By Rev. Dr. Brent Russett – Asbury Free Methodist
March 23, 2025
Matthew 26:47-56
This is the third Sunday of Lent. We are continuing our series titled “Journeying with Jesus to the Cross.” This morning, we are going to stand beside Jesus when he was arrested and tried.
We live in a pluralistic society. Our society is made up of Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Atheists, and a plethora of cults. Being Canadian means living in a way where we get along with each other, even if we don’t believe the same things. Most Christians in history lived in the same kind of place. People around them did not believe as they did.
We live in a secularized society. We do not appeal to the spiritual or the supernatural or God for the basis of morality and authority. Philosophically, we really don’t have a basis to determine what is good. But that is a whole other talk. But since we don’t have a common authority to appeal to, our society does not agree on what is good or bad, right or wrong.
We live in a culture that is not sure that truth exists. You have your truth, and I have my truth. CBC and CTV have their truth. I find it fascinating that although people don’t think that there is truth, they are fairly sure that they are being lied to.
We live in a media-saturated world. Between television and the internet, we are inundated with a worldview that often takes no thought of God.
We as followers of Jesus, believe differently than what this pluralistic, secularized, relativistic, media-saturated world believes.
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We believe that there is a God, and he has revealed himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ. In saying just that, we then have to affirm that there is such a thing as truth. We would define truth as what is true from God’s perspective. We may not always know what God’s perspective is on a matter – but we know he has one, and that is what the truth is.
We believe that there is such a thing as sin. There is such a thing as good and evil, right and wrong. Everything we do does not fall into those categories, but those categories do exist. Our world determines right and wrong by how we feel about something.
But morality, for the most part, is neither individual nor personal. Morality is based in the character of God. There is a right and wrong, and it is not based on your belief of what is right or wrong.
In other words, the authority for what is sinful lies outside of ourselves.
In affirming that there is such a thing as good and bad, right and wrong, we also have to affirm that how we live matters. Good and evil are real, and we contribute to one or another in the way we live.
We believe that Jesus Christ was God on earth. He was fully human and fully divine. If that is true, then when he says, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Now, let me state the obvious. There is a huge tension between what our society has become and what we, as Christians, affirm and believe.
This is nothing new. There was a huge tension between Jesus and his culture as well.
Matthew 26:57 (NIV)
57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled.
Jesus is taken before the ruling elite of his day. He was taken before Caiaphas, the High Priest. He was the one who regulated what was good and bad, right and wrong. He was taken before the Sanhedrin, the teachers of the law. They defined the culture of the day. He was taken before the elders who settled the disputes of the day. Jesus had come into conflict with all these groups.
They did not like what he had to say about himself.
Matthew 26:63–66 (NIV)
63 But Jesus remained silent.
The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
64 “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?”
“He is worthy of death,” they answered.
Jesus was tried by the culture of his day, and the ruling elite believed he was worthy of death. It seems to me that Jesus, when he is thought of at all, is put on trial as well.
It is rare for Hollywood to portray a follower of Jesus as anything but a villain. Our Canadian Human Rights Commission has consistently ruled that Christians have the right to believe what they believe – but they don’t have the right to act on those beliefs. If you are a Christian doctor who doesn’t want to involve yourself in abortion or MAID then you have to walk a very unsteady tightrope.
Trinity Western were not allowed to ask their students not to sleep together while they were at school if they wanted to be able to grant their students a law degree. It was as if not allowing students to have sex outside of marriage would make them immoral lawyers.
I have been in Perth for almost six years. When I first came, ministers from the community would write an article for the Perth Courier. That was discontinued before the Perth Courier was discontinued. Lanark Lodge had a chapel where different pastors would go on Sunday afternoons to conduct a church service. That chapel was repurposed and the space taken. They also had a part-time chaplain, but that position was discontinued. The ministerial was invited to pray and read scripture at the Remembrance Day service. That invitation doesn’t happen anymore.
All I am saying is that Jesus’ name has been pushed out of the public square. It is like he was put on trial, and our culture has said, “He is worthy of death.”
The way this affects us at Asbury is in our interactions with people who don’t know Jesus.
