Truth Magazine

By Tom Hamilton

Upon his arrest, Jesus was taken to the house of the high priest, where the legal proceedings were begun that resulted in his death. In this article, we will cover the Jewish part of these legal proceedings by considering (1) the record of what happened, (2) the principles violated by the proceedings, and (3) the significance of these events.

The Record of the Trial

When we piece together the events recorded in the four different gospel accounts, we get an overall picture of what happened at Jesus’ trial. In my opinion, the best historical reconstruction reveals that there were no less than six separate trials Jesus endured immediately prior to his execution.

1. First, there is an informal examination by the de facto high priest Annas (John 18:12-14, 19-23). As the real power behind the scenes in Jewish politics, this is the first person Jesus is taken to by those who arrested him, and Annas apparently begins questioning Jesus immediately. The questions, focusing on Jesus’ disciples and teaching, may have been intended to analyze Jesus as a political threat, comparable to innumerable other self-proclaimed messiahs of the times (e.g., what is Jesus’ power base? what activities do they have planned?). Of course, Jesus has done nothing wrong, nor has any charge been made, and he challenges the authorities to produce witnesses, resulting in the first of many blows to come. Apparently, Annas’ interrogation took place while the other members of the Sanhedrin were hurriedly being summoned in the middle of the night, and when the whole council was assembled, Jesus was sent for further, more formal questioning there.

2. The second stage of Jesus’ trial is presided over by the titular high priest Caiaphas, Annas’ son-in-law, in the presence of the Sanhedrin (Matt. 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; Luke 22:54, 63-65). The Sanhedrin was hastily assembled at Caiaphas’ house, which is probably the same palace complex in which Caiaphas’ father-in-law Annas lived and had conducted the preliminary interrogation of Jesus. At this proceeding, the authorities found themselves in the unenviable position of having a defendant without a legal accusation or charge. While the normal purpose of the council would have been to consider the charges and weigh the evidence, it was forced by the circumstances into the position of justifying its assembly by soliciting testimony and inventing a charge, all in the middle of the night. Even then, the false witnesses could not agree on their misrepresentations of Jesus’ teaching, and no charge could be manufactured to stick. Finally, Jesus is adjured or compelled by the authorities to answer whether he is the Christ, and it is his admission to this question that results in an impulsive indictment of blasphemy. The accompanying physical abuse and mockery indicate just how rational were the deliberations of those who presumed to sit in judgment of Jesus.

3. The third stage of Jesus’ legal proceedings was the formal decision of the Sanhedrin, which was rendered at dawn and which resulted in Jesus being sent to Pilate (Matt. 27:1-2; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66-23:1). The record indicates that the primary charge finally decided upon by the Sanhedrin was blasphemy, based solely upon Jesus’ own statements. The sentence pronounced was death, but because the council was powerless to impose the death penalty, they needed to send Jesus to Pilate for execution.

4. The fourth stage of Jesus’ trial was Jesus’ first appearance before Pilate (Matt. 27:11-14; Mark 15:1-5; Luke 23:1-6; John 18:28-38a). At this point, the Jewish authorities were once again compelled to fabricate a charge against Jesus, but this time it had to be an indictment that would be valid in a Roman court of law. Therefore, the accusations brought before Pilate bear no resemblance to the blasphemy charge, but are distortions of Jesus’ teachings in order to misrepresent Jesus as a political and military threat to Rome.

5. Upon discovering that Jesus was from the region of Galilee, Pilate attempted to rid himself of the problem of Jesus by sending Jesus to Herod Antipas under the pretense that Galilee fell under Herod’s jurisdiction (Luke 23:6-12). Jesus refused to dignify the accusations against him and silently endured the additional mockery that was dispensed. All this interrogation seemed to accomplish was the establishing of a friendly rapport between Herod and Pilate.

6. Finally, Jesus is returned to Pilate, and at this sixth and last stage of the legal proceedings, Pilate bows to the mob and condemns Jesus to death by crucifixion (Matt. 27:15-31; Mark 15:6-15; Luke 23: 13-25; John 18:38b-19:16).

