Jesus was condemned to die

JESUS WAS CONDEMNEDTO DIE
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Mark 14:64 64
"Youhave heard the blasphemy. What
do you think?" They all condemned him as worthy of
death.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
Peter Denying Christ
Mark 14:54, 66-72
A.F. Muir The seeming discrepancies of the accounts by the evangelists of Peter's threefold
denial are explained on the ground of their independency of one another, and their making
prominent various portions of a lengthened and complex series of actions. "Three denials are
mentioned by all the evangelists, and three occasions are distinguished; but on some of these
there was more than one speaker, and probably more than one answer." This circumstance was -
I. AN EVIDENCE OF THE POWER OF EVIL IN GOOD MEN. This is the great lesson of the
sins of the saints. There ought to be continual watchfulness, and living and walking in the Spirit.
1. It is not well to expose one's self to temptation unless from the highest motives. Curiosity
seems to have been the ruling principle in Peter's mind. He was following the highest good, but
not as perceiving it to be so, or truly desiring it - a perilous state of things. There are many
unworthy followings of Christ, which have the "greater condemnation." Duty and self-sacrifice
will, on the other hand, carry men safely through the most terrible trials.
2. Low views of Christ's character and office tend to unworthy conduct. The whole spiritual state
of Peter was such as to expose him to the perpetration of the worst actions, and this arose from
prevalence of false conceptions of Christ's person and work. His attitude and occupation
immediately beforehand ("afar off;" " warming himself") have been regarded by many as
symbolical of his spiritual position with regard to his Master. Scepticism and mental confusion
on religious subjects, if not corrected or neutralized by close fellowship with Christ, or loyalty to
the highest truth one knows, have sad moral results. Peter was still clinging against hope to his
idea of a worldly Messiah.

3. Evil words and actions, if once indulged in, are the more easily repeated and aggravated. He
proceeds from an equivocation - "I neither know nor understand what thou sayest" - to a stronger
and more direct negative, and then to oaths and profanities.
II. AN EVIDENCE OF THE NECESSITY AND POWER OF CHRIST'S ATONEMENT. Even
good men like Peter, if left to themselves, will grievously err and sin. How are men in such a
position to be recovered?
1. There must therefore be a saving principle outside, and independent of ourselves. It is by
virtue of his completed sacrifice in spirit that Christ by a look recalls his fallen disciple, and thus
shows:
2. The power of his Spirit to redeem. In connection with such a power over spirit and conscience
the greatest sins may be made the turning-points of repentance. Memory was appealed to, and
the outward signs predicted by the Savior served as a spiritual index or clock of conscience. The
cockcrowing has also an element of hope in it; it marked the dawning of a new day of penitence
and enlightenment. - M.
Biblical Illustrator
And ye shall see the lion of Man.
Mark 14:62-65
The value of Christ's oath before Pilate
Mark Hopkins, D. D.I propose to inquire what the value of this oath is; what value we ought to
attach to it as evidence that Jesus was the Messiah; and I suppose that this is to be determined on
the same basis and grounds on which we determine the value of evidence in other cases. How is
that?
1. By those extraneous circumstances which are corroborative or otherwise, of that which is
testified to.(1) Jesus was the only being who ever appeared on this earth corresponding to the
types of the ritualistic part of the Old Testament.(2) He was the only being who ever appeared, in
whom the prophecies would be fulfilled in their double aspect. A King, a Conqueror, a Deliverer,
a Great One; and yet suffering, despised, and rejected of men, etc. The Jews looked only at one
aspect of these prophecies; and the half-truth misled them.(3) Our Lord's teaching was infinitely
loftier than can be accounted for on any other supposition.(4) His miracles all pointed to Him as
a Saviour; all of them beneficent, and all of them such, in their various characteristics, as to
indicate His power over the forces of nature, over the spiritual world, and over the dead. All
these things conspire to sustain the testimony which Jesus bore to Himself as the Christ, before
the High Priest under oath.
2. The value of an oath may be affected by the circumstances in which it is given.(1) There was
nothing, absolutely nothing, external to Himself, that could have originated in Christ the idea that
He was the Messiah.
1. His home, an obscure and distant place,
2. His want of education,

3. His poverty,
4. His want of authority.How came He, then, with the idea that He was greater than Solomon,
that He was Lord of the Sabbath; that He was the Light of the world; that He was the Deliverer
that was to come — how came He by it? That a single individual, in these circumstances, should
have had that idea, seems to me to indicate that He had a right to it.(2) Moreover, you will
observe, when He took this oath, He stood wholly alone. What courage, then, must have been
needed to maintain, in the face of death, that He was the Messiah.
3. The value of an oath, or of testimony given in such circumstances, is determined by the
competency of the witness. Was the witness of sound mind, and had he the means of knowing
that to which He testified? Need I ask this question regarding Jesus? Was He beside Himself?
Was He carried away by fanaticism? Was there anything to awaken such fanaticism in that
solitary man standing thus wholly alone, forsaken by His friends, with absolutely nothing to
sustain Him in the very face of death but His own consciousness of the great fact that He was the
Messiah? Nothing!
4. The moral character of the witness. And here again, need I say anything in regard to the moral
character of Jesus? No sin was ever imputed to Him; He claimed to be without sin; in the Lord's
Prayer He taught others to confess sin, but He never confessed sin Himself. The Bible claims this
for Him: "Who was," says Peter, "without sin" — absolutely. And was such a person as that,
with such a character as that one who would stand before the highest tribunal of His nation and,
when adjured by the living God, perjure Himself? Taking these things together, it seems to me
that no oath was ever uttered under circumstances to give it greater validity and greater
significance, and that no oath can be thus uttered — never!
(Mark Hopkins, D. D.)
Rejection of evidence concerning Christ
Mark Hopkins, D. D.How was our Lord's testimony received? You will notice, here, the position
which the High Priest assumed, and it is a position which very many men assume in regard to the
evidence of Christianity. He asked the question, "Art thou the Christ?" Was he prepared to accept
evidence? Let us see. Suppose our Lord had said "No"? Then He would have been an impostor,
and would have been led off self-condemned. But now, when He said, "I am," was there the least
tendency in the mind of the High Priest to accept the testimony? No; but instead of that, he
condemned Him for blasphemy! It was as Christ had said in regard to that generation: "We have
piped," etc. Whatever He might do, and whatever He might say, there was that determined
position of opposition against Him, which precluded any evidence from having an effect. And
that is the case with many men today: there is this position of opposition which precludes any
fair consideration of evidence; and the oath of Christ to His Messiahship, which stands today
such an oath as would convince any man of anything except that, does not weigh with them.
(Mark Hopkins, D. D.)
Danger of being attracted by the world's ways
Cuyler.He who becomes a friend to the world's ways becomes an enemy to Christ's. When you
begin to love them, you begin to dislike religion. When you begin to worship money you cease
to worship God. When you begin to love the house of pleasure you begin to dislike the house of
prayer. When you begin to love bad books you begin to lose your relish for the Bible. When you
seek irreligious associates you draw off steadily from intercourse with the people of God. When

the greedy lust of the world has eaten out a Christian conscience — when it has deadened the
spiritual sense — when it has dry-rotted the whole heart — when it has banished Christ and
possessed the soul's affection — then the man is ready to desert! Nay, he has deserted! What is
any man worth to the Church, or to God, when his heart is the property of Satan? He may linger
within the camp and even wear the uniform of a church member. But when the bugle calls to
action he is not in the ranks! When a march of reform is ordered or a strife for God's law is
waged, he is "missing."
(Cuyler.)
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
Ye have heard the blasphemy, and what think ye? And they all condemned him to be worthy of
death.
Through his illegal and violent behavior in rending his garments, the sacred garments of the high
priest, he had already announced the court's decision; and what he called for here was an assent
to his self-proposed verdict. The conduct of Caiaphas in this scene dramatizes the claim of Christ
as being equal to God. Skeptics who deny that Christ made such a claim are left without any
explanation at all of what this unbelieving high priest did on that occasion.
What think ye ... There is no way that Cranfield's unsupported opinion that "they were not
pronouncing a sentence but rather giving a legal opinion"[7] can be correct. Instead of putting
the matter to secret ballot, required by every capital case, Caiaphas here was procuring a death
sentence against the Lord of Life by acclamation. The words have the equivalent meaning of
"All in favor say Aye!"
This was the official condemnation by the chosen people of their Lord and Messiah, and the
most phenomenal results would immediately flow out of it. Before the day was ended, they
would renounce God himself as their king, long the vaunted glory of Israel, and shout, "We have
no king but Caesar" (John 19:15). That this was indeed an official condemnation is inherent in
their immediate march upon Pilate with a demand for his crucifixion, in whose presence it was
finally resolved that the only grounds they had for demanding Jesus' death was that "he made
himself the Son of God" (John 19:7).
ENDNOTE:
[7] C. E. B. Cranfield, op. cit.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
Ye have heard the blasphemy,.... The "manifest" blasphemy, as the Arabic version renders it; and
"out of his own mouth", as the Syriac version adds, agreeably to Luke 22:71,
what think ye? what sentence is to, be passed upon him?

And they all condemned him to be guilty of death; excepting Joseph of Arimathea, Luke 23:51;
See Gill on Matthew 26:66.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Ye have heard the blasphemy — (See John 10:33). In Luke (Luke 22:71), “For we ourselves
have heard of His own mouth” - an affectation of religious horror. (Also see on John 18:28.)
what think ye? — “Say what the verdict is to be.”
they all condemned him to be guilty of death — or of a capital crime, which blasphemy against
God was according to the Jewish law (Leviticus 24:16). Yet not absolutely all; for Joseph of
Arimathea, “a good man and a just,” was one of that Council, and “he was not a consenting party
to the counsel and deed of them,” for that is the strict sense of the words of Luke 23:50, Luke
23:51. Probably he absented himself, and Nicodemus also, from this meeting of the Council, the
temper of which they would know too well to expect their voice to be listened to; and in that
case, the words of our Evangelist are to be taken strictly, that, without one dissentient voice, “all
[present] condemned him to be guilty of death.”
Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament
They all (οι δε παντες — hoi de pantes). This would mean that Joseph of Arimathea was not
present since he did not consent to the death of Jesus (Luke 23:51). Nicodemus was apparently
absent also, probably not invited because of previous sympathy with Jesus (John 7:50). But all
who were present voted for the death of Jesus.
The Fourfold Gospel
Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be worthy of
death1.
1. And they all condemned him to be worthy of death. This was not the final, formal
sentence, but the mere determination of the council at the preliminary hearing.
John Trapp Complete Commentary
64 Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of
death.
Ver. 64. They all condemned him] As a blasphemer, because he made himself the Son of God.
This may comfortably assure us that we are freed by Christ from that crime of blasphemy we
stand guilty of, for affecting a deity in our first parents.
These files are public domain.
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Trapp, John. "Commentary on Mark 14:64". John Trapp Complete Commentary.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/mark-14.html. 1865-1868.