Now, let me state up front that I believe that God gave us free will. We can choose to follow him or not. We can choose to do what is right or not. It is not our job as followers of Jesus to coerce people to follow what we believe to be right. God doesn’t do that. We shouldn’t do that either. We, as Christians, affirm people’s right to believe differently than we do. God gave people that right by giving them free will. When people do what we see as wrong – our response is to be one of love.
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But you have probably been in those awkward conversations where what you believe is right is seen as wrong, or what you believe is wrong is seen as right.
Do I say something? Do I say nothing? How do I affirm people without affirming sin? How do I say what I believe without coming across as judgmental?
Let me say right up front that this is a complicated area with a number of complicated issues. I don’t have all the answers to all the questions. The political arena is messy. The media is complicated. Institutional structures like government, school boards, and cooperate cultures are not straightforward. Neither are interpersonal relationships.
Like I said, I don’t have all the answers, but if Jesus is regularly put on trial in our country, then we may learn something by looking at the original story. I am not going to leave you with a whole lot of answers this morning, but I am hoping to spark some thought and discussion. After all, if we are going to walk with Christ to the cross, it will mean that we are standing beside him when he is arrested in our society.
The story of Jesus’ arrest is told near the end of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. This is important because by the time the readers get to the story of trials, they have had a chance to get to know who Jesus really is. They have seen that he has taught the truth. They have seen that he confronted hypocrisy while being kind to sinners and those on the fringe. They have seen him go about doing good. They have seen him live selflessly. Yet after all of that, he was arrested.
I think this is important to note because if Jesus is on trial in our society, then we want to make sure that it is the authentic version of Jesus that people are offended by.
Too often, Jesus in our culture comes across as white, middle class, and often on the political right wing. Jesus has got a lot of bad press because of abuse in boy’s schools, and pastors in adultery, and ministries of opulence and church people who are hypocrites. He has been put on trial because his followers demonstrate unrighteous anger and take poorly thought-through positions. If we are going to think about defending Jesus, then we want to make sure that it is the authentic Jesus that we are defending.
The authentic Jesus is a stumbling block to those who don’t believe. It is hard not to be when you claim to be the way, the truth and the life. If we, as followers of Jesus, are going to offend people, let’s offend them with the gospel.
Anger and rage at people do not accomplish God’s righteous purposes. There is a place for anger in the face of injustice, but hatred comes from the devil, not from Christ. Pride in our own righteousness goes directly against God’s call to humility.
At the same time, we are called to be the salt of the earth. We are called to be a light in a dark world. How do we do that?
In order to answer that question, I want to take you to some of the characters at the trial of Jesus. You will see these kinds of characters in our culture as well. Come with me to John 18
John 18:13–14 (NIV)
13 and brought him (Jesus) first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.
Power ran in Caiaphas’ family. He was a man for political expediency. He suggested that it wouldn’t be a bad thing for one person to die for the people. Does it really matter if he is innocent? What has the truth got to do with anything? What matters most is that we maintain our hold over the people. What matters most is that we are seen to be cooperating with Rome. We can’t have thousands of people listening to someone we don’t sanction. Jesus interrupts our world. So, let’s get rid of him.
There are a lot of Caiaphases in our world. People for whom power is more precious than truth. People who will not let ethics get in the way of what they want. People who are political animals who give the appearance of having moral authority, but they would knowingly kill God if they thought it would help their cause. These people are in business, in politics, in organizations, small and big. I have even seen some in churches. You have seen in the news how some Christians have been corrupted by political power.
Watch out for these kinds of people. Watch out – when people spiritualize their agenda for power. Watch out – when people use the name of God to manipulate others. Watch out – when people care more about organizations than they do about the heart. We see a way to many Caiaphases in our world.
Now, let me take you to another category of people. The Temple Guard. We read about them in Matthew. John as a more detailed description.
John 18:3–8 (NIV)
3 So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”
5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.
“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
7 Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”
“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.
8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.”
The temple Guard didn’t know a whole lot about Jesus. Sure, they had heard his name around the city. But the powers that be said that he was dangerous. So why should they doubt what the authorities said?
But then they encountered Christ. The signals were set. Judas was going to come up and kiss Jesus, and then they would be able to figure out who this guy was. But Jesus threw their plan into turmoil. He asked them, “Who are you looking for?” When they told him that they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth, he said, I’m the one you want. And they fell backward.