The Errors of the Trial

One of the most intriguing aspects of the trial of Jesus is the degree to which the Jewish authorities violated their own legal principles and procedures in their rush to condemn Jesus. While it is clear that some basic requirements of justice and fairness were completely ignored, we should be careful not to commit the same errors of judgment ourselves in unfairly condemning Jesus’ judges!

The records of Judaism, including the detailed legal principles and procedures which governed Jewish trials, only date back to A.D. 200, a couple of centuries after the time of Christ. While it is commonly assumed that these legal principles held precedence long before they were written down and would have applied in Jesus’ day, we cannot know for certain if this is true for every legal rule. In addition, because it was the Pharisaic form of Judaism which survived the fall of Jerusalem and came to be written down in A.D. 200, there is the additional consideration of how many of these Pharisaic principles might have applied in a time when the Sadducees were in control, as they were in Jesus’ day. Finally, due to the brevity of the gospel record, there is sometimes the question of whether a particular action qualified as a trial (e.g., was Annas’ interrogation of Jesus just an informal chat or an official legal proceeding?). However, there are still more than enough serious violations of Jewish legal requirements in Jesus’ trial.

Jewish law provided that no trials were to be conducted at night, and yet Jesus was twice subjected to nighttime legal interrogations. The fact that the Sanhedrin held a special dawn meeting to pass the official sentence (Matt. 27:1; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66; John 18:28) suggests how these legalists justified their illegal behavior and rationalized that their earlier behavior was not bound by any such rules.

They were also apparently not bound by the rules prohibiting (1) the admission of conflicting testimony, (2) the use of false witnesses, (3) the interviewing of witnesses in one another’s presence, or (4) the acceptance of a charge without a plurality of corroborating witnesses (even if one of the witnesses was the defendant himself). Caiaphas’ statement that no further witnesses were necessary (Matt. 26:65; Mark 14:63; Luke 22:71) is an obvious effort to bypass the required legal procedures, including the requirement that witnesses appear on behalf of the accused, which was never done.

Perhaps the most egregious violations involved the Sanhedrin’s very purpose for meeting. Instead of assembling to consider the merits of an accusation, the judges assumed the role of accuser and began fabricating a charge to justify Jesus’ arrest. When one charge wouldn’t work, they would simply try another, and finally invented an altogether new charge for Pilate’s consideration. No charge ever even came close to having collaborative testimony. The requirement of justice is to begin with every effort made to disprove any charge brought before the Sanhedrin, but in the case of Jesus, just the opposite was done — every plausible effort was made to incriminate him.

Finally, several minor principles also appear to have been ignored, such as the requirement that no single judge preside at any legal proceeding, no capital case be tried in a single day or on the day before the Sabbath, or no sentence be pronounced before the morning sacrifice.

The Significance of the Trial

While it is helpful to enumerate the many legal principles violated by Jesus’ judges, we should remember, of course, that this was not the focus of the gospel writers. They do not provide an exhaustive catalog of trial errors or argue legal technicalities. They are content to provide enough information that any honest reader, regardless of what legal system he was familiar with, could recognize the injustices done at Jesus’ trials.

In the case of the majority of the trial errors indicated by the gospel record, it is irrelevant whether the principles that were violated existed in codified form in Jesus’ day or were only developed at a later time. After all, these legal precedents were largely just simple applications of common sense and justice, governed by the universal principles of right and wrong, as opposed to subtle legal niceties and technicalities. It is the basic principle of justice with which the gospel writers are ultimately concerned, and which is ultimately violated by Jesus’ judges.

We should avoid the one extreme of finding legal errors under every rock and behind every tree, because there are legitimate questions regarding what principles of Jewish law may have applied in Jesus’ day and which actions qualified as violations. After all, some of the supposed violations are based upon legal technicalities and legal quibbling.

