The King on Trial
Introduction: The Ultimate Kangaroo Court
We have come to the moment where all the lines of human history cross. Here, in the pre-dawn chill of Jerusalem, we witness the ultimate act of cosmic rebellion. The creature has summoned the Creator to the dock. The clay has decided to pass judgment on the Potter. The Sanhedrin, the highest court of the Jews, has assembled not for justice, but for a lynching. This is not a trial; it is a show trial. It is a political assassination wrapped in the thin veneer of legal procedure.
We must understand that this scene is not simply an unfortunate miscarriage of justice. It is the very pinnacle of human sinfulness. This is what happens when men who have rejected God are given power. They will inevitably use that power to try and stamp out God Himself. The Sanhedrin was a coalition of the corrupt establishment, the Sadducees who denied the resurrection and the Pharisees who were whitewashed tombs. They had different theological squabbles, but they were united in their hatred for the one who exposed them both. They had to get rid of Jesus because His very existence was a judgment on their fraudulent authority.
This is a clash of kingdoms. The kingdom of darkness, with its legalisms, its power plays, its lies, and its fear of the light, has arrayed itself against the Kingdom of God, which stands before them in the person of one bound, beaten, and solitary man. They think they hold all the cards. They have the council, the guards, the political leverage. They believe they are about to solve their Jesus problem. What they do not realize is that they are not the judges in this scene. They are the defendants, and their every word and action is being entered into the court record of heaven. They are not condemning Jesus; they are condemning themselves.
And we must not think this is merely ancient history. Every culture that rejects Christ eventually puts Him on trial. Our own secular, godless age does this constantly. Our courts, our universities, our media, they all summon Jesus to the dock and demand that He answer for His crimes against their new gods of autonomy, sexual liberation, and radical equality. They ask, "Are you the Christ?" not because they want to know, but because they want an excuse to condemn Him. The scene before us in Luke is the archetype for the world's perpetual rebellion against its rightful King.
The Text
And as the day came, the Sanhedrin of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their Sanhedrin, saying, "If You are the Christ, tell us." But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask a question, you will not answer. But from now on THE SON OF MAN WILL BE SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND of the power OF GOD." And they all said, "Are You the Son of God, then?" And He said to them, "You yourselves say that I am." Then they said, "What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth."
(Luke 22:66-71 LSB)
The Pre-Dawn Conspiracy (v. 66)
We begin with the assembly of this illegal court.
"And as the day came, the Sanhedrin of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their Sanhedrin, saying..." (Luke 22:66)
The timing is crucial: "as the day came." This was a hurried, illegitimate meeting. Jewish law forbade capital trials from being conducted at night. They were rushing this through in the dark because they were creatures of the dark, and their deeds were evil. They knew that if the crowds, many of whom had hailed Jesus as a prophet just days before, were to see this spectacle, there could be an uproar. Justice requires daylight. Tyranny loves the shadows.
Notice the coalition: chief priests, scribes, and elders. This was the entire religious establishment. The liberal Sadducees who controlled the Temple and collaborated with Rome, and the conservative Pharisees who prided themselves on their meticulous law-keeping. When the true light of the world shows up, the fake lights on the left and the right suddenly find common cause in trying to extinguish it. Their unity was not in truth, but in their shared hatred for the Truth.
The Question That Is Not a Question (v. 67-68)
They begin with what appears to be a straightforward question, but it is a trap.
"'If You are the Christ, tell us.' But He said to them, 'If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask a question, you will not answer.'" (Luke 22:67-68 LSB)
This is not an honest inquiry. It is a legal maneuver. If Jesus says "No," He denies His entire ministry. If He says "Yes," they can charge Him with blasphemy. But more than that, they can twist the title "Christ," the Messiah, into a political charge of sedition to take to Pilate. They need a charge that will stick with the Romans, and "King of the Jews" is just the ticket.
