Isaiah’s Prophecy Fulfilled in Jesus' Unlawful Proceedings.

Today, we look at what Jesus endured before His crucifixion: His appearances before Annas, Caiaphas, and the Council of Elders of Israel.

Israel's system of jurisprudence was regarded as one of the best in the world, with a strong focus on truth and fairness. However, there was no justice or fairness in Jesus' case. According to Israeli law, an accused person could not be questioned without legal representation, but Jesus was denied a lawyer. Additionally, trials cannot be held at night; nevertheless, Jesus underwent two nighttime trials before Annas and Caiaphas, followed by a third public trial at dawn before the Sanhedrin, the council of elders in Israel. In any other case, if a guilty verdict is reached, the judges are required to wait a whole day to allow for the possibility of new evidence emerging.

Additionally, Israel's legal system required that there be at least two witnesses for any crime, and no one could testify against themselves. As a result, Jesus remained silent before His accusers. Over 600 years earlier, the prophet Isaiah predicted that when the Messiah arrived, He would be “oppressed and afflicted, yet did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).

When Jesus left the house of Annas, He saw Peter’s third denial and betrayal before being taken across the courtyard to Caiaphas's home, the puppet high priest. Jesus stood confidently and did not respond to the lies and accusations from Annas and Caiaphas about Him. In capital cases, all legal proceedings by the ruling elders had to be open to the public. Since Jesus provided nothing incriminating, perhaps to weaken His resolve and courage, He was beaten either before or after the public trial in front of the Sanhedrin (John 18:22), maybe both.

Early in the morning, to fulfill legal requirements, the mock trial began. Jesus stood silently, bloodied and bruised, before the Jewish elders of the Sanhedrin. The real trial took place illegally during the previous night before Annas and Caiaphas. The charge against Jesus in front of the Sanhedrin was blasphemy, accusing Jesus of claiming to be God and the Messiah. Here's what Luke wrote about the interrogation of Christ:

⁶⁶At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. ⁶⁷“If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, ⁶⁸and if I asked you, you would not answer. ⁶⁹But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” ⁷⁰They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied, “You say that I am.”⁷¹Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips” (Luke 22:66-71).

Jesus phrased His response so as not to incriminate Himself; after all, He was not the one on trial. It was the ruling elders and high priests who faced judgment. The high priests themselves would be the ones guilty of blasphemy, as would occur later. “Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered” (John 19:15). As the trial continued, the high priests couldn’t get Jesus to say anything blasphemous. So bluntly and directly, the high priest put Him under oath to tell them if He was the Messiah, the Son of God:

I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God (Matthew 26:62).

Mark tells us that Jesus stayed silent before finally answering the question about who He is:

⁶¹But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” ⁶²“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” ⁶³The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. ⁶⁴“You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” (Mark 14:61-64).

How boldly Jesus stood and proclaimed the truth about who He is. He didn't simply tell them that He was the Messiah; He clearly stated that He is God in the flesh. He used the Greek form of God's Name, the way God revealed Himself to Moses before the Exodus from Egypt: “This is what you will tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). Like our Lord, may we all stand boldly and speak the truth of God's Word. Keith Thomas

The YouTube teaching on this topic is on the link following: https://youtu.be/1ZQ637TPnCM

The written study 62 is found in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus Before Pilate and Herod