On the other hand, we should not go to the other extreme as modern, liberal scholarship has done, denying that we can conclude any legal errors were committed. This approach is nothing other than political correctness to absolve the Jews of any complicity in Jesus’ death — some even going so far as to argue that the Sanhedrin actually tried to save Jesus from the Romans! The indisputable fact remains that the Romans executed Jesus, but would have had absolutely no reason to do so apart from the agitation of the Jewish leaders.

But such efforts to point the finger of blame are ill-conceived and miss the real significance of Jesus’ trial — that no sinful man is fit to sit in judgment of Jesus and we are all responsible for the death of Jesus.

301 N. Calvert Ave., Muncie, Indiana 47303 thhamilton@home.com 

By Walton Weaver

Most of the time when Luke 23:34, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do,” is used, only the first part of Jesus’ prayer, “Father forgive them,” is discussed. But is not the last part also important? The words, “for they know not what they do,” show how unaware those who crucified our Lord were of the magnitude of their crime. They were totally ignorant of what they were doing.

We might be surprised just how much the Bible has to say about the ignorance of those who crucified Jesus. What did those who crucified Jesus not know about this horrendous act which they committed? Consider the following. They did not know:

That They Were Fulfilling Prophecy

We may safely assume, it seems to me, that the Jews at least should have known, but they did not. Though they were accustomed to searching the Scriptures, there were many things in them that they had failed to understand. Jesus challenged them on one occasion to search the Scriptures because they testified concerning him (John 5:39). After his death and resurrection he also said that both his resurrection and the very things that had been done in persecuting him and putting him to death were a fulfillment of the Scriptures (Luke 24:46).

What Scriptures would Jesus have had in mind? We know as a matter of fact that Psalm 22 was one part of the Scriptures Jesus recalled and applied to his own sufferings and death: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (v. 1); “He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him” (v. 8); “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture” (v. 18). Consider also Psalm 69:21, which states, “. . . in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink,” and Psalm 2:2, “the kings of the earth set themselves,  and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed.” Isaiah 50:6 also describes suffering and humiliation like that which Jesus experienced, when it says, “I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.” Isaiah 63:3 depicts his loneliness as he had been forsaken by all to suffer and die alone: “I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me.” And who does not remember Psalm 34:20 which says, “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken”? Isaiah 53:3-8, 12, you will recall, gives a detailed account of the suffering, trial and crucifixion, and Zechariah 12:10 declared, “. . . they shall look upon me whom they have pierced.”

That They Were Crucifying the Lord of Glory

Of those who put Jesus to death the apostle Paul said,   “. . . had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8). In this passage he identifies those who crucified Jesus as “the rulers” or “princes” (KJV) of this world (age). Paul may be thinking of the pagan rulers, or Romans, here, meaning Pilate and other Roman officials who were involved. We know, of course, that both Jewish and Roman leaders were guilty of crucifying Jesus. On the day of Pentecost Peter declared, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). He puts the blame for Jesus’ death by crucifixion on the backs of the Jews in this statement. The Jews had turned Jesus over to the Romans that they might crucify him, so they were also guilty of the same crime. Earlier in this same sermon Peter shows that it was the Jews (through they did it by turning him over to the Romans courts) who crucified him: “Him, being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death” (Acts 2:23, NKJV). Yet, like it was with the Romans, what the Jews did here, they also did in ignorance. 

In Peter’s second recorded sermon in Acts, he says, “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers” (Acts 3:17; see also Acts 5:30, 31; 7:52; 10:39). All alike were guilty: the Roman rulers, the rulers of the Jews, and all others who cried out, “let him be crucified.” But they all alike also did what they did “in ignorance.” Neither the Romans nor the Jews knew they were crucifying “the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8), nor did they know him to be “Prince and Savior” (Acts 5:31), or “the Lord from heaven” (1 Cor. 15:47). Had they known these kinds of things about him, Paul says they would not have crucified him. As the God-man he was their only hope (John 3:16, 17; Acts 4:12), God’s “unspeakable gift” (2 Cor. 9:15), but they did not know it.

