Seeking a Conviction. Mark 14:53-59.
And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. Many bore false witnesses against him but their testimony did not agree. And some stood up and bore false witness 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.’ “Yet even about this, their testimony did not agree.
Dear Servants of the Most High,
Jesus is now in the hands of his enemies. Their every intent is to destroy him.
Court (v. 53-54). The team that was sent to arrest Jesus brought him to the house of the high priest. The high priest presided over the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish council, which also served as the highest court and comprised the opposing parties – the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the chief priests. Peter managed to sneak into the compound and was in the courtyard, observing the goings-on.
Conspiracy (v. 55-58). The verdict in Jesus’ case was decided before the trial began. The council was both the accuser and the judge and was also seeking witnesses, playing the role of prosecutor. That the testimonies offered against Jesus were false did not seem to bother them.
Contradictions (v. 59).Despite the efforts of the council, the testimonies of the witnesses did not agree. This was a major hurdle to their plans because the sentence of death could only be pronounced by the Roman governor, and he would require evidence. Such evidence as that Jesus had claimed that he would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days (v. 58) would have been dismissed as religious and of no legal consequence. They needed to prove that Jesus was a criminal or insurrectionist, but could not. That Jesus was innocent did not matter to his accusers. They wanted him dead, guilty or not.
The followers of Jesus should also be ready to face such injustice. Jesus told his disciples, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). Anyone who wants to be his disciple must “deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow” him (Luke 9:23). It may be time to evaluate our motive for following Jesus. Have we considered the cost?
Your Loving Pastor Chris.