It was Thursday evening
in Jerusalem and the city
00:00:29.04\00:00:32.36
was a wonderland of lights.
00:00:32.37\00:00:35.29
From all over the world Jews
00:00:35.30\00:00:36.81
had come home for Passover
00:00:36.82\00:00:39.53
and so the city was
filled with visitors.
00:00:39.54\00:00:43.04
And there was lamp lighten,
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torch lighten, and on
the slopes of Mount Zion
00:00:45.27\00:00:48.20
imposing palace
rose into the night sky.
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Two giant colonnaded marble arms
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and in sides of
which were brass fountains
00:00:54.23\00:00:57.06
and sculptured gardens.
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The floors were made of
semi precious wooden gemstones.
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It was the very
best the money could buy
00:01:02.84\00:01:05.43
because this was the
visible manifestation of empire
00:01:05.44\00:01:09.96
and it all
belonged to an ambitious
00:01:09.97\00:01:11.91
young Spaniard from Seville,
00:01:11.92\00:01:14.86
who had married
into the royal family
00:01:14.87\00:01:16.70
and gotten this
prestigious job as a result.
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His name was Pontius Pilatus,
but he would enter history
00:01:21.34\00:01:26.29
in the anglicized form
00:01:26.30\00:01:27.40
of his name as Pontius Pilate.
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Not far away
there was another palace
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belonging to a man
by the name of Caiaphas.
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He was Jewish high priest.
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And here servants
were busy sweeping out
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a large assembly
hall, a large reception room
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and placing 71 large pillows
on the floor in a semi-circle
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as though there will
be some public meeting
00:01:53.77\00:01:56.16
held here later tonight.
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Also close by, at the very edge
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of the temple grounds
is the Roman garrison.
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Stationed there
because freedom loving Jews
00:02:04.37\00:02:06.94
often congregated at the temple,
00:02:06.95\00:02:09.26
if were the foremen rebellion.
00:02:09.27\00:02:11.41
And so inside
the Roman stockade,
00:02:11.42\00:02:14.26
a few legionnaires
were busy assembling
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three executions scaffolds,
00:02:16.30\00:02:18.37
nailing the
vertical stripes beam
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to the horizontal
patibulum beam of a cross
00:02:21.43\00:02:24.94
because there was three
executions planned soon.
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Two small-time thieves whose
names we have lost in history
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and one small time false
messiah whose name revealed
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what he claimed to be.
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Bar-abbas, in Hebrew
"Bar" means son of and Abbas
00:02:39.07\00:02:43.16
can be translated
as the heavenly father.
00:02:43.17\00:02:46.25
So Barabbas, son of
the heavenly father,
00:02:46.26\00:02:48.62
a small time false messiah
00:02:48.63\00:02:50.73
is about to be executed
00:02:50.74\00:02:52.26
with two thieves.
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Somewhere else in a
wealthy section of the city
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there was a large home, probably
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belonging to a Jewish
lady by the name of Mary.
00:03:02.41\00:03:06.07
she had a young son
by the name of John Mark,
00:03:06.08\00:03:08.38
who would go on to
write the gospel called Mark.
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And her home was very large.
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The loft of the home could hold,
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we know at least 120 people
because it would a few weeks
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later for an
event called Pentecost.
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And at one little corner
of that large upper room,
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a little group of 13 men
had gathered for a supper
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that would change
the history of the world.
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One of those
guests was the Son of God.
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Well, about a 11
P.M., they left their home,
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were on the way through
the narrow streets of Jerusalem
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towards the Eastern Wall.
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They went out
through the eastern gate
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down the Kidron
Gorge and up the other side
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into a little
garden named, Gethsemane,
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the place of the olive press.
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And suddenly the
strange, mysterious,
00:04:03.61\00:04:06.29
cosmic visitor is
clawing the area in grief
00:04:06.30\00:04:10.02
as though divinity
itself can no longer handled,
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the weight it is carrying.
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His four closest friends
on earth can't understand pain
00:04:16.23\00:04:19.68
he is in and so they retreat
into the anesthesia of sleep.
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When suddenly there is
the babble of voices reflected
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of the sounding
board of the Eastern Wall
00:04:28.90\00:04:31.12
and a sparkle of
torchlight spills out
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through that same eastern
gate down the Kidron Gorge
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and up into Gethsemane
as though they're being led
00:04:36.39\00:04:39.91
by someone who
knows the way very well.
00:04:39.92\00:04:45.53
When Jesus arms are
wrenched behind his back
00:04:45.54\00:04:47.99
and he is led back
to the home of Kayafas
00:04:48.00\00:04:51.34
into a legal
system he had designed.
00:04:51.35\00:04:56.35
My name is Richard Wallton.
