John 40-18:38 NIVUK
[38] ‘What is truth?’ retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, ‘I find no basis for a charge against him. [39] But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release “the king of the Jews”?’ [40] They shouted back, ‘No, not him! Give us Barabbas!’ Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
I am not a lawyer. However, I am acquainted with some aspects of the modern legal system, and I can tell you one thing for certain:
Jesus’ trial was deeply unfair. Deeply, deeply unfair.
But, at the same time, He was not the only person on trial here.
That might sound like an odd thing to say, but think about this: Pilate was in a deeply challenging situation. Jerusalem had long been known as a place of uprising and sedition: a fractious place with sensitive, easily offended locals which just happened to sit on a major trade route. Historians record that Pilate had to quell some pretty strong ill feeling, caused by the moving of Roman legionary banners and shields into the city. Luke in particular records serious violence that Pilate had meted out on some Galileans (Luke 13:1-2).
So Pilate was on trial: or at least, his ability to command and control his Jewish underlings definitely was.
But so were the Jewish authorities, and Caiaphas the High Priest in particular, who had been appointed to the role by Pilate. Jesus was a nuisance for Caiaphas. An irritation. But what would have irritated him all the more would have been the fact that Jesus had done nothing wrong in Roman law to deserve being put to death, and the Romans had removed their right to execute.
So how far would Caiaphas be prepared to go, and how dirty is he prepared for his hands to get, so he can rid himself of the ‘Jesus pest’.
We have to also say that the Jews who were present in Pilate’s courtyard were also on trial.
To whom would their loyalties lie: to their Messiah, or to their oppressors and their pagan king?
So, you see, this trial was not as straightforward as it might appear. Behind all the grandstanding and false witnessing and hand-washing lies a web of intrigue with a verdict already certain right from the beginning.
And that is what makes it so blatantly unfair. There is no sense at all in all this legal procedure that Jesus is ‘innocent till proven guilty’. The trial is biased from the start.
But there is more than this on trial. You see, several key questions posed by this trial are also asked by our modern culture. And the disturbing thing for its acolytes and followers is that its answers are all empty, hollow, wholly unsatisfactory.
With Jesus, though? That is another story.
We will explore three questions posed by this trial, why they are important, how our contemporary culture answers them and how Jesus answers them.
The first question is a serious one, posed by Pilate himself in John 18:38: What is Truth?
Think about that for a second: that is a shocking thing for any trial judge to say. The role of any court – criminal or civil – is to establish the true facts of any case beyond any reasonable doubt, and to reach a fair judgement based on these facts. That is why offences like obstructing the course of justice, perjury and withholding evidence are so very serious – they impede the court from establishing the facts.
But what it you have no notion of truth, let alone absolute truth? What if you believe in ‘what’s true for me’, or, as one particularly dishonest politician put it, ‘alternative facts’?
What then?
I would hope the outcome is clear: the entire legal system would collapse into chaos and disarray. Mistrials and frivolous appeals would be the order of the day. Nothing would ever get done.
The fact that Pilate asks this question demonstrates that he has no interest at all in this trial being fair. The hearing of evidence to establish the facts from witnesses has been a shambles – the Jewish leaders could not even get their false witnesses (who were breaking Jewish law by doing so – Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20, quoted in Matthew 19:18; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20 – and the fact that they are induced to do so by Jewish religious leaders who knew they were leading them into sin is nothing short of a scandal) to line up their story (Matthew 26:59). There was no point bringing these men to Pilate.
But Pilate has no interest in establishing the truth of the matter. He simply wants to do what is expedient for him, what will suit him the best.
Does this remind you of anything?
How about a generation that is razor sharp at demanding their rights, but slow as treacle to seek the truth?
So if Pilate is ambivalent about the truth, and our contemporary generation is equally as lackadaisical in looking for it, where it can be found?
In the man who said this:
John 14:6 NIVUK
[6] Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.
And about whom this was said:
John 1:14 NIVUK
[14] The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. [17] For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. https://bible.com/bible/113/jhn.1.14.NIVUK
Jesus is not the barometer of truth, He is the embodiment of truth. Nothing in all creation is as true or as trustworthy as Him. And His Word is eternal:
Isaiah 8-40:7 NIVUK
[7] The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. [8] The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures for ever.’
