Reasoning Through the Bible
Taking a cue from Paul, Reasoning Through the Bible is an expository style walk through the Scriptures that tells you what the Bible says. Reviewing both Old and New Testament books, as well as topical subjects, we methodically teach verse by verse, even phrase by phrase.
We have completed many books of the Bible and offer free lesson plans for teachers. If you want to browse our entire library by book or topic, see our website www.ReasoningThroughTheBible.com.
We primarily do expository teaching but also include a good bit of theology and apologetics. Just like Paul on Mars Hill, Christianity must address both the ancient truths and the questions of the people today. Join Glenn and Steve every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as they reason with you through the Bible.
Reasoning Through the Bible
S57 || The Courtroom Drama That Changed History || Mark 14:62 - 15:5 || Session 57 || Verse by Verse Bible Study
Have you ever witnessed a complete miscarriage of justice? The trial of Jesus stands as history's most profound example of how power, jealousy, and fear can corrupt even the most sacred institutions.
As the high priest grows increasingly frustrated with contradicting testimonies against Jesus, he finally asks directly: "Are you the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the Blessed One?" Jesus's unflinching response—"I am"—provides exactly what they wanted: grounds for execution. The high priest tears his garments (itself a violation of Levitical law) and declares no further witnesses necessary. What follows reveals the cruelty behind religious facades as guards blindfold Jesus, beat him mercilessly, and mockingly challenge him to "prophesy" who struck him.
Meanwhile, Peter's story unfolds in heartbreaking parallel. The disciple who hours earlier had sworn he would die before denying Jesus now crumbles before a servant girl's questioning. His three denials culminate in cursing and swearing that he "does not know this man." When the rooster crows and Jesus catches his eye across the courtyard, Peter breaks down in bitter tears. Yet this failure doesn't define his story—Jesus later restores him completely, showing that our worst moments don't disqualify us from God's purposes.
The religious leaders, having condemned Jesus for blasphemy, shrewdly change tactics when bringing him before Pilate. Knowing Roman authorities wouldn't execute someone for religious claims, they reframe the charges as sedition: "This man claims to be a king." Throughout these manipulated proceedings, Jesus maintains remarkable composure, speaking only when necessary and embracing the path that leads to our redemption.
This ancient narrative mirrors how both secular authorities and religious establishments often deny Christian faith a fair hearing today. The world doesn't understand the profound importance of what happened that day—when the truly innocent One willingly accepted judgment so that we might go free.
How might your perspective change knowing that Jesus faced injustice so completely yet without abandoning His mission of love? What does it mean that He doesn't discard us when we fail him like Peter did?
Thank you for listening!! Please give us a five-star rating to help your podcast provider's algorithm spread RTTB among their listeners.
You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible
Please prayerfully consider supporting RTTB to help us to continue providing content and free resources. You can do that at this link - Support RTTB - Reasoning Through the Bible
May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve
Last time we were in the midst of a conversation, really a trial that Jesus was having with the high priest, and we left off at a very precarious moment where the high priest was trying to come up with evidence to charge Jesus, but the witnesses were either lying or they didn't match. In frustration, the high priest turns to Jesus and asks a question are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One? How does Jesus reply?
Speaker 2:He replies directly that I am, and a question might come up. Just a couple of verses ago it said he was silent and now he's answering the priest. In one of the other Gospels I think it's John he records that at this question, the high priest says I adjure you, and asks the question. Well, that's another way of putting him under oath and by doing that, this obligates the person being accused to answer the high priest. So Jesus does that. Through all of this, we see that Jesus does exactly what the Mosaic law calls for. He doesn't break any of the Mosaic law. So whenever the high priest puts him under oath to ask him this, he says I am very directly. Him this, he says I am very directly. And that is a way of him emphatically saying yes, I am the Son of God, and that you'll see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the hand of power. That's another term for using God.
Speaker 2:Now the high priest rents his garment. This is another area where the high priest wasn't supposed to rent their garments unless there was blasphemy spoken. Blasphemy was speaking the four-letter word of God, yhwh. And we see here, as you pointed out, the high priest used the term blessed one because he wasn't going to blaspheme God's name. Yahweh Jesus, in his response, doesn't blaspheme God's name either. He uses the term power. Jesus is innocent of this, but the theatrics of the high priest renting his garments is just that theatrics, and he has broken another rule that they're not supposed to do in these supposed civil trials that they have on these councils.
