Thematic Bible: Court


Thematic Bible











Meanwhile the High Priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death; but they could find none, although many false witnesses came forward. At length there came two who testified, "This man said, 'I am able to pull down the Sanctuary of God and three days afterwards to build a new one.'" read more.
Then the High Priest stood up and asked Him, "Have you no answer to make? What is it these men are saying in evidence against you?"

For he knew that it was from envious hatred that Jesus had been brought before him. While he was sitting on the tribunal a message came to him from his wife. "Have nothing to do with that innocent man," she said, "for during the night I have suffered terribly in a dream through him." The High Priests, however, and the Elders urged the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to demand the death of Jesus. read more.
So when the Governor a second time asked them, "Which of the two shall I release to you?" --they cried, "Barabbas!" "What then," said Pilate, "shall I do with Jesus, the so-called Christ?" With one voice they shouted, "Let him be crucified!" "Why, what crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they kept on furiously shouting, "Let him be crucified!" So when he saw that he could gain nothing, but that on the contrary there was a riot threatening, he called for water and washed his hands in sight of them all, saying, "I am not responsible for this murder: you must answer for it." "His blood," replied all the people, "be on us and on our children!" Then he released Barabbas to them, but Jesus he ordered to be scourged, and gave Him up to be crucified.

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So they led Jesus away to the High Priest, and with him there assembled all the High Priests, Elders, and Scribes. Verse ConceptsOld Age, Attitudes ToAssembling LeadersOpposition To Christ From ScribesThe Chief Priests Convened

Meanwhile the High Priests and the entire Sanhedrin were endeavouring to get evidence against Jesus in order to put Him to death, but could find none; for though many gave false testimony against Him, their statements did not tally. Then some came forward as witnesses and falsely declared, read more.
"We have heard him say, 'I will pull down this Sanctuary built by human hands, and three days afterwards I will erect another built without hands.'" But not even in this shape was their testimony consistent. At last the High Priest stood up, and advancing into the midst of them all, asked Jesus, "Have you no answer to make? What is the meaning of all this that these witnesses allege against you?" But He remained silent, and gave no reply. A second time the High Priest questioned Him. "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" he said. "I am," replied Jesus, "and you and others will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the divine Power, and coming amid the clouds of the sky." Rending his garments the High Priest exclaimed, "What need have we of witnesses after that? You all heard his impious words. What is your judgement?" Then with one voice they condemned Him as deserving of death. Thereupon some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, while striking Him with their fists and crying, "Prove that you are a prophet." The officers too struck Him with open hands as they took Him in charge.

For he could see that it was out of sheer spite that the High Priests had handed Him over. Verse ConceptsChief priestsEnvy, Example OfHanding Over ChristKnowing FactsThe Chief Priests Condemning ChristThose Who Envied

So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin while they conferred among themselves. "What are we to do with these men?" they asked one another; for the fact that a remarkable miracle has been performed by them is well known to every one in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But to prevent the matter spreading any further among the people, let us stop them by threats from speaking in the future in this name to any one whatever." read more.
So they recalled the Apostles, and ordered them altogether to give up speaking or teaching in the name of Jesus.

Then they privately put forward men who declared, "We have heard him speak blasphemous things against Moses and against God." In this way they excited the people, the Elders, and the Scribes. At length they came upon him, seized him with violence, and took him before the Sanhedrin. Here they brought forward false witnesses who declared, "This fellow is incessantly speaking against the Holy Place and the Law. read more.
For we have heard him say that Jesus, the Nazarene, will pull this place down to the ground and will change the customs which Moses handed down to us."

At the same time he hoped that Paul would give him money; and for this reason he sent for him the oftener to converse with him. But after the lapse of fully two years Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; and being desirous of gratifying the Jews, Felix left Paul still in prison.

Peter and the other Apostles replied, "We must obey God rather than man. The God of our forefathers has raised Jesus to life, whom you crucified and put to death. God has exalted Him to His right hand as Chief Leader and as Saviour, to give Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. read more.
And we--and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him--are witnesses as to these things."