00:04:56.36\00:04:57.75
I'm a second year law student
00:04:57.76\00:04:59.25
at Georgetown
University Law Center
00:04:59.26\00:05:01.52
and I've made
an extensive study.
00:05:01.53\00:05:03.50
I've been privileged
to make an extensive study
00:05:03.51\00:05:06.01
of the Jewish system
00:05:06.02\00:05:08.33
of Jurisprudence
at the time of Christ.
00:05:08.34\00:05:10.66
In fact, I was fortunate
enough to be able to write
00:05:10.67\00:05:13.40
a memo for Professor Sam
Dash of Watergate fame on a book
00:05:13.41\00:05:17.85
that he has
currently working on,
00:05:17.86\00:05:19.34
on the effect of
Jewish law and Jewish culture
00:05:19.35\00:05:25.27
on American society.
00:05:25.28\00:05:29.05
I had not done
exhaustive historical research
00:05:29.06\00:05:32.77
in comparative law,
but so far as by research
00:05:32.78\00:05:34.96
goes there never has been
in the history of the world,
00:05:34.97\00:05:39.30
anything like the Hebrew legal
system at the time of Christ.
00:05:39.31\00:05:44.90
It appears to have been designed
00:05:44.91\00:05:45.97
with one purpose in mind,
00:05:45.98\00:05:48.99
to ensure that an innocent man
00:05:49.00\00:05:52.35
could never be convicted.
00:05:52.36\00:05:53.78
It made it difficult,
00:05:53.79\00:05:55.22
in fact even to
convict the guilty.
00:05:55.23\00:05:59.53
In Israel, any capital offense
00:06:02.21\00:06:05.08
was tried before
the entire Sanhedrin.
00:06:05.09\00:06:07.68
The great Sanhedrin, 71 of
the brightest Jewish lawyers
00:06:07.69\00:06:12.44
in Israel, every member
00:06:12.45\00:06:15.05
was an experienced sitting
trial judge from the low court
00:06:15.06\00:06:18.12
in Israel, many
of them with decades
00:06:18.13\00:06:19.86
of experience on the bench.
00:06:19.87\00:06:22.32
Many were
accomplished scholars in areas
00:06:22.33\00:06:25.44
other than the law, all
were distinguished linguists.
00:06:25.45\00:06:29.12
You see the Supreme
Court unlike our current system
00:06:29.13\00:06:31.75
of jurisprudence did
not use an interpreter.
00:06:31.76\00:06:36.01
They would not
trust one man to get right
00:06:36.02\00:06:39.44
what the witness was saying
and so at least two members
00:06:39.45\00:06:42.36
of the court had to understand
00:06:42.37\00:06:44.66
whatever a
witness might tell them.
00:06:44.67\00:06:48.29
In the time of Christ
there was no defense council
00:06:48.30\00:06:51.35
for the accused, which
have simply didn't exist
00:06:51.36\00:06:54.62
because the court
itself, in something unmatched
00:06:54.63\00:06:57.45
in the history of human law,
00:06:57.46\00:07:00.47
functioned as the defense counci
00:07:00.48\00:07:03.26
for the accused.
00:07:03.27\00:07:08.31
Not only that
there was no prosecutor
00:07:08.32\00:07:11.05
in the Jewish system.
00:07:11.06\00:07:12.49
The prosecution was
handled by the person
00:07:12.50\00:07:14.91
bringing the complaint.
00:07:14.92\00:07:17.49
And so often times
that would be a layman
00:07:17.50\00:07:21.56
and he would have to standup
00:07:21.57\00:07:22.85
in front of 71 very aggressive,
00:07:22.86\00:07:24.95
very bright Jewish
lawyers and try to make the case
00:07:24.96\00:07:28.73
against the accused.
00:07:28.74\00:07:30.82
But that is not the--even
then that is not the extent
00:07:30.83\00:07:35.01
of the protections offered
by the Jewish legal system.
00:07:35.02\00:07:37.72
They were
dedicated to saving life.
00:07:37.73\00:07:40.09
Now there was a
saying that a Sanhedrin
00:07:40.10\00:07:42.23
that convicted one
person in every ten years
00:07:42.24\00:07:44.44
was a butcher shop.
00:07:44.45\00:07:45.82
And that was
perhaps most clearly
00:07:45.83\00:07:47.78
seen in a rather obscured
tradition of Talmudic Law.
00:07:47.79\00:07:52.80
If a young disciple of the court
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what we would
today call a law clerk,
00:07:54.61\00:07:56.94
was able to
come up with a theory
00:07:56.95\00:07:59.30
which could save a
life of an accused,
00:07:59.31\00:08:02.68
which the court have
not been able to think of,
00:08:02.69\00:08:05.10
that young disciple
was instantly elevated
00:08:05.11\00:08:07.76
to life membership
00:08:07.77\00:08:09.61
on the high court of Israel.
