Condemned by the Righteous

Posted in Sermons by Rom A. Pegram on 03-07-2010

We all fear something, don’t we? As a matter of fact, we’re all born with fear—a very human feeling…

  • Part of that is a mechanism that God has given us to protect ourselves; we call it the instinct of self-preservation. Admittedly, that mechanism can be helpful in dangerous situations.
  • Unfortunately, all too often our instinct of self-preservation is coupled with our instinct of sin. And, in situations where fear gets the best of us, we all have a tendency to do the wrong thing—to react in inappropriate ways… It’s a part of our humanness, isn’t it, if we’re honest with ourselves?
Today, we’re going to look at three (3) acts of a particular drama, a drama we’ll call: “Condemned by the Righteous.” It takes place at the home of a man by the name of Caiaphas, a high priest who lived in Jerusalem. And, as we look at this drama—all three acts and their players—we’re also going to be looking at the very real feeling of ‘fear.’ Where do we see fear in each of these stories? And, even more important, in what ways do we see ourselves in these stories? Let’s go now to the next event in the final 24 hours of Jesus’ life, as we go from the Garden of Gethsemane…
 
 53 Then Jesus was taken to the High Priest's house, where all the chief priests, the elders, and the teachers of the Law were gathering.
 
55 The chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some evidence against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they could not find any.
 
61 But Jesus kept quiet and would not say a word. Again the High Priest questioned him, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed God?" 62 "I am," answered Jesus, "and you will all see the Son of Man seated at the right side of the Almighty and coming with the clouds of heaven!" 63 The High Priest tore his robes and said, "We don't need any more witnesses! 64 You heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?" They all voted against him: he was guilty and should be put to death. 65 Some of them began to spit on Jesus, and they blindfolded him and hit him. "Guess who hit you!" they said. And the guards took him and slapped him. 66 Peter was still down in the courtyard when one of the High Priest's servant women came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked straight at him and said, "You, too, were with Jesus of Nazareth." 68 But he denied it. "I don't know . . . I don't understand what you are talking about," he answered, and went out into the passageway. Just then a rooster crowed.
 
70 But Peter denied it again. A little while later the bystanders accused Peter again, "You can't deny that you are one of them, because you, too, are from Galilee." 71 Then Peter said, "I swear that I am telling the truth! May God punish me if I am not! I do not know the man you are talking about!" 72 Just then a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows two times, you will say three times that you do not know me." And he broke down and cried. – Mark 14:53, 55, 61-68, 70-72 (TEV) 
 
The first two ACTS in particular have to do with Caiaphas, the High Priest, and the entire religious council known as the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin—a religious council made up of 71 of Israel’s most learned and most respected leaders—was based on God’s command to Moses in the Old Testament book of Numbers (11:16). In that story, Moses was wearing himself out trying to manage all of the Israelites on his own. So, God commanded Moses to gather 70 leaders to help him govern the people on God’s behalf—a division of labor, so to speak. In Jesus’ day, this tradition continued, but probably more for tradition’s sake than anything. Where the Romans governed things politically, the high priest and his 70 leaders governed things religiously—a very significant part of their lives, as God’s chosen people…
 
They gathered at the home of Caiaphas, a home befitting of a high priest; apparently, there was a hall big enough to hold the 71 who had gathered. Today, on the spot where Caiaphas’ house is believed to have stood, there’s a church called Saint Peter in Gallicantu (Gallicantu = Latin for ‘cock crow’). Below the ground in that location is a prison cell—a pit made from a hollowed-out cistern—a cold, hard, dark place. Jesus would’ve been lowered through a hole in the ceiling of the cistern—first as the Sanhedrin debated his fate … and again as he awaited transport to the Antonio Fortress and Pontius Pilate after sunrise.
 
So, that’s where we find ourselves today—dealing with this religious council consisting of the high priest, Caiaphas, and his 70 cohorts, in this home on the hill. Let’s begin with Act I and talk about…
 
FEAR IN THE SANHEDRIN (ACT I). Verse 55 reminds us, “The chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some evidence against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they could not find any.” The Sanhedrin usually met at the Temple, but not usually during festivals (like the Feast of the Passover that they was currently taking place). This story shows us the unusualness of this happening—the urgency of the day... This story also shows us the desperation of those involved—the secrecy they felt necessary for this particular time…
 
Folks, I want to step back from this drama for just a moment to take a look at what’s really going on here: If you haven’t caught on by now, this is the day that God was arrested! The reason I want to take a step back from story for just a moment … is talk about WHO it was who arrested Jesus!
 
Christians believe that—in Jesus—God walked in human flesh on this earth. He was, in a sense, like a king (King Backward) who wanted to get to know his subjects so badly that he puts on ordinary clothes and walks among the people. He did this, but no one recognized him or really understood him. The God of the universe chose to walk among us as…
  • An itinerant preacher
  • A teacher
  • A carpenter
  • A healer
  • A pauper…
He came as one of us! He healed the sick … forgave sinners … showed compassion to the lost, and—most of all … taught people what God was really like! Isn’t that something—that God would love us enough to want to get to know us in this way?
 
Yet, we must not miss the irony here: It was not the sinners who arrested God when he walked among us! Those who took him into custody and tried him were the most pious and religious people on the face of the earth! (In short, this was the Church in Jesus’ day!) The God they claimed to serve walked among them … yet they could not see him! They were so blinded by their love of power and their fear of losing it … that they missed him! How tragic is that?
 
