The Son of Man Judged Before the Son of God
VBC Albuquerque · Mar 10, 2024
This sermon focuses on the trial of Jesus before the Jewish council, where He was accused of blasphemy despite being sinless. Through the interrogations by Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, the sermon explores the paradox of man judging God and the vindication of Christ's righteousness. The central message is that Jesus, the Son of Man, submitted to crucifixion to achieve redemption for humanity.
The sermon opens by posing the question: who has authority to judge the Son of Man of God? The prophecy of Jesus in Matthew 26:1-2 reveals that He will be delivered to be crucified, but this is not the result of chaos but part of God's redemptive plan. The chief priests and elders conspired to arrest and kill Jesus, yet they worried about doing so during the feast to avoid causing a riot among the people.
The second section develops Jesus' trial in three stages. First, He was arrested and brought before Annas, then to Caiaphas the high priest. When questioned about His disciples and teaching, Jesus answered that He had always spoken plainly and taught in synagogues and temples where all Jews gathered, and He had spoken nothing in secret. The Sanhedrin sought false testimony against Jesus but found none, despite many false witnesses. Finally, two witnesses testified falsely that Jesus said He could destroy God's temple and rebuild it in three days.
The third section explores the moral paradox of the trial. When Caiaphas demanded that Jesus swear by the living God and declare whether He was the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus replied that He would sit at the right hand of Power and come on the clouds of heaven. Caiaphas tore his robes and declared Jesus guilty of blasphemy, even though Jesus had truthfully declared His true identity. The entire council condemned Jesus to death, and those guarding Him mocked, struck, and insulted Him.
The fourth section applies the message to actual Christian living. Jesus' trial demonstrates human sin and how earthly powers misuse judicial authority to condemn the righteous. Yet God made the One who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). The sermon's message is that although human beings abuse judicial power to accuse the innocent, Jesus accepted death to achieve redemption for all humanity, including those who judged Him.