What trials did Jesus face before His crucifixion?

The Lord allows them (who had just fallen to the ground before Him) to bind Him (v.12). What a scene! The Lord underwent six trials in one night (three religious trials and three civil trials):

First we see Him before Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. They expected Him to be brought in. What triumph must there have been upon their faces, when at last in that memorable night, the One whom they hated and despised was brought securely bound into their presence, under arrest in the hands of the Gentiles.

He must appear before the ecclesiastical council first; He must be tried there. But what can they say against Him? What evil had He done? They had watched Him closely. Deputations, one after another, had tried to ensnare Him. Pharisees and Sadducees, as we have seen in our study of this Gospel, had come to tempt Him. They found nothing in Him. He had asked the question in one of His great discourses, which they had heard. Which of you convinces Me of sin? There was no answer. He was the sinless One, the perfect and holy One. But it is their hour and the power of darkness. Thus we read: "And the chief priests and the elders and the whole Sanhedrin sought false witness against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death." But did they succeed? "And they found none, though many false witnesses came forward." They could find nothing. Therefore, He ought to be freed. "But at the last two false witnesses came forward and said, He said I am able to destroy the temple of God, and in three days build it." But this was a wrong quotation of His words and a wrong application. Besides this, as we learn from the Gospel of Mark, the witnesses did not agree amongst themselves. It was impossible to convict Him on such a charge. He had not a word to say. They look upon Him with their awful hatred. The high priest attempts to get Him to answer. "Answereth Thou nothing?" "But Jesus was silent." It is obvious they could not convict Him. The charge against Him was blasphemy. They had miserably failed in proving anything whatever against the Lord. But condemned to death, He must be. He must die.

When Judas had betrayed his Master, the multitude led Jesus away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders were gathered together. Here He is accused by two false witnesses (even with difficulty found), but Jesus held His peace until put on oath by Caiaphas in his hatred and zeal, who said: "I adjure thee by the living God that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." For this He is pronounced a blasphemer and guilty of death, is spit upon, buffeted, smitten, and taunted as to being the Christ. Such was the action of Israel's religious chief, followed next morning by the whole council consulting to put Him to death. Delivered bound to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor asked him, saying: "Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest." Pilate knew that from envy Jesus had been delivered up, and wished to release him, but in vain, for they chose a murderer, and rejected their long predicted Messiah, demanding that He should be crucified. Notwithstanding his confession of no fault to be found in the Just One before him, and the profession of his innocence of His blood, Pilate, after scourging, delivered Jesus to their will. The soldiers, in mockery, clothe Jesus with kingly vestments, and cry: "Hail, King of the Jews." Stage after stage were the scriptures being fulfilled, in the cruel treatment, rejection and death of Him, who was cut off without His throne; dying between two robbers, and though numbered with the transgressors, was "with the rich in His death." The decreed king of Ps. 2, shall yet be set on Zion's holy hill, and "the manslayer (Israel) shall return to the land of his possession." Blessed, indeed, it is to know that the cross, which casts its dark and hopeless shade on man and his responsibility, sheds its bright and holy light on the throne of God; and in this same "death of the cross" is laid a righteous and everlasting basis for the display of the purpose and grace of God, both for the heavens and the earth, wherein shall be established the rights of His only begotten Son in His coming glories.

He is brought before Caiaphas, the high priest, condemned by false witnesses in a mock trial, buffeted, struck with the palm of the hand, and spat upon, and, when later put into the hands of Gentiles, made the sport of the coarse and brutal soldiers. Here the charge was, that He made Himself a king. The scarlet cloak, the crown of woven thorns and the reed in His blessed hand, bespeak the awful length to which their mockery could go, as they bow the knee and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" It was here that Roman justice would wash its hand in condemning the innocent, and when priests, judges, people, and soldiers all combine against Him.

Before the Sanhedrin. — But blasphemy, whilst punishable by the Mosaic law, was not in this instance a charge that the Roman governor would take cognisance of; and further, ere carrying the case to Pilate, the Lord must be formally dealt with. For that a trial by day, it would seem, was necessary. The day had dawned. The Sanhedrin therefore was summoned. The Lord was brought before it. Now of this the third examination since His arrest Luke alone gives us any detailed account (22:66-71), though both Matthew (26:1) and Mark (15:1) refer to it; the three evangelists agreeing that this last, held before the elderhood of the chief priests and scribes, was quite different from the examination before Caiaphas during the night. Before the Sanhedrin the question raised and put to the Lord was, "If thou art the Christ, tell us" (Luke 22:67). An answer in the affirmative might bring Him within the power of Roman law. For as the Christ Pilate might hold that He laid claim to temporal sovereignty over the Jews, and thus denied the authority of Caesar. Before Caiaphas the Lord was asked if He was the Son of the Blessed, and was adjudged worthy of death on His reply in the affirmative. To His claim to be the Son of God Pilate would have been perfectly indifferent. Hence before the Sanhedrin He was asked about His Messiahship. Admitting that, the council would have something tangible upon which to accuse Him before Pilate. To their question the Lord replied in the affirmative, and added, "From henceforth shall the Son of man be seated on the right hand of the power of God," referring to Psalm 110:1, and speaking of His ascension, but omitting all reference to Dan. 7:13-14, which tells of His return. They well understood what was involved in that reference, as they immediately challenged Him, "Art thou then the Son of God?" He was, He is, and He admitted it. The trial was concluded. To Pilate would they take Him.