So they recalled the Apostles, and ordered them altogether to give up speaking or teaching in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, "Judge whether it is right in God's sight to listen to you instead of listening to God. As for us, what we have seen and heard we cannot help speaking about."


Then, as the High Priests went on heaping accusations on Him, Pilate again and again asked Him, "Do you make no reply? Listen to the many charges they are bringing against you." But Jesus made no further answer: so that Pilate wondered.

Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he replied, "Rulers and Elders of the people, if we to-day are under examination concerning the benefit conferred on a man helplessly lame, as to how this man has been cured; be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that through the name of Jesus the Anointed, the Nazarene, whom *you* crucified, but whom *God* has raised from among the dead-- through that name this man stands here before you in perfect health. read more.
This Jesus is the Stone treated with contempt by you the builders, but it has been made the Cornerstone. And in no other is the great salvation to be found; for, in fact, there is no second name under Heaven that has been given among men through which we are to be saved."

Then the High Priest asked him, "Are these statements true?" The reply of Stephen was, "Sirs--brethren and fathers--listen to me. God Most Glorious appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was living in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, and said to him, "'Leave your country and your relatives, and go into whatever land I point out to you.' read more.
"Thereupon he left Chaldaea and settled in Haran till after the death of his father, when God caused him to remove into this country where you now live. But he gave him no inheritance in it, no, not a single square yard of ground. And yet He promised to bestow the land as a permanent possession on him and his posterity after him--and promised this at a time when Abraham was childless. And God declared that Abraham's posterity should for four hundred years make their home in a country not their own, and be reduced to slavery and be oppressed. "'And the nation, whichever it is, that enslaves them, I will judge,' said God; 'and afterwards they shall come out, and they shall worship Me in this place.' "Then He gave him the Covenant of circumcision, and under this Covenant he became the father of Isaac--whom he circumcised on the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve Patriarchs. "The Patriarchs were jealous of Joseph and sold him into slavery in Egypt. But God was with him and delivered him from all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him governor over Egypt and all the royal household. But there came a famine throughout the whole of Egypt and Canaan--and great distress--so that our forefathers could find no food. When, however, Jacob heard that there was wheat to be had, he sent our forefathers into Egypt; that was the first time. On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Pharaoh was informed of Joseph's parentage. Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his family, numbering seventy-five persons, to come to him, and Jacob went down into Egypt. There he died, and so did our forefathers, and they were taken to Shechem and were laid in the tomb which Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a sum of money paid in silver. "But as the time drew near for the fulfilment of the promise which God had made to Abraham, the people became many times more numerous in Egypt, until there arose a foreign king over Egypt who knew nothing of Joseph. He adopted a crafty policy towards our race, and oppressed our forefathers, making them cast out their infants so that they might not be permitted to live. At this time Moses was born--a wonderfully beautiful child; and for three months he was cared for in his father's house. At length he was cast out, but Pharaoh's daughter adopted him, and brought him up as her own son. So Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and possessed great influence through his eloquence and his achievements. "And when he was just forty years old, it occurred to him to visit his brethren the descendants of Israel. Seeing one of them wrongfully treated he took his part, and secured justice for the ill-treated man by striking down the Egyptian. He supposed his brethren to be aware that by him God was sending them deliverance; this, however, they did not understand. The next day, also, he came and found two of them fighting, and he endeavoured to make peace between them. "'Sirs,' he said, 'you are brothers. Why are you wronging one another?' "But the man who was doing the wrong resented his interference, and asked, "'Who appointed you magistrate and judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?' "Alarmed at this question, Moses fled from the country and went to live in the land of Midian. There he became the father of two sons. "But at the end of forty years there appeared to him in the Desert of Mount Sinai an angel in the middle of a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw this he wondered at the sight; but on his going up to look further, the voice of the Lord was heard, saying, "'I am the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.' "Quaking with fear Moses did not dare gaze. "'Take off your shoes,' said the Lord, 'for the spot on which you are standing is holy ground. I have seen, yes, I have seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have come down to deliver them. And now I will send you to Egypt.' "The Moses whom they rejected, asking him, 'Who appointed you magistrate and judge?' --that same Moses we find God sending as a magistrate and a deliverer by the help of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. This was he who brought them out, after performing marvels and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea, and in the Desert for forty years. This is the Moses who said to the descendants of Israel, "'God will raise up a Prophet for you, from among your brethren, just as He raised me up.' This is he who was among the Congregation in the Desert, together with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and with our forefathers, who received ever-living utterances to hand on to us. "Our forefathers, however, would not submit to him, but spurned his authority and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. They said to Aaron, "'Make gods for us, to march in front of us; for as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' "Moreover they made a calf at that time, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and kept rejoicing in the gods which their own hands had made. So God turned from them and gave them up to the worship of the Host of Heaven, as it is written in the Book of the Prophets, "'Were they victims and sacrifices which you offered Me, forty years in the Desert, O House of Israel? Yes, you lifted up Moloch's tent and the Star of the God Rephan--the images which you made in order to worship them; and I will remove you beyond Babylon.' "Our forefathers had the Tent of the Testimony in the Desert, built as He who spoke to Moses had instructed him to make it in imitation of the model which he had seen. That Tent was bequeathed to the next generation of our forefathers. Under Joshua they brought it with them when they were taking possession of the land of the Gentile nations, whom God drove out before them. So it continued till David's time. David obtained favour with God, and asked leave to provide a dwelling-place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for Him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in buildings erected by men's hands. But, as the Prophet declares, "'The sky is My throne, and earth is the footstool for My feet. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or what resting place shall I have? Did not My hand form this universe.' "O stiff-necked men, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you also are continually at strife with the Holy Spirit--just as your forefathers were. Which of the Prophets did not your forefathers persecute? Yes, they killed those who announced beforehand the advent of the righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become-- you who received the Law given through angels, and yet have not obeyed it." As they listened to these words, they became infuriated and gnashed their teeth at him. But, full of the Holy Spirit and looking up to Heaven, Stephen saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God's right hand. "I can see Heaven wide open," he said, "and the Son of Man standing at God's right hand."

