Father, how we thank you that once again we can come to the deep well of our salvation. Find our thirst quenched by your word. And we pray for the Holy Spirit to work. To work through your servant. To help me to speak clearly. to not say anything that would be an error. We pray for all of our hearts that they would be plowed by the Holy Spirit so that that soil would be rich and fertile and ready to receive the seed of your word. So work, O God. We ask all this in Jesus name. Amen. Well, please open up your copy of God's Word to Matthew 26. We'll be reading verses 57 through 68. Yeah, 68. 57 through 68. Matthew 26. This is God's holy and inspired Word. And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed him at a distance to the high priest's courtyard, and he went in and he sat with the servants to see the end. Now, the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last, two false witnesses came forward and said, this fellow said, I'm able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days. The high priest arose and said to him, do you answer nothing? What is it these men testify against you? But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to him, I put you under oath by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said to him, it is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, he has spoken blasphemy. What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you've heard his blasphemy. What do you think? They answered and said, he's deserving of death. Then they spat in his face and beat him. And others struck him with the palms of their hands, saying, prophesy to us, Christ. Who's the one who struck you? Well, there ends the reading of God's holy and inspired word. May he bless it to our hearts this morning. Dearest congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, in Ecclesiastes 10.6, Solomon tells us that one of the evils he's seen under the sun is folly set in many high places and the rich sitting in a low place. Now Solomon was describing a wicked and twisted irony where those who have positions of power don't deserve to be there and the ones in the low place don't deserve to be there. And that just about captures what's happening in this kangaroo court. that we just read about. In the high places, again, using Solomon's language, you have Caiaphas, the high priest, as well as the scribes and elders. They're the embodiment of folly. And the glorious King of heaven, who's rich in splendor and glory and mighty, he sits in this low place. I mean, it's hard to read this passage and not miss the terrible irony of what's going on here. One writer puts it this way, the sovereign deliverer is in bonds. The judge of the universe is detained in court. The prince of glory is being scorned. The holy one of Israel is condemned for sin. The son of God is accused as a blasphemer. And the resurrection and the life will be sentenced to die. It's a twisted irony. But despite this dreadful irony, Jesus is at that place, in that court, surrounded by the Sanhedrin because that's God's plan, right? We've heard that several times in our study of the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus had told His disciples that during His final trip to Jerusalem that He would suffer many things from the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and He would be killed and He'd be raised again on the third day. And it's imperative for us to remember what Jesus is enduring, this shame and this humiliation, it's not a case in which he overplayed his hand, as it were. He didn't misread his political opponents. It isn't a case of Jesus pressing the powers that be too hard, and now this whole situation, his whole ministry is just spiraled out of control. No, this is the unfolding of God's plan, and we saw in that prayer at Gethsemane that Christ submitted himself fully to his Father's plan. We even learned last week when we studied the Lord's arrest that had the use of raw power been God's plan. Jesus could have called down 12 legions of angels. But all this was done that the scripture might be fulfilled and the Lord will be led as a lamb to the slaughter. And we mustn't miss, quoting J.C. Ryle, that the Holy Son of God voluntarily submitted Himself to these indignities so that He might redeem miserable sinners like us. So this whole passage, I think, is filled with twisted irony as the perfectly innocent Jesus is condemned by corrupt and evil men. But behind this twisted irony There's also a glorious irony. The Lord endured this travesty of justice for our redemption. So let's unpack some of these ironies. One of the main ironies in this passage is that the Sanhedrin, who were supposed to be the custodians of God's law, will break it at every point during this trial, and the one who's being judged, the Lord Jesus, will keep it at every turn. Now Matthew doesn't mention this, but Jesus has already had something of a pretrial appearance before the previous high priest, Annas. Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who is now the high priest. We don't know exactly why, but the Romans had replaced Annas with Caiaphas. But you can read about Annas in John 18 at your leisure this afternoon. But after the preliminary meeting with Annas, we're told in verse 57, those who had laid hold of Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. And then you might want to notice there in verse 59, it says, all the council is presence. Now the council here is the Sanhedrin. That's actually the word for council. It's a transliteration of the word Sanhedrin. Now, you might want to think of the Jerusalem Sanhedrin as being something like a Jewish Supreme Court. It was made up of 71 members. Seventy were priests, scribes, and elders. And this practice goes all the way back to Moses. And then there was the high priest. And the high priest, again, in this case, Caiaphas, he was something like the chief justice. He was the man in charge of the proceedings. And this brings us to one of the many sinful ironies that unfold. What is the purpose of a court? It's justice, right? To carefully evaluate evidence and to impartially administer justice. And you see, this isn't something that just simply emerged in the jurisprudence of Western civilization. This is something that's actually in God's own heart. The Lord loves justice, and it was to be a distinguishing mark of His covenant people. For example, the Lord told Israel in Deuteronomy 16, Verses 18 and 19, you shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns, which the Lord your God gives you according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with just judgment. You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. And you might recognize that this divine instruction from Deuteronomy is really sort of filling out the ninth commandment, that you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. And there's the sinful irony. The Sanhedrin, the highest court in Judaism, will not judge justly. They will pervert justice. They will be partial to their own best interests. There will be bribes involved, and they will twist the words of the righteous. They're actually gonna twist Jesus' own words. There's this sinful irony going on. And it's worth mentioning, they not only break God's law, which is preeminent, but they were breaking the rules that the Sanhedrin had put in place to ensure justice. Based on a later Jewish document called the Mishnah, we know a good bit about the rules the Sanhedrin had put in place to conduct this kind of trial. And there are many of their own rules they're breaking, and I wanna just mention three at this point. First off, capital trials had to be held during the daytime. And it was to prevent the very thing that was happening. It was to make sure that a case couldn't be rushed through while no one was looking. But this was rushed. The trial's taking place in the middle of the night. And isn't it interesting that Caiaphas already had a quorum gathered there at his house? This could only happen if they had been in on the plot to arrest Jesus. And of course, we know they were. Back in the beginning of this chapter, back in Matthew 26, verses three and four, we hear these ominous words. It says, then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and they plotted to take Jesus by deception and kill him. So you see, these men aren't interested in the light of justice. As verse 59 tells us, they have one thing on their mind, they want to put Jesus to death. A second thing, from the Sanhedrin's own set of rules, is that no decision of the Sanhedrin was valid unless it met in its own prescribed meeting place, which was the Holofeun stone in the temple precincts. But that's not where they're meeting, they're meeting in the palace of the priest. Perhaps because of the late hour, they didn't have access to that chamber of the temple, but more than likely, it was simply to avoid scrutiny. And then third, when there was a capital trial, there was supposed to be 24 hours between conviction and the sentencing. And this was to ensure that justice would be even-handed. It provided something of a cool-down period. It was to make sure that mob rule wouldn't carry the day, that people wouldn't get worked up into a frenzy and do something foolish. But these leaders have no intention of being even-handed, and these very men will work the mobs up into a frenzy, because murdering Jesus is all they can think about. And so we hear in verse 59, in the first half of verse 60, that the chief priests and the elders and all the council, they sought false testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. What an incredible picture of man's heart. These men have a verdict. It is a foregone conclusion that they're going to announce that Jesus is guilty of something that merits the death penalty, and they just need to get enough people in there with enough testimony that eventually something they say will be able to stick on the Lord. Some accusation will stick. But the Jewish leaders have a problem, despite the multitude of witnesses. They can't find any that can give a valid testimony. In fact, in Mark's account of these events, it tells us that these witnesses who keep coming forward are contradicting each other. Sanhedrin had all the witnesses that money could buy. What they didn't have were two people who could tell the same lie at the same time. It must have caused them no small amount of frustration, but eventually they get their money's worth. Because there, in verse 60, it goes on to say, but at last. In other words, we've gone through a whole litany of false witnesses. We've heard testimony after testimony, and they can't get their story straight. We can't use any of it. But at last, two false witnesses came forward and said, this fellow, a very derogatory term, this fellow said, I'm able to destroy the