00:08:09.62\00:08:14.25
And so Jesus is brought
00:08:14.26\00:08:15.70
into the system
of justice at night.
00:08:15.71\00:08:19.09
And most
Christians will tell you
00:08:19.10\00:08:21.49
that it was illegal to conduct
the trial of Jesus at night.
00:08:21.50\00:08:24.72
But most do not understand why?
00:08:24.73\00:08:27.46
It was the
principle of Talmudic Law
00:08:27.47\00:08:29.11
that because a trial
in front of the Sanhedrin
00:08:29.12\00:08:31.69
was considered to be
a religious proceeding,
00:08:31.70\00:08:36.58
the--the process was
required to be conducted
00:08:36.59\00:08:42.13
during the day time
00:08:42.14\00:08:43.22
between the morning
and evening sacrifices.
00:08:43.23\00:08:46.75
So the trial of
Jesus begins at night,
00:08:46.76\00:08:48.87
it's first
illegality and it starts
00:08:48.88\00:08:51.54
in the large room in
which 71 large pillows
00:08:51.55\00:08:54.74
are arranged in a neat
semicircle on the stone floor.
00:08:54.75\00:08:59.83
Jesus is marched
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into the very
center of that semicircle.
00:09:01.15\00:09:05.90
The reason for that is simple.
00:09:05.91\00:09:07.80
In Jewish times, unlike today
00:09:07.81\00:09:10.72
were we're used to
having the witness sit
00:09:10.73\00:09:12.64
on the right hand
side of the judge,
00:09:12.65\00:09:15.56
the Jewish system did not
want any member of the court
00:09:15.57\00:09:20.52
to have a poor
view than any other.
00:09:20.53\00:09:22.85
And so the witness had
to stand in a very center
00:09:22.86\00:09:24.94
of that semicircle, so each
justice could see the witness,
00:09:24.95\00:09:28.00
could see the defendant
and make a more accurate
00:09:28.01\00:09:30.76
determination of
guilt or innocence
00:09:30.77\00:09:34.26
of their trustworthiness.
00:09:34.27\00:09:36.31
And so into this room Jesus
00:09:36.32\00:09:38.56
has marched and then an
awesome precession begins.
00:09:38.57\00:09:42.74
The seventy judges
march in, resplendent
00:09:42.75\00:09:45.39
in white nylon robes
with turbans on their head
00:09:45.40\00:09:48.52
and their feet bare
because this was a religious
00:09:48.53\00:09:51.59
proceeding and they
were standing on holy ground.
00:09:51.60\00:09:55.18
They walk and they
sit down cross legged
00:09:55.19\00:09:56.99
on those large pillows
00:09:57.00\00:09:58.11
and then the high priest
himself walks in, Caiaphas,
00:09:58.12\00:10:01.79
resplendent in a turban
of blue, the symbol of law.
00:10:01.80\00:10:05.77
Now without going
into too much detail,
00:10:05.78\00:10:07.63
suffice it to say, his
outfit, his robes symbolized
00:10:07.64\00:10:11.66
the plan of salvation, a
beautiful turban of blue,
00:10:11.67\00:10:14.58
the color law with a
gold plate on the front of it,
00:10:14.59\00:10:17.61
the symbol of mercy,
and which was in writing,
00:10:17.62\00:10:21.05
Hebrew Kodoish
l'Adonai, holiness to the Lord.
00:10:21.06\00:10:26.25
So he walks in
with his brass plate
00:10:26.26\00:10:29.34
of judgment on his bosom.
00:10:29.35\00:10:31.51
Resplendent against
the flowing robe of blue,
00:10:31.52\00:10:34.03
gathered above the waist
00:10:34.04\00:10:35.40
by a purple sash with
scarlet blue embroidery.
00:10:35.41\00:10:39.33
He walks in and he
takes his sit right
00:10:39.34\00:10:41.44
in the center of that semicircle
00:10:41.45\00:10:42.86
making the 71 members
of the great Sanhedrin.
00:10:42.87\00:10:47.09
Three more men walk in with him.
00:10:47.10\00:10:49.41
They're scribes and they
sit directly in front of him.
00:10:49.42\00:10:53.14
In courts today, you will
find only one court reporter.
00:10:53.15\00:10:56.75
We figure that one
person taking notes is enough
00:10:56.76\00:10:59.64
to keep an accurate
record of the trial.
00:10:59.65\00:11:02.19
Not so in Jewish prudence.
00:11:02.20\00:11:04.84
The Jewish insisted on
three scribes to make sure
00:11:04.85\00:11:07.91
there were no errors.
00:11:07.92\00:11:09.40
Now let's dig just a little bit
00:11:09.41\00:11:11.26
into something
that Jesus often said.
