John 18:12-36, Deuteronomy 17:6, Deuteronomy 19:15, Mark 14:65

Summary: John 18:12-36 continues the story of Jesus’ journey toward the cross as He faced His enemies and an illegal trial based on false charges. What they didn’t know was that Jesus was in control and that this was part of the redemptive plan (1 Corinthians 2:7-8).

The Lord Jesus had been arrested while in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:1-11). He was being hauled off to an illegal trial on false charges. This is the beginning of an obvious plot using any means possible by the Pharisees and the other enemies of Jesus to have Him killed and eventually forgotten. What happened at this moment and afterward was nothing more than blatant injustice on display with the objective of killing God Incarnate for the sake of religious apostasy.

I can guarantee that this same contempt for the Lord Jesus is still within the hearts of unregenerate people. They are still determined to have the name of Jesus eradicated from every part of society and will use the law to attempt and achieve that objective. What the world system did not know was that their illegal and malevolent actions were under His Sovereign control so that our redemption would take place (Psalm 2:1-12; 1 Corinthians 2:7-8; Ephesians 1:4). Jesus had no reason to resist or retaliate when all of this was taking place. As God in the flesh, none of this was unexpected nor caught Him off guard. These enemies of His were, in reality, playing into His hands (Romans 5:6-11).

Jesus had been arraigned and brought before the corrupt High Priest Caiaphas, then shuffled off to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, and then over to Herod Antipas. All of these maneuvers were examples of injustice and the raw abuse of authority (18:19-24, 28-36). What Jesus went through was blatantly illegal according to Scripture (Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15). These religious hypocrites were not about to let God’s Word stand in the way of their objective. This was a vendetta disguised as a trial. Here are reasons why this entire set-up was illegal:

• Arrests could NOT be made at night.
• The time and date of the trial were illegal because it took place at night and on the eve of the Sabbath. This time precluded any chance for the required adjournment to the next day in case of a conviction.
• A guilty sentence could only be handed down on the day following the trial.
• The Sanhedrin was without authority to instigate charges. It was only supposed to investigate charges brought before it. In Jesus’ trial, the court itself formulated the charges.
• The charges against Jesus were changed during the trial. He was initially charged with blasphemy based on His statement that He would be able to destroy the Temple of God within three days, as well as His claim to be the Son of God. When He was brought before Pilate, the charge was that Jesus was a king and did not advocate paying taxes to the Romans. Jesus had settled that very issue within the Temple earlier in the week. Ironically, it was the Pharisees who had instigated it in the first place (Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17; Luke 20:20-26). This is nothing more than hypocrisy on the part of His accusers.
• The requirement of two witnesses in agreement to merit the death penalty was not met according to the Law of Moses, which the Pharisees themselves claimed to obey.
• The court did not meet in the regular meeting place of the Sanhedrin as required by Jewish law. This was done to keep friendly witnesses such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea out of the process.
• Jesus was not permitted a defense. Under Jewish law, an exhaustive search into the facts presented by the witnesses should have occurred. The Sanhedrin pronounced a death sentence upon Jesus, which was a violation of Roman law (John 18:31).

In listing these violations of basic legal procedures, it reminds me of the courtroom scene in the classic film “To Kill a Mockingbird” in which the defendant, Tom Robinson, who is black, had been accused of molesting a white girl who happens to be the mentally deficient daughter of the town’s biggest racist, Mr. Jordan.

Tom was brought up on false accusations that had no sustaining evidence, plus the fact that his right arm was useless due to an accident; therefore, he could not have done the things for which he had been accused. His defense attorney, Atticus Finch, took the case because this incident took place in the 1930s South, which was rampant with racism and blatant hatred against the black community, and Atticus knew that Tom would not get a fair trial. Yet, Finch took the case and delivered a closing argument that proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Tom was innocent of the charges. The jury still found Tom guilty, and eventually he was killed while trying to run from the officials who were to “escort” him to prison but were going to have him lynched in reality.

Tom would have never received a fair trial no matter who assisted him legally. The scene ends where Atticus packs his briefcase and leaves the empty courtroom. The black citizens of the town, led by the local preacher, sat silently in the balcony after the verdict had been reached. As Atticus left, all of them stood quietly in a show of respect for the white lawyer who did his best to prevent an obvious case of injustice. Atticus’ children, Jim and Jean Louise, had been sitting with them. Jim stands while Jean Louise is still in her seat. The preacher tells her, “Miss Jean Louise, stand up… your father is walking by.” It is one of the most moving scenes in film and a great demonstration of standing for what is right even in the face of what seems to be hopelessness.

There was no Atticus Finch to stand by our Lord during this dark time in history and what appeared to be a case based on a hopeless outcome for Him. There was no plea before a jury to decide the verdict fairly or objectively. The court had made up its mind that they were going to have Jesus murdered and forgotten. Yet, after all of the drama of the cross had been achieved, it would be Jesus Himself who would enter the gates of heaven, triumphant and victorious, and the hosts of glory who stood and said, “Our Redeemer is walking by.”

One great day, we who have come to the Redeemer for salvation and mercy will join them in saying the exact same cry of joy, praise, and thanksgiving. Make sure you are there to join us.

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Donald was born and reared in the authentic “Cajun Country” of southern Louisiana. He is a graduate of Louisiana College (B.A. in History Education/ Biblical Studies, 1984), New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div. In Christian Education, 1994), and Andersonville Baptist Seminary (Doctor of Ministry, Biblical Exposition, 2000). He has been in the Gospel ministry since 1986, serving as an evangelist, interim and supply pastor, hospital and rescue mission chaplain, high school and college teacher, and pastor in churches in Louisiana and Oklahoma.