temple of God and build it in three days. Now, the Apostle John records these events that are being spoken of here in John 2, and not surprisingly, the false witnesses garble what Jesus actually said. The truth is, Jesus never said He would destroy the temple. In John 2.19, Jesus said, you destroy the temple, not me, you destroy the temple, and in three days I will raise it up. And frankly, these Jewish leaders can be blamed for destroying the temple, can't they? It was their idolatry that will lead to destruction. And interestingly enough, Jesus didn't say that he would rebuild the temple in three days. He said he would raise it up. Because he wasn't using the language of building there, he was using the language of resurrection. This was a couple years earlier in Jesus' ministry, so it could be that the witnesses simply forgot the precise words that Jesus spoke, but I doubt that's the case. I think it's premeditated lying. Or else both witnesses forgot the same words and both reinterpreted the Lord's comments exactly the same way two years later. No, it seems to me they're doing exactly what they weren't supposed to. They're twisting the words of the righteous. And they simply wanted to accuse the Lord of defaming the temple because they want to kill him. Now I need to pause here for just a moment because it really is striking at just the flagrant way the Sanhedrin violates the Ninth Commandment. Not only do they have zero interest in justice, they obviously have zero interest in truth. And I wanna just make a couple applications from this. This teaches us something important, that being in a position of religious authority doesn't guarantee integrity or a commitment to truth. I often marvel when I hear dear evangelical friends rail against the Pope because he claims for himself a kind of blasphemous authority. which I agree, he does claim for himself a kind of blasphemous authority. But then they give nearly that same authority to their pastor, their local pastor. So they exchange one pope for the church for one pope in their building. And you have a discussion with these kind of folks? And they never say the Bible says, they always say my pastor says. And listen, I hope that You know, over the years, I've earned your trust, and you know I seek to be faithful to the Bible. Pastors should be trusted, but always evaluate what I say or any other pastor says with Scripture. Because having a position of religious authority doesn't mean a person can't hold gross errors in doctrine. Again, let me borrow from the good Bishop Ryle. Let us beware of regarding too highly any minister of religion or ascribing to him something like infallibility. His position is no guarantee that he may not lead us astray and even ruin our souls. The teaching and conduct of all ministers must be tried by the word of God. I mean, don't miss, these are the great religious leaders in Israel. They're the teachers, the governing body, they're all there, and they're leading people astray. A second application is that it ought not to surprise us if unbelievers manipulate truth or flat out lie because in their heart of hearts they oppose Christ. Earlier in his ministry, the Lord had said to the religious leaders in John 8, verses 44 and 45, that you are of your father the devil and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me." You see, these leaders stood in opposition to truth, which goes hand in hand in standing in opposition against Christ. Let me say it this way. Because of the nature of fallen man, Their impulse to oppose Christ will always override any commitment they might have toward a feigned truth. And this is quite different for a believer, isn't it? if we're in any meaningful sense living for the Lord, because the Lord Jesus is truth incarnate, and He's given us His word, which is eternal truth, inscripturated, and the spirit of truth dwells us and confirms those first two realities in us, and a mark of a born-again believer, which is the only kind of believer there is, is a love for the truth. But they have no concern for the truth. They have concern for their agenda, murdering Jesus. Well, the witnesses have shared their testimonies, and I have to wonder if the high priest wasn't smiling at this point. Thinking that perhaps that would raise Jesus' ire and perhaps get him to say something else they could use in condemning him. I mean, they had already decided they were gonna murder him, but a little more ammunition might prove helpful. He did seem to be somewhat popular with the people. But if the high priest was smiling, it would have faded when it became obvious that the Lord had no intention. No intention. of responding to these charges. Let me make a comment. The Lord will never defend himself from here until the cross, not once. He will speak about his identity, who he is, but he will never answer any of these charges against him. So the high priest arose and said to him, do you answer nothing? What is it these men testify against you? But Jesus kept silent. You see, Jesus knew what was in their hearts. He knew their accusations were baseless. So he isn't even gonna dignify these things by trying to untangle their bundle of lies. And why should he? You know, Proverbs 26 forces, don't answer a fool according to his folly or you'll be like him yourself. And they're liars and lawbreakers. And Jesus is a truth teller and a law keeper. But can you imagine what it would have been