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Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible
Mark 14:64. Guilty of death.— Worthy of death.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Coke, Thomas. "Commentary on Mark 14:64". Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tcc/mark-14.html. 1801-1803.
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Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
See Poole on "Mark 14:53"
Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools andColleges
64. ἠκούσατε τῆς βλασφημίας. The sentence may be interrogative (WH.), but more probably it is
categorical (A.V., R.V.), and we may keep the aor. in English; Ye heard the blasphemy. The
thing heard is rarely in the gen., and here Mt. has the acc. Cf. Luke 15:25.
τί ὑμῖν φαίνεται; What do you think of it? This might mean, “Do you regard His utterance as
blasphemous?” But it probably meant, “What treatment ought to be His?” The blasphemy was
assumed.
οἱ δὲ πάντες. The πάντες may be exact. It is not likely that Joseph of Arimathaea (Luke 23:51) or
Nicodemus (John 7:50; John 19:39) was present at this nocturnal meeting; but Mt. omits the
doubtful πάντες.
ἔνοχον εἶναι θανὰτου. This is certainly accurate. They could decide that He was worthy of death;
but, the sitting being illegal, the Sanhedrin had no power to pronounce any sentence. That was
done later, after daybreak.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
64. Guilty of death — The phrase guilty of, is here used in the old English sense, deserving of
death.
The Expositor's Greek Testament
Mark 14:64. τί ὑμῖν φαίνεται, what appears to you to be the appropriate penalty of such
blasphemous speech? = τί ὑμῖν δοκεῖ in Mt. Nösgen denies the equivalence, and renders Mk.’s
peculiar phrase: what lies for you on the hand, what is now your duty? with appeal to Xenophon,
Anab., v., 7, 3.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged
Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.
Ye have heard the blasphemy. (See John 10:33.) In Luke (Luke 22:71), "For we ourselves have
heard of his own mouth" - an affectation of religious horror.
What think ye? 'Say what the verdict is to be.'
And they all condemned him to be guilty of death - or of a capital crime, which blasphemy
against God was according to the Jewish law (Leviticus 24:16). Yet not absolutely all; because
Joseph of Arimathea, "a good man and a just," was one of that Council, and 'he was not a
consenting party to the counsel and deed of them,' for that is the strict sense of the words of Luke
23:50-51 [ ouk (Greek #3756) een (Greek #2258) sungkatatheimenos (Greek #4784) tee (Greek
#3588) boulee (Greek #1012) kai (Greek #2532) tee (Greek #3588) praxei (Greek #4234) autoon
(Greek #846)]. Probably he absented himself, and Nicodemus also, from this meeting of the
Council, the temper of which they would know too well to expect their voice to be listened to;
and in that case, the words of our Evangelist are to be taken strictly, that, without one dissentient
voice, "all [present] condemned Him to be guilty of death."
Every word here must be carefully observed, and the several accounts put together, that we may
lose none of the awful indignities about to be described.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(64) Guilty of death.—Here, as in Matthew 26:66, the translators follow the old English usage,
and connect the word “guilty,” not as we now do, with the crime of which a man is convicted,
but with the punishment to which he is liable.
PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
OUR LORD’S TRIAL BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN NO. 1643
A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD’S-DAYMORNING, FEBRUARY5,
1882, BYC. H. SPURGEON,AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE,
NEWINGTON.

“And they all condemned Him to be guilty of death.” Mark 14:64.
THIS one sentence is selectedbecausecustomdemands a text, but in reality
we shall follow the entire narrative of our Lord’s trial before the high priests.
We shall see how the Sanhedrin arrived at their unrighteous sentence, and
what they did afterwards, and so, in a sense, we shallbe keeping to our text.
We have just been reading three passages—John18:12-24; Mark 14:53-65
and Luke 22:66-71. Please carrythese in your minds while I rehearse the
mournful story. The narrative of our Lord’s grief, if it is carefully studied, is
harrowing in the extreme. One cannot long think of it without tears. In fact, I
have personally knownwhat it is to be compelled to leave my meditations
upon it from excess ofemotion. It is enough to make one’s heart fully break to
realize the sufferings of such a One, so lovely in Himself and so loving toward
us. Yet this harrowing of the feelings is exceedinglyuseful, the after result of it
is truly admirable. After mourning for Jesus we are raisedabove our
mourning. There is no consolationunder heaven at all like it, for the sorrows
of Christ seemto take the sting out of our own sorrows, till they become
harmless and endurable. A sympathetic contemplationof our Lord’s grief so
dwarfs our griefs, that they are reckonedto be but light afflictions, too petty,
too insignificant, to be mentioned in the same day. We dare not write
ourselves down in the list of the sorrowfulat all, when we have just seenthe
sharp pains of the Man of Sorrows. The wounds of Jesus distil a balm which
heals all mortal ills. Noris this all, though that were much in a world of woe
like this, but there is a matchless stimulus about the passionof the Lord.
Though you have been almostcrushed by the sight of yours Lord’s agonies,
you have risen from them strong, resolute, fervent, consecrated. Nothing stirs
our hearts’depths like His heart’s anguish. Nothing is too hard for us to
attempt or to endure for One who sacrificedHimself for us. To be reviled for
His dear sake who sufferedsuch shame for us becomes no greataffliction,
even reproach, itself, when borne for Him, becomes greaterriches than all the
treasures of Egypt. To suffer in body and in mind, even unto death, for Him,
were rather a privilege than an exaction, such love so swells our hearts that we

vehemently pant for some wayof expressing our indebtedness. We are grieved
to think that our best will be so little, but we are solemnly resolvedto give
nothing less than our best to Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. I
believe also that full often carelesshearts have been greatly affectedby the
sufferings of Jesus. Theyhave been disturbed in their indifference, convinced
of their ingratitude, weanedfrom their love of sin, and attractedto Christ by
hearing what He bore on their behalf. No loadstone candraw human hearts
like the cross of Christ. His wounds cause even hearts of stone to bleed. His
shame makes obstinacyitselfashamed. Men never so plentifully fall before the
greatbow of God as when its arrows are dipped in the blood of Jesus. Those
darts which are armed with His agonies cause wounds suchas never canbe
healed exceptby His own pierced hands. These are the weapons which slay
the sin and save the sinner, killing at one stroke both his self-confidence and
his despair, and leaving him a captive to that conqueror whose gloryit is to
make men free. This morning I would not only preach the doctrines that
come out of the cross, but the cross itself. I suppose that was one of the great
differences betweenthe first preaching of all and the preaching after the
Reformation. After the Reformationwe had clearly ringing out from all
pulpits the doctrine of justification by faith and other glorious truths, which I
hope will be made more and more prominent. But the first fathers of the
church setforth the same truths in a less theological fashion. If they dwell
little upon justification by faith they were wonderfully full upon the blood and
its cleansing power, the wounds and their healing efficacy, the death of Jesus
and our eternal life. We will go back to their style for a while,
2 Our Lord’s Trial before the Sanhedrin Sermon #1643
2 Tell someone todayhow much you love Jesus Christ. Volume 28
and preachthe facts about our Lord Jesus Christ rather than the doctrinal
inferences from them. Oh, that the Holy Spirit would so bring the sorrows of
our Lord near to eachheart, that every one of us may know the fellowshipof
His sufferings, and possess faithin His salvation and reverent love for His
person. I. We will begin our narrative this morning by first asking you to
think of THE PRELIMINARYEXAMINATION OF OUR BLESSED LORD
AND MASTER BY THE HIGH PRIESTS.Theybrought in our Lord from

the garden, bound, but they also keptfast hold upon Him, for we read of “the
men that held Him.” They were evidently afraid of their prisoner, evenwhen
they had Him entirely in their power. He was all gentlenessand submission,
but conscience made cowards ofthem all, and they therefore took all a
coward’s care to hold Him in their grasp. As the court had not yet gatheredin
sufficient numbers for a generalexamination, the high priest resolvedthat he
would fill up the time by personally interrogating his prisoner. He
commencedhis malicious exercise. The high priest askedJesus concerning His
disciples. We cannot tell what the questions were, but I suppose they were
something like these; “How is it that You have gatheredabout You a band of
men? What did they do with You? What was Your ultimate intention to do by
their means? Who were they? Were they not a setof fanatics, or men
discontentedand ready for sedition?” I do not know how the crafty Caiaphas
put his questions, but the Savior gave no reply to this particular inquiry.
What could He have said if He had attempted to answer? Ah, brothers and
sisters, whatgoodcould He have said of His disciples? We may be sure He
would say no ill. He might have said, “Concerning My disciples, one of them
has betrayed Me. He has still the blood-money in his hands which you gave
him as My price. Another of them, down in the hall there, before the cock
crows will deny that he ever knew Me and add oaths and cursing to his denial.
And as for the rest, they have all forsakenMe and fled.” Therefore our Lord
said nothing concerning His disciples, for He will not become the accuserof
His own, whom He came not to condemn, but to justify. The high priest also
askedHim concerning His doctrine. I suppose he said to Jesus, “Whatnew
teaching is this of Yours? Are we not sufficient to teachthe people—the
Scribes so learned in the law, the Phariseesso attentive to ritual, the
Sadducees so philosophicaland speculative? Why need you intrude into this
domain? I suppose You to be little more than a peasant’s son, what is this
strange teaching of Yours?” To this inquiry our Lord did answerand what a
triumphant reply it was!Oh that we could always speak, whenit is right to
speak, as meeklyand as wiselyas He! He said, “I spoke openly to the world; I
always taught in the synagogue andin the temple, where the Jews always
resort, and in secretI have said nothing. Why ask you Me? Ask them which
heard Me what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I have said.”
Oh, brethren, no reply to slander canbe comparedwith a blameless life. Jesus