Speaker 1:Sitting at the right hand of power is considered a threat to the high priest as well, who viewed himself as the seat of power. So in Jesus's answer he said I am, which is a clear yes. Number two sitting at the right hand of power is a quote from Psalm 110. To sit at God's throne is to claim deity. Number three, coming with the clouds of heaven, is a direct quote from Daniel 7.13, where the Son of man sits with God. There we have three times in his answer that he's claiming to be deserving of death. Some began to spit at him and to blindfold him and to beat him with their fists and to say to him prophesy. And the officers received him with slaps in the face.
Speaker 1:With this response, the high priest understood exactly what Jesus' statement meant. They understood perfectly. They call it blasphemy. They considered it enough evidence to be able to stop the trial. And again, the trial was because he had been blaspheming God's name. They said what further need do we have of witnesses? He tears his clothes and says this is sufficient to execute this man. Therefore, the high priest and all of his people around him understood that Jesus was claiming to be God. We understand that's what he was claiming. What I find here interesting, steve, is that over in Leviticus 21.10, it specifically says the high priest will not ever tear his clothes. Now if we ask why, well one, the high priest was supposed to be in control of himself and tearing the clothes was supposed to symbolize. I've heard something that's so egregious that I have to rend my clothes. But also it's because the high priest's garments were quite expensive and quite profound and they represented holiness. Therefore, the high priest tearing his clothes is just one more illegal thing that happened during this trial, don't you?
Speaker 2:think yes. And the other thing in verse 65, when they began to spit at him, they blindfolded him and were beating him. This was another violation. They were supposed to be kind and gentle with the person that was being accused. Here's another thing that's going on as far as breaking the rules that were happening then and, as I had mentioned just before, he says he being the high priest. You've heard the blasphemy? Well, the blasphemy was the actual priest. You've heard the blasphemy? Well, the blasphemy was the actual pronouncement of the four-letter word YHWH, yahweh. Jesus never said that, so it's another false accusation that just continues on here.
Speaker 1:With this, they have concluded that he is blasphemed and they're going to start the process of executing him Right here is where the beatings start. This is the first of the trials and the beatings start here. This isn't where the beatings end. This isn't the only one, but remember where they are they're in the residence of the high priest. This is where they start to really beat Jesus.
Speaker 1:They would put a blindfold on him and the guards would punch him in the face hard. Then they would remove the blindfold and hold their fists up to him and see if he could pick out which one hit him. That's when they said prophesy, tell us which one hit you. And of course, in the game, the prisoner would never get it right, so they could keep punching him. They'd put the blindfold on and somebody would punch him hard again, and they would take turns at this, pulling off the blindfold, saying prophesy, can you guess who hit you? And of course, the game was really rigged so that they could just keep beating the prisoner. The leaders of the temple guard were supposed to be professional and reserved and represented holiness, but they hit Jesus in the face like crude men. Remember, these were supposed to be the people that were leaders of the country, but they're acting like young heathen.
Speaker 2:Glenn, as I'm sitting here listening to you, it's coming to mind that it really shows the vitriol that some of these Sadducees, pharisees, the council have for him, because why is it that you're wanting to slap him and beat him? And, of course, they blindfold him. I think they blindfold him so that they can't be identified as to what's going on. And also, why would you do it? You're only going to do it if you think you're going to get away with it. It just brings out a little bit of character of these people that apparently the frustration and the hatred actually that had been building up amongst these leaders because of what Jesus was doing.
Speaker 1:Anger from these men had clouded their judgment to where they were doing things that really didn't make much sense, and it all again stemmed because of anger and jealousy and hatred of everything Jesus represented. In the next little vignette, we turn back to Peter. Next little vignette, we turn back to Peter. Now, remember Peter, just hours earlier in the upper room, had vowed I will go to my death before I deny you. And then, just minutes earlier, prior to this scene we're about to read, had been one where Peter tried to pull out a knife and tried to kill a man trying to arrest Jesus. Well, we're going to see now how well he follows through. Steve, can you pick up with verse 66 and read down to 72? We'll find out how Peter reacts.
Speaker 2:As Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came and seeing Peter warming himself. She looked at him and said you also were with Jesus the Nazarene. But he denied it, saying I neither know nor understand what you are talking about, and he went away onto the porch. The servant girl saw him and began once more to say to his bystanders this is one of them. But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too. But he began to curse and swear I do not know this man you are talking about. Immediately, a rooster crowed a second time and Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him Before. A rooster crows twice, you will deny me, three times. And he began to weep.