like if you or I had been there? If we had been a bystander on that evening? to hear those false witnesses, to know all these charges were trumped up, bought and paid for, to know this kangaroo court already had a verdict. Wouldn't you be screaming, Jesus, say something, because that's our nature, isn't it? Say something, defend yourself, this isn't right. But Jesus kept silent, and this shows us two things. First, he has contempt for the injustice of this kangaroo court. And second, he's silent because of his willingness to die for you. The Lord Jesus, as one writer put it, is so filled with love for you, his people, that he'll not stand in the way of an injustice done to his own person. so that He can lay down His life on your behalf. His silence, His testimony of His love and His willingness to die for us. And, of course, the Lord's silence is also a fulfillment of Isaiah 53, 7, which we read in our assurance of pardon, that He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. So the Lord's silence is precious to us, because it not only fulfills promise, prophecy, It demonstrates his willingness to die because he loves us. But as precious as his silence is to us, it's clearly about to cause the high priest's head to explode. So the high priest answered and said to him, I put you under oath by the living God. Tell us if you're the Christ, the Son of God. Now, I trust at this point it's crystal clear. that he had no interest in finding out whether or not those claims were true. That wasn't on his radar. He was simply trying to get Jesus to say something, anything, he could use against him. You see, if the high priest was interested at all in evaluating the Lord's claims, there was much he could have investigated. Did Jesus fit the prophecies that filled up the Old Testament about the coming Messiah? Of course, point after point, he did. He was born in Bethlehem, born of a virgin. He's from David's royal line. He performed mighty healings. He had entered Jerusalem the week before on a donkey. He was acclaimed by people, yet betrayed by a friend. Those are just a few of the many, many prophecies that the Lord Jesus fulfilled. So the Lord is not going to answer his claim. He's not going to address their charges, rather. But He will, once more, announce who He is, that He is the Messiah. And we hear that in verses 64. Jesus said to him, it is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you'll see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven. And Jesus is stringing together at this point two prominent Old Testament passages that these men would have clearly been familiar with. He borrows from Psalm 110 when he speaks of sitting at the right hand and the Son of Man coming on the clouds is from Daniel 7. And here's where we see another very stark Irony. In Daniel 7, the Son of Man comes from the throne of God to earth in the clouds of heaven to judge the world. And He'll come in the full glory of the Shekinah cloud. And here's the irony. The Lord is standing before these judges. and He looks at them and says, you judge Me, I will come in glory, and I will judge you. And this is a fearful thing, isn't it? For those who are not in Christ, for those who spurn the gospel, for those who oppose the offer of salvation, For those who put the Lord in the docks, who put the Lord on the judgment, excuse me, in the witness stand, and they would evaluate his claims and say, eh, he will come and judge. And the high priest gets what Jesus is saying, and he wigs out. He tore his clothes saying he's spoken blasphemy. What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you've heard his blasphemy. What do you think? They answered and said, he's deserving death. You see, they understood what Jesus was saying by appealing to Daniel seven. I'm coming back as God. It was a claim to deity. A claim of deity. And then they spat in his face and they beat him. and others struck him with the palms of their hands, saying, prophesied to us, Christ, who is the one who struck you?" And this is fulfillment of another prophecy, Isaiah 56, where it was told that the Messiah would give his back to those who strike him, his cheeks to those who plucked out his beard. And it says, I did not hide my face from shame and spitting. The Lord Jesus Christ stands before this fickle, unscrupulous crowd of religious leaders. And he keeps his voice silent at every opportunity to defend himself. And he only speaks when it's going to lead to his conviction. In other words, the Lord is only going to speak in such a way that will ensure he ends up on the cross. And he takes it all because he's willing to bear on his back the due penalty for our sin. Hallelujah, brothers and sisters. What a Savior we have. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your Word We're thankful, O God, as we read this account, that we do taste and experience the love you have for us, that you would endure these things on our behalf, that you would walk that lonely road to the cross, and then hang there as our substitute, as our atoning sacrifice, as the one who would bear God's wrath in our place. As we work through these sections in coming weeks, And we see the darkness getting closer and closer to Golgotha. Help us to see your love shining brightly, that it's undeterred, even facing the greatest sorrows, a love and sorrow will be mingled there on the cross. Fill us with hope, O God. This is our Savior. Amen.