Scriptural Stations of the Cross: Station 3

Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin.

At the very heart of the Jewish identity is the Law.  Given at Sinai, and defining the people called out of Egypt, the Law demands a universal commitment to justice and truth.  (These qualities were so important that the Law itself declared a curse on those who had one set of laws for themselves and another for the “strangers” in the land.)  In the trial before the Sanhedrin, both of these essential elements, justice and truth, were betrayed.

The Temple authorities were determined to eliminate the threat that they saw in Jesus– so determined that they were prepared to accept false testimony to convict him.  When they couldn’t get the lies to agree, they “spun” Christ’s words into something that they could condemn.

In our time, we often succumb to the same temptation to twist the truth in order to promote our own vision of things.  Truth is too often sacrificed at the altar of partisanship.  And so it is in the Holy Land as well.

It is understandable and human that each of the parties to the current conflict in Israel has their own narrative of events. However, false testimony, wild conspiratorial rumors, and events staged to incite violence betray not only the Law but the very dignity of every human being.  When such things are done, it shreds the image of Truth that is in us.

Pray that truth, law, and justice will not be betrayed.  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.