Speaker 1:We have Peter, so bold in the upper room and so bold in the Garden of Gethsemane. Now he's in the courtyard of the high priest before a young servant girl who has no political power and no influence, theoretically, on anyone, and Peter will not even admit that he knows Jesus. I question here, steve, it's real easy to sit here and point fingers at Peter. My question is are we sometimes just like Peter?
Speaker 2:I know that there have been times that I've acted like Peter not to the extent that he has but I have been around people and I didn't necessarily want them to know that I was a Christian and I am ashamed of that, looking back at some of those times in my years. So, yeah, there are times whenever we do act like that, and I think many times there might be situations just like Peter Peter was afraid that he was going to be arrested and he denied it. There are times whenever there are Christians that are being persecuted, I think that do that, you're a Christian, aren't you? And they'll say no because they want to protect their life.
Speaker 1:There's been times that I've been like Peter, and if I ask myself how many times that I have let Jesus down, I tend to lose count. The times that I could have done ministry the Holy Spirit was prompting me to do ministry, to say something, and I remained silent were ones that are just as bad as Peter's denial. When you don't do what God asks you to do and puts you in these situations to witness to others, and you remain silent. It is just as bad as Peter's denial. All of us are like Peter at times where we should speak up and we don't. We, for whatever reason, are weak and we need his Holy Spirit to give us strength.
Speaker 1:Now remember this is the same Peter that, just days into the future, is in the main parts of the temple proclaiming Jesus under threats of death. Well, what's the difference? The difference is the Holy Spirit fills this man, but here he's weak and he denies. So here's another question, steve, here we have Peter who denies Christ three times, here in this courtyard, in front of the servants. Did Jesus throw Peter away because Peter failed him?
Speaker 2:No later on, after his resurrection, we see that Jesus restores Peter and gives him three opportunities to announce to him, or commit to him, how much he loves him. So no, he didn't throw him away?
Speaker 1:Does Jesus throw us away when we let him down?
Speaker 2:No, he doesn't throw us away, glenn, and I'm so glad that he doesn't throw us away. If it would have happened, I might have been thrown away many, many years ago. But it comforts me to know that he will restore us and that he loves us that much, that he cares for us that much and that we can continue to have that relationship with him.
Speaker 1:And it wasn't just Peter, it was all the disciples failed him and he still used them. He didn't throw them away, he didn't dismiss them, he still used them. They were still in a love relationship and he was the one that was faithful, even though they weren't. So we can take deny Christ, he cursed and say I do not know the man. This was a strong denial. Remember, peter said he would never deny him. But he does Right at this point.
Speaker 1:Over in Luke 22, 61, it says at this point Peter saw Jesus through the doorway. Remember, jesus was inside the building at this point being pummeled by the guards. Jesus turns and looks at Peter. Just at this point when Peter denies Christ, jesus looked him in the eye. Not only did Peter deny him, but he saw his Lord look at him and recognize you failed me, peter, just like I said you would fail me. And it says Peter begins to cry, he begins to weep bitterly.
Speaker 1:At this point Peter felt he let Jesus down. Peter, at this point, is a broken man. He just denied his Lord with cursings, and three times, in front of people that were just the servants, just a young servant girl, nobody of any power or political importance. He denies him in front of a young girl and Jesus looks at him and realizes what he does and Peter breaks down and cries. This is a real low point for this man. We all have to ask ourselves have we been at a low point Just because we wake up one day and realize that we failed the Lord? And he's looking us in the eye. Realizing that we failed doesn't mean he's going to dismiss us and throw us away. He could still use us.
Speaker 2:In our introduction to Mark Glenn, we talked about that this could be Mark accounting Peter's story.
Speaker 2:It could be Peter himself using Mark to write this down as his accounting of what happened.
Speaker 2:If that is the case, it's curious to me that Peter included this Now. Obviously it was included in some of the other Gospels as well, because it is a pivotal moment. But it does strike me, if this is Peter recounting to Mark, he's agreed to put this in and I think that if he has done that, I think he's done that for a purpose, because, as you mentioned, a few days later he's going to be speaking in the temple and the gospel message and then his life goes on. So I think that possibly Peter is including this, even though it's an embarrassing moment for him. Possibly Peter is including this even though it's an embarrassing moment for him. It's included here to give just the impression that you're talking about that Jesus didn't throw him away and that Jesus won't throw us away either. I think it's just interesting that if Peter is the one that's giving this account to Mark to write down, this is something that was quite bold for him to include, because it's quite an embarrassing moment that brings us to chapter 15.