That They Were Being Used of Satan

The devil was the one behind the whole scheme:  “. . . the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him . . .” (John 13:2). John 13:17 says, “And after the sop Satan entered into him (Judas).” The devil used Judas to betray Jesus “into the hands of sinners” (Matt. 26:45; Mark 14:41). Just as their fathers persecuted the prophets and “slew the ones which showed the coming of the Just One (Jesus),” so now, Stephen charges as they stone him to death, they had become the betrayers and murderers of Jesus (Acts 7:52). But the one behind it all was the devil. He put it into the heart for Judas to betray him, and he put it into the heart of the chief priest to find him guilty of blasphemy, and Pilate to condemn him.

But in reality, Jesus’ death would prove to be a defeat for Satan. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15). The contrast between the wound on the heel of Jesus and the head of the serpent is striking. That it would be a strike to the head of the serpent means that it would be a mortal wound inflicted by the very one who was only slightly wounded himself (“on the heel”). No doubt both Satan and those being used by him would think that Christ’s death on the cross would be the end, or final defeat, of Christ and his cause, but God had planned all along that it would be the very means by which Satan himself would be defeated and finally destroyed.  Look, for example, at Hebrews 2:14: “. . . that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil,” and 1 John 3:8: “. . . the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 

That They Were Fulfilling God’s Divine Plan

Isaiah had announced many centuries before that “it pleased the Lord to bruise him: he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. . . .” (Isa. 53:10). Those who crucified Jesus were carrying out God’s divine plan without knowing it. In a verse we quoted earlier, Peter said to his audience on Pentecost that the Jesus whom they had “taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain,” had been “delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). This would not, however, excuse Judas who would betray him, according to Jesus’ own pronouncement: “And truly the son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed” (Luke 22:22, NKJV). Jesus told Pilate, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above . . .” (John 19:11).

1820 Hairston Ave., Conway, Arkansas 72032 wpweaver@arkansas.net

By Bob Hutto

Though we are to address Jesus’ agony in the Garden the night before his death, the fact is, we cannot appreciate his agony in the Garden until we know something about crucifixion. Jesus knew all about it. He likely had seen people crucified, and so was well acquainted with the horrors of the cross. By all accounts “crucifixion was a punishment in which the caprice and sadism of the executioners were given full rein” (Hengel 25). Furthermore, he knew that he was the suffering servant Isaiah had described centuries earlier. He knew that he had come to the earth to die on the cross as part of the divine plan of redemption and had even spoken of his death from the beginning of his public ministry (John 3:14; Mark 8:31; Matt. 20:18-19). So, when Jesus comes to the Garden, the strong emotions that would naturally accompany the prospect of crucifixion begin to come to the surface (Matt. 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46).

The Gospels tell us that the night before Jesus was betrayed he left the upper room with his disciples, crossed the Kidron Valley (cf. the flight of David from Absalom, 2 Sam. 15), and resorted to the Mount of Olives. A garden called Gethsemane was there, perhaps a grove of olive trees, where Jesus often went to pray. In this Garden, Jesus faced enormous pressure as he prepared for the next day’s events. The scene can be divided into three sections: (1) Jesus going to pray; (2) the prayer of Jesus; (3) Jesus returning from prayer when “the hour” had come.

Jesus Goes To Pray

The first portion of the episode emphasizes the aloneness of Christ. The further Jesus went into the Garden, the more isolated he became. He had left the crowded city and come to a remote area outside its walls. Eight of his disciples stayed at the entrance of the Garden while Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him further. Finally, even these three were left behind, about a stone’s throw distance, and Jesus was alone. He had asked the disciples to watch with him, but they slept. He was cut off from everyone who might have given him support. Truly, there was “no friend with words to comfort, nor hand to help was there.”