Before Pilate and before Herod. — Standing at Caesar's judgment-seat (Acts 25:10), the Roman governor being the emperor's representative, we learn from Luke the nature of the indictment, and perhaps the very form of it: "We have found this one perverting our [not, the] nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King" (23:2). But Pilate evidently was in no mood to take serious cognisance of the accusation. He asked the Lord, was He the King of the Jews? He admitted it to Pilate. However, there was nothing that called for his judicial dealing, for, addressing the chief priests and the multitude, he said, "I find no fault in this man." He knew, as both Matthew (27:18) and Mark (15:10) tell us, that for envy the chief priests had delivered Him up; so he tried several times, as the history shows, to escape the responsibility of condemning the Lord to death. Some of these attempts Luke recounts. His first refusal to entertain any charge only made the chief priests and multitude more urgent in their demand. "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judaea, and beginning from Galilee even to this place." The offence being committed in Judaea would be a ground for Pilate to entertain the charge; but their mention of Galilee afforded, he thought, an opening for getting rid of the case. Was He a Galilean? If so, to Herod should they go. To Herod, who was then at Jerusalem, Pilate therefore sent the Lord. Before Herod the Lord was silent, though questioned in many words, and vehemently accused by the chief priests and scribes. Nothing, however, was gained by Pilate, for Herod, after he had, with his soldiers, set Him at nought, and mocked Him, and arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, sent Him back to the Roman governor. Herod and Pilate became friends. But Pilate's difficulty was in no way diminished.

"But Pilate having heard of Galilee, demanded if the man were a Galilean. And having learnt that he was of Herod's jurisdiction, he remitted him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem in those days. And when Herod saw Jesus he rejoiced exceedingly, for he was wishing for a long time to see him, because of hearing [much]† of him. And he hoped to see some sign done by him, and questioned him in many words, but he answered him nothing."569 The silence of the Lord was a very solemn condemnation of Herod, while it gave the fullest opportunity for the rude insolence of his followers as well as of the accusers. "And the chief priests and the scribes stood and vehemently accused him. And Herod with his troops set him at nought and mocked him, and having arrayed [him] with a splendid570 robe, sent him back to Pilate."571 The Spirit of God does not fail to notice here the moral peculiarity of the transaction. There had been a feud between the Governor and the King, but "Pilate and Herod became friends with one another that very day, for they had been previously at enmity with each other."572 Thus it is against Christ that Satan contrives to make his union in the world, as the grace of God does by Him and for Him. "of Galilee": so ADRXΓΔΛΠ, later uncials, in cursives, Syrr. Old Lat. Sah. Edd. omit, as ℵBLT, Memph. †["Much"]: so ARXΓΔΛ, later uncials, most minuscules, Syrr. Old Lat. Edd. omit, following ℵBDKLMΠ, 1, Syrrcu sin Sah. Memph. The word is in AERXΓΔΛ, etc., 13, 69, other Syrr. Old Lat.

First of all, we read, after the wicked trial by infuriated men led on by Satan, that the holy Sufferer was "scourged," which must have taken up some time; then He was brought into the Pretorium, and the whole band of soldiers were gathered unto Him. There they stripped Him of His own clothes, and put on Him a scarlet robe. There too they "platted a crown of thorns," "put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, king of the Jews!" The enmity of the heart of man to the Holy Son of God was further manifested by their spitting upon Him, and taking the reed and smiting Him upon the head. All this outrage and other indignities must have extended over some time, for, in addition to all that we have noticed, it is said, "After that they had mocked him," etc., intimating that the Saviour was publicly held in derision for some time. Lastly, we find that they took the robe from off Him, and put His own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

The closer we come to the cross the more the true character of every person comes to light: Pilate subjects the Son of God to the torture of scourging (19:1); and he does so 'therefore', i.e. to satisfy the demands of those who had cried 'Not this man, but Barabbas'. The Roman soldiers mock the royal claims of Christ, and not without cruelty. In his attempt to appease the Jewish leaders Pilate repeatedly confirms the Lord's innocence - to his own condemnation. And the Jews claim that on the basis of 'their law' Christ - the Giver of the law and the only innocent man - has to die. But as the whole depravity of man fully comes to light at the cross so does the perfection of the Son of God. He is silent in the face of curiosity (v.9) but gives testimony to the true source of the power Pilate had (v.11). The chief priests also pronounce their own condemnation: "We have no king but Caesar." (v. 15).

The Jewish council, (the Sanhedrin) having decided that the Lord Jesus should be put to death, only lack witnesses of any crime of which they might accuse Him. They seek false witnesses. Many came, but none could offer a concrete charge that could satisfy even men who were trying to find a charge. Of course they wanted a charge with some semblance of truth, and two false witnesses claim that He said He was able to destroy the temple and build it in three days. These were not His words (see John 2:19); but even if they were, no court of law would consider such a charge, and certainly not as a criminal offense.

The high priest, angered because of the Lord's silence, demands that He answer such charges; but there was nothing to answer: He remains silent. Caiaphas, knowing that no charge of evil could possibly stand against Him, changed his tactics and adjured Him by the living God that He declare whether He is the Son of God. Could He be silent then? No; for Leviticus 5:1 is decisive that if one is a witness to a certain fact and hears the voice of adjuration, he must utter what he knows or be guilty. He is required to tell the truth, and He does so "Thou best said", He answers: it is absolute truth that He is the Son of God.

But that was not all. Though charged with many things He answered nothing; and Pilate marvelled. Defence He made none. The accusations, falsely preferred, fell back on the consciences of the accusers. Many there were to condemn, none, alas, to befriend! Where were the nine? Where the crowds of healed, and fed, and forgiven? Where were those who had shared His benefactions, and heard His accents of love? He looked for pity, and found none! He stood alone, and was ominously silent before the governor. He could have repelled every charge, and vindicated Himself against each accuser, but self-defence was not His object when self-surrender, absolute and unequivocal, was the business of His blessed life below.