answer, “What further testimony do we need? We’ve heard it from His own lips.”
Sometimes people act like Jesus never actually said He was God. Well. The Sanhedrin would not agree, they believed they heard it from His own lips.
And just like that, we’ve finished chapter 22. Only two more to go.
So they got their confession. They could have stoned Him to death right there on the spot but they didn’t want the multitudes of Jesus followers to blame them. Plus, they thought the Messiah was supposed to overthrow Rome—what better way to completely squash this whole Jesus thing than by getting Rome to do their dirty work. If He’s is executed by the Romans then there’s no reason for the people to come against them.
They had no idea they were fulfilling prophecy that the Messiah had to be crucified by Gentiles.
Chapter 23, VERSE 1:
Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” Luke 23:1-2
Pilate was in Jerusalem to make sure everything stayed quiet during Passover. Remember there were hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in the city for the holiday. The last thing Pilate wanted was a bunch of religious goofballs bringing their petty squabbles to him during Passover.
So the Sanhedrin march Jesus into Pilate’s courthouse. Notice how the accusations have changed. They just make stuff up trying to give Pilate no choice but to execute Him asap. “This man is a big trouble-maker for Rome! He’s trying to convince people not to pay their taxes! He’s a rebellion leader, He thinks He should be king! He calls himself the Christ! This is treason against Caesar!”
Pilate had been around the Jews long enough to know about the Christ, the Messiah. He sees through their game and goes straight for the last accusation…
And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” Luke 23:3-4
Jesus’ answer is the same as last time, Pilate asks if He’s The Messiah, the king of the Jews, and Jesus says, “You said it!” It’s the same idiom as before. We know from the Gospel of John that Jesus also explains His kingdom is not of this world. So, Pilate doesn’t think Jesus is any real threat to Rome. We also know from the Gospel of John that his wife had a dream about Jesus and doesn’t want him to get involved. Plus, He doesn’t want to have anything to do with solving a theological argument for these annoying Jewish know-it-alls and killing someone just because they said so.
He gives his verdict, “Not guilty.” And that should have been the end of it. What judge keeps listening to arguments after the decision is declared?
But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.” When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. Luke 23:5-7
They kept yapping like chihuahuas. “He’s a trouble-maker! Started off in Galilee and brought it all the way to Jerusalem!”
All Pilate heard was “Galilee.” That was going to be his way out. He could pass the case off to the governor of Galilee—that’s Herod’s jurisdiction! Ha! He’s in town, too. So, clever Pilate sent the whole lot of them to Herod’s place. “That’ll be the end of it.” Let Herod deal with all these nuts.
When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other. Luke 23:8-12
Herod is the guy who had John the Baptist beheaded. He was a party boy. He had heard about Jesus and wanted to meet Him—not because he was a believer, he just wanted to see a miracle. Wanted to treat Jesus like a dancing monkey to entertain him. I wonder if he thought Jesus would do some party tricks to try and get on his good side in exchange for His freedom. Maybe Jesus will beg. Jesus didn’t play along, though. Wouldn’t even talk to him. The religious chihuahuas were yapping all their accusations. It was chaos. Herod and the soldiers were going to get their jollies one way or another—so they started making fun of Jesus and dressed Him up as a king before sending Him back to Pilate. It says this was the day Herod and Pilate became friends. Nothing like a common enemy to unite people. It wasn’t Jesus who was the enemy though, He’s not the one annoying them, it was the religious leaders.
The reason we know it was the religious leaders who were bugging the snot out of Pilate and Herod, and not so much Jesus, is because both of these men had no problem with handing out a death sentence on the spot if they wanted to. If they wanted Jesus dead, He would have already been dead. Herod is refusing to do what the religious chihuahuas were trying to get him to do. That’s why he dresses Jesus up as a king and sends Him back to Pilate.
And it’s why Pilate thought it was funny. It’s why they became friends. The religious leaders were like, “This man says He’s a king!” So Herod puts a robe on Him and parades Him into Pilate’s court. He’s mocking the Sanhedrin as much as they’re mocking Jesus—which Pilate thought was awesome.
Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. I will therefore punish and release him.” Luke 23:13-16
Pilate doesn’t want to be told what to do. “Look, neither Herod or I think this guy has done anything wrong.” Pilate doesn’t care if Jesus is innocent or not, he just doesn’t want to give them what they want. Proof for that is that he’s willing to punish Him—beat Him half to death—beat an innocent man half to death. Pilate is no humanitarian.
But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. Luke 23:18-19
There was a custom that on Passover, as a show of good will between Rome and the Jews, that a prisoner would be released. You know, like in the original Passover when Egypt let all the slaves go free. Rome would let one go.
So, Pilate stacked the deck. He really wanted to mess with them. He picks the worst guy he’s got locked up at the moment, a man named Barabbas—someone who led a rebellion and murdered people. Pilate’s like, “Okay, I’ll release one prisoner today. Either Barabbas, who may as well be Charles Manson, a psychopathic murdering freak—or Jesus, who seems like a nice guy and just wants to heal people and spread love and joy. Who’s it going to be? The good guy or the bad guy?”
Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will. Luke 23:20-25
The chihuahuas have everyone yapping now, it’s a circus. “Crucify Jesus!” They’re out of their minds. Pilate, for the third time, says, “What’s wrong with you people? Why are you so bent on killing this guy? He seems like a pretty good guy to me. Look, I already beat the ever-loving snot out of Him—let’s call it a day! What do you say? But they were in yap mode, nothing could stop them, “Crucify Him!”
So Barabbas goes free and Pilate gives the order to execute Jesus on a Roman cross.
He was declared innocent four times—three times by Pilate and once by Herod. Yet He was whipped within inches of His life and then sentenced to death by crucifixion.
The trial of Jesus was a complete failure of justice.
I’m going to close with two big ideas. The first punches pretty hard, so brace yourself. The second is incredibly wonderful, but really hard to hear.
First, the punching.
Jesus is still on trial—like in our time. And for the same charges. Did He really say He was the Christ, the Son of God? Or was that just something His followers came up with to keep the Jesus thing going?
Well? Which is it? He either claimed to be the divine Son of God who came to save the world, and there’s no other way to be saved—or He didn’t.
The Gospel of Luke is based on eye-witness testimonies of people who knew Jesus. Luke interviewed hundreds of people and they all said the same thing: They heard Jesus say He was the Christ, the Son of God. That He and the Father are one. If you’ve seen Him, then you’ve seen the Father. That He’s the only way to God and heaven, there’s no other way. He’s the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father unless they go with Him.
You heard Luke’s account of Jesus’ testimony today.
But why should we believe him? Why should we believe any of the disciples, apostles, or people who followed Jesus and claimed all these things about Him?
Well, because all those people were also going to have their day in court. They were all going to be asked the same thing, and they were going to give the same answer, “Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, was crucified but rose from the dead on the third day. He is who He says He is.”
And they were also going to be executed for their answer.
I tend to believe someone who is willing to die for their testimony, don’t you?
They had absolutely nothing to gain by saying Jesus was alive again and the divine Son of God. Nothing in this life, anyway. They didn’t get money or perks or anything good in this life by testifying the way they did. But they all said the same thing. Hundreds of them. Thousands of them!
A real, historically verified man named Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the Christ—He claimed to be God in the flesh. He stood before a Roman governor named Poncius Pilate who condemned Him to death by crucifixion. We not only have the Biblical record of this, we have historical records from Romans and Jews. By the way, that’s why Pilate is mentioned by name in the creeds. It puts the things we believe as Christians in an actual historical time and place. This is not a fairy tale.
And like I said, Jesus is still on trial. The evidence is before you. Make your verdict. Is He the Savior, the Christ, God in the flesh? Or is He just another religious phony?
Be careful though. There’s a lot at stake here. This is life or death. Not for Him this time, for you. Believe in Jesus, that He did all this for you, and live, or don’t believe and continue to go the way of all flesh.
Okay, that was the punching. Here’s the wonderful part that’s going to be hard to hear.
You’re not really the judge or the jury. Nothing’s really up to you.
In this story, you’re not Jesus. You’re not Pilate or Herod either.
You’re one of two people. You’re either the yapping religious leader chihuahuas—or you’re Barabbas, the condemned murderous sinner.
You’re either someone who has no real power but pretends like they do, making big theological and philosophical arguments about why Jesus isn’t who He says He is. That Christianity is just another phony religious confusion. Everything our culture says about Jesus.
Or you’ve been set free from your death sentence because Jesus was killed in your place—He went to the cross instead of you. Someone is going to die for your crimes, either you or Jesus.
I told you it was going to be hard to hear. You probably didn’t relate so much with Barabbas when you first heard about him. But this is the Gospel, you need to embrace it—you are Barabbas. Whatever you’ve done, whatever your crimes and sins, you’ve been set free because Jesus wasn’t. Jesus was handed over to be crucified, instead of us who are genuinely guilty. How’s that for a picture of salvation? I think ol’ Barabbas had a lot to be thankful for that day. You have every bit as much to be thankful for today. The question before you now is, are you going to continue living as a rebellious psychopath or are you going to start living a good life out of thankfulness for the innocent Son of God who gave you freedom by suffering your punishment? You’ve been set free, what are you going to do with your freedom? Live in it? Or walk back into a cage? How about if you join me in following Jesus, and try to live in thanksgiving. It’s a good week for that, don’t you think?
One more big idea, in closing…
Jesus is still on trial in our culture and you’ve been called to be a witness. What kind of witness are you going to be? Reliable? Faithful? Or the kind that’s way too easy to dismiss by the opposing counsel? It’s something to think about. Not something to worry about though—you can take comfort just knowing that Jesus thought enough of you to call you to give testimony for Him. Just tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. He’ll take it from there. AMEN