00:11:11.27\00:11:13.77
You recall that
Jesus often mentioned
00:11:13.78\00:11:15.77
"going to the
right hand of power,
00:11:15.78\00:11:17.40
coming at the
right hand of God."
00:11:17.41\00:11:19.53
Why did He make that reference?
00:11:19.54\00:11:21.74
Well, a little bit of
research in the Talmudic law
00:11:21.75\00:11:24.18
gives you the answer.
00:11:24.19\00:11:25.56
You see each of
those three scribes
00:11:25.57\00:11:27.04
had a very special purpose.
00:11:27.05\00:11:30.04
The one on the
left recorded the votes
00:11:30.05\00:11:34.01
for condemnation of the accused.
00:11:34.02\00:11:36.40
The one on the right recorded
the votes for acquittal.
00:11:36.41\00:11:39.05
And the one in
the center recorded
00:11:39.06\00:11:41.19
both votes to make sure there
were no errors in the process.
00:11:41.20\00:11:47.00
And so when Jesus says,
00:11:47.01\00:11:48.29
"I go to the
right hand of power."
00:11:48.30\00:11:50.24
What He saying to the Jewish
00:11:50.25\00:11:51.88
mind is I go to cast my vote
00:11:51.89\00:11:56.59
for your salvation.
00:11:56.60\00:11:58.39
How much there
is in Jesus sermons,
00:11:58.40\00:12:00.10
we would
understand if we trusted
00:12:00.11\00:12:02.07
a little bit of
careful Bible study.
00:12:02.08\00:12:05.64
And so the
Sanhedrin is a symbol,
00:12:05.65\00:12:07.79
all 71 of them and three
scribes sitting in the front.
00:12:07.80\00:12:10.69
Jesus is brought in
and the trial begins.
00:12:10.70\00:12:14.86
The first witness is called,
00:12:14.87\00:12:16.58
makes his
accusation and departs.
00:12:16.59\00:12:20.28
The second witness
00:12:20.29\00:12:21.26
is called, makes his
accusation and departs.
00:12:21.27\00:12:24.33
But something is going terribly,
00:12:24.34\00:12:27.25
terribly wrong with the trial.
00:12:27.26\00:12:30.10
Let's open the word,
the Mark 14 verse 55.
00:12:30.11\00:12:33.58
And before we begin
to read this very sacred,
00:12:33.59\00:12:37.18
very special account, let's
pause for a moment of prayer.
00:12:37.19\00:12:42.00
Dear Lord, we thank
You for the opportunity
00:12:42.01\00:12:43.84
to explore Your word today,
00:12:43.85\00:12:45.51
open our hearts and our
minds in Jesus' name, amen.
00:12:45.52\00:12:50.65
Mark 14 verse 55,
"Now the chief priest
00:12:50.66\00:12:55.97
and all the council
sought testimony against Jesus
00:12:55.98\00:12:59.72
to put Him to death,
but they found none."
00:12:59.73\00:13:04.62
What's happened here?
00:13:04.63\00:13:07.35
In the Jewish system, witnesses
00:13:07.36\00:13:09.28
were not allowed to be
in court at the same time
00:13:09.29\00:13:11.48
unlike our current
system of Jewish prudence
00:13:11.49\00:13:13.79
and thus they could not be quote
00:13:13.80\00:13:16.34
by each other's testimony.
00:13:16.35\00:13:19.83
At the same time, for
there to be a conviction,
00:13:19.84\00:13:22.86
the testimony of the witnesses
had to agree in every detail,
00:13:22.87\00:13:27.86
every element
had to fit perfectly
00:13:27.87\00:13:29.85
with the testimony
of the other witnesses.
00:13:29.86\00:13:32.71
And the minute witnesses began
to disagree, it was the duty,
00:13:32.72\00:13:37.81
even on minor facts, it was
the duty the Sanhedrin to set
00:13:37.82\00:13:42.43
the prisoner free.
00:13:42.44\00:13:46.11
It's called the
rule of strict agreement
00:13:46.12\00:13:48.07
and it is totally
different from our modern law.
00:13:48.08\00:13:51.39
Today, we have what's
called the chain of evidence.
00:13:51.40\00:13:54.95
For instance, A
sees D into a car,
00:13:54.96\00:14:00.33
B sees D drive off in the car,
C sees D arrive at his house
00:14:00.34\00:14:04.31
and get out of the car.
00:14:04.32\00:14:05.75
Bingo, you have a
conviction for grand theft auto
00:14:05.76\00:14:09.10
because the chain of evidence,
each of those witnesses
00:14:09.11\00:14:12.13
can tell a portion of
the story of the crime
00:14:12.14\00:14:15.50
and you can convict a
man for grand theft auto.