Then Paul, fixing a steady gaze on the Sanhedrin, said, "Brethren, it is with a perfectly clear conscience that I have discharged my duties before God up to this day." On hearing this the High Priest Ananias ordered those who were standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. "Before long," exclaimed Paul, "God will strike you, you white-washed wall! Are you sitting there to judge me in accordance with the Law, and do you yourself actually break the Law by ordering me to be struck?" read more.
"Do you rail at God's High Priest?" cried the men who stood by him. "I did not know, brethren," replied Paul, "that he was the High Priest; for it is written, 'Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of Thy people.'" Noticing, however, that the Sanhedrin consisted partly of Sadducees and partly of Pharisees, he called out loudly among them, "Brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees. It is because of my hope of a resurrection of the dead that I am on my trial." These words of his caused an angry dispute between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly took different sides.







If you remit the sins of any persons, they remain remitted to them. If you bind fast the sins of any, they remain bound." Verse ConceptsUnforgivenessApostles, Commission OfGod Not ForgivingGod Will ForgiveForgivenessforgiving othersGod's ForgivenessForgiveness Kjvforgiving



"If your brother acts wrongly towards you, go and point out his fault to him when only you and he are there. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not listen to you, go again, and ask one or two to go with you, that every word spoken may be attested by two or three witnesses. If he refuses to hear them, appeal to the Church; and if he refuses to hear even the Church, regard him just as you regard a Gentile or a tax-gatherer. read more.
I solemnly tell you that whatever you as a Church bind on earth will in Heaven be held as bound, and whatever you loose on earth will in Heaven be held to be loosed.












Then Paul, fixing a steady gaze on the Sanhedrin, said, "Brethren, it is with a perfectly clear conscience that I have discharged my duties before God up to this day." On hearing this the High Priest Ananias ordered those who were standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. "Before long," exclaimed Paul, "God will strike you, you white-washed wall! Are you sitting there to judge me in accordance with the Law, and do you yourself actually break the Law by ordering me to be struck?" read more.
"Do you rail at God's High Priest?" cried the men who stood by him. "I did not know, brethren," replied Paul, "that he was the High Priest; for it is written, 'Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of Thy people.'"