Four words are used to describe Jesus’ state of mind in the Garden — lupeo, ademoneo, ekthambeo, and perilupos. The first is found in the LXX in Lamentations 1:22 where it expresses the grief of Jeremiah over the fall of Jerusalem. It is also found in Psalm 55:2 (LXX: Ps. 54) where David describes his own emotional state under the “pressure of the wicked” (vv. 4-8; see also Ps. 42:5-6; 43:5. Of course, the statements of these psalms find their fullest expression in the Son of David, Jesus Christ.) The fourth word (perilupos), used by Jesus himself (Mark 14:34), can be understood as an intensive form lupeo. According to Lightfoot, ademoneo describes “the . . . restless, half-distracted state, which is produced by . . . mental distress” (l23). Ekthambeo “is to be understood as an intensive form [of thambeo] in the sense of ‘strong amazement or fear’” (Bertram 4). In addition to these four words, Luke says that Jesus was “in agony” as he prayed. One gets the feeling that no English translation does full justice to the idea conveyed by these words. In fact, the impact of these words is not adequately felt by looking at them separately, but by taking them all together as they are piled one upon another to describe Jesus’ anguish in Gethsemane.

Two other items are worthy of note. First, as France points out, this is the only time it is said that Jesus “fell on his face,” another expression of extreme (373). Then there is Luke’s description of Jesus’ sweat (Luke 22:44). Some maintain that this is an example of hematidrosis, an “intense dilation of subcutaneous capillaries that burst into the sweat glands. The blood then clots and is carried to the surface of the skin by the sweat” (Brown 185). However, it seems more likely that Luke is simply saying that Jesus sweated profusely under the intense pressure of the Garden (notice that the sweat became as great drops of blood, not that he actually sweated blood).

Most of us can only imagine the distress Jesus felt in the Garden. Perhaps those who have gone into battle facing the prospect of death have experienced something like this, but often these have at least the hope of survival. Jesus knew that he would die. Add to this the nature of Jesus’ death, his being alienated from all who might offer encouragement, and the weight of sin which he carried to the cross and the wonder is not that Jesus was distressed, but that he did not collapse altogether. His words, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death,” surely are no hyperbole. It comes as no surprise that an angel was sent to strengthen him (Luke 22:43).

Jesus Prays

Mark summarizes the prayer of Jesus before he relates it in detail. Jesus prayed that “the hour” might pass from him. Some suggest that the hour refers not to the cross itself, but either to the distress in the Garden or the tortures leading up to the cross, and that Jesus was praying that he be given strength so that he not die before his crucifixion. This, however, seems to be an attempt to avoid the problem of Jesus expressing a desire not to go to the cross which was the Father’s plan and the very reason Jesus came to the earth (cf. Heb. 10:1-10). Notice that Jesus said, “the hour is at hand” after his prayer (Matt. 26:45). The hour must refer to the time when the full force of Satan would be unleashed upon the Son of God in the ultimate clash between evil and good at the cross and the events surrounding it.

Jesus prays. He addresses God, “Abba, Father” (Mark 14:36). Though “Abba” expresses the intimate relationship Jesus had with the Father, it is not the same as our “Daddy” (Barr). Nor does it necessarily imply a unique relationship inasmuch as all Christians may “cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Rom. 8:15). Perhaps the important thing here is that Jesus continues to appeal to God as Father even in this hour of trial. Just as he had prayed that the hour might pass from him, Jesus prays that “this cup” might pass from him. He had previously asked the two sons of Zebedee if they were able to drink the same cup he was to drink (Matt. 20:22-23). They said that they were, but as Jesus prayed in the Garden, James and John slept. The word “cup” is sometimes used figuratively in the Bible to refer to a person’s destiny or portion in life, whether good or ill (Pss. 23:5; 11:6). It often represents God’s wrath (Isa. 51:17; Rev. 14:10; Pss. 11:6; 75:8). In our passage, the cup may simply refer to the cross and its concomitant events as Jesus’ destiny. But since Christ is the propitiation for our sins (that is, the one who appeases God’s wrath against sin in our stead), it is hard not to think that “this cup” includes Christ’s bearing God’s wrath. Jesus concludes the prayer by stating what was always primary for him, “Yet not my will, but Yours be done.” Though Jesus did not delight in the idea of crucifixion, he was willing to go if the Father so willed.