Jesus's response is not an evasion. It is a diagnosis of their terminal spiritual condition. He pulls back the curtain on their wicked hearts. He says, in effect, "This is not a debate. We are not engaged in a mutual search for truth. Your minds are made up. Your wills are set against me. If I give you the plain truth, your unbelief will choke on it. And if I ask you a question to expose your hypocrisy, as I have done many times before, you will refuse to answer." He is telling them that they are not operating in good faith. You cannot reason with men who have already decided to murder you. Their problem was not a lack of evidence; it was a lack of righteousness.
The Real Verdict (v. 69)
Having exposed their bad faith, Jesus now ignores their sham proceedings and delivers the true verdict. He tells them who is really in charge.
"But from now on THE SON OF MAN WILL BE SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND of the power OF GOD." (Luke 22:69 LSB)
This statement is a nuclear bomb detonated in their midst. Jesus is not defending Himself. He is judging them. He combines two of the most powerful Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. First, He calls Himself the "Son of Man." This is a direct reference to Daniel 7, where the Son of Man comes on the clouds of heaven and is presented before the Ancient of Days to receive an everlasting dominion and a kingdom that will never be destroyed. This is an explicit claim to divine authority and universal rule.
Second, He says He will be "seated at the right hand of the power of God." This is a direct quote from Psalm 110:1, "The LORD said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.'" The right hand of God is the place of ultimate sovereignty, power, and authority. Jesus is telling them, "You think you are about to condemn me. But what you are actually doing is enthroning me. This sham trial, this cross you are preparing, this is my path to glory. From this moment on, my reign begins." He is declaring that His crucifixion is His coronation. His apparent defeat is His ultimate victory. He is not the one on trial; He is the one ascending to the throne.
The Confession They Demanded (v. 70-71)
They hear the claim to divinity loud and clear, and they pounce.
"And they all said, 'Are You the Son of God, then?' And He said to them, 'You yourselves say that I am.' Then they said, 'What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.'" (Luke 22:70-71 LSB)
They move from "Christ" to "Son of God." They know exactly what He is claiming. This is the blasphemy charge they've been fishing for. And Jesus's answer is a masterful confirmation: "You yourselves say that I am." This is a Hebraic form of affirmation. It is not a dodge. It is a "Yes," but it is a "Yes" that throws the responsibility right back on them. It is as if He said, "You have spoken the truth. Now you must deal with the consequences of having heard it and said it." He makes them the witnesses to the very truth they are about to condemn.
And with that, they have what they need. "What further need do we have of testimony?" The irony is thick enough to cut with a knife. They think they have just secured their case. In reality, they have just sealed their own damnation. They have heard the truth from the lips of Truth Himself, and their response is not to fall on their faces in worship, but to cry for His blood. They have become their own star witnesses for the prosecution... against themselves. In their attempt to convict Jesus of blasphemy, they commit the ultimate blasphemy: rejecting the Son of God who stood in their presence.
Conclusion: The Enduring Question
This trial was not the end. It was the beginning of a trial that continues in every generation, in every human heart. The world, like the Sanhedrin, is still putting Jesus on trial. The question is always the same: "Are you the Son of God?" Are you really the King? Do you really have all authority in heaven and on earth?
And Jesus's answer has not changed. "From now on the Son of Man is seated at the right hand of the power of God." His authority is not a future possibility; it is a present, reigning reality. He is Lord now. His enemies are being made His footstool now. The nations are His inheritance now.
And so we are all faced with the same choice as the Sanhedrin. We can hear His claim to absolute authority and, like them, declare it to be blasphemy against our own cherished idols of self-sovereignty and autonomy. We can seek for "further testimony" to justify our rebellion. Or, we can hear His claim, believe it, and bow the knee. There is no third option. You are either on the bench with Caiaphas, condemning the King, or you are on your face before the throne, worshipping Him.
The good news of the gospel is that the very act they used to condemn Him, His death on the cross, is the very means by which we can be forgiven for our part in that condemnation. He took the judgment they pronounced, and the judgment we deserve, upon Himself. He was condemned so that we could be acquitted. He was put on trial so that we could be set free. The question is, what will you do with the King who stands before you?