00:14:15.51\00:14:19.40
Not so in the Jewish system.
00:14:19.41\00:14:21.30
In the Jewish
system, every witness
00:14:21.31\00:14:23.50
had to see D get in the
car, drive off in the car,
00:14:23.51\00:14:27.25
arrive at his house
and get out of the car.
00:14:27.26\00:14:30.93
And they had to
be able to repeat
00:14:30.94\00:14:32.96
that story in court
agreeing to the last detail
00:14:32.97\00:14:36.80
as to what happened?
00:14:36.81\00:14:37.83
They had to be able to tell it
00:14:37.84\00:14:39.31
without the slightest variation.
00:14:39.32\00:14:40.81
So when Mark tells
us that the Sanhedrin
00:14:40.82\00:14:43.29
could find no
witnesses to agree,
00:14:43.30\00:14:47.74
that they found none.
00:14:47.75\00:14:48.72
He simply
saying no two witnesses
00:14:48.73\00:14:50.63
could agree on what
Jesus had done that was worthy
00:14:50.64\00:14:55.41
of the death penalty.
00:14:55.42\00:14:57.79
Continuing on in
Mark, Mark 10:56,
00:14:57.80\00:15:01.94
"For many bore
false witness against Him,
00:15:01.95\00:15:04.07
but their
testimonies did not agree.
00:15:04.08\00:15:07.16
Then some rose up and
bore false witness against Him,
00:15:07.17\00:15:10.19
saying, 'We heard Him say,
'I will destroy this temple
00:15:10.20\00:15:14.72
made that is with
hands, and within three days
00:15:14.73\00:15:17.44
I will build another
made without hands.'"
00:15:17.45\00:15:20.90
That's a pretty simply
speech to memorize, isn't that?
00:15:20.91\00:15:24.96
I mean, if you gave me
a few pieces of silver,
00:15:24.97\00:15:26.89
I think I could handle the job.
00:15:26.90\00:15:31.80
What goes wrong?
00:15:31.81\00:15:33.07
Why couldn't witnesses
00:15:33.08\00:15:34.66
deliver that
simple piece of oratory
00:15:34.67\00:15:37.00
without
contradicting each other.
00:15:37.01\00:15:41.00
Verse 59, "But not even then
00:15:41.01\00:15:43.41
did their testimony agree."
00:15:43.42\00:15:47.41
Why? Now we could
say that well the Lord
00:15:47.42\00:15:49.91
confounded their thinking,
so we would know for a certainty
00:15:49.92\00:15:52.79
that Jesus was innocent
00:15:52.80\00:15:54.61
and there could be a
lot of truth in that.
00:15:54.62\00:15:57.33
But don't forget
that you are dealing
00:15:57.34\00:16:00.10
with the Jewish legal system.
00:16:00.11\00:16:03.29
This is the great
Sanhedrin in the capital case,
00:16:03.30\00:16:05.97
and they are supposed
to go through the motions
00:16:05.98\00:16:08.45
at least of cross examination.
00:16:08.46\00:16:12.46
Now if you've never
been cross examined,
00:16:12.47\00:16:14.62
I am a member of the--
00:16:14.63\00:16:15.60
Georgetown
Gourley Mock Trial Team.
00:16:15.61\00:16:17.80
Let me assure you,
00:16:17.81\00:16:18.88
there is no antiperspirant
adequate to the test.
00:16:18.89\00:16:21.63
It is a very growing experience.
00:16:21.64\00:16:24.31
And even a
simple cross examination
00:16:24.32\00:16:26.81
could have picked
those stories apart.
00:16:26.82\00:16:29.51
Where you were standing
00:16:29.52\00:16:30.56
when you heard
Jesus say these things?
00:16:30.57\00:16:32.18
How loudly did He say them?
00:16:32.19\00:16:33.37
Was there a
crowd? Were you alone?
00:16:33.38\00:16:34.97
And as the details
began to contradict
00:16:34.98\00:16:38.49
each other, as the witnesses
couldn't agree that case
00:16:38.50\00:16:42.21
is coming apart at the
scenes and Caiaphas is watching
00:16:42.22\00:16:46.24
the trial of the
ages go through his hands
00:16:46.25\00:16:48.19
like so much sand,
00:16:48.20\00:16:50.71
and so he reaches into
his bag of legal tricks
00:16:50.72\00:16:54.52
and he tries to
prove his case out
00:16:54.53\00:16:58.20
of the mouth of the accused.
00:16:58.21\00:17:01.25
It's probably one of the reasons
00:17:01.26\00:17:02.98
why there are so many bad jokes
00:17:02.99\00:17:04.16
about lawyers these days.