Jesus Returns From Prayer

Matthew tells us that Jesus prayed this prayer three times. After the first and second prayers he came to his disciples and found them sleeping. He had told them to “keep watch with me” and “pray.” That is, they were to accompany Jesus in this ordeal and give him support. Anyone who has been in the hospital with serious illness knows how comforting it is to have others there watching and praying. But in their weakness and ignorance of the circumstances the disciples slept, leaving Jesus to suffer alone. Once the episode in the Garden was over, Jesus went without resistance into the hands of his enemies and eventually to the cross. He knew what must be done, so he “arose” (anastas) and with quiet determination proceeded to do it. As he himself said, “I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished” (Luke 12:50).

Observations and Conclusion

There are interesting issues raised by the events in the Garden. For example, how could the Son of God be so troubled about his impending death? The description of Jesus in the Garden is important if we are to have an accurate understanding of his nature. Only an insane person would go to the cross without concern and cavalierly. Of course, Jesus was not insane. He was, however, fully human, and as a human he dreaded the cross. As for deity experiencing the distress that Jesus experienced we would say that when the two natures were united in the person of Jesus, things that may not have been possible for either nature separate from the other became possible in Christ. (For example, it is not possible for the Divine to get thirsty, but since the divine nature was united with human nature, Jesus thirsted. Similarly, it is not possible for humans to forgive sin in the same way that the Divine can, but since the human nature was united with the divine nature, Jesus pronounced forgiveness). So, though it may not seem that Deity would experience this kind of distress, it becomes possible when the divine nature is united with human nature in the person of Jesus.

The Gethsemane episode shares a number of corresponding features with the Transfiguration and the two should be considered as complements, each emphasizing one of the two natures of Christ. Both episodes take place on a mountain; Peter, James, and John are present at both; the disciples sleep at both. At the Transfiguration we see the full deity of Jesus as his glory (a characteristic of deity, 1 Tim. 6:16) shines through (Luke 9:32). In the Garden we see his full humanity with all its frailty. In fact, the ancient writers used this passage as proof of the genuine humanity of Jesus against the Docetists. It is just this dual nature that enables Jesus to be a sympathetic high priest (Heb. 4:14-16; 2:18).

A second question has to do with the apparent conflict between Jesus’ will and his Father’s. Jesus prayed that the cup pass from him, but it was the Father’s will that he drink it. If the Father and Son are one (John 10:30), how can there be disagreement between them? The conflict is only apparent. As Jesus had taught his disciples, so he prayed (Matt. 6:10). The heart of the prayer is, “Thy will be done.” In fact, this idea is repeated as Jesus prays. Notice Luke’s account, “Father if You are willing . . . Yet not my will, but Yours be done.” Jesus’ will is to do the Father’s will, and there is certainly no conflict between them on the deepest and most significant level. In the Garden, Jesus, the man, is searching for possibilities within, not contrary to, the Father’s will. 

Perhaps the practical value of this episode is that Jesus provides a model for his disciples to follow. Jesus teaches us what to do when distressed — pray and obey. Jesus prayed for a particular thing and then with quiet resolve did the Father’s will, becoming obedient to the point of death on the cross (cf. Heb. 5:7-9). In our prayers we should “let (our) requests be made known to God,” yet with the understanding that the Father’s will is to control all of them, then with quiet resolve do his will. It may not be the Father’s will to remove the trial from us, but he will not abandon us and we will be “able to do all things through him who strengthens us.” Remember in both good times and hard, do what Jesus did — pray and obey.

No one who is serious about being a Christian can remain unmoved as they think of Jesus’ agony in the Garden. But why did he “drink the bitter cup”? Because he loved us so. It was our sin, indeed it was my sin (!) that took him there. Let us think deeply of his distress, his grief and sorrow, and fashion our lives accordingly.