You can go, if you are so minded, to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris, France, and you can learn about what makes a true kilogram or centimetre or ton.
I know, sounds like a fun day out for all the family.
But if you want to know the precise weight and measure of what truth is, you will find it only in one place: Jesus Christ.
Apart from What is Truth?, there is a further question asked in this desperately biased trial, and that is Where is Justice?
This morning I woke up, bathed and got dressed, before I put the TV on while I was having my breakfast. And do you know what was dominating the headlines?
Justice.
Justice for the wronged.
Justice for those whose friends and relatives have been taken from them.
Justice for those whose properties have been damaged by industrial impropriety.
Justice.
Or, to be more accurate, justice denied.
Look again at this trial. The outcome is beyond contempt, humanly speaking. How can a Roman state judge release and exonerate a man who killed and had taken part in an uprising against the Roman state (Luke 23:18-19; John 18:40), yet sentence a man to death who, not only has done nothing wrong, but has done nothing against the Roman state?
Humanly speaking, this is horrifically unjust.
There is no way Jesus should even have been arrested, let alone on trial.
He had done nothing wrong.
But this had, of course, been prophesied:
Isaiah 9-53:8 NIVUK
[8] By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. [9] He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. https://bible.com/bible/113/isa.53.8.NIVUK
There are many Christians who are un the situation where they have been unjustly treated: who are persecuted without having done anything wrong to anyone (Matthew 5:10; 1 Peter 3:13-17). There are others who have been wronged for a different reason, and long for justice, but cannot achieve it, either because of corruption in the judiciary or because they simply cannot afford to pursue the case.
There are others who are discriminated against because of their beliefs, their gender, their nationality, their ethnicity.
Injustice stinks.
But in this situation, we can take comfort in four wonderful truths:
Firstly, it is clear from Scripture that God hates injustice:
Leviticus 19:15 NIVUK
[15] ‘ “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favouritism to the great, but judge your neighbour fairly.
2 Chronicles 19:7 NIVUK
[7] Now let the fear of the Lord be on you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.’
Proverbs 17:15 NIVUK
[15] Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent – the Lord detests them both. https://bible.com/bible/113/pro.17.15.NIVUK
Isaiah 1:17 NIVUK
[17] Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
Isaiah 61:8 NIVUK
[8] ‘For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. https://bible.com/bible/113/isa.61.8.NIVUK
Micah 6:8 NIVUK
[8] He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. https://bible.com/bible/113/mic.6.8.NIVUK
So if the injustice committed against you gnaws at you day and night and just feels like the world is wrong, good, because that is how God feels about it too.
Secondly, Jesus experienced injustice. He is not a bystander. He is not indifferent. He suffered it when He was put on trial, although He was completely innocent, and was condemned to death, although He has done no wrong.
Thirdly, God is just:
2 Thessalonians 1:6 NIVUK
[6] God is just: he will pay back trouble to those who trouble you https://bible.com/bible/113/2th.1.6.NIVUK
Hebrews 6:10 NIVUK
[10] God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. https://bible.com/bible/113/heb.6.10.NIVUK
This is something even Abram knew. What was the basis of his plea to God to not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, where his nephew Lot resided?
Genesis 18:25 NIVUK
[25] Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?’
He knew that God would do right because He knew that God was right – always and completely, all the time.
And because of the previous three truths, we can be utterly convinced of the fourth: God will bring about justice.
But sometimes we just need to wait:
Revelation 11-6:9 NIVUK
[9] When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. [10] They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ [11] Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been. https://bible.com/bible/113/rev.6.9.NIVUK
You see, every Christian, every true follower of Christ, has a firm and certain hope that no-one else can ever possess. They know that there is a God in Heaven who is fair and just. No matter what happens on earth, there will be justice. And because of this, they endure.
From a human point of view, there is no justice in Jesus’ trial. He is an innocent man. He has done nothing at all to deserve this.
But Jesus could be sure of one thing: God is just.
It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Living God, which is one reason why Jesus prays for those who have wronged Him to be forgiven (Luke 23:34).
As well as What is Truth? and Where is Justice? This entire trial hinges on the answer to a single, and very uncomfortable, question: Who is Jesus?
