RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF THE DAY
Then the chief
priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of
the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery
and kill Him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar
among the people.”
Matthew 26:3-5
When morning
came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus
to put Him to death. And when they had bound Him, they
led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
Matthew 27:1,2
The people above were the religious leaders of the day. Those who supposedly knew the Old Testament Scriptures inside out, which told them that the Messiah would come and be a sacrifice (Number 21:9;John 3:14; Psalm 22; Isaiah 53) yet they wanted to kill Jesus - this Man who had showed them up, by pointing out their hypocrisy and their sinful hearts, calling them 'white washed sepulchres (Matthew 23:27). More than likely they were at the cross watching the spectacle.
PETER, ONE OF THE DISCIPLES
Jesus said to
him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows,
you will deny Me three times.”
Matthew 26:34
Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.” And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.” But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!” And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.” Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.
Matthew 26:69-75
Peter, the disciple who was fiercely loyal, who declared Jesus as being THE Christ (Matthew 16:16), who said he would never deny Christ (Matthew 26:35), did deny Christ 3 times, but Jesus forgave him and after His resurrection, Peter was called to spread the message of the gospel - he was fearless in doing that, to the point where tradition has it that he too was crucified.
THOSE WHO HELD JESUS - RELIGIOUS LEADERS, ROMANS
Now the men who
held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. And having blindfolded Him,
they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the
one who struck You?” And many other things they blasphemously spoke against
Him.
Luke 22:63-65
So
then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers
twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him
a purple robe. Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And
they struck Him with their hands.
John 19:1-3
Then the
soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called
together the whole garrison. And they clothed Him with
purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and
began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they struck Him
on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped
Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put
His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.
Mark 15:16-20
These people went all out to hurt and humiliate Jesus. They slapped Him, mocked Him spat on Him, beat Him
FALSE WITNESSES BROUGHT TO TESTIFY AGAINST JESUS
Now the chief
priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death,
but found none. For many bore false witness against
Him, but their testimonies did not agree.
Then some rose
up and bore false witness against Him, saying, “We heard Him say, ‘I
will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build
another made without hands.’ ” But not even then did their testimony
agree.
Mark 14:55-59
THE CROWD - ORDINARY PEOPLE
But the
chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas
to them. Pilate answered and said to them again, “What then do you want me
to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?”
So they cried
out again, “Crucify Him!”
Then Pilate
said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?”
But they cried
out all the more, “Crucify Him!”
So Pilate,
wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered
Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.
Mark 15:11-15
The ordinary people who had gathered had been stirred up by the religious leaders - I have read in the past, that they may have been paid to be against Christ. We don't know who the people were, but more than likely they had probably heard Jesus preach, seen His miracles, been those who cheered when Christ entered Jerusalem on a donkey, lay palm leaves on the ground and shouted Hosanna!
All of the people above, from the religious leaders, the Roman governors, soldiers and even the disciples played their part in the arrest. The so called witnesses were liars who had probably been paid by the religious leaders. YET Jesus could look down as He hung in agony (apparently crucifixion was a slow and very painful death) and pray to His Father for forgiveness. Not forgiveness for 'nice' people, but for people who were Jesus's enemies, turncoats, traitors. NOBODY is too much of a sinner to come to the cross and ask for Jesus to turn their lives around, to give them a new heart, to have His light shine into their souls and make them ALIVE in Him!
Until I became a Christian, I know in my heart that I would have been with the crowd shouting "Crucify Him!" because Jesus and His message is an offense to those who are perishing, we don't like to be told we are sinners BUT only Jesus can change us (Yes, we remain sinners, but sin no longer has dominion in our hearts) because He lived the perfect life we could not and died the death we deserve!
Before I became a Christian - I was one of 'them'!