Speaker 1:We have here the next phase of Jesus' trial. Steve, can you read the first five verses of Mark 15, where Jesus is brought to the chief priest and the elders?
Speaker 2:Early in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes and the whole council, immediately held a consultation and binding Jesus. They led him away and delivered him to Pilate. Pilate questioned him are you the king of the Jews? And he answered him it is as you say. The chief priests began to accuse him harshly. Then Pilate questioned him again, saying Do you not answer? See how many charges they bring against you. But Jesus made no further answer. So Pilate was amazed.
Speaker 1:In verse 1, it says it was early in the morning. The chief priest with the elders and the scribes and the whole council this is the entire Sanhedrin. They meet very early in the morning. The account here just says immediately they hold this consultation and then they send them to Pilate. This section here with the Sanhedrin is really just a rubber stamp. They'd already decided what to do, so they're just going through a formality, going through the motions. They already knew what they wanted to do.
Speaker 1:So what I see here, steve, is that now you have the entire group that is just pushing Jesus through the system, because that's what the group wants to do. None of them stop and say wait a minute, should we give this man a fair trial? And they send Jesus onto Pilate with that. I always found this to be interesting, that really there's no one here that acts mature, there's no one here that stands up for an innocent man, and I always wondered what would happen if I were to be in such a situation innocent man and I always wondered what would happen if I were to be in such a situation. Would I go along with a crowd and do something evil just because everybody else is doing it?
Speaker 2:Pilate is a government official. Remember, this is the Passover feast. The city has swelled to several hundred thousand people. There's people camping out in tents all around the city because they've come in for this festival of the Passover and then the Feast of Unleavened Bread that lasts a total time of eight days. Pilate wants to keep the peace. He doesn't want to get a large uprising for it to get back to Rome to question him as to what's going on. They are serving at the behest of the Senate, the Roman Senate, and they don't want things to go awry. So, Pilate here. They made this accusation, they brought him to them. We do see Pilate try and release him but, Glenn, like you say, ultimately he does kill him. Even though Pilate says and release him, but, Glenn, like you say, ultimately he does kill him. Even though Pilate says several times this is an innocent man, he still gives him the judgment of guilty and crucifies him.
Speaker 1:Now, the real motivation of why the high priest and the chief people here were trying to execute Jesus was because he was claiming to be God. But that charge is not going to carry any weight with the Roman governor, Pilate. Pilate's not going to execute a man because of a charge of blasphemy. They had to have some sort of a trumped-up accusation that would give Pilate enough reason to take his life. I submit verse 2 here. Chapter 15, verse 2,. Pilate has a question that tells us what the accusation were. So what is Pilate's question to Jesus when they send him to it?
Speaker 2:Are you the king of the Jews, and you're exactly right in what you're saying. Now, all of a sudden, they've come to him, they being the council, and they've brought him before Pilate, and this is what they've told him. Here is somebody that has been preaching sedition. He's claiming to be a king. Well, that was in direct opposition to Caesar, who was the king over the Roman Empire. This now was something of a charge that Pilate did have authority over, and you're exactly right, glenn. This is at least one of the charges that they brought against him to Pilate to get the Roman government involved.
Speaker 1:They went to Pilate and said this man's claiming to be king and he has a large following that follows him around. That would get Pilate's attention. We know this was the accusation because of Pilate's question in verse 2. Are you the king of the Jews? I think Pilate is a smart enough man to where he sees through all of this. Here is this itinerant preacher, this itinerant rabbi, with no real weapons, no power. There's no soldiers here. He's a speaker on the street corner. Pilate realizes very quickly this man is not really a threat. Pilate asks Jesus are you the king? And Jesus answers what it is as you say. Jesus' answer is yes, he's claiming to be the king of the Jews. And it says then in verse 3, the chief priest began to accuse Jesus, and it uses some language there harshly. They bring many accusations against him At this point. Were these accusations justified? Were they fair?
Speaker 2:Oh. There's nothing about this whole situation that's fair or justified. They're just hurling more and more false accusations against him to make sure that Pilate is going to pronounce the judgment on him and to kill him, to take him out to be crucified.
