At daybreak all the elders of the people assembled, including the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. Jesus was led before this high council, and they said, “Tell us, are You the Messiah?” But He replied, “If I tell you, you won’t believe Me. And if I ask you a question, you won’t answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated in the place of power at God’s right hand. ” They all shouted, “So, are You claiming to be the Son of God?” And He replied, “You say that I am.” “Why do we need other witnesses?” they said. “We ourselves heard Him say it.”
Luke 22:66-71
Well that is interesting. When you read this next section in Luke did it leave you with questions?
What questions came to mind? I constantly tell Bible Bible students, “It is not the answers you get but more the quality of the questions you learn to ask which determines how deep you go.”
Learn to ask the right questions.
What is the link between what we looked at in the last Gem from Matthew and Mark’s version of events and Luke’s account served up to you today?
Are we dealing with the same event but viewed through different eyes or are there indeed two distinct trials separated by a night’s sleep? It seems as though we have just got more of the same.
Notice the coverage of these events between the synoptic gospels have switched in terms of emphasis. Where in the second night trial Luke failed to report the events, now he is the one reporting and not Matthew and Mark. Luke skipped the night trial in favour of telling what the guards were doing, while Matthew and Mark skip the early morning court session. Matthew and Mark infer this event was primarily a meeting of the Sanhedrin to plan the next step. Luke on the other hand indicates it was a full trial. How do we resolve these differences? Are they important?
Furthermore the proceedings at the night trial and that of the morning trial match to a degree. Are we looking at records of the same event and the gospel records simply reflect the differences in the powers of recall between these three followers of Jesus? In fact Matthew and Mark were closer to the action than Luke. They were present at the night events, while Luke was probably open for business at his doctor’s practice. He joined the band later (in Acts). Are the differences in these accounts just the result of variations in the way these three men recollect the events as they happened? Daybreak is a strange time to open the courthouse and the one who writes about this early morning trial was the one who was not present at the time of either trial.
Ponder these things before we tackle this section. Send me the questions you come up with if you wish to interact. It may prompt me to take a certain direction in the aspects I lay emphasis on in the following Gems. Above all, have fun as you grapple with the text at this point.
The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.
Walt Disney
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.
Vince Lombardi
Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.
Henry Ford
Your intelligence is determined more by the questions you ask, than by the answers you give.
Henry Ford