Was Jesus Arrested Legally?

Introduction

• The religious leaders plotted and planned to end the threat Jesus posed to their power and status. They would do almost anything to get rid of Jesus including violating the very laws of God they were supposed to follow. The result of their selfish intent was a great work of God that shined through even that dark night.

• I’m Brent and this is episode 32 of The Bible Unplugged. We continue our series, Easter Unplugged, John’s account of what Jesus experienced on his way to the cross.

• Please take a minute to look at the show notes for this episode at PowerLoveandMiracles.com under the Podcast tab.

Why is John Different?

• John gives us a different view of what happened to Jesus during Holy Week than we find in the other gospels. While all four gospels talk about Jesus being arrest and tried, John gives us some unique details not found in the Matthew, Mark and Luke.

• He does this to continue his theme of Jesus being the ultimate Passover lamb that takes away the sin of the world.

• Not only do we see this theme continuing throughout the story, but we also see several contradictions, painful ironies , and violations of Jewish law on the night of Jesus’ arrest and trial.

John’s arrest narrative

• After Jesus’ final sermon to his disciples found in John chapters 14 through 17 we see a significant shift in the narrative. In John chapter 18 verse 1, Jesus and his disciples went out of the gates of Jerusalem and crossed the Kidron brook to a garden. John differs from the other gospels in two ways:

• Matthew, Mark, and Luke say that Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives, John doesn’t name the place.

• John is the only gospel that mentions Jesus crossing the Kidron brook. This is significant because of the timing.

• By the time Jesus and his disciples crossed the Kidron brook, many thousands of lambs had been sacrificed in the Temple. All that blood had to go somewhere. Channels in the Temple floor led outside the walls of Jerusalem and emptied into the Kidron brook below. When Jesus and the disciples crossed that brook the blood of the lambs was flowing along with that water. This foreshadows Jesus’ sacrifice as the Passover lamb the next day.

• While the other gospels portray Jesus praying in agony in the garden before his arrest, John doesn’t mention that at all. Instead, John shows Jesus as being in control of what happens next. This sets the tone for his arrest and trial.

• John 18:3-4 says, “Judas then, having taken a detachment of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were happening to him, went out and said to them, “Who are you looking for? They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.”

• A few important things are happening here.

• Jesus doesn’t resist or try to hide. He willingly and confidently surrenders himself to the soldiers.

• Even more significant is how he identified himself. “I am he” is similar to the name of God in Hebrew. Not only did Jesus identify himself as the suspect to be arrested, he identified himself as the Messiah.

• The details that show Jesus being in control of what is happening to him contrast with the comedy of errors committed by the Jewish leaders. They violated Jewish law in several respects.

• The Mishnah, the detailed writings of the Jewish law, state that trials before the Jewish court called the Sanhedrin that involve the death penalty cannot be held at night as Jesus’ trial was.

• Also, a verdict in a capital case cannot be reached on the same day as the trial to give the judges time to assess their verdict.

• The arrest was in error too. The law demands that arrests follow proper charges and the issuing of a warrant. Neither happened.

• Trials could not be held on feast days. The Jewish leaders rushed the trial to be sure Jesus would be killed before the Passover feast started on Thursday evening.

• The Jewish leaders expected Jesus to incriminate himself, but that evidence would not be admissible in a Jewish court.

• The so-called trial happened in the high priests house, not in an official venue.

• The Jewish leadership wanted Jesus dead, but they could not impose a death penalty under Roman law. That’s why they involved Pilate, the Roman governor. After Pilate interviewed Jesus, his verdict is the ultimate irony.

• The Passover lamb had to be without fault or blemish. The Jewish leadership tried their best to show Jesus being guilty, but Pilate said that he found no basis for a charge. Jesus was blameless.

• The irony is that a pagan gentile approved Jesus as the blameless and faultless Passover lamb.

What do we learn from this

• Even in the darkest moments in Jesus’ life, God was in control of what happened. The leaders involved in arresting Jesus believed they were in charge. They were not, God was. In the dark moments of our lives it’s easy to believe we are alone. It’s easy to believe God has abandoned us, but God shows his love to us and reassures us that he is there.

• The Jewish leadership had an agenda: get rid of Jesus. Their selfish goal caused them to abandon their morals, ethics, and legal requirements. When we find ourselves in difficult circumstances, it’s tempting to bend the rules to get the outcome we want. God challenges us to stay true to his way of living.

• Pilate ended up being the only person in authority that acknowledged Jesus as being without fault. We learn from this that God can speak in and through anyone, even the most calloused and evil of people.

What do we do with this?

• If you have experienced a tragedy or crisis in your life, do you remember how alone you felt? Did you feel that God had forgotten you in your darkest times? In situations like that, we may not experience God’s presence immediately. When you or someone you care about is in that situation, wait patiently for God to show up for you. He always does.

• Are there situations where you or others are tempted to bend or break the rules to get a certain outcome? If you find yourself trying to justify your actions you are probably not following God’s way of doing things. As we discussed in the episode about Psalm chapter 1, God challenges us to do the right thing, the right way, and for the right reason. When we do, we find a better outcome.

• God can speak in and through anyone, even those we don’t believe are righteous. Watch for situations this week where God is speaking to you in ways and through people that you don’t expect. With God, all things really are possible.

The conclusion

• And, as you know, the music in the background means I have run out of time for this episode, but I’ll be back with a lot more.

• I hope this has been helpful. If so, give this podcast a high rating and share it with others.

• In the next episode we will focus on the events surrounding Jesus’ death on the cross.

• My prayer for you is that you will see God moving in your life and in the lives of others in ways that show God’s love and power in our world.

• Have a blessed week.

The disclaimers

• Just to let you know

• All opinions are my own. If you agree, keep listening. If you don’t… keep listening, there may be some good stuff here.

• All Bible quotations come from the World English Bible which is a public domain work.

• Our show theme song is “Awesome Call” by Kevin MacLeod and is available under a Creative Commons license.

• The content of this podcast is copyrighted 2025 by J. Brent Eaton

• This has been a Power Love and Miracles production.