‘He was accused of the chief priests and elders’

MEMORY VERSE: ‘And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put Him to death; and found none.’ Mark 14:55. 

STUDY HELP: Desire of Ages, pages 698-710.

LESSON SCRIPTURES: Matthew 26:59-66, Mark 14:55-64, Luke 22:66-71, John 18:19-24.

LESSON AIM: To study the trial of Jesus before the Jews.

Introduction

‘There must… be a pretence of justice. It was necessary that there should be the form of a legal trial. This the authorities were determined to hasten. They knew the regard in which Jesus was held by the people, and feared that if the arrest were noised abroad, a rescue would be attempted. Again, if the trial and execution were not brought about at once, there would be a week’s delay on account of the celebration of the Passover. This might defeat their plans.’ Desire of Ages, page 703.

‘In secret have I said nothing’

1.       Why was the arrest of Jesus illegal under Jewish law? Consider John 8:3-11, Acts 23:26-30.

NOTE: ‘It was illegal…for the Temple Guard, acting officially as the instrument of the High Priest, to effect the arrest. That should have been left to the voluntary action of the witnesses.’ Morison, Who Moved The Stone? page 16.

2.       How did Jesus express His protest against this illegality? Matthew 26:55. Compare John 18:20.

NOTE: ‘The official dignity of the Jewish leaders had not prevented them from joining in the pursuit of Jesus. His arrest was too important a matter to be trusted to subordinates; the wily priests and elders had joined the temple police and the rabble in following Judas to Gethsemane. What a company for those dignitaries to unite with, a mob that was eager for excitement, and armed with all kinds of implements, as if in pursuit of a wild beast! Turning to the priests and elders, Christ fixed upon them His searching glance. The words He spoke they would never forget as long as life should last. They were as the sharp arrows of the Almighty. With dignity He said: You come out against Me with swords and staves as you would against a thief or a robber. Day by day I sat teaching in the temple. You had every opportunity of laying hands upon Me, and you did nothing. The night is better suited to your work. “This is your hour, and the power of darkness.”’ Desire of Ages, pages 696-697.