00:17:04.17\00:17:05.81
Verse 60, "And the high
priest stood up in the midst
00:17:05.82\00:17:09.29
and asked Jesus,
saying, 'Do you answer nothing?
00:17:09.30\00:17:15.06
What is it these men
testify against You.'"
00:17:15.07\00:17:19.66
You see Caiaphas
is trying to get Jesus
00:17:19.67\00:17:22.78
to incriminate Himself.
00:17:22.79\00:17:24.34
He is hoping that Jesus
00:17:24.35\00:17:25.76
will say
something which will agree
00:17:25.77\00:17:28.40
with what other
witnesses have said.
00:17:28.41\00:17:32.12
And in the process
he can at least meet
00:17:32.13\00:17:34.19
the rule of having two witnesses
00:17:34.20\00:17:36.01
agree on every particular.
00:17:36.02\00:17:39.47
He is trying to prove
his case out of Jesus'
00:17:39.48\00:17:42.13
own mouth and what
is Jesus' response.
00:17:42.14\00:17:44.20
Verse 61, "But He kept silent
00:17:44.21\00:17:48.15
and answered nothing..."
00:17:48.16\00:17:53.01
Jesus is standing back
and letting Caiaphas drop
00:17:53.02\00:17:57.74
the ball from
forty feet in the air.
00:17:57.75\00:18:00.63
And once again
Caiaphas trial is coming apart.
00:18:00.64\00:18:03.56
He is not getting the conviction
00:18:03.57\00:18:05.19
he wants and so he
reaches a little further
00:18:05.20\00:18:08.30
into that bag of legal tricks,
00:18:08.31\00:18:12.12
and he does a little lawyering.
00:18:12.13\00:18:15.74
You see if you can't a
get a conviction on one count,
00:18:15.75\00:18:20.50
you can always try another.
00:18:20.51\00:18:22.11
It's called changing the theory
00:18:22.12\00:18:23.59
of the case in
the middle of trial.
00:18:23.60\00:18:26.31
And it's exactly
what Caiaphas tries to do.
00:18:26.32\00:18:29.00
Jesus had been brought
before the Sanhedrin on criminal
00:18:29.01\00:18:33.29
charges of sedation.
00:18:33.30\00:18:35.22
That hadn't worked and so now
Caiaphas tries another trick.
00:18:35.23\00:18:41.17
He tries to convict
Jesus for blasphemy.
00:18:41.18\00:18:46.51
Verse 61, "And again
the high priest asked Him,
00:18:46.52\00:18:51.23
saying to Him,
'Are You the Christ,
00:18:51.24\00:18:53.16
the Son of the Blessed?'"
00:18:53.17\00:18:55.65
Now turn over to Matthew 26:63.
00:18:55.66\00:18:58.13
Keep your finger in Mark.
00:18:58.14\00:18:59.18
We will be going back there,
but take a look at Matthew 26
00:18:59.19\00:19:02.35
because you will get a
little more complete reporters
00:19:02.36\00:19:04.73
transcript of what happened?
00:19:04.74\00:19:08.06
"And the high priest
answered and said to him,
00:19:08.07\00:19:10.07
I adjure thee by the living God,
00:19:10.08\00:19:12.12
that thou tell us
whether thou be the Christ,
00:19:12.13\00:19:15.54
the Son of God."
00:19:15.55\00:19:18.61
Now folks if you
address deity in that way,
00:19:18.62\00:19:20.94
if you challenge
God in the name of God,
00:19:20.95\00:19:23.49
you will get a response.
00:19:23.50\00:19:27.26
And what a
response Caiaphas got.
00:19:27.27\00:19:29.11
Verse 62,
00:19:29.12\00:19:30.59
"And Jesus said, "I am."
00:19:30.60\00:19:35.60
I am self-existent life
the only being in the cosmos,
00:19:35.61\00:19:40.76
who can make that claim.
00:19:40.77\00:19:43.45
I was, I always will be, I am.
00:19:43.46\00:19:47.30
John 1 in the New English
Bible puts it so beautifully.
00:19:47.31\00:19:50.79
"All that came to be
00:19:50.80\00:19:53.21
was alive with His life."
00:19:53.22\00:19:57.42
And here the great "I
am" from Israel's earliest
00:20:00.23\00:20:03.42
moments of existence
has identified Himself
00:20:03.43\00:20:08.14
to the nations religious leader,
00:20:08.15\00:20:10.15
the man that went into
the presence of God almighty
00:20:10.16\00:20:12.64
every year to offer sacrifice
on behalf of the nation.
00:20:12.65\00:20:17.39
The man who should have seen
God clear than anybody else.
00:20:17.40\00:20:22.75
And Caiaphas
doesn't get the point.
00:20:22.76\00:20:27.26
But you see when you
demand and answer from God,
00:20:28.78\00:20:31.11
when you challenge
deity in the name of deity,
00:20:31.12\00:20:33.28
you may get a lot
more than you bargain for.
