“Was Jesus is Framed?”

Mark 14:53-15:15

Today, we are going to look a trial of utmost importance.  It is a trial that has been anything, but just.  In fact, this trial should have been sent to the association for the wrongfully accused.  The trial or trials were illegally held, with conflicting witness reports, and severe abuse of the defendant before the judgment was even passed.  The trial we are going to look at today is that of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Let’s read Mark 15.53-65.

As we look at these trials of Jesus Christ, I want to view them from the perspective of the different people involved.

 First, we will look at the Jewish leaders also known as the Sanhedrin composed of chief priests, elders, teachers of the law.  These were the religious leaders who controlled the temple and the Jewish religion in Palestine.  In many ways, they were the power brokers in Jerusalem, despite being under control of the Roman Empire.

 1.  By looking at the Sanhedrin (Jewish governing body), we find that they…Try to save them by taking matters (the law) into their own hands.

Let’s investigate the religious leaders plotting:

Mark 11:18 (The Message)
¹⁸ The high priests and religion scholars heard what was going on and plotted how they might get rid of him. They panicked, for the entire crowd was carried away by his teaching.

Mark 14:1-2 (The Message)
¹ In only two days the eight-day Festival of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread would begin. The high priests and religion scholars were looking for a way they could seize Jesus by stealth and kill him. ² They agreed that it should not be done during Passover Week. “We don’t want the crowds up in arms,” they said.

 Mark 14:10-11 (The Message)
¹⁰ Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the cabal of high priests, determined to betray him. ¹¹ They couldn’t believe their ears, and promised to pay him well. He started looking for just the right moment to hand him over.

 Mark 14:43 (The Message)
⁴³ No sooner were the words out of his mouth when Judas, the one out of the Twelve, showed up, and with him a gang of ruffians, sent by the high priests, religion scholars, and leaders, brandishing swords and clubs.

 Eleven ways the trials of Jesus were illegal[1]:

1.      Jesus was arrested through a bribe (i.e. blood money).

2.      He was arrested without a charge.

3.      Trial could not be held at night or on feast days.

4.      They used physical force to try to intimidate Jesus during the trial.

5.      False witnesses offered conflicting testimony against him.

6.      Witnesses were not supposed to testify in the presence of each other.

7.      Jesus was asked to incriminate himself, which he really didn’t do!

8.      Jesus was not given the opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses.

9.      The high priest never asked for a vote from the Sanhedrin, which would have started with the youngest and gone to the oldest.

10.  He was charged with blasphemy and temple violation at his Jewish trial but the charges were changed at his civil trial to claiming to be king, causing disturbances, and refusing to pay taxes.

11.  He was convicted and executed the same day as his trial.

2.  Peter tries to save himself by pleading ignorance to knowing Jesus (14:66-72).

• World Com Exec.
• Certain professional ball players, never knowingly took banned substances
• Sometimes we don’t want to hear the truth because then we will know that we need to change our lives.  Sometimes it is easier to plead ignorance.

 3.  Pilate tries to save himself by pleasing the people (15:1-15).

• People can be very persuading.  If you want a lesson in peer pressure you need to look no further than this text.  The leaders are persuading the crowd to ask for Barabbas as well as the crowd persuading Pilate to sentence an innocent man to death.

• Bottom line in the part of the story.  We are all equal.  There is no one better here than anyone else.  That is the beauty of God’s church.  We are all sinners in need of God’s grace and forgiveness.  Quit trying to please people and start pleasing God with your life.

4.  Jesus saved mankind by following God’s plan

Passion Predictions:

Mark 8:31 (The Message)
³¹ He then began explaining things to them: “It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive.”

 Mark 9:31 (The Message)
³¹ for he wanted to teach his disciples. He told them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God. They will murder him. Three days after his murder, he will rise, alive.”

 Mark 10:32-34 (The Message)
³² Back on the road, they set out for Jerusalem. Jesus had a head start on them, and they were following, puzzled and not just a little afraid. He took the Twelve and began again to go over what to expect next. ³³ “Listen to me carefully. We’re on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Romans, ³⁴ who will mock and spit on him, give him the third degree, and kill him. After three days he will rise alive.”

 Jesus knew that it was God’s plan for him to suffer and die for the sins of the world.  So, was Jesus framed?  Should we call up the wrongfully accused organization?  Was Jesus framed?  Yes and no. 

 So who is responsible for Jesus' death?  The Jews?  His friends that betrayed and denied Him?  Pilate and the Romans?  While they all had a role to play, I believe it was a team effort between the people Jesus loves the most:  God and the world.  Because of our sins, we sent Jesus to the cross.  Because of our sins, God devised a plan to mend the relationship.  Thus, God and us sent Jesus to the cross.

 Another primitive use for a gavel by the Romans would have been as a hammer.  It is the same type of effect that drove the nails into the Son of God.  In many ways, we held that hammer because Jesus was being punished for our sins.  And in a way, God was holding the gavel as judge because the penalty for sin was being carried out.  The sentence for sins has come down.  And one who is innocent took the penalty.

 So with which of the three groups would you identify?

1—Taking matters into your own hands?  Living with yourself in mind.  I am going to do what I want?  Do you live life on your terms and not God’s terms?  If so, I am here to tell you that you are on a road to destruction.

2—Maybe you just want to plead ignorance.  After all, ignorance is bliss? Right?  Not necessarily.  We are still accountable to God for our actions.

3—Are you trying to please people?  Is your life driven by everyone else who sees you instead of the very one who created you in your mother’s womb? 

 All three of these actions lead to a dead end.  However, there is another way.  Thank God for his love that we are not stuck in our sins.  God loved us so much to give us a life of purpose and of hope.  You see, God’s plan was to save the world through Jesus.  We cannot save ourselves, but God can through Jesus.  So was Jesus framed?  Yes, but God’s plan was to provide the perfect sacrifice to take away our sins.  Is there anyone here that would like a clean slate?  Does anyone want a fresh start?  It can begin today, by saying no to yourself and the people around you and saying yes to God.