Speaker 1:The evidence wasn't any greater in front of Pilate than it was in front of the Sanhedrin, so there wasn't enough real evidence here. It was just the anger of the high priest and the crowd they were able to whip up. So what I want to ask about here, Steve, is that here we have Pilate that represents the Roman world and we have these Jewish priests and scribes that represents the Roman world and we have these Jewish priests and scribes that represent the religious world, and then we have Christ and his message. How does the secular world and even the religious world that's not really attuned to God's Word, how do they view the Christian message? If we open up our Bibles and really look at what is the Christian message, how does that come across to the secular world as represented by Pilate, and the non-Christian religious world that's represented by these priests? How do they receive the Christian gospel?
Speaker 2:The bottom line to answer your question, glenn, is that the secular world could care less. They really could care less about all of this intrigue of what's going on here and Jesus being killed. They don't believe in him at all, they mock us and they make fun of us, and they could care less, whereas you and I, as Christians and believers, we get the meaning of what's going on here. Jesus, the Messiah, who has come and is perfectly innocent, is about to be sacrificed and pay our sin debt so that we might have eternal life. So we're understanding and we like to go through these verses here and learn about it a little bit more. As far as what's going on and the emotions that are carried on both sides, both with the religious people and with the Roman government, and the intrigue that's happening here because we have a relationship with Jesus Christ, that's something that the secular world doesn't have and they don't understand, and the bottom line is they could care less.
Speaker 2:I think it's the same thing here with Pilate. Pilate could care less who Jesus was, as long as he wasn't bringing sedition and stirring up people against him and trying to overthrow the Roman government and cause problems. He really could care less. But because of their response. Now we see the religious people stirring up the people. They're forcing Pilate's hand that he has to do something in order to quell down the people so that doesn't get out of hand. But the bottom line is secular people. They could care less about any of this stuff that we're talking about.
Speaker 1:Jesus here is not getting a fair trial in front of the secular world. He's also not getting a fair trial in front of the religious world as represented by the priest. If we carry that to today, will Christians get a fair hearing in the world of ideas? Does the secular world and the religious world—I'm thinking of there's a large number of very religious people that aren't really interested in what the text of the Bible says and what it actually teaches. They have their own ideas of what religion ought to be. Do we get a fair hearing in the world of ideas in front of people like this?
Speaker 2:We don't, and I've had several conversations. In fact, I had a manager one time that would often come to me and he was kind of in between an agnostic and an atheist, but he would come and ask me questions and I would answer him and it just came to the point where he really just wanted to argue. So after a while I just really didn't want to answer him the questions and I actually told him one time. I said look, you know I'm one of your best employees and you're impressed with all of the work that I do. You know that I'm an intelligent person because you talk with me, yet when it comes to this subject, you kind of treat me like I'm an idiot and I'm gullible because I'm believing in Jesus Christ. I asked him. I just said does that really make sense? How can it be that you're okay with the work that I do and depend on me to get work done and give me tough things to do because you know that I'm dependable and will do the right thing, but at the same time turn around and really insult me and say that I'm a gullible person? That's just one instance with me.
Speaker 2:I think that you've had many, many others. No, they don't give us a fair shake, so to speak. They think that we're really dumb people. And again, the scriptures are very, very deep. There's a lot, a lot of information that's here, and when you look at them in context of both the Old Testament and the New Testament, it really does make sense if you go and look at it that way. A lot of interesting stuff that's here.
Speaker 1:In Pilate's residence. The chief priest had accused Jesus of claiming to be king. Pilate asked him are you the king? Jesus responds it is as you say, which means yes. That's the point where verse 3, the chief priest right there began to accuse him very harshly, very angrily. Many accusations it's when Jesus claimed to be king, claimed to be God. That's what made them the most angry. They again respond with quite a bit of emotion and anger. Pilate replies verse 4, don't you answer? See how all these charges are against you, but Jesus didn't answer. Why was Jesus silent?
Speaker 2:It goes back to what you had said earlier. His mission is to go to the cross. He asked God, the Father in the garden if this cup can be taken from me, so be it. You can do it, but not my will. But yours be done. The mission is to go to the cross. So here he is. He's going to go to the cross.
Speaker 1:He is headed to the cross and he'll get there next time on Reasoning Through the Bible. We're going to pause here right now, but we're at a somewhat precarious point. We have here Pilate, we have the chief priest and the leaders, and we have a Jewish crowd and we've got Christ himself. So we're in the midst of a very dramatic scene that will get resolved next time on Reasoning Through the Bible.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for watching and listening. May God bless you.
