Day 1130 - Why Do We Still Need Witnesses?

A Bible Study at Second Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga, TN, January 14, 2016 - The Arrest and Trial of Jesus in Mark 14:32-72

I apologize for the delay in posting my latest reflections. I have no one to blame but this garage I’m trying to complete - and me. As I looked at my drafts I find this post never was published. It may prove timely because we will finish the Gospel of Mark about the time Lent begins.

 How often do we leap reactively to conclusions (judgments) about things, be it politics, a news item about an alleged crime, or gossip about an acquaintance. The arrest and trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin is a classic example of working from a presumptive conclusion.

Mark uses this event to give us a fairly painful picture of the irony of our lives, how we say one thing but do the opposite. Does it not truly capture the essence of human fallibility?

Last week we left with Jesus quoting Isaiah on the loyalty of his followers as he faced the final days of this week in Jerusalem at Passover. In Mark 14:26-31, “When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  And Jesus said to them, ‘You will all become deserters; for it is written,

            ‘I will strike the shepherd,

                        and the sheep will be scattered.’

But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.’  Peter said to him, ‘Even though all become deserters, I will not.”  Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.’  But he said vehemently, ‘Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.’ And all of them said the same.”

Now we pick up the time spent in Gethsemane.

Mark 14:32-52: They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”  ³³ He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated.  ³⁴ And said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.”  ³⁵ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.  ³⁶ He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.”  ³⁷ He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour?  ³⁸ Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  ³⁹ And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.  ⁴⁰ And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him.  ⁴¹ He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  ⁴² Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.”

⁴³Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; and with him there was a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.  ⁴⁴ Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.”  ⁴⁵ So when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him.  ⁴⁶ Then they laid hands on him and arrested him.  ⁴⁷ But one of those who stood near drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear.  ⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit?  ⁴⁹ Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled.”  ⁵⁰ All of them deserted him and fled.

⁵¹ A certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him,  ⁵² but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked.

Remember that Jesus addressed the Lord as Abba – a familiar term for father best translated “Daddy.” Also notice that Jesus is reflecting the human character of dread, foreboding and desire to avoid this horrible fate, yet when a time for violence to oppose his arrest arises, what does he do? He chides the high priest who could have arrested Jesus at any time in daylight before everyone but rather seeks his objective in the cover of night.

What does everyone else do? Just as Jesus has predicted, everyone has abandoned him in the face of this religious attack.

Now the Sanhedrin has determined to do its official act of trial this evening.

Tellingly, Jesus’ prediction of abandonment has come true. It is often remarked that the young man who ran away naked represents to ultimate statement of loss. In Palestinian Hebrew culture, nakedness was the most humiliating and face-losing circumstance to be avoided at any cost. The followers of Jesus have nothing to cling in the face of this arrest.

Mark 14:53-65 They took Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes were assembled. Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, warming himself at the fire.  Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none.  For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree.  Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying,  “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’”  But even on this point their testimony did not agree.

⁶⁰ Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?”  ⁶¹ But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”  ⁶² Jesus said, “I am; and

            ‘you will see the Son of Man

            seated at the right hand of the Power,’

            and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.’”

⁶³ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses?  ⁶⁴ You have heard his blasphemy! What is your decision?” All of them condemned him as deserving death.  ⁶⁵ Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” The guards also took him over and beat him.

This subsequent trial has many oddities. The Talmud specifically forbids the trial process followed by the Sanhedrin. The Talmud forbids a trial meeting at night, especially one involving a potential death sentence. A trial is forbidden on a holy day or the day before the Sabbath since it could not be concluded on the Sabbath. A case with the potential for a death sentence can never be done by private interrogation and requires two days by Jewish law to bring witnesses, (something not desired by the Sanhedrin who feared the crowd.) Jewish law also says if the verdict is unanimous, it results in acquittal since there was no advocate present to speak for innocence. (See, for example, http://www.netbiblestudy.com/00_cartimages/illegaltrialofjesus.pdf) 

This trial is such a flagrant violation of the Law. The Law demands witnesses, but the Sanhedrin and Chief Priest does explicitly in his exclamation, “Why do we still need witnesses?” what it has implicitly done in its practice of maintaining the temple and worship, he flaunts the Law as Jesus has criticized them since he entered Jerusalem. They have used the Law in their mind to achieve an end that satisfies them, the death of Jesus, but ironically they fulfill the opposite, the promise of the Law, the purpose of Jesus who said he came not to do away with the law but to fulfill it.

