October 18, 2023
Abuse In The Highest Court
“Jesus answered him, ‘If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?’ So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.” John 18:23-24 (NASB)
During my days as a correctional deputy, we delivered prisoners periodically to prison. One time we took a man who had been convicted of 1st Degree Murder. It was a volatile case from the beginning. The victim’s family made death threats to the suspect before and after the trial. There was even a rumor that while we transported him to prison, the family would try to kill him before he arrived. So we took a few cars as escort for the transport. The ride normally took about two hours to get to the State Prison. We were advised to make it a fast trip. The sentencing judge called ahead to let other police agencies know we were coming through very quickly. We drove at speeds of over 100 mph most of the trip with blue lights and siren blaring. When we arrived at the Florida State Prison, the inmate was greeted by what they called the “Goon Squad.” This special group of men all averaged 6’05-6’10 in height. They were BIG men who dealt with the worst of the worst criminals. They scared him good when he got out of the car. He said, “Good afternoon gentlemen,” as he shook. They never hit him while we were there, but secretly none of us would want to know what would happen if they got mad. It would be bad.
“Jesus answered him, ‘If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” When Jesus exposed the proceedings of the court, He called for the high priest to call his witnesses. An officer standing nearby struck Jesus saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?” You see, justice then is nearly the same as today. When a person appears in front of a court, they are treated as innocent until proven guilty. Jesus knew this as He called for the witnesses. He could surely bring forward His own. Two witnesses of His own were standing nearby (although one had already denied Him once). As Jesus was struck, the same circumstances are true in today’s legal system. You can’t strike the defendant, even if they are disrespectful. This action was illegal. As we said in yesterday’s time, Paul would also suffer the same treatment in the future as he stood in front of the Sanhedrin (Acts 23:2). When Jesus was struck, note He did not retaliate. He could have called ten thousand angels to His defense if He wanted, but He knew the Father’s will. His reply to the high priest was, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” “Jesus’s logic was impeccable. If He was wrong about the proper legal procedure, they should have corrected Him instead of hitting Him. But if (as He did) the Lord spoke accurately, what justifiable reason was there for striking Him? Once again Jesus demanded a fair trial- which His opponents had no intention of giving Him.”[1] “So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.” From Annas, Jesus was sent to the Sanhedrin under Caiphas. This transfer of the prisoner would have been relatively easy since both shared different apartments inside the temple.
Even in the worst prisons today inmates are treated fairly. Most have it better than our homeless veterans. None of them (that I know of) are hit without a justifiable reason. Jesus’s strike to the face was witnessed by all, and yet no one commented about the injustice. Throughout the trial, He remained confident in His course. How would you react today if this happened? Would call yourself a Peter or a Jesus?
[1] (John MacArthur, 2006), 321.