had lived in the full blaze of day where all could see, and yet He was able to
challenge accusationand say, “Ask them which heard Me.” Happy is the man
who has no need to defend himself because his works and words are solid
testimonials to his uprightness and goodness. Our SavioransweredHis
interrogatorvery gently, but yet most effectually, by His appealto facts. He
stands before us at once the mirror of meekness andthe paragonof
perfection, with slander like a wounded snake writhing at His feet. What a
delight to have this triumphant pleader for our advocate, to urge His own
righteousness in our defense!None canimpugn His absolute perfection, and
that perfectioncovers all His saints this day. Who shall accuse us, now that
Jesus has undertaken to plead for us? This overwhelming answer, however,
brought the Saviora blow from one of the officers of the court who stood by.
Was not this a most shocking deed? Here was the first of a new order of
assaults. Up to now we have not heard of strokes andblows, but now it is
fulfilled, “Theyshall smite the Judge of Israel with a rod upon His cheek.”
This was the first of a long series of assaults. Iwonder who the man was that
struck the Master. I could wish that the Master’s reply to him may have
influenced his heart to repentance, but if not, it is certain that he led the van
in personal assaults upon our Lord’s person; his impious hand first struck
Him. Surely if he died in impenitence, the memory of that blow must remain
as a never-dying worm within him. Todayhe cries, “I was the first to smite
Him, I struck Him on the mouth with the palm of my hand.” The old writers
upon the Passiongive us various details of the injuries inflicted upon the
Savior by that blow, but we attachno importance to such traditions, and
therefore will not repeatthem, but simply say that there was generalbelief in
the church that this blow was a very
Sermon #1643 OurLord’s Trial before the Sanhedrin 3
Volume 28 Tell someone todayhow much you love Jesus Christ. 3
grievous one, and causedthe Savior much pain. Yet while He felt that blow,
and was perhaps half staggeredby it, the Masterdid not lose His composure,
or exhibit the leastresentment. His reply was everything it ought to be. There
is not a word too much. He does not say, “Godshall smite you, you whited
wall,” as did the apostle Paul. We will not censure the servant, but we will far

more commend the Master. He meekly said, “If I have spokenevil, bear
witness of the evil: but if well, why did you strike Me?” Enough, surely, if
there remained any tenderness in the heart of the aggressor, to have made
him turn his hand upon his own breastin penitential grief. One would not
have wondered had he cried out, “Forgive me, O You divinely meek and
gentle One, and let me from now on be Your disciple.” Thus have we seenthe
first part of our Lord’s sufferings in the house of the high priest, and the
lessonfrom it is just this—let us be meek and lowly in heart as the Saviorwas,
for herein lay His strength and dignity. You tell me I have said that before.
Yes, brethren, and I shall have to say it severalmore times before you and I
have learned the lessonwell. It is hard to be meek when falselyaccused, meek
when roughly interrogated, meek when a cunning adversaryis on the catch,
meek when smarting under a cruel blow which was a disgrace to a court of
justice. You have heard of the patience of Job, but it pales before the patience
of Jesus. Admire His forbearance, but do not stop at admiration, copy His
example, write under this headline and follow every stroke. O Spirit of God,
even with Christ for an example, we shall not learn meekness unless You
teachus, and even with You for a teacher, we shall not learn it unless we take
His yoke upon us and learn of Him, for it is only at His feet, and under Your
Divine anointing that we shall ever become meek and lowly of heart, and so
find rest unto our souls. The preliminary examination is therefore over, and
it has ended in no successwhateverforthe high priest. He has questioned
Jesus and he has struck Him, but the ordeal brings nothing to contentthe
adversary. The prisoner is supremely victorious, the assailantis baffled. II.
Now a secondscene comes,THE SEARCHFOR WITNESSES AGAINST
HIM. “The chief priests and all the council sought for witness againstJesus to
put Him to death; and found none.” It is a strange court that meets with the
design to find the prisoner guilty, resolvedin some way or other to compass
his death. They must proceedaccording to the forms of justice, and so they
summon witnesses,though all the while they violate the spirit of justice, for
they ransack Jerusalemto find witnesseswho will perjure themselves to
accuse the Lord. Every man of the council is writing down somebody’s name
who may be fetched in from the outside, for the people have come from all
parts of the land to keepthe Passover, andsurely some may be hunted up
who, in one place or another, have heard Him use an objectionable mode of

speech. Theyfetch in, therefore, everyone that they can find of that degraded
class who will venture upon perjuring themselves if a bribe is forthcoming.
They scourJerusalemto bring forth witnessesagainstJesus, but they had
greatdifficulty in accomplishing their design, because they were bound to
examine the witnessesseparately, and they could not make them agree. Lies
cannot be easilymade to pair with eachother, whereas truths are cut to the
same pattern. Moreover, many sorts of witnesses thatthey could readily find
they did not dare to bring forward. Witnesses were forthcoming who could
testify that Jesus had spokenagainstthe tradition of the elders, but in that
some, who were in the council, namely, the Sadducees, were agreedwith Him
to a large extent. It would never do to bring forward a charge about which
they would not be unanimous. His denunciations of the Pharisees could not be
the charge, forthese pleasedthe Sadducees, neithercould they allege His
outcry againstthe Sadducees, forin this the Pharisees were agreedwith Him.
You remember how Paul, when brought before this Sanhedrin, took
advantage of their division of opinion and cried, “I am a Pharisee, the sonof a
Pharisee, ofthe hope and resurrection of the dead I am calledin question,”
and in this manner createda dissensionamong the conclave, whichfor a time
workedin his favor. Our Lord took higher and nobler ground, and did not
stoopto turn their folly to His own benefit, yet, they being conscious oftheir
internal feuds cautiously avoided those points upon which they were not in
harmony. They might have brought forward their old grievance that the Lord
Jesus did not observe the Sabbath after their fashion, but then it would have
come out more publicly that He had healed the sick on the Sabbath. It would
not do to publish that fact, for who would think of putting a person to death
for having opened the eyes of one born blind, or having restoreda withered
arm on the Sabbath? That kind of witness was therefore setaside. But might
they not have found some witnesses to swearthat He had talked about a
kingdom that He was setting up? Might not this readily have been made to
mean sedition and rebellion? Yes, but then that was rather a charge to allege
againstHim before Pilate’s civil court, whereas theirs was an ecclesiastical
tribunal.

Moreover, there were Herodians in the council who were very restive under
the Romanyoke, and could not have had the face to condemn anyone for
being a patriot, and besides, the people outside would have sympathized with
Jesus all the more if they had supposedthat He would lead them on a
rebellion againstCaesar. Thereforethey could not urge that point. They must
have been greatly puzzled to know what to do. Especiallywhen even on those
points which they decided to bring forward, the witnesses no sooneropened
their mouths than they contradictedeachother. At last they had it. There
came two whose evidence was somewhatagreed, and they assertedthat on a
certain occasionJesusChristhad said, “I will destroy this temple that is made
with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.”
Here was blasphemy againstthe holy and beautiful house of the Lord, and
this would serve their turn. Now, the Savior had saidsomething which was a
little like the testimony of these false witnesses,and a misunderstanding had
made it more like it. But still their statement was a lie, and none the less a lie
because a shadow of truth had fallen upon it, for the worst kind of lie is that
which is manufactured out of a truth, it does a greatdeal more mischief than
if it were a falsehoodfrom stem to stern. The Savior had not said, “I will
destroy this temple.” He said, “Destroythis temple,” that is to say, “You will
destroy it, and you may destroy it.” He had not referred to the Jerusalem
temple at all, this spoke He concerning the temple of His body which would be
destroyed. Christ has never said, “Destroythis temple which is made with
hands, and I will build another without hands.” In His language there is no
allusion to hands at all. These refinements were of their owninventing, and
His language gave no colorfor them. He had not said, “I will build another.”
He had said, “I will raise it up,” which is quite a different thing. He meant
that His body, after being destroyed, would be raised up again on the third
day. They had altered a word here and a word there, the mood of one verb
and the form of another, and so they made out our Lord to say what He never
thought of. Yet evenon that charge they did not agree. One said one thing
upon it, and another saidanother, so that even this paltry accusationcould
not be brought againstthe Savior. Their patched-up falsehoodwas made of
such rotten stuff that the pieces would not hold together. They were ready to
swearto anything that came into their perjured imaginations, but they could
not be gottento swearany two of them, to the same thing. Meanwhile the