It was the power of God that threw them backward. The truth bowled them over. Now, they had a choice to make. What are we going to do with man? Obviously, spears and sticks were not going to help them if they were on their backside.
But mob mentality ruled, and they arrested Jesus. I find it amazing how many people in our society claim that they have been touched by God, have had answered prayers, have had miracles occur in their lives, and yet still oppose Jesus. It is not like they have something personally against him; it is just that they are following the rest of the crowd because the crowd must be right. How do you defend Jesus against that kind of person?
Peter had an idea. He drew his sword and slashed at the person closest to him. We will come back to Peter, but I want to look at the servant who got his ear chopped off.
John 18:10–11 (NIV)
10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)
11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”
Luke tells us that Jesus healed Malchus’ ear. It is interesting that they gave the name of the servant. How did John know his name? The chances are that he became a follower of Christ after this incident. That is how John knew him.
He was part of the crowd. He was part of the people that fell back. But then something special happened. Jesus healed him. How do you react to a man that you have come to arrest who arrests you by his love? You learn to follow him.
Too many of us act like Peter – we want to defend our Lord. We sharpen our swords and look for someone to stab. How dare you insult our Lord? But as we read in Matthew.
Matthew 26:52–53 (NIV)
52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
I am sometimes like Peter. I get offended on Jesus’ behalf. I want to want to lash out at people who would dare denigrate my Lord. But that is not Jesus’ way. Jesus is quite capable of defending himself. Jesus showed love to Malchus – and then he walked off toward the cross.
When people honestly want to get to know Jesus, then it is helpful to show that Jesus’ way makes sense. But don’t feel like you have to defend Jesus when people are just there to make fun of him.
I remember an art exhibition a number of years ago that displayed a cross in a jar of urine. Christians got upset and protested. It didn’t help anything but bring publicity to the art exhibition. The Christians were being like Peter, but Jesus doesn’t need to be defended.
JUDAS
Then there is Judas, the betrayer.
Matthew 26:47–50 (NIV)
47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” 49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50 Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”
Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.
Sometimes, the people who have walked with Christ are the people who give the world the greatest excuse to arrest him.
I have seen people who have walked with Jesus become disillusioned with the faith and cause great damage. They turned their back on Jesus and they hurt the faith of those around them.
Our world is full of people like Caiaphas, the temple guard, and people like Judas. How are we to respond?
Like Peter, we can pull our swords and bluster and boycott. But that rarely affects those in power. But Jesus wasn’t interested in seizing political power. He was interested in demonstrating who he was in the middle of all the political maneuvering. Last week, we saw that he prayed to be able to stand strong in the face of accusations. This week, we see him still calling Judas a friend. We see him healing a servant – when the injury was caused by a follower. We see him stand up but then be arrested by mob rule.
Jesus doesn’t act like we think he should act. He isn’t standing up for his own best interests. His concerns go far deeper. He is not contending for an earthly kingdom but a heavenly one.
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I pastored a lot of people who were in politics. They were there because they believed God called them to be there. They were being salt and light where God had placed them. I believe that Christians should follow their calling when God calls them into politics.
That is different than what we see in the States with this movement of Christian nationalism. Christians are trying to take over the power structures of government. We have our own version of that in Canada, but thankfully, it hasn’t gained much traction. That is not Jesus’ way.
Jesus isn’t interested in his followers becoming Caiaphas – where they do what they do for political gain. He isn’t interested in his followers’ pulling swords when the mob turns against Jesus. He isn’t even interested in turning against Judas, even when he is betrayed. That is not who Jesus is and that is not who we are called to be, either.
He is interested in his people being who they are called to be in the face of opposition. The early Christians, as part of the Roman Empire, were required to go to a Roman temple, take a pinch of incense and declare that Ceasar was the Lord. They couldn’t do that because Jesus is Lord. Many were arrested. Some were thrown to the lions. Some were burned at the stake.
They didn’t protest against Ceasar. They just wouldn’t bow their knees to Ceasar. That is how Christians behaved in the face of power politics. That is the way they behaved in a culture that was explicitly against them.
Your call, as always, is to be like Jesus. I understand that a Federal Election will be called today. Things are going to become very political over the next couple of weeks. Campaign, if you will. Vote when you can. But whatever you do, be like Jesus.
Don’t be like Caiaphas, or the mob, or Peter, or Judas. Be like Jesus.