Works Cited

Barr, James. “Abba Isn’t Daddy.” Journal of Theological Studies 39 (1988): 28-47. Bertram, Georg. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, eds. Translated by G. Bromiley. Vol. 3. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965. Brown, Raymond. The Death of the Messiah. Vol. 1. New York: Doubleday, 1994. France, R.T. The Gospel According to Matthew. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987. Hengel, Martin. Crucifixion in the Ancient World and the Folly of the Message of the Cross. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971. Lightfoot, J.B. St. Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians. 1868. Reprint. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1953.

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By Marc W. Gibson

While riding in his chariot along the deserted road from Jerusalem to Gaza, the Ethiopian eunuch was reading the scripture in Isaiah now commonly referred to as the Suffering Servant passage (Acts 8:26ff). We are told the exact place where he was reading when Philip ran to him — Isaiah 53:7-8. The eunuch no doubt had just read those moving words about the suffering of someone yet unknown to him: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by his stripes we are healed” (vv. 4-5). His first question to Philip was concerning the identity of this person. “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:35).

Jesus — The Suffering Servant of God

Suffering was an integral part of the work of Jesus in coming to this earth. His talk of impending suffering and death confused his own disciples who, like so many in that day, had pictured the Messiah as a powerful and triumphant earthly king who would bring back the glory days of physical Israel (Matt. 16:21-23; 17:22-23; John 6:15). Jesus, after his death and resurrection, rebuked the despondency of Cleopas and his companion, saying, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:25-26). To the apostles Jesus said, “‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’ And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day” (Luke 24:44-46). It was through suffering that Jesus “learned obedience,” and “having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Heb. 5:7-9). His suffering and death was necessary for his perfection and for the accomplishment of our salvation from sin. We would be consumed with unending sorrow over his suffering for our sins if it were not for the rejoicing that we have knowing that the same suffering provided the forgiveness of our sins. His suffering made possible our return to glory (Heb. 2:9-11).

His Example in Suffering

The epistle of 1 Peter was written to Christians who were suffering. This suffering was not due to an accident, poverty, or a lack of education. They were enduring persecution and trials for simply being Christians and living godly (2:20; 3:14; 4:4, 12-19; 5:9-10). Peter develops a theme of suffering and glory to strengthen these brethren. Early in the letter, he mentioned the “suffering of Christ and the glories that would follow” (1:11). The Christian’s suffering and glory are directly linked to Jesus’ suffering and glory. We can know that this is true because Peter points directly to Jesus’ sufferings as an example for us: “But when you do good and suffer for it, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ‘Who committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth’; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (2:20b-23).

Three major points stand out in this passage as lessons for us: (1) We were called to suffer patiently. The sufferings of the Christian are not to be considered strange, but a blessing (4:12; 3:14). Jesus warned his disciples that the worlthat all who desire to live godly would suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). (2) Jesus left us an example of how to react to suffering. Jesus did not revile, threaten, nor sin in any way. Likewise, we are not to be “returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this” (3:9). It was Jesus who taught us to “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). Jesus lived what he preached. (3) We must commit ourselves to God. Total commitment to a faithful God is the foundation of a Christian’s endurance through trial. “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator” (4:19). In view of the supreme example of Jesus, it is no wonder that Peter tells the suffering Christian to “rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings” and to “not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter” (4:13, 16). 

Our Hope of Glory

The trials and sufferings of this life help us develop patience (Jas. 1:2-4), confidence in God’s promises (Heb. 10:32-35), and steadfastness in the faith (1 Pet. 5:9). The hope of future glory gives us renewed strength. With Paul, we look to God’s promises and “consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18). Jesus is the originator and perfecter of such faith, “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2). This joy was not received until Jesus completed the road of suffering. We must follow the example of him who was rejected of men, betrayed, abused, persecuted, and killed. “For consider Him who endured such hostility against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls” (Heb. 12:3). He suffered for us — shall we not willingly partake of his sufferings and, afterward, receive the reward of eternal glory to come?

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