Lord Himself stands silent, like the sheepbefore her shearers, He is dumb and
opens not His mouth, and I suppose the reasonwas partly that He might fulfill
the prophecy, partly because the grandeur of His soul could not stoop to
contend with liars and most of all because His innocence neededno defense.
He that is in some measure guilty is eagerto apologize and to extenuate, his
excuses usually suggestto men of experience, the belief that there may be
some ground for the accusation. He that is perfectly innocent is in no haste to
answerhis slanderers, for they soonanswerone another. Our Lord did not
desire to getinto a vain jangle with them, and so to lead them, on to utter still
more falsehoods. If speechcando no goodthen indeed silence is wise. When
the only result would have been to provoke His enemies to add to their
iniquities, it was magnanimous compassionwhichled the slandered Saviorto
hold His speech. We must not refrain from noticing the comfort which in
some degree had been ministered to our Lord by the accusationwhichcame
most to the front. He stands there, and He knows they are about to put Him to
death, but they themselves remind Him that their powerover Him has no
longerlease than three days, and at the end of that short time He will be
raisedup again, no more to be at their disposal. His enemies witnessedthe
resurrectionto Him. I say not that His memory was weak, orthat He would
possibly have forgottenit amid His sorrows, but yet our Lord was human, and
modes of comfort which are valuable to us were also useful to Him. When the
mind is tortured with malicious falsehood, and the whole man is tossedabout
by pains and griefs, it is goodfor us to be reminded of the consolations ofGod.
We read of some who were “tortured, not accepting deliverance,”and it was
the hope of resurrectionwhich sustained them. Our Lord knew that His soul
would not be left in the abodes of the dead, neither should His flesh see
corruption, and the false witnessesbrought this vividly before His mind. Now,
indeed, could our Redeemersay, “Destroythis temple, and in three days I will
raise it up.” These ravens have brought the Savior bread and meat. In these
dead lions our glorious Samsonhas found honey. Sustainedby the joy that
was setbefore Him, He despises the shame. Strange, that there should come
out of the mouths of those who soughtHis blood, the memorial of one of His
greatestglories. Now, brethren, here againwe learn the same lessonas
before, namely, let us gain meekness, andprove it by our powerto hold our
tongues. Eloquence is difficult to acquire, but silence is far harder to

practice. A man may much soonerlearn to speak wellthan learn not to speak
at all. We are in such a hurry to vindicate our own cause that we damage it by
rash speech. If we were calm, gentle, quiet, forbearing, as the Saviorwas, our
pathway to victory would be much easier. Observe, again, the armor with
which Christ was clad, see the invulnerable shield of His holiness. His life was
such that slander could not frame an accusationagainstHim which would last
long enough to be repeated. So frail were the charges that, like bubbles, they
vanished as soonas they saw the light. Our Lord’s enemies were utterly
baffled. They hurled their darts againstHim, but, as if they fell upon a shield
of blazing diamond, every arrow was brokenand consumed. Learn also this
other lessonthat we must expectto be misrepresented. We may reckonthat
our words will have other meanings to ungracious ears than those which we
intended. We may expect that when we teach one thing which is true, they will
make us out to have stated another which is false. But let us not be
overwhelmed by this fiery trial as though it were some strange thing. Our
Lord, and Master, has endured it and the servants must not escape it.
Therefore endure hardness as goodsoldiers of Jesus Christ, and be not afraid.
Amid the din of these lies and perjuries, I hear the still small voice of a truth
most precious, for like as Jesus stoodfor us at the bar, and they could not
cause an accusationto abide upon Him, so when we shall stand in Him at the
last greatday, washedin His blood and coveredwith His righteousness, we too
shall be clear. “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?” If Satan
should appearas the accuserofthe brethren, he will be met by the voice, “The
Lord rebuke you, O Satan, even the Lord that has chosenJerusalemrebuke
you: is not this a brand plucked out of the burning?” Yes, beloved, we too
shall be clearedof slander; then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in
the kingdom of their Father. The glorious righteousness ofHim who was
falselyaccusedshalldeliver the saints and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.
III. But I must not dwell too long even on such themes as these, and therefore
I pass on to THE PERSONALINTERROGATION whichfollowedupon the
failure to bring forward witnesses.The high priest, too indignant to sit still,
rises and stands over the prisoner like a lion roaring over his prey, and begins

to question Him again. It was an unrighteous thing to do. Should the judge
who sits to administer law set himself to prove the prisoner guilty, or, what is
worse, shallhe try to extort a confessionfrom the accusedwhichmay be used
againsthim? It was a tacit confessionthat Christ had been proven innocent up
till then. The high priest would not have needed to draw something out of the
accusedone if there had been sufficient material againstHim elsewhere. The
trial had been a dead failure up to that point, and he knew it, and he was red
with rage. Now he attempts to bully the prisoner, that he may extractsome
declarationfrom Him which may save all further trouble of witnesses, and
end the matter. The question was forced home by a solemn adjuration, and it
achievedits purpose, for the Lord Jesus did speak, though He knew that He
was thereby furnishing a weaponagainstHimself. He felt under bond to
answerthe high priest of His people when He used such adjuration, bad man
as that high priest was, and He could not draw back from a charge so solemn
lest He should seemby His silence to deny the truth upon which the salvation
of the world is made to hinge. So when the high priest askedHim, “Are You
the Christ, the Son of the Blessed,”how distinctly and outspokenwas the
Master’s reply. Though He knew that His death would thus be compassed, He
witnesseda good confession. He plainly said, “I am,” and then He added to
that declaration, “You shall see the Son of man”—so He brings out His
humanity as well as His deity, “sitting on the right hand of power, and coming
in the clouds of heaven.” What a majestic faith! It is wonderful to think that
He should be so calm as to confront His mockers, and assertHis glory while
He was in the depths of shame. He did as good as say, “You sit as My judges,
but I shall soonsit as your judge, I seemto you to be an insignificant peasant,
but I am the Son of the Blessed. You think that you will crush Me, but you
never will, for I shall speedily sit at the right hand of the power of God, and
come in the clouds of heaven.” He speaks boldly, as well became Him. I
admire the meekness that could be silent, I admire the meekness thatcould
speak gently, but I still wonder more at the meekness, thatcould speak
courageouslyand still be meek. Somehow or other, when we awakenourselves
to courage we let in harshness in the same door, or if we shut out our anger,
we are very apt to forgetour firmness. Jesus neverslays one virtue to make
room for another. His characteris complete, full-orbed, perfect, whichever
way we look at it.

And surely, brethren, this must have brought another sweetconsolationto
our divine Master’s heart. While smarting under that cruel blow, while
writhing under those filthy accusations, while enduring such contradiction of
sinners againstHimself, He must have felt satisfiedfrom within in the
consciousnessofHis Sonship and His power, and in the prospectof His glory
and triumph. A well of watersprings up within His soul as He foreseesthat
He shall sit at the right hand of God, and that He shall judge the quick and
the dead, and vindicate His redeemed. It is a wise thing to have these
consolations alwaysreadyto hand. The enemy may not see their consolatory
power, but we see it. To us from beneath the altar there issues forth a stream
whose gentle flow supplies our spirits with a quiet gladness suchas all earth’s
waters cannever rival. Even now we also hearthe Father say, “I am your
shield and your exceeding greatreward.” Notice, before we pass awayfrom
this point that practically, the trial and the interrogationended in our Lord’s
being condemned because ofHis avowalof His deity. They said, “You have
heard the blasphemy: what do you think? And they all condemned Him to be
guilty of death.” I cannotmake out at all those people who call themselves
Unitarians, and deny our Lord’s deity. Unitarians we also are, for we believe
in one God, and only one God, but they tell us that this blessedChrist our
Master, is not God, and yet they admit that He was the most excellentof men,
the most perfectof human beings. I cannot see it myself. He seems to me to be
a blasphemer, and nothing else, if He is not God, and the Jews evidently held
that opinion, and treated Him accordingly. If he had not said that God was
His Father, they would not have been so enragedagainstHim. They put Him
to death because ofthe assertionof His deity, and the declarationthat He
would sit at the right hand of power and judge the world. Today multitudes
are willing to take Christ as a teacher, but they will not have Him as the Son
of God. I do not doubt that the Christian religion might be receivedin many
places if it were shorn of its strength, if, in fact, its very soul and heart were
torn out of it, by setting forth Jesus as one of the prophets and nothing more.
Hear how our wise men talk of Him as one of a line of greatreformers, such
as Moses, Samuel, Elijah, and they often add Confucius and Mohammed. Do

we give place to this, no, not for an instant. He is verily the Son of the Blessed.
He is divine or false. The accusationof blasphemy must lie againstHim if He
is not the Son of the Highest. IV. We must now pass on and linger for a
secondor two over THE CONDEMNATION. Theycondemned Him out of
His own mouth, but this, while it wore the semblance of justice, was really
unjust. The prisoner at the bar has affirmed that He is the Son of God. What
next? May He not speak the truth? If it is the truth He must not be
condemned, but adored. Justice requires that an inquiry be made as to
whether He is the Christ, the Son of the Blessed, ornot. He has claimed to be
the Messiah. Verywell, all those in the court are expecting the Messiah;some
of them expect Him to appear very speedily. May not this be the sentone of
the Lord? Let an inquiry be made into His claims. What is His lineage?
Where was He born? Have any prophets attestedHim? Has He worked
miracles? Some such inquiries are due to any man whose life is at stake. You
cannot justly condemn a man to die without examining into the truth of his
defense, for it may turn out that his statements are correct. But, no, they will
not hear the Man they hate, the mere claim condemns Him, it is blasphemy,
and He must die. He says He is the Son of God. Come, then, Caiaphas and
council, call for witnessesforthe defense. Inquire whether blind eyes have
been opened and the dead raised up. Ask whether He has workedmiracles
such as no man everworkedin the midst of Israelthroughout all time. Why
not do this? O no, He must be taken from prison and from judgment, and
none shall declare His generation. The less inquiry the more easyto condemn
Him unjustly. He has said He is the Christ and the Sonof God; He is therefore
guilty of death. Alas, how many there are who condemn Christ’s doctrine
without making due inquiries into it—condemn it on the most trivial grounds.
They come to heara sermon, and perhaps find fault with the mannerism of
the preacher, as if that were sufficient reasonfor denying the truth which he
preaches, orelse they say, “This is so strange—wecannotbelieve it.” Why
not? Are not strange things sometimes true, and is not many a truth
wondrously strange until you getfamiliar with it? These men will not
condescendto hear Christ’s proof of claim, they will make no inquiry. In this,
like the Jewishpriests, they practically cry, “Away with Him! Away with
Him!” He is condemned to die, and the high priest tears his clothes. I do not
know whether he wore at that time the robes in which he ministered, but

