Six different trials. Six different times Jesus stood before a judge as the Jews desperately tried to find him guilty. But six different times—in front of Annas, then Caiaphas, then the Sanhedrin, then Pilate, then Herod Antipas, then Pilate again—they couldn’t rightfully find anything to condemn. Jesus truly was innocent. Nothing in his entire life warranted punishment, and not even six corrupt trials could manage to prove otherwise.
And corrupt they indeed were! From trying Jesus at night to slapping him to hearing no other witness testimonies, this entire legal process was bursting with illegality. The very teachers of the law were tossing aside the laws which existed to protect justice. But even still, these great Jewish leaders, the wonderfully pious and righteous men that they were, made sure to keep themselves pure by not entering a Gentile house during Passover—as the law required. Note the scathing irony of this. Even as they struck the Lord and corrupted his courts, they strictly adhered to select laws to make themselves feel like good, godly people. We should make sure to avoid this kind of hypocrisy. God’s commands are not to be cherry-picked!
Under the surface, those who tried Jesus were compromising truth. Generally speaking, if you have to compromise on what is true or use deceitful tactics to support your intentions, that’s a pretty clear sign that your intentions are wrong. But if you really are walking in truth according to God’s will, you should have no problem being truthful about everything. No wonder the Jews used corruption and violence and even tried to manipulate Pilate: in trying to condemn the Christ, truth was not on their side.
Be cautious against hypocrisy. Be cautious of all the ways you feel like you have to operate in darkness. For Christ Jesus who was blameless and righteous, there was nothing he needed to hide. Those trying to put the Son of God to death could not say the same. But if we walk in truth and total obedience to God, as Jesus did, we should have no problem with taking every step and thought in the light. After all, truth will always win out in the end.
