Christ on Trial

A Lenten Service Series

Ash Wednesday: "Opening Statements"

February 6, 2008

Prosecutor:

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury (and you are all members of the jury), because there are those who claim that Jesus never had a fair trial, that no defense witnesses were ever heard, that it was all a pharisaical plot, that Jesus never had a chance, we have called you together to hear the story of Jesus and declare a verdict.

In truth, Jesus was originally tried and condemned by His own religious leaders and He was then interrogated by Pontius Pilate. Before them, He admitted to believing Himself to be the Christ, the Son of God.

He lived out, we are told, the words of Isaiah. He grew up like any other boy. As a man, He was like any other. There seemed to be nothing special about Him. He wasn't especially handsome or charismatic. Oh, He did some healings, performed some miracles, made the despised feel good. He had a small band of followers, but they all deserted Him when the going got tough--except for some women, of course.  

There is talk that Jesus bore the sins of humanity for us. Some believe that as the Son of God, He came to satisfy God's justice, to suffer and die so that those who believe in Him will be spared the just punishment for their own sins. Now, I don't know about you, my fellow sinners, but I wouldn't go through all that suffering, be cut off from the living for anyone, and certainty not for the undeserving types that He seemed to care so much about. Why, it is said, He made this sacrifice even for people who have rebelled against God. It is further claimed that by believing in Jesus people are made righteous before God, that God no longer sees their sins, even if those sins were terrible, shameful.

All of these things are claimed, but we need to hear the witness--people that actually knew Him, heard Him, were healed by Him. You can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep; therefore, in the coming weeks we will interrogate disciples and common people who claim Jesus touched them in some special ways. Be prepared, members of the jury, these are not the nice people you are used to. Some have lived despicable lives. Be ready also to listen to their testimonies with a discerning ear. All of them have been declared hostile witnesses, because as Jesus' supporters they will try to convince you that the claims made about Jesus are true.

You will hear Matthew, a tax collector. Now, we all know that in addition to being servants of the Roman government, these men were sneaky and dishonest. No good church person would have anything to do with them. We will particularly question Matthew about a certain meal which not only he, but even worse sinners shared with Jesus. Listen carefully to what he will tell you Jesus said when the religious leaders expressed concern about the type of people with whom He was associating.

The next week we will hear testimony from a woman who claims to have been healed of a spinal condition that had an eighteen-year history. While you may sympathize with this woman's years of suffering, keep in mind that Jesus performed this work of healing on the Sabbath, a direct violation of the Law.

We'll hear from Nicodemus another week. He is an exception to the riffraff from which the other witness are drawn. He is a scholar, and a member of the Sanhedrin--the religious governing body of the Jews. Surely, he hasn't been, deceived by this God-pretender. I'm sure he will be able to show us how Jesus teachings fall apart under the scrutiny of close theological examination.

We hesitate to even bring you the witness scheduled for the following week, because her lifestyle was so scandalous that she was about to be stoned. We will not offend your sensibilities by describing the details of her adulterous behavior. It is Jesus, after all, who is on trial, and well should be, because instead of affirming those who were upholding our standards of morality, Jesus forgave her. She claims, of course, that the experience has totally changed her life.

The week after that we will hear from one of the inner circle of Jesus' disciples--some say the one closest to Jesus. We're certain to wring from him some evidence of Jesus, private teachings.

Another witness will be Mary of Magdala. There are a lot of stories about this woman--some true and some false. What we do know is that she once suffered demon possession--some claim a type of insanity--and that Jesus drove those seven demons out of her. She claims to have seen and talked to the resurrected Christ, and even been told by Him to announce the news to His disciples. We don't wish to prejudice you, but bear in mind that even if she was healed, the stress of seeing her Savior crucified could have disturbed her fragile emotional balance. She may even return on Easter to make an outrageous claim that Jesus is alive!

On Maundy Thursday, we will hear another of Jesus' disciples, Simon Peter, who will testify that Jesus turned the tables of our societies' mores by washing the feet of his students and humbly serving the people whom he was supposedly leading. He then called on those disciples (and all future followers) to be servants of one another, suggesting that we completely up-end our culture. He will be shown to be the worst sort of anarchist.

On Good Friday, there will be a summation of the arguments and testimonies, and you will be charged as the jury to decide Jesus' fate.

We realize that this may seem like a long trial and that it may be asking a lot of you to hear all these witnesses, but remember you are charged with a solemn responsibility. You will decide whether Jesus is who He is claimed to be and whether His life, death and resurrection have meaning. It will be up to you whether the sins with which you were born and with which you could die are easily washed away as ashes on a forehead, just by accepting the forgiveness Jesus offers.

Now, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, that is the case before you. We suggest that during your weeks of hearing evidence and deliberating on it, you review carefully the supporting documents--the lessons for the week. Examine also your own lives for evidence of the accused's influence. Consider what part Jesus plays in what you think and do. And feel free to talk among yourselves and with those outside our courtroom about what you hear. Yours is a solemn duty, exercise it well.

This court is in recess.

By Elsa L. Clark with additional material by Peter Mead, Arden Mead and Mark Zimmermann. Art by Sally Beck. © 2007 by Creative Communications for the Parish, 1564 Fencorp Dr. , Fenton , MO 63026 . 1-800-325-9414. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA . www.creativecommunications.com.