doubtless he wore some garb peculiar to his sacerdotaloffice, and this he tore.
Oh, how significant! The house of Aaron and the tribe of Levi had their
garments torn,
and the temple, within a few hours, tore its veil from the top to the bottom, for
priests and temple were alike abolished. They little knew it, but in all they did
there was a singular significance, those torn garments were an index of the
fact that now the Aaronic priesthood was forevertorn, and the great
Melchisedecpriesthoodhad come in, for the true Melchisidec then and there,
stoodbefore them in all the majesty of His patience. Observe that they were
all agreed, there was no dissention, they had takencare, I have no doubt, not
to let Nicodemus and Josephof Arimathaea know anything about this meeting
of theirs. They held it in the night, and they only rehearsedit in the early
morning, for the sake ofkeeping their old Rabbinicallaw that they must try
prisoners by daylight. They hurried up the trial, and any that might have
spokenagainsttheir bloodthirsty sentence were keptout of the way. The
assemblywas unanimous. Alas for the unanimity of ungodly hearts against
Christ! It is amazing that there should be such quarrels among Christ’s
friends, and such unity among His foes, whenthe point is to put Him to death.
I never heard of quarrels among devils, nor did I ever read of sects in hell,
they are all one in their hatred of the Christ and of God. But here we are split
up into sections and parties, and often at war with one another. O, Lord of
love forgive us, King of Concord, come and reign over us, and bring us into a
perfect unity around Yourself. The sentence was “death.”I say nothing of it
but this. Deathwas the sentence due to me, the sentence due to you, and they
laid it upon our Substitute. “Worthy of death”—they said—allof them. All
hands were held up, all voices said, “Yes, yes” to the verdict. Yet there was no
fault in Him. Say rather, there was every excellence in Him. As I hear Jesus
condemned to die my soul falls at His feet and cries, “BlessedLord, now have
You takenmy condemnation. There is, therefore, none for me. Now have You
takenmy cup of death to drink, and from now on it is dry to me. Glory be to
Your blessedname, from now on and forever.” V. I am almost glad that my

time is so far advanced, for I must set before you the fifth and most painful
scene. No soonerhave these evil men of the Sanhedrin pronounced Him guilty
of death, than the servants, the guards, and those that kept the high priests’
hall, eagerto please their masters, and all touched with the same brute-like
spirit which was in them, straightwaybegan to abuse the infinite majesty of
our Lord. Consider THE ABUSE. Let me read the words, “Some beganto spit
on Him.” “Beganto spit on Him!” Thus was contempt expressedmore
effectively than by words. Be astonished, O heavens, and be horribly afraid.
His face is the light of the universe, His Personis the glory of heaven, and they
“beganto spit on Him!” Alas, my God, that man should be so base! Some
went further, and they “coveredHis face.” It is an Easterncustomto cover
the face of the condemned, as if they were not fit to see the light, nor fit to
behold their fellow men. I know not whether for this reason, orin pure
mockery, they coveredHis face, so that they could not see it, and He could not
see them. How could they thus put out the sun and shut up bliss? Then when
all was dark to Him, we read that they began to say, “Prophesy, Who is he
that struck You?” Then another did the same, and many were the cruel cuffs
they laid about His blessedface. The mediaevalwriters delighted to talk about
the teeth that were broken, the bruises on the checks, the blood which flowed,
the flesh that was bruised and blackened, but we dare not thus imagine.
Scripture has casta veil, and there let it abide. Yet it must have been an awful
sight to see the Lord of glory with His face stainedby their accursedspit and
bruised with their cruel fists. Here insult and cruelty were combined, ridicule
of His prophetic claims and dishonor to His divine person. Nothing was
thought bad enough. They invented all they could of shame and scorn, and He
stoodpatient there though a single flash of His eyes would have consumed
them in a moment. Brothers, sisters, this is what our sin deserved. A
shameful thing you are, O sin! You deserve to be spit upon! This is what sin is
constantly doing to Christ. Whenever you and I sin we do, as it were, spit in
His face. We also hide His eyes by trying to forgetthat He sees us, and we also
hit Him whenever we transgress and grieve His Spirit. Talk not of cruel Jews,
let us think of ourselves, and let us be humbled by the thought. This is what
the ungodly world is always doing to our blessedMaster. Theyalso would
hide His eyes which are the light of the world. They also despise His gospel,
and spit upon it as an utterly worn out and worthless thing. They also do

despite to the members of His body through His poor afflicted saints who have
to bear slander and abuse for His dear sake. And yet over all this I seemto
see a light most blessed. Christmust be spit upon, for He has takenour sin.
Christ must be tortured, for He is standing in our place. Who is to be the
executionerof all this
grief? Who shall take upon himself the office of putting Christ to shame? Our
redemption was being workedout this way—who shall be the drudge to
perform this miserable work? Fling in the clusters richer than the grapes of
Eshcol, fling them in, but who shall tread them out and laboriouslyextract the
wine, the generous wine which cheers Godand man? The feet shall be the
willing feetof Christ’s ownadversaries, they shall extort from Him that which
shall redeem us and destroy all evil. I rejoice to see Satanoutwitted, and his
malice made to be the means of his own overthrow. He thinks to destroy
Christ, and by that deed he destroys himself. He pulls down evil upon his own
head and falls into the pit which he has dug. Thus shall all evil always work
for the goodof the Lord’s people. Yes, their greatestgoodshalloften come out
of that which threatened their ruin, and workedin them the utmost anguish.
Three days must the Christ suffer and die and lie in the grave. But after that
He must bruise the serpent’s head and lead captivity captive and that by the
means of the very suffering and shame which He is now enduring. In the same
manner shall it happen to His mystical body, and Satan shall be bruised under
our feetshortly. I leave this subject, hoping that you will pursue it in your
meditations. Here are three observations. First, how ready should we be to
bear slander and ridicule for Jesus’sake.Do not get into a huff, and think it a
hard thing that people should mock you. Who are you, dear sir? Who are
you? What can you be if compared with Christ? If they spatupon Him, why
should they not spit upon you? If they buffeted Him, why should they not
buffet you? Shall your Masterhave all the rough of it? Shall He have all the
bitter, and you all the sweet? A pretty soldier, you, to demand better fare than
your Captain! How earnestly, next, ought we to honor our dear Lord. If men
were so eagerto put Him to shame, let us be ten times more earnestto bring

Him glory. Is there anything we cando today, by which He may be honored?
Let us setabout it. Can we make any sacrifice?Canwe perform any difficult
task which would glorify Him? Let us not deliberate, but at once do it with all
our might. Let us be inventive in modes of glorifying Him, even as His
adversaries were ingenious in the methods of His shame. Lastly, how surely
and how sweetlymay all who believe in Him come and rest their souls in His
hands. Surely know that He who suffered this, since He was verily the Son of
the Blessed, must have ability to save us. Such griefs must be a full atonement
for our transgressions. Glorybe to God, that spit on His countenance means a
clear, bright face for me. Those false accusationsonHis charactermean no
condemnation for me. That putting Him to death proves the certainty of our
text lastSunday morning, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believes on
Me has everlasting life.” Let us sweetlyrestin Jesus, and if ever our faith is
agitated, let us get awayto the hall of Caiaphas, and see the Just standing for
the unjust, the Faultless One bearing condemnation for sinners. Let us, in the
high priest’s hall, judge and condemn every sin and every doubt, and come
forth glorying that the Christ has conqueredfor us, and that we now wait with
delight for His appearing. God bless you, brothers and sisters, for Christ’s
sake. Amen
Mark 14:53-72: “Jesus Tried By The Chief Priests, Elders And Scribes / Peter’s Denials Of
Christ”
By
Jim Bomkamp
Back Bible Studies Home Page
1. In our last study, we looked at verses 32-52 of chapter 14.
1.1. In that study, we saw Jesus begin to enter into the depth of suffering that going to the cross
entailed as we saw Jesus suffering in the garden of Gethsemane. We saw that the ground that we
treaded upon was holy ground for we saw Jesus, the only begotten Son of God from all eternity,
the One who is pure and holy in every sense and without any sin, begin to carry the sins of the
world upon Himself.

1.2. We considered what Jesus’ suffering consisted of, why He suffered, and what it was about
His suffering that was most difficult for Him.
1.3. We also discussed the disciples and what it was that caused them to flee from Jesus on this
morning of His arrest.
1.4. Finally, we discussed Who it was that was really in control on that evening, and how that
Jesus majesty, glory, and power were displayed even in His being arrested.
2. In this study, we are going to look at verses 53-72 of chapter 14 of Mark.
2.1. We know from the gospels that Jesus had two trials prior to His going to Calvary and being
crucified for the sins of the world, a Jewish trial and a Roman trial. In our study today, we will
look at Jesus’ first trial, and it was a trial by the chief priests, scribes and elders of Israel that
occurred during the middle of the night.
2.2. The second aspect of our study today involves Peter as he is in the courtyard of the high-
priest while Jesus is being tried in this closed door hearing. We will see that just as Jesus had
prophesied would happen to Peter, that he indeed denies Christ three times before the cock of
morning crows twice. We will look at the things that Peter did that led to him denying He knows
Jesus, and we will attempt to learn some lessons from these.
3. Background:
3.1. It is so obvious reading the events of Jesus’ trials in the gospels that nothing legally was
followed. This first trial was performed in the middle of the night so that hidden from public
view the leaders could pursue the course they wanted in meting out what they considered to be
“justice” for Jesus, yet the Law of Moses required that trials not happen until the break of
morning. And, we see in this trial that the religious authorities had men prepared at this trial to
give lying testimony about Jesus.
3.2. When we read the gospels, the thing that is also completely clear is that Jesus was put to
death because He declared Himself to be the Messiah. This is what the high priest got Jesus to do
on this night, is to declare that He believed Himself to be the Messiah of God, the hope of Israel.
These leaders then accuse Jesus of blasphemy for this claim and determine that what He has said
is something that is worthy of His being condemned to die.
3.3. The problem that the religious authorities had in being able to immediately put Jesus to
death for what they believed was blasphemy is that they were now under Roman authority, and
according to Rome the Jews were not allowed to exercise capital punishment. So, even though
the Jewish authorities had determined that Jesus should be put to death for blasphemy, they had
to bring charges to the Roman authorities so that in a Roman court Jesus could be condemned to
die. The issue here for them though was the fact that blasphemy of Jehovah was not considered a
crime worthy of death to the Romans. So, having determined that Jesus should die because He
had blasphemed Jehovah, these leaders had to come up with charges against Jesus that would
make the Romans consider the death penalty for Him. We will see in our next study that they
will end up charging Jesus of treason against Rome for claiming that He is a king.
3.4. Looking at the other gospel accounts, we will see that on this night Jesus was first brought to
Annas who was the father-in-law of the high priest Caiaphas, but still considered as high priest
because of his years of service. Annas interrogates Jesus and then he sends Him to Caiaphas for
interrogation. The Sanhedrin was present at this time and charges were brought against Jesus by
witnesses, and these witnesses acted as prosecutors in the court, as was Jewish custom. But,