The question we have to ask here is this: “How could this happen?” How could 71 righteous men, dedicated to God, do what these men did? Why did they condemn an innocent man to death? And, even if they thought he was a false messiah, why would pious people of God, pillars of their community, spit on him? Why would they blindfold, mock, and strike him? Is that in line with the teaching of their religion?
 
The answer, I believe … is FEAR. In Jesus, they saw a threat to their way of life, their positions of authority, and their overall status amongst the Jews. He threatened the social order that they had come to love & cherish! That said, let’s go on with the…
 
FEAR IN JESUS’ CONFESSION (ACT II). Verses 61-62 elaborate: “But Jesus kept quiet and would not say a word. Again the High Priest questioned him, ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed             God?’ ‘I am,’ answered Jesus, ‘and you will all see the Son of Man seated            at the right side of the Almighty and coming with the clouds of heaven!’” As Jesus openly confessed to who he was, fear continued to grow in those before him…
 
According to Jewish law, two people had to agree in their testimony in order to convict; and there was no agreement amongst those gathered that night...
 
Finally, looking right at Jesus, the high priest said, ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed God?’ All Jesus had to do was to keep quiet and there would have been no grounds for conviction. Instead, he chose to reply in a manner that was considered blasphemous to the Jews … and traitorous for the Romans—1 sentence, 3 statements:
  • ‘I AM’ (Exodus 3:14) is an Old Testament reference to the personal name of God to the Jews; that was in their face; he told them who he was…
  • ‘…you will see the Son of Man … coming with the clouds of heaven!’ was a reference to Daniel 7 (13-14), where Daniel prophesied about the coming Messiah. Jesus was counting on Caiaphas to fill in the rest…
  • Finally, Jesus alluded to Psalm 110:1-4, when he commented that he would be ‘seated at the right side of the Almighty,’ a reference known by all before him…
So, in this one sentence—three statements, Jesus testified that he was the Messiah, letting those with him know that he had a very special relationship with God Almighty! Again, he could have kept quiet and there would have been no conviction; instead, he confessed to who he really was … and the fear of those before him—the idea he was a ‘dangerous man’ who challenged their very way of life, their traditions—got the better of them and they acted most inappropriately … out of fear! Note: Any time we decide to take what belongs to God and make it our personal possession, we get into trouble! That’s what was happening with the religious leaders on that day and…
 
They weren’t the only ones who fear got the better of though; I have to mention at least one of Jesus’ own. Let’s move now to the 3rd Act, and the…
 
FEAR IN PETER’S DENIAL (ACT III). Verse 72 shares, “Just then a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows two times, you will say three times that you do not know me.’ And he broke down and cried.” Before we’re too hard on Peter and call him a coward, let’s consider this: Where were the other disciples at this time?
 
It’s important to recognize that Peter was courageous up to a point…
  • He was the one who drew the sword at Gethsemane at the time of Jesus’ arrest and was willing to fight a military guard on his behalf…
  • In 3 of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark & Luke), we hear that all of the disciples fled … except for Peter…
  • Peter followed Jesus and the guards to Caiaphas’ house—that takes courage!
Still, Peter’s courage lasted only up to a point… He was questioned by a servant girl in the courtyard of Caiaphas’ house. At that point, fear took over… And, Peter acted out of fear … instead of love, as Jesus had asked him to in the garden…
 
Folks, we can learn something from each one of the players in this drama, can’t we? WHAT IS IT THAT WE FEAR THE MOST … AND HOW DOES THAT AFFECT THE DECISIONS WE MAKE IN LIFE?
 
In the Sanhedrin, we can clearly see our tendency to allow fear to make us do what we know is wrong. In their case, it was condemning Jesus, blindfolding and beating him, and the silence of those who knew it was wrong (and that’s sin, too, by the way); that shows us what fear can do in our lives, if we let fear be our motivator, instead of love. So, 
  • How many times have you allowed fear (of something or somebody) to lead you to act in a way that you knew was wrong—at least in hindsight?
  • It still happens in the church today. When some sense a threatening of their way of life—the way things have always been, that fear of losing what they’ve come to consider a personal possession … breeds hate (or, at least, disgust) … which all too often lead to inappropriate behavior; we need to be careful, don’t we?
The Sanhedrin reminds us of all these things…
 
Jesus’ testimony teaches us about who Jesus is. He’s more than a great teacher; he’s also more than a prophet. He is the “I AM,” the ‘King Backward’ who will come one day on the clouds to reign over all. If that fact strikes fear in you, you need to pay attention; something’s wrong… Jesus will not be a threat to your life in any way, if in fact you’ve made him Lord of your life… AND, finally…
 
Peter’s denial is a reminder that we who’ve answered the call to follow Jesus are still tempted at times to deny that we know him, or to desert him, or to betray him … out of fear. It lets us know that even though we may fail at times in our relationship with God, God’s grace allows us to have a new beginning; we are forgiven. Peter never denied Jesus again; our lives can be changed just as drastically…
 
So, where do you see yourself in this drama we looked at today? How have you been challenged today to look at your relationship with God? The question we must ask ourselves in both our personal lives and with regard to public policy is not “What is the thing that will make me feel most secure?” but “What is the most loving thing for me to do?” This was the question that Jesus asked—what caused him to freely offer his life on our behalf, that we might know eternal life with God…