The trial of Jesus in Matthew 26:57-68 demonstrates illegal expediency. We already know that the Jewish council wanted to rid themselves of the “Jesus problem.” Thus, they weren’t interested in a fair trial but one that quickly disposed of Jesus.
They wanted to be rid of Jesus before the Passover crowds became aware of what they were doing. Also, they wanted to see Jesus die before the Sabbath, which was less than twenty-four hours later. So, they were willing to break their own laws to accomplish the trial and death sentence quickly.
An Illegal Trial
Because we live in a different time, we don’t always realize how illegal Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin council was. Here is a list of the unlawful details:
- The council met at night. The Sanhedrin was only to meet during the daylight hours. But they don’t have time to meet legally to carry out their devious plan.
- They met at the wrong place. Cases involving serious charges were to be held in the regular meeting place at the Temple. But during Passover, the Temple opened at midnight instead of dawn to accommodate the extra pilgrims. They may have met at Caiaphas’s home to avoid the crowds. Jesus was very popular with the people, and the leadership didn’t want any riots.
- The leaders arranged for false witnesses. To accomplish their evil intent, the leadership wanted to convict Jesus of a crime deserving of death, but they couldn’t find any honest witnesses for this. This alone shows Jesus was innocent. The leadership was willing to break one of the Ten Commandments for their evil purposes. Exodus 20: 16 You must not testify falsely against your neighbor. [1]
- Jesus had no counsel nor time to prepare a defense. Caiaphas declared the guilty verdict of blasphemy, and the council agreed, but Jesus had no say (Matthew 26:65-67).
- Capital cases were not to be decided in one day. This trial and sentencing took place in less than twelve hours.
Turning the Evil to Good
We can see that the Jewish leadership was willing to compromise to carry out their wicked plan. Yet, God used all the illegal, evil scheming to carry out His plan and timing. God planned that Jesus would be the Passover lamb as a sacrifice for our sins. The quick, illegal trial allowed Jesus to die during Passover, just as prophesied. John 1: 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.[2]
God’s plan was being accomplished by the deeds of sinful men so that sinners from all generations might believe in Jesus and have their sins forgiven through the shedding of His blood. To learn more about the illegal expediency, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/blind-ignorance
[1,2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.