lying witnesses were brought forward to testify against Jesus. Yet, the stories of these witnesses
contradicted each other, which should have led to Jesus’ release. In our next study, we will look
at the Roman trial that Jesus is given before Pontius Pilate, Herod, and then Pilate again.
4. VS 14:53-56 - “53 They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the
elders and the scribes gathered together. 54 Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the
courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire.
55 Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to
put Him to death, and they were not finding any. 56 For many were giving false testimony against
Him, but their testimony was not consistent.” – Jesus was taken in the night and appeared before
the high priest, chief priests, and the elders and scribes, and they tried Him, but the testimony of
those who accused Jesus of crimes contradicted
4.1. The Bible Knowledge Commentary tells us that Tiberius Caesar was the Roman emperor
from a.d. 14 to a.d. 37. Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea in a.d. 26 and ruled to
a.d. 36. Herod Antipas ruled from Tiberius over Galilee from 4 b.c. to a.d. 39. His brother, Herod
Philip, ruled to the east of the Jordan from 4 b.c. to a.d. 34. Herod’s capital was at Caesarea
Philippi. Quirinius, governor of Syria, appointed Annas as high priest in Israel in a.d. 6. Annas
was the Jewish high priest from a.d. 6 to a.d. 15 but was deposed by the Roman authorities,
namely, Valerius Gratus, procurator of Judea. The high priest was supposed to be appointed for
life, but the Romans didn’t like this idea because it gave men too much power which could lead
them to sedition. Beginning in A.D. 15, Annas was replaced by five different of his sons, and
then eventually by his son-in-law, Caiaphas, in A.D 18. Caiaphas remained high priest from a.d.
18-36. The Jews continued to recognize Annas as their high priest however, even though his son-
in-law Caiaphas functioned in that role.
4.2. The Bible Knowledge Commentary includes this chart on the Herod’s during Jesus’ day:
4.3. As was mentioned, Jesus had been arrested late at night, and now he was taken to the home
of Annas, the unofficial high priest, for an informal interrogation. Annas ended up insulting
Jesus, and then Jesus was sent to the home of Annas’ son-in-law, Caiaphas, the official high
priest, and the members of the Sanhedrin were there to try Him.
4.4. The Mosaic Law required that a man have a trial start only after the sun had risen, so this
entire trial by the chief priests, elders, and scribes of the Sanhedrin was held in violation of the
Law.
4.5. Isn’t it lovely to see a religious meeting of all of the leaders of God’s people gathered
together before a holy day for the purpose of plotting and carrying out a murder, all in the guise
of spirituality and serving the Lord?! This is especially so as we consider who it was that they
were plotting to murder, Jesus the Messiah, the hope of Israel.
4.6. According to Deut. 17:6, a person could not be convicted of any crime unless two or more
witnesses testified in the same way against them. The religious leaders were trying their hardest
to get two witnesses to testify without contradicting each other, but it wasn’t working for them.
4.7. How sad it is to see these leaders here beating the bushes trying to find someone who will
swear falsely against Jesus so that they can say that they have a just reason for putting Jesus to
death: they ‘kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not
finding any.’

4.8. The false testimonies against Jesus continued to contradict.
4.9. We can see fulfillment of Psalm 2 occurring on this night: Psalm 2, “1 Why are the nations in
an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the
rulers take counsel together Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us tear
their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The
Lord scoffs at them. 5 Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury,
saying, 6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” 7 “I will
surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten
You. 8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of
the earth as Your possession. 9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them
like earthenware.’ ” 10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the
earth. 11 Worship the Lord with reverence And rejoice with trembling. 12 Do homage to the Son,
that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How
blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
4.10. I will talk more about Peter in a moment, but note that John the apostle had a relationship
with the owner of the house where Jesus was being tried, and he had been let into it. Then, he let
Peter in. We see Peter here down in the courtyard while Jesus is out of sight but in one of the
upper rooms of the house being tried. Peter has been criticized for not following Jesus closely,
but when we consider that Jesus had quoted Zachariah which had said that the shepherd would
be struck and then the sheep would scatter, and that He had also obtained the release of the
apostles, then I don’t think you should criticize Peter for not following the Lord closely. Peter
was only doing what any of us would do if we did not want to get arrested ourselves but loved
the Lord and were concerned about what would happen to Him.
4.11. Peter’s mistakes:
4.11.1.He didn’t take heed to His Lord’s warning about denying Him and wasn’t on guard.
4.11.1.1.Beware ever letting your guard done, as Paul wrote: 1 Corinthians 10:12, “12 Therefore
let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”
4.11.2.Peter fell because of his strengths.
4.11.3.Peter’s second mistake is in warming himself by the enemy’s fires. There is a proper place
for each of us to be in regard to unbelievers and their lives. We need to befriend the lost and
reach out to them, but temptation lurks when we get too close to them, such as happened with
Peter when he was warming himself by their fires.
5. VS 14:57-62 - “57 Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, 58
“We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build
another made without hands.’ ” 59 Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. 60 The
high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not answer? What
is it that these men are testifying against You?” 61 But He kept silent and did not answer. Again
the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the
Blessed One?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right
hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”” – During this trial men were giving
false testimony about Jesus, yet even these stories contradicted, yet Jesus sat silent until the high
priest finally asked Him if He was ‘the Christ, the Son of the Blessed’ and to this Jesus testified,
“I am’

5.1. Note here some of the false statements made by these false witnesses against Jesus:
5.1.1. Jesus never said that He would destroy the temple of the Jews. The Romans destroyed it,
and Jesus simply prophesied that it would be torn down.
5.1.2. Jesus didn’t say that He would build another temple made without hands, He did say that
He would rebuild it again in three days, but then we are told that Jesus was actually speaking of
the temple of His body which would rise again from the dead in 3 days.
5.2. Mark tells us that their testimony was inconsistent. Also, he writes that Jesus kept silent
through all of the false statements made about Him. Because the stories were obviously false,
there was no reason for Jesus to have to speak up and defend Himself.
5.3. The high priest asked Jesus why He wasn’t responding to the accusations made against Him,
and again Jesus answered him no word. Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophesy about the Messiah in
keeping quiet during this time: Isaiah 53:7, “7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did
not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its
shearers, So He did not open His mouth.”
5.4. Peter wrote of Jesus’ example to be followed for believers, for Jesus did not revile in return
those who were reviling Him: 1 Peter 2:23, “23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in
return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges
righteously.”
5.5. Since the people sent to falsely testify against Jesus failed because the people weren’t
organized enough and hadn’t gotten all of their stories together before they came, the high priest
finally figured out how to corner Jesus and get out of Him what he knew he could get in order to
condemn Him to death. The high priest asked Jesus squarely, ‘Are You the Christ, the Son of the
Blessed One?’ Jesus gave the high priest the answer that he wanted to hear, ‘I am.’ The high
priest now had what he needed to get the group to vote together to condemn Jesus to death.
5.6. This was the first time in the book of Mark that Jesus clearly and directly declared that He is
the Messiah.
5.7. Jesus speaks further to the high priest about Himself, ‘you shall see the Son of Man sitting at
the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven’, as He quotes Messianic Psalm
110:1, and also Daniel 7:13:
5.7.1. Psalm 110:1, “1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your
enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
5.7.2. Daniel 7:13, “13 I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented
before Him.”
5.8. Did these Jewish judges see fulfilled in their lifetime what Jesus said they would one day
see? No, these things refer to events that will happen after the resurrection of the dead for the day
of judgment.
6. VS 14:62-64 - “ 63 Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of
witnesses? 64 “You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all
condemned Him to be deserving of death.” – The high priest tore his clothes when Jesus
confessed that indeed He was the Messiah, and then the high priest accused Him of blasphemy to
the rest present, and they all condemned Him to be deserving of death

6.1. Here was see drama being enacted. When Jesus declared Himself to be Messiah, in a
mockery of devotion to the Lord, the high priest tore his clothes as if He were doing it out of zeal
for the Lord. Inside he probably was smiling or smirking and gloating in His accomplishment of
finally not being outsmarted by Jesus and getting something upon which he could have Jesus put
to death.
6.2. The ‘blasphemy’ that Jesus was condemned to death by this group for having committed
was that of claiming that He was the Messiah, the son of God, the hope of Israel.
6.3. When given a vote the entire Sanhedrin with one voice condemned Jesus of being ‘deserving
of death’.
6.4. One has to wonder if Joseph of Arimathea, and perhaps other of the members of the
Sanhedrin sympathetic to Jesus had not been invited to this trial since they would not vote for
Jesus to be put to death.
7. VS 14:65 - “65 Some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their
fists, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in the face.” –
The men trying Jesus began to spit at him, and they blindfolded Him and began to beat Him with
their fists and to tell Him to Prophesy, and officers began to slap Him in the face
7.1. After voting to have Jesus put to death in this trial that was a mockery to justice as well as
the God of justice, some of the members of the Sanhedrin began to mock and take personal
vengeance against Jesus and to ‘spit at Him’, and they blindfolded Him and were beating Him
with their fists asking that if He were a prophet to prophesy as to whom it was who had hit Him.
Yet, Jesus did not stoop to this and comply with them.
7.2. Even the officers of the guard of soldiers were joining in and slapping Jesus in the face.
8. VS 14:66-68 - “66 As Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high
priest came, 67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were
with Jesus the Nazarene.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you
are talking about.” And he went out onto the porch, and a rooster crowed.” – Peter’s first denial
of Christ
8.1. As Peter is here warming himself at the fires of his enemy, one of the ‘servant-girls’ of the
high priest came up to him and looked at him and recognized that he had been ‘with Jesus the
Nazarene’. I don’t know if it was Peter’s dress, mannerisms, or just that this girl recognized
having seen Peter with Jesus (remember Peter had cut off Malcus’ ear at Jesus’ arrest), but
somehow this girl knew that he had been with Jesus.
8.2. Notice that this servant-girl calls Jesus by a name of derision since He was from the city of
Nazareth, a city with a poor reputation. She calls Jesus, ‘Jesus the Nazarene.’
8.3. Peter denies having been with Jesus and asks as if he does not know what she is talking
about: ‘I neither know nor understand what you are talking about’.
8.4. When Peter went out on the porch after denying Jesus the first time, ‘a rooster crowed’.
9. VS 14:69-70a - “The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders,
“This is one of them!” 70 But again he denied it.” – Peter’s second denial of Christ
9.1. This servant-girl was not going to give up. She ‘saw him’ and again she began saying to the
people around there, ‘This is one of them’.

