Jesus' Trial Before Pilate

In this part of the sermon: This section details the Sanhedrin's illegal early morning meeting, emphasizing their formal resolution to condemn Jesus, their forced extradition of him to Pilate, and their…

Martin uses the analogy of Roman jurisprudence where early court appearance was crucial, to explain why the Sanhedrin gathered 'straightway in the morning' to present Jesus to Pilate.

Furthermore, it was illegal to condemn a man at a legally held trial and not to have at least one day pass before passing sentence and following through with the execution of that sentence. And so all of these proceedings of the Sanhedrin are shocked through with patent illegalities. But in the midst of it, they are concerned to at least whitewash their previously committed determination to put the Lord Jesus to death by calling what would have at least the semblance of a legal day time trial. Furthermore, they understood that in terms of Roman jurisprudence, whoever got to the court first, it...

13:11 - 14:25 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section details the Sanhedrin's illegal early morning meeting, emphasizing their formal resolution to condemn Jesus, their forced extradition of him to Pilate, and their…

He compares Jesus being bound and carried away to Pilate to a modern criminal's forced extradition, emphasizing the legalistic and forceful nature of the transfer from Jewish to Roman court.

And we are told that they went through a rehearsal of the very issues that were brought forward in that nighttime appearance before the Sanhedrin. And so there is first of all as the action of the Sanhedrin this formal resolution. And then the second thing is that they effected a forced extradition. When a criminal is transported from one country or state to another, we call that a legal extradition.

17:39 - 18:18 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section focuses on Pilate's question, 'Art thou the king of the Jews?' and Jesus' calm, affirmative response, 'Thou sayest.' Martin describes Jesus' disheveled appearance and…

Martin vividly describes Jesus' disheveled appearance, caked with spittle and blood, to highlight the contrast with Pilate's cynical question and the majesty of Jesus' response.

And when they were done their sport, they handed him over to the temple guards. And Mark says in Mark 14, 65, the officers received him with the blows of their hands. And there is no indication that anyone took him aside and washed the spittle from his face, placed ice packs upon his contusions and upon the bruises on his face. And you can imagine how it must have appeared to Pilate when standing before him is this disheveled, common, peasant, a Galilean peasant, face perhaps now caked with dry spittle mingled with the blood of blows that were placed upon him by bare knuckles again and again. ...

35:06 - 36:35 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Here was unashamed innocence that would not dignify these false accusations with a verbal response. Even to risk would be to give them a dignity of which they were unworthy and to demean his holy innocent manhood.

He uses the metaphor of 'artillery of accusatory language' and 'BB's' to describe the one-sided barrage of accusations against Jesus and his complete silence in response.

And he had seen hot-blooded Jews going at one another, hammer and tong with their verbal assaults and with self-defense, accusation and counter-accusation. One accusation met by a denial, but not so in this case. It was all one-sided. All of the artillery of accusatory language was landing upon this one called Jesus.

42:18 - 42:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine if you are like the Sanhedrists, having religious dogma and activity but lacking a heart suffused with love to God and commitment to honesty.

Martin quotes Edersheim's phrase 'unscrupulous scrupulosity and unrighteous conscientiousness' to describe the Sanhedrists' hypocritical religiosity.

But a heart suffused with love to God, a heart with the breadth and length of the law of God, it knows nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. It can lie and deceive and yet be so properly religious. On a holy day. Edersheim used this phrase that it could not escape my mind.

63:44 - 64:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Strive to be blessedly predictable as true saints are, held in the grip of fundamental principles, rather than constantly weighing options like Pilate.

He uses the idiom 'eat crow feathers' to illustrate a Christian's willingness to suffer economic disaster or embarrassment rather than compromise honesty and communion with Christ.

For to me to live is Christ. The love of Christ constrains me. And if in obedience to Christ I must eat crow feathers in all from crow cooked or uncooked, if I must lose faith, I lose communion with my Savior. If I must go in a path that means economic disaster, I can be poor and have communion with my Savior, but I can't be deceptive over a penny and maintain communion with my Savior.

68:08 - 68:52 Read in full sermon