Mark 14:66-72  While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came by.  ⁶⁷ When she saw Peter warming himself, she stared at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.”  ⁶⁸ But he denied it, saying, “I do not know or understand what you are talking about.” And he went out into the forecourt. Then the cock crowed.  ⁶⁹ And the servant-girl, on seeing him, began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.”  ⁷⁰ But again he denied it. Then after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.”  ⁷¹ But he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know this man you are talking about.”  ⁷² At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

Do you see the visual irony in the contrast of Jesus at trial and Peter in the courtyard. In stark contrast to Jesus, who is inside being questioned before the high priest, the most powerful Jew in Israel, Peter stands outside quailing before a female servant, a person of no power.

Reflection

In some ways Mark 14:53-65 forms an important climax to the Gospel of Mark. As predicted several times, Jesus has been taken into custody and has been brought before the ruling priests, elders, and scribes to face charges. Many accusations are brought before the assembly, including one claiming that Jesus has threatened to destroy and then rebuild the temple. But none of the accusations can be properly verified. Finally, the high priest himself directly asks Jesus if he is the Messiah, the son of the Blessed One (i.e., God). Mark told the reader in the first verse of the Gospel that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God (1:1). During Mark’s gospel from time to time only frightened spirits, the disciples and God have acknowledged Jesus’ divine identity  (spirits - 1:24; 3:11; 5:7), (disciples: 8:29), (God: 1:11; 9:7). Jesus has sought to keep this a secret until now as he faces the high priest, who has been offended and threatened by Jesus’ activities in Jerusalem the past week. Jesus is a threat to his entire world, a mortal enemy.

Jesus has overturned tables in the Temple Court, prophetically reminding the listeners that the temple was to be “a house of prayer for all the Gentiles;” instead, it had become “a cave of robbers” (11:17, quoting Is. 56:7; Jer 7:11). Jesus continued teaching in the precincts. Using a parable he predicted that the ruling priests would lose their stewardship and that he himself, the rejected son, would be vindicated (12:1–12); with irony he warned of greedy scribes who oppress rather than assist the poor (12:38–40, 41–44); and he answered or reversed all questions put to him (11:27–33; 12:13–17, 18–27, 28–34, 35–37).

Even without His predictions, Mark’s readers would not fail to expect the inevitable clash between Jesus and the priestly establishment. Rome seems on the sidelines, but everyone in the Roman Empire knows that talk of the kingdom of God and presenting oneself as the divine anointed agent of this kingdom would ultimately lead to a collision with Roman power and the cruel reprisal of crucifixion.

In this passage what had up to now been a Jewish affair transitions into a Roman affair. The reader who may not have known about the religious trial without this gospel now knows how the story of Jesus moved from an intensely Jewish debate to a Roman crucifixion.

The high priest’s demand that Jesus answer his question, “Are you the Messiah, the son of the Blessed?” sets the stage for Jesus’ unequivocal affirmation: “I am; and you will see ‘the son of man’ seated ‘at the right hand’ of the Power and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven’” and the priests direct violation of the Law.

The identity of this mysterious “son of man,” that Jesus employed in reference to himself many times, now is evident. The meaning of epithet “Messiah” is now far more than being a mere “son of David.” The Messiah is this anointed “son of man,” who has received from God kingdom and authority. The “son of man” is more than David’s son; he is David’s “lord” (12:35–37).

He is also Lord of the temple and its caretakers, as they will find out, when they see the “son of man” coming with the clouds, seated at the right hand of God. He is Lord of All. Implicit in Jesus’ connection of phrases from Daniel 7:13 and Ps 110:1 (v 62) implicitly makes his divine status and the threat of judgment on those who judge him. Outraged, the priests condemn Jesus to death and send him out to be handed over to the Roman authorities who have to only power to actually implement this outrageous verdict.

We have read a story about presumptive judgment with dire but world-changing importance. If Mark's gospel is the gospel to the oppressed and marginalized, is this talk of presumptive judgment speaking to the oppressed and the marginalized, the oppressor and the one who marginalizes, or both?  How often do we base our actions on our own preconceived judgment about an issue or a person, rather than consider the heart of the matter and thereby let injustice prevail?

Note: In my writings on this part of Mark, I often rely upon Craig Evan's commentary in the Word Bible Commentary (vol 34, Mark 8:27-16:20) because it is available in Accordance, a very good exegetical reference software, not to give any precedence to his commentary over the many very good others ones, such a the ones by Brian Blount and Lamar Williamson, Jr., to name two. Some of my comments in this post are drawn from Evan's reflections in his commentary.