00:20:33.29\00:20:36.95
So it was for Caiaphas
that evening. Jesus said,
00:20:36.96\00:20:40.81
"I am and you
will see the Son of Man
00:20:40.82\00:20:44.00
coming on the
right hand of power,
00:20:44.01\00:20:48.34
and coming with
the clouds of Heaven."
00:20:48.35\00:20:52.96
And the next sound
in that cavernous hall
00:20:52.97\00:20:55.95
has reached fabric being torn.
00:20:55.96\00:20:59.85
The plan of
salvation being torn up
00:20:59.86\00:21:03.48
by Israel's religious leader.
00:21:03.49\00:21:06.26
Verse 63, "Then
the high priest tore
00:21:06.27\00:21:08.29
his clothes and said,
00:21:08.30\00:21:09.82
'What further need
do we have of witnesses?
00:21:09.83\00:21:13.17
You have heard the blasphemy!
00:21:13.18\00:21:14.47
What do you think?'"
00:21:14.48\00:21:19.08
Oh, it's wrong here.
00:21:19.09\00:21:23.09
The chief justice of
the supreme court of Israel,
00:21:23.10\00:21:25.60
the man charge with
the defense of the accused
00:21:25.61\00:21:28.75
is sounding strangely
like a modern prosecutor
00:21:28.76\00:21:32.11
on closing argument.
00:21:32.12\00:21:33.88
What Caiaphas has just
tried to do is to convict Jesus
00:21:33.89\00:21:39.10
on his own
uncorroborated confession,
00:21:39.11\00:21:42.21
a huge violation of
foundational Jewish law.
00:21:42.22\00:21:47.72
Maimonides put it this way.
00:21:47.73\00:21:50.07
"We have it as a
fundamental principle
00:21:50.08\00:21:52.00
of our jurisprudence that
no one can bring an accusation
00:21:52.01\00:21:55.67
against himself.
00:21:55.68\00:21:57.78
Confession is not to be
used against him unless properly
00:21:57.79\00:22:00.74
tested by two other witnesses."
00:22:00.75\00:22:04.58
And that wasn't the only
00:22:04.59\00:22:05.62
principle of Jewish law Caiaphas
00:22:05.63\00:22:07.08
broke with that little speech.
00:22:07.09\00:22:09.42
You see just like our current
United States Supreme Court,
00:22:09.43\00:22:13.29
there was an old
tradition in the Sanhedrin
00:22:13.30\00:22:15.63
that the most junior member
of the court always spoke first.
00:22:15.64\00:22:19.84
The theory was that if an older,
00:22:19.85\00:22:21.48
more senior
member were to speak,
00:22:21.49\00:22:23.48
his years of experience might
unduly influence the opinion
00:22:23.49\00:22:27.51
of the more junior
member of the court.
00:22:27.52\00:22:29.61
And so it was
required Talmudic law
00:22:29.62\00:22:31.90
that the junior members speak
first and yet here is Caiaphas
00:22:31.91\00:22:36.11
the most senior member
of the court speaking first,
00:22:36.12\00:22:40.56
and then we hear
a rumble of voices.
00:22:40.57\00:22:46.09
Verse 64, "And
they all condemned
00:22:46.65\00:22:49.21
him to be worthy of death."
00:22:49.22\00:22:53.52
But once again the
Jewish legal system
00:22:53.53\00:22:57.02
tries to prevent the
death of an innocent man.
00:22:57.03\00:23:00.01
Today if a prosecutor can get
a quick unanimous conviction,
00:23:00.02\00:23:04.72
we say more power too.
00:23:04.73\00:23:06.03
The man was
obviously as guilt as sin.
00:23:06.04\00:23:09.28
Not so in the
Jewish legal system.
00:23:09.29\00:23:13.91
There it was required
00:23:13.92\00:23:16.38
that if there was a unanimous
immediate verdict of guilty,
00:23:16.39\00:23:21.70
the Sanhedrin had to
set the prisoner free
00:23:21.71\00:23:24.60
because it smack
too much of mob justice.
00:23:24.61\00:23:28.06
Once again the Jewish system
trying to save innocent life.
00:23:28.07\00:23:32.28
Mendelssohn put it this way,
00:23:32.29\00:23:33.86
"A simultaneous and
unanimous verdict of guilt
00:23:33.87\00:23:36.76
rendered on the day of the trial
00:23:36.77\00:23:39.24
has the effect of an acquittal."
00:23:39.25\00:23:44.04
And so when that
unanimous quick verdict came in,
00:23:44.05\00:23:48.00
yet it was the
duty of the high priest
00:23:48.01\00:23:51.43
to set the prisoner free.