9.2. Peter denies this accusation.
10. VS 14:70b-72 - “And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, “Surely
you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too.” 71 But he began to curse and swear, “I do not
know this man you are talking about!” 72 Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter
remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will
deny Me three times.” And he began to weep.” – Peter’s third denial and then the realization that
just as Jesus had said, he denied Him three times before the cock crowed twice
10.1. This third denial by Peter is brought on because ‘the bystanders’ were saying to him,
‘Surely you are one of them for you are a Galilean too’. They recognized Galilean mannerisms
and/or dress about Peter and knew that he must be one of Jesus’ disciples.
10.2. The Bible Knowledge Commentary says the following about why these bystanders might
have recognized that Peter had been with Jesus: “Galileans spoke an Aramaic dialect with
noticeable differences in pronunciation (cf. Matt. 26:73). So they concluded he was a follower of
that heretic Galilean, Jesus.”
10.3. Responding to fear of being arrested, Peter begins to ‘curse and swear’ denying that he
knows Jesus. He thinks he must say these words in order to convince everyone that he is telling
the truth and that he does not know who Jesus is nor that he is a follower of Jesus.
10.4. The Bible Knowledge Commentary includes the following about Peter’s cursing and
swearing: “The fact that Peter began to call down curses on himself and that he swore to them
does not mean he used profanity. Rather he placed himself under God’s curse if he were lying to
them and put himself under oath, as in a courtroom, to confirm the veracity of his denial.
Carefully avoiding the use of Jesus’ name Peter emphatically denied any knowledge of this Man
they were talking about.”
10.5. Note here that it was ‘immediately’ after Peter denied Jesus for this third time that the
rooster crows for the second time. Jesus prophetic words came to pass, Peter had denied Jesus
three times before the cock had crowed twice for the morning.
10.6. Peter realized what he had done and how that Jesus had told him beforehand that he would
do these things and yet he had told Jesus that though all else denied Him, that he would never do
so. Mark tells us that ‘he began to weep’, and the language here tells us that he just kept on
weeping and weeping. Proud Peter was broken to the core for having denied his Lord whom he
loved and followed, three times.
10.7. Luke tells us that it was when Jesus glanced over at Peter just after Peter’s third denial and
then Peter remembered Jesus words, that Peter’s heart was broken: Luke 22:61, “61 The Lord
turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him,
“Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.””
10.8. Luke 24:34 tells us that the Lord appeared to Peter after He had risen from the dead. John
21 tells us of how Jesus restored Peter to Himself: John 21:15-22, “15 So when they had finished
breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He
said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 16 He
said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes,
Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He said to him the
third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the
third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I

love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep. 18 “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were
younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you
will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish
to go.” 19 Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when
He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!” 20 Peter, turning around, saw the disciple
whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper
and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21 So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord,
and what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is
that to you? You follow Me!””
10.9. The Bible Exposition Commentary challenges us not to judge Peter too harshly: “Before
we judge Peter too severely, we need to examine our own lives. How many times have we
denied the Lord and lost opportunities to share the Gospel with others? Do we, like Peter, talk
when we should listen, argue when we should obey, sleep when we should pray, and fight when
we should submit? Peter at least was sorry for his sins and wept over them, and the Lord did
forgive him.”
1. CONCLUSIONS:
1.1. Take heed to Jesus’ words so you won’t stumble.
1.2. Beware of your strengths as well as your weaknesses.
1.3. Beware of warming yourself at the enemy’s fires.
DEATH TO GOD’S SON
Dr. W. A. Criswell
Mark 14:53-65
9-29-91 8:15 a.m.
This is the senior pastor delivering the message entitled Delivering God’s Son to Death. In our
preaching through the Gospel of Mark, the second Gospel, we are in chapter 14. And you have
just read the record of the arrest and the ecclesiastical trial of our blessed Savior [Mark 14:42-
65]. The characters in it are very explicitly, and plainly, and even dynamically described. There
is the Lord Jesus, holy, heavenly, pure, God’s Son, and there are His accusers and defamers, the
ecclesiastical and political leaders of the nation: the rulers, the high priest, the priests, the elders,
the scribes, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees [Mark 14:53].
It was against their law that the trial should be at night; so after they had concluded that He was
worthy of death and condemned Him to death [Mark 14:64], they waited until the dawn to give a
semblance of legality to their condemnation. Between their accusations and final sentence of
death, and the dawn, in that period of time, they humiliated our Lord in every way they knew
how. They covered Him with spit [Matthew 27:31]. They plucked out His beard [Isaiah 50:6].
They beat Him with their fists [Luke 22:64]. They blindfolded Him and striking Him said, “Who

hit You?” [Matthew 27:29-31; Luke 22:64-66; John 19:2-4]. This is a commentary on the
depravity of humanity.
What can change it? Does religion? Does religion change the baseness of human nature? What
you have here in this description is one thousand five hundred years of the law of Moses. And it
resulted in the temple, the priests, the rulers, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees. And after one
thousand five hundred years of the religion of the law of Moses, the dastardly ecclesiastical court
is as vile to us today as it was in the eyes of God.
Does religion change the basic depravity of humanity? When you read the paper, when you listen
to the news that great arc in the Middle East, in the Near East, beginning in North Africa and
Egypt, then Palestine and Arabia, then Asia Minor, it is in constant turmoil. Yet that is the birth
of the three great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Mohammedanism. And the
United Nations and the whole world struggle day and night, year after year, trying to bring some
kind of a solution to the military confrontations in Palestine. Religion is helpless before the
depravity of humanity.
We’ve just listened to our pastor, Dr. Gregory, describe his visit to India. Millions and millions
of gods in India. I have stood at shrines, and there will be women, they’re barren, and they’re
importuning and pleading gods and gods and gods that they become pregnant because their
husbands will leave them if they don’t bare children. And those gods are the most vicious
looking and impossible to describe. The depravity of humanity: religion does not change it.
Science and education do not change it. I’m old enough to have lived and remembered
poignantly World War I. And our great worldwide Baptist leader David Lloyd George, prime
minister of England said, “Our formidable foe is not the munitions factories and arsenals of
Krupp, in that Ruhr valley, but the schools of Germany.” And of course, many of us here today
have lived throughout the Second World War. There has never been a nation so literate as
modern Germany. There has never been a nation so educated as modern Germany. When I was a
youth, and for years thereafter, any professor of any stature at all, the whole world of the
educational elite went to Germany for their final education, the universities of Germany.
Right after the World War, just outside of Munich is Dachau, and I went through Dachau. It was
exactly as it was during the Second World War. Here is the chamber where the people were
gassed. Here is the chamber next, where they knocked out their teeth seeking to recover what
gold and silver they could. And here is the row of ovens where they were burned, their corpses
cremated.
But the thing they did in Dachau was, they experimented with human life. “What do you mean
by that, pastor?” Well, I’ll show you just one illustration: as they prepared for their invasion of
Russia, they had to remember the cold of the wintertime. So they experimented with different
uniforms, different clothing, different things to keep them warm. So they would take human
beings and put them in water and then gradually pull down the thermometer. And when they
froze to death, then they compared: clothed in this and these here were clothed in this, and these
here were clothed in that. And in that way they could tell which garment and what kind would
keep them alive longer. Or they would put them over here in this compartment and there, with
the atmosphere, just pull the thermometer down and down until they froze to death. They did that
with human beings.
That is the most intelligent, and the most learned, and the most literate of all of the nations of the
world. Education and science does not deliver us from the depravity of human life.

Well, surely affluence will. Take all of these poor and make them rich. In that way, we will rid
this world of its lostness and its depravity. Take a bum and he’s hungry, and he breaks into a
railroad car to find something to eat. Dress him up, send him to Harvard, make him head and
chairman of the greatest corporation in America, and he’ll steal the entire railway system and get
away with it: affluence! If I were seeking the people who were the least responsive to the grace
and love and mercy of God, I’d pick out the affluent.
I don’t look at television very much. I just happened to be seated in front of one of those baseless
tubes and watched a program; it was Eddie Albert. And scene one: you are in a gorgeous
mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York City, and on the inside of that mansion here sits at a
breakfast table Eddie Albert. And then a long table, and the other end sits his wife, and she is
excoriating him. She is blasting him and damning him for everything she can think of. And while
she is blasting and damning, in comes her father, Eddie Albert’s father-in-law, and he looks like
a patriarch. He looks like a rich nobleman and he comes over there to the head of the table, and
he damns him, too. It’s just unthinkable, the excoriation of Eddie Albert there at the head of that
table. That’s scene one. Scene two: he’s in his office in one of those great skyscrapers in New
York City, and he is bowed in misery and despair. And while Eddie Albert is in that office
bowed in despair, the telephone rings and it’s from his old childhood sweetheart up in a village
in New England. And she says to him on the telephone, “You promised me that if I ever needed
you, you would come. I need you so now. Won’t you come?” And he says, “Yes.”
Third scene: he is visiting with his old sweetheart in New England and she says to him, “My boy,
my son, who has been reared here in this little village has fallen in love with a village girl. And
they are planning to be married. But I’ve told my boy I want him to be like you. I want him to go
to the big city, to New York. I want him to marry a glorious girl. And I want him to be rich like
you. And I want you talk to my boy and persuade him not to marry this village girl. And I want
you to persuade him to go to the big city as you did, and to marry there in some corporate home
and family and to be a rich man like you.”
And the last scene, Eddie Albert talks with the boy and he says to him, “Son, what I did is the
most blasted and damnable thing I could have ever done in my life. Son, you marry this girl of
your heart. And you live in this little village where you work, and you buy you a little home. And
you rear your family here. And you forget the big corporation and the big city and the big salary
and the big wealth; you forget it.” What do you think? I say Eddie Albert had it right; there’s
nothing in affluence that changes the depravity and the blasted sorrows of humanity.
You remember that book by Dan Crawford, missionary in Africa, Thinking Black? He’s taking
some of his converts in the middle of Africa and they are trekking to the seacoast. They are
going to get on a ship and go to civilization. And while they make the journey from the heart of
Africa down to the seacoast, why, Dan Crawford talks to those black natives about the marvels
of civilization, what they are going to see and what they are going to experience. And there is
one great, big black man that was unmoved.
Finally, Dan Crawford said to him, “Don’t you realize all of the marvelous things that you’re
going to see in this civilized world?” And the black man folded his arms and said to Dan
Crawford, “To be better off is not to be better.” That black man could never have said a truer
thing. To be better off, to be affluent, to be wealthy, to accumulate things, is not to be better in
your soul and in your heart.