In 2018 he began to devote his time to the rich field of internet and social media evangelism and outreach. In 2021 he became a member of the Oklahoma Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists, using his skills as a writer to contribute articles and sermons to websites such as Rapture Ready, Sermon Central, and Inspirational Christian Blogs. He also writes Bible studies and curricula for churches in southeast and central Asia and Africa, the locations of which are anonymous. He can be contacted at: donaldwhitchard@gmail.com for inquiries, information, and speaking/preaching engagements. A copy of his resume is also available upon request.

It’s easy for us to forget the astounding grace of God. We who live in America and are part of western civilization have been so blessed and – frankly – have lives that are generally free from true hardship, that we take for granted all that God has given us. What amazes me is that despite this, our culture is growing exceedingly dark because we’ve turned from God’s generous mercy. In doing this, we create our own sufferings.

God’s template for us is simple: Trust in and obey Him. When we do this, He blesses us because He loves to give good gifts to those who become His beloved children. When we reject the sacrificial gift of Jesus Christ and the salvation He brings, we open up a whole can of serpents.

Rather than living lives that cause God’s face to shine upon us and which curry God’s favor, more and more people turn away because they want to do life their way. Of course, this isn’t new. It began in the Garden and carries to this very day. The extent of our rebellion varies, but between the sin in our souls, the lure of the world, and the thrusting knife of Satan who wishes to twist our loyalties and priorities toward his, many people think it’s a good idea to build their own tower of Babel in the hope of controlling their individual destinies.

This is why we see the fulfillment of 2 Timothy 3:1-9 all around us:

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these. For among them are those who slip into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

“Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, worthless in regard to the faith. But they will not make further progress; for their foolishness will be obvious to all, just as was that also of Jannes and Jambres.”

Yet, knowing this is the human condition, these last days sins are simply a continuation of those which have been with us since the beginning. They can lead to extremely dark places. It’s not hard to see someone in the grip of these nineteen iniquities. Cain certainly qualifies with the murder of his brother Abel. Let’s pick a couple of these characteristics with which to label him: ungrateful, without self-control, brutal, holding to a form of godliness. There are others that surely led to his rash act, which had such extreme consequences. Do you think, based on the believing loyalty God required in Old Testament times, that Cain made it to heaven? Only if he truly repented, which I don’t know that we see in the Biblical text.

Another intriguing situation centers upon the two thieves crucified alongside Jesus. The text indicates that initially, both cursed Him. But then, something happened to the one.

John MacArthur, in his Study Bible Notes for Mark’s Gospel, indicates that these men probably had committed worse crimes than thievery. Theft wasn’t a capital punishment per the Roman laws. It’s likely that these two may have been fellow murderers along with Barabbas. Perhaps if things had turned out differently, Barabbas would have been one of the three crucified on Calvary that day with Jesus going free. That wasn’t God’s plan, so Jesus was placed between these two desperately wicked men. Initially, they showed their true colors in their curses.

What happened? What changed for the one? Close to death, the one man’s sins flooded over him. From our above list, he could have exhibited the following: arrogant, disobedient to parents, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, conceited, led on by various impulses. Take your pick. He saw the extent of his evil life. The Holy Spirit convicted him of his eternal destiny. In an act that only God could do, this man acknowledged his transgressions, believed in Jesus as the Son of God, and called out to Him for salvation. In His great mercy, the Lord granted this murderous thief what only He could. God gave him paradise rather than hell. He was transported immediately from the deepest darkness of Satan’s pit of despair to blinding brilliance in the presence of God.

In an act of supreme irony, this man’s crucifixion – the worst thing that ever happened to him – turned out to be the most wonderful. How’s that for what God can do?

He didn’t need to go through twelve steps for reconciliation. He didn’t have to be baptized. All he did was repent, ask for God’s mercy, place his confidence in Christ, and it was granted.

Many people today have a past that is every bit as despicable as this man on the cross. Some have partaken of Satan’s blood and caroused with demons. It doesn’t matter. If such a person is truly repentant and asks God for the return of his soul, He will grant it. The question we have to ask is: How might that which is horrible in our life benefit us just like the one who hung there beside Jesus?

What’s incredibly important for a person like this – and really for every single one of us regardless of our past – is that upon receiving God’s grace in our lives, we become obedient to His commands. It is only through our obeying what the Lord tells us to do that we demonstrate our true conversion. When we stop rebelling and follow hard after God, what a difference that makes! It opens up the pathways for Him to bless us.

Do you think God will pour out His favor and blessings upon the disobedient? Yes, rain falls on the just and unjust, but God’s favor is something else entirely.

When we trust in Him, it likely causes a big smile to crease God’s face. He can point to us and say, “That’s My child!” Just like with Job, when we show our believing loyalty through obeying Him, it doesn’t matter what comes our way; God will see us through it. More than that, we will realize untold blessings. They may not be of the physical variety that God blessed Job with in the second half of his life – I’m not talking about prosperity as it’s been corrupted these days. No, we have the Lord’s promise of eternal glory in His presence.

Before then, while we’re still here in this life, He may pour out wealth of some kind upon us or the healing of our infirmities, but that isn’t at all the objective. Our eyes should be upon Jesus. When they are, He will do what He’ll do for us in this natural realm. But this isn’t our home. Who cares about riches that corrupt and moths destroy, or even this physical body?

What should be our prayer? Lord, Thy will be done!

What an amazing result that brings!

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Gary Ritter website: books & blog
http://garyritter.com/

Kindle Vella story: Tribulation Rising
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099Z462WD