00:23:51.44\00:23:54.44
But instead of using
his hands to free Jesus,
00:23:54.45\00:23:59.07
Caiaphas instead
took them and tore up
00:23:59.08\00:24:01.33
the very plan of salvation
00:24:01.34\00:24:02.93
that was happening in
front of his own eyes.
00:24:02.94\00:24:07.14
And he was so
blinded, he couldn't even see.
00:24:07.15\00:24:11.08
The Jewish death
march is without parallel
00:24:15.71\00:24:18.55
in the history of the world.
00:24:18.56\00:24:21.76
As the culprit
is led to his dome,
00:24:21.77\00:24:24.94
there was a man
with the flag stationed
00:24:24.95\00:24:27.83
at the door of Sanhedrin hall.
00:24:27.84\00:24:30.90
You see the great Sanhedrin
was still in session agonizing
00:24:30.91\00:24:33.96
with himself to the
very moment of execution
00:24:33.97\00:24:36.90
trying to find the
way to save human life.
00:24:36.91\00:24:39.86
And at this point
if any young disciple
00:24:39.87\00:24:42.20
came up of the
theory that might work,
00:24:42.21\00:24:43.86
a runner was dispatched to
the door, a flag would drop.
00:24:43.87\00:24:49.09
And writing with
the crucifixion party,
00:24:49.10\00:24:52.01
there was mounted officer who
followed behind and his horse
00:24:52.02\00:24:55.49
was led because he
was looking backwards,
00:24:55.50\00:24:57.66
back towards Temple
Mounts Sanhedrin Hall.
00:24:57.67\00:25:02.29
And if the flag
dropped he would gallop
00:25:02.30\00:25:04.11
forward to the
head of the precession
00:25:04.12\00:25:06.28
and say turn
around, turn around,
00:25:06.29\00:25:07.80
the court is going
to rehear the case.
00:25:07.81\00:25:11.59
In front of the precession,
00:25:11.60\00:25:15.54
there was a herald.
00:25:15.55\00:25:18.10
A man was about to be executed
00:25:18.11\00:25:19.78
and so he marched in front
of the death march and said,
00:25:19.79\00:25:24.26
the following, "If any
man those anything favorable
00:25:24.27\00:25:27.55
to the accused
in the name of God,
00:25:27.56\00:25:31.07
let him come forth
00:25:31.08\00:25:34.27
and speak."
00:25:34.28\00:25:37.57
And if anyone did,
00:25:37.58\00:25:40.91
the precession halted,
00:25:40.92\00:25:44.71
and went back to
the hall of judgment.
00:25:44.72\00:25:50.45
But this awful
morning and the crowd
00:25:50.46\00:25:54.73
where people could
see the Lord laboring
00:25:54.74\00:25:58.20
under that heavy
cross until he physically
00:25:58.21\00:26:00.84
couldn't carry
the weight anymore.
00:26:00.85\00:26:06.11
People could hear
his foot falls on the way
00:26:06.12\00:26:08.20
they all got, because
he had given their eyesight
00:26:08.21\00:26:12.41
and their hearing.
00:26:12.42\00:26:15.66
And the crowd of
walking miracles,
00:26:15.67\00:26:21.48
nobody said a word.
00:26:21.49\00:26:26.76
What should have been that day?
00:26:28.83\00:26:32.17
Flags in the air
00:26:32.18\00:26:34.52
and voices in the crowd,
00:26:34.53\00:26:39.01
galloping messengers
00:26:39.02\00:26:40.33
and acts of mercy,
00:26:40.34\00:26:45.89
instead our savior tried
00:26:45.90\00:26:50.53
the one Cross for love.
00:26:50.54\00:26:55.94
And a tribunal, blast
with the system of justice
00:26:55.95\00:27:01.79
that made it impossible
to convict an innocent man,
00:27:01.80\00:27:07.10
had sent the Lord of
creation to his death
00:27:07.11\00:27:10.18
by bending every known principle
00:27:10.19\00:27:13.53
of Jewish procedural law.
00:27:13.54\00:27:18.57
But even then the Lord one more,
00:27:18.58\00:27:20.43
one more victory for us.
00:27:20.44\00:27:24.05
Hanging on the
cross, convicted by a system
00:27:24.06\00:27:29.99
which had been butchered,
and every possible way,
00:27:30.00\00:27:35.38
he seems to be
telling the world something.
00:27:35.39\00:27:40.02
You can nail me here,
00:27:40.03\00:27:42.33
you can take my dignity,
00:27:42.34\00:27:46.05
you can even take my life,
00:27:46.06\00:27:49.67
but there is one
thing you can't make me do,
00:27:49.68\00:27:52.91
you can't make
me stop loving you.
00:27:52.92\00:27:56.54