Well, maybe civilization, maybe advancement in law and government will help us and rid this
world of the depravity of humanity. In 1933, I attended the World’s Fair in Chicago. And I went
all around looking at those incomparable modern displays. First time I ever saw a television was
there. It was able to send the signal thirty feet, thirty feet—it was a new invention—thirty feet!
And as I looked at it I said in my heart, “You know, if they can send that signal thirty feet they
can send it around the world some of these days.” And that’s come to pass; I’m on television
now.
One of the things I looked at was the display of bank vaults, bank doors. And I stood in front of
one of those bank doors like I’d never seen before, an enormous thing. And I said to the
custodian there, the man that ran the display, I said, “Man, man, if you had your money back of a
bank door like that, it would be safe, wouldn’t it?” And he said, “Son, we don’t lose our money
because we don’t have good bank doors. We lose our money because we don’t have good
bankers.” And today I think of the savings and loan industry and I think of these big corporate
banks, and they’re sending their corporate leaders to jail, and I thought of that. “We don’t lose
our money because we don’t have good bank doors; we lose our money because we don’t have
good bankers.” Civilization, advancement, law, government, does not change the depravity of
humanity.
“Well, pastor, what’s the matter? Why is it that none of these areas in which innovation and
repentance and life brought to bear on human nature, why is it that they don’t change?” Several
reasons: number one, sin doesn’t change. Whether it is in the garden of Eden [Genesis 3:1-6], or
outside the gate when Cain slays Abel [Genesis 4:8], or whether it is the days before the Flood
when the whole world was in antipathy to God [Genesis 6:1-8], or whether it is in the Assyrian
captivity [2 Kings 17-18], or the Babylonian captivity [2 Kings 25], or whether it is in the
destruction of the Lord Jesus as we have read [Mark 14-15], or whether it is in the Revelation at
the consummation of the age, sin doesn’t change; it’s all the same all the way through in every
generation.
Why is it that these efforts that I have described do not change the depravity of humanity?
Because Satan doesn’t change! When God placed Adam and Eve in the garden, just outside—
there he is [Genesis 3:1]. Satan doesn’t change, the enemy of God and the enemy of mankind.
There he is, watching Job and hating him because Job loves God [Job 1:7-12]. And there he is
tempting the Lord Jesus, seeking the destruction of the Son of God Himself [Matthew 4:1-11].
And there he is with every Christian, as Paul describes the things that afflict him, he describes
them as “the messenger of Satan to buffet him” [2 Corinthians 12:7]. And in the Revelation,
there he is bringing the last great confrontation with God Himself [Revelation 20:7-10]. Satan
doesn’t change.
And the strangest thing that I know reading the Bible, the affinity of human life and human
nature doesn’t change. Here in the nineteenth chapter and in the twentieth chapter of the
Revelation, here you have the description of the millennium: one thousand years of perfect peace
and happiness in the presence of the returned Son of God, one thousand years of the millennium!
[Revelation 20:1-7]. And after the thousand years is finished, Satan is loosed, and he goes forth
and he deceives the people of the earth whose number it says is as the sand of the sea [Revelation
20:7-8]. After one thousand years of perfection and holiness and worshiping in the very presence
of God Himself, the human heart is just the same [Jeremiah 17:9]. That’s the most amazing thing
that I could ever have read in human history!

“Well, pastor, that is the bluest and the darkest and the most hopeless of all of the pictures that
you could possibly paint. Is there any way out? Is there any way of salvation?” There is, and
that’s why I’m a preacher and that’s why we’re in church. And that’s why we sing the praises of
Jesus and that’s why we worship in His name. There is a deliverance, and it lies in our blessed
Lord.
In the days, in your days because he hasn’t been dead too long, in the days of the beginning
decades of this century, Roger Babson, the world’s greatest economist and statistician, professor
in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Roger Babson had a daily forecast. And when I
would read them, they would sound like sermons to me. Roger Babson said, “The great need of
the world is not more factories and more railroads and more steamship lines.” He said, “The
great need of the world is not more education and more schools and more armies and more
navies.” And he just went through all of the things to which we give our lives and fortunes. And
he said, “The greatest need of America is more lives patterned after the mind of the blessed Lord
Jesus.” He said that. He said that.
I imagine some of you did as I did, I listened to the radio when—by the way, that woman over
there, that mother over there comes from the Philippines—when General Douglas MacArthur
came back from the Philippines and spoke to the combined assembly of our Congress, the Senate
and the House of Representatives. Remember that? Remember one of the things he said? “If we
are delivered it must be of the spirit if the flesh is to be saved. It must be of the spirit if the flesh
is to be saved.” And that is the love and grace of God revealed to us in this blessed Book [John
4:24, 6:63].
In the rebellion in Israel Moses drew a line and said, “Let him who is on the Lord’s side come
and stand by me” [Exodus 32:26]. Isaiah 45:22, “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of
the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” “Look unto Me.” I remember that poignant
dynamic moment when young Spurgeon was saved. And that layman in the pulpit, taking that
text, “Look unto Me, and be ye saved.” Don’t look to yourselves. Don’t look to your neighbor.
Don’t look to the church. Don’t look to the preacher. Look unto God:
There is life for a look at the crucified One.
There is life at this moment for thee;
Then look, sinner, look, unto Him and be saved,
Unto Him who was nailed to the tree.
Look and live, my brother, live,
Look to Jesus Christ and live.
It is recorded in His Word, Hallelujah,
It is only that you look and live.
[“There Is Life for a Look,” by Amelia M. Hull]
So Paul avows,
We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you be reconciled
to God.
For God made Him to be sin for us, Him who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him. . .Wherefore, He saith, in a time accepted have I heard thee.

(And in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now
is the day of salvation.)
[2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2]
And the Bible closes with that beautiful and universal invitation:
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.
And let him that heareth say, Come.
And let him that is athirst come.
And—ho thelōn and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
[Revelation 22:17]
Our hope and our salvation is not in religion. Our hope and our salvation is not in education and
science. Our hope and our salvation is not in affluence. Our hope and our salvation is not in
government and civilized advancement. Our hope and salvation lies in the personal response to
the love [Galatians 2:20], and grace [Ephesians 2:8], and atoning mercy of the Lord Jesus [Titus
3:5]. And that’s extended to us, wherever in the world we live, and however we may have sinned
against God in the days of our earthly pilgrimage. It’s a beautiful and wonderful thing Jesus has
done for us.
Come and live [Revelation 22:17]. Look and live [John 3:14-16; Numbers 21:8-9]. Respond in
your heart and live: a new day, a new life, a new beginning, a new hope, a new glory, a new
heaven and a new earth [Revelation 21:1-7].
The Sermons of Dan Duncan Mark 15: 1-15 Mark "Christ Before Pilate"
TRANSCRIPT
The passageis Mark chapter 15. And if you have your Bibles, follow along
with me as I read verses 1 through 15.
Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the
whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding , they led Him
awayand delivered Him to Pilate. Pilate questioned Him, "Are You the King

of the Jews?" And He answeredhim, "It is as you say." The chief priests
beganto accuseHim harshly. Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, "Do
You not answer? See how many charges they bring againstYou!" But Jesus
made no further answer;so Pilate was astonished. Now atthe feasthe used to
release forthem any one prisoner whom they requested. The man named
Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed
murder in the insurrection. The crowdwent up and beganasking him to do
as he had been accustomedto do for them. Pilate answeredthem, saying, "Do
you want me to release foryou the King of the Jews?" Forhe was aware that
the chief priests had handed Him over because ofenvy. But the chief priests
stirred up the crowdto ask him to release Barabbasfor them instead.
Answering again, Pilate said to them, "Thenwhat shall I do with Him whom
you callthe King of the Jews?" Theyshoutedback, "Crucify Him!" But
Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they shouted all the
more, "Crucify Him!" Wishing to satisfythe crowd, Pilate releasedBarabbas
for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be
crucified.
- 2 - “ Christ Before Pilate” by Dan Duncan Copyright © 2014 Believer’s
Chapel, Dallas, Texas. All Rights Reserved.
May the Lord bless this reading of His word and bless our time of study in it
together. Shall we bow in a word of prayer?
[Prayer] Gracious heavenly Father, we do thank You for the time we have
againto come togetherand study the Scriptures, and we recognize, Father,
that this is a greatprivilege, a privilege to open the Scriptures and to see what
You have revealedto us about the most important events of history. As we
considerthis trial of our Lord that led to His crucifixion, and through that
crucifixion, the purchase of our salvation, we pray that You would give us a
clearunderstanding of the events that unfolded, the dangers that face men
when they are unprepared, and the innocence of our Lord that qualified Him
to be the savior. We commit this study to You and we ask that You would

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