This is a question to which most people nowadays give little or no thought: not because it is irrelevant to their lives, but because it is too relevant.
Why?
Because if Jesus is which He said He is, then our lives must change. And people are naturally scared of change.
Think about this: the Jewish leaders had insufficient evidence to convict Jesus, despite their many attempts, until Jesus seemingly indicts Himself:
Matthew 66-26:62 NIVUK
[62] Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, ‘Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?’ [63] But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, ‘I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.’ [64] ‘You have said so,’ Jesus replied. ‘But I say to all of you: from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ [65] Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, ‘He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. [66] What do you think?’ ‘He is worthy of death,’ they answered. https://bible.com/bible/113/mat.26.62.NIVUK
They say this is blasphemy. And for any human to claim such things, it absolutely is.
But it isn’t blasphemy if they are true.
This trial hinges on the truth, or not, of whether Jesus is who He claims He is.
Now, the evidence of this case should have been enough to convince them that He was.
What evidence?
Fulfilled prophecy (Matthew 2:17-18, 4:13-17, 8:16-17, 12:15-21, 21:4-5, 27:6-10 for some examples – there are many more)
And the simple fact that they could not, no matter how they tried, lay any blame on Him.
And it ends with a surprising twist. Yes, Jesus is convicted. Yes, He is condemned. Yes, He is crucified.
But then three events happen.
The first is Pilate’s sign:
John 22-19:19 NIVUK
[19] Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. [20] Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. [21] The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, ‘Do not write “The King of the Jews”, but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.’ [22] Pilate answered, ‘What I have written, I have written.’
Now, I am under no illusions here. It would well be that Pilate is doing this to mock his underlings and to tease them with the reality that they have indeed crucified their own king.
But Jesus also described Himself as a King in conversation with Pilate, and described Jesus as a King to the Jews (John 18:33-40, 19:8-16). And the crown of thorns was likely a crown that the Roman soldiers used to cruelly and heartlessly mock Jesus’ claim.
But whether in jest or not, Pilate gave Jesus His rightful place.
The second is the criminal’s confession (Luke 23:39-43).
Now, this is absolutely remarkable. Think of it: Jesus has been beaten to a pulp, had a crown of desert thorns banged into His head, He has been nailed to a cross. He is blooded, bruised, and barely breathing.
Yet one of those thieves believes Jesus can and will save him. He believes that Jesus really is who He says He is.
That is faith.
The third is the soldier’s realisation:
Mark 15:39 NIVUK
[39] And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’
This is, of course, a reaction to the miraculous signs that took place during the crucifixion (Matthew 27:51-54; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:44-47).
But the reality is that all these signs point to one indisputable fact:
Jesus is precisely who He said He is.
Whether we want it to be true or not.
Whether we hope it will be true or not.
Whether we care about it or not.
None of that matters.
Jesus Christ is our Saviour. He is the Messiah.
That is the conclusion of all four Gospels. It is the conviction of every Christian.
Because it is true.
Every criminal or civil trial or government inquiry begins with at least one question. They are all simply an exercise in finding out the facts to see what happened and determine if a crime was committed, and if so, who is to blame for the situation.
This trial is no different.
However, the three questions asked during this trial – What is Truth? Where is Justice? and Who is Jesus? – resound through the ages.
I have twice attended criminal trials: once on work experience with a local newspaper; a second time as a witness. Justice always moves slowly and carefully because people’s lives and livelihoods are at stake. Decisions must be considered and be taken carefully.
Unlike, of course, at Jesus’ trial, where expediency and convenience meant a speedy trial with a thoroughly unjust conclusion.
My point is that the questions posed by trial are deserving of our full and thorough examination. They are not straightforward. They have huge implications for our lives.
But if we find the answers in Jesus, and realise fully who He is, then we will be all the better for it.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, empty, vacuous secularism has left me cold. I know these are questions I need to seek answers for. Guide me into all truth, I pray, and help me to believe in You. Amen.
Questions
1. Why was Jesus’ trial completely unfair and unjust? What concept was missing that underpins every fair trial? What does this say about modern western morality and thought?
2. What are three questions raised by this trial? Why are they important?
3. What are your answers to them?
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