During Lent, we explore Jesus' experiences before and during His death, burial, and resurrection. This includes the devil's temptation of Christ in the wilderness. A lot of focus is rightly placed on the agony Jesus suffered on the Cross of Calvary. His shed blood atoned for our sins—reconciling us back to God. Not as much emphasis is placed on the fraudulent charges made against Him. He was accused of crimes He did not commit and sentenced to a punishment of which He was unworthy. An ACCUSATION is a charge or claim that someone has done something illegal or wrong. Jesus was an innocent man. hat Matthew 26 records Jesus telling His disciples, "As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” (Matthew 26:2) As He was saying this, a plot was being devised by the religious leaders to arrest and secretly kill Him, but His popularity was so great they thought the people would riot if they attempted to do it during the Passover. (vs. 3-4) Then Jesus' treasurer, Judas, was motivated by greed to betray and turn Him over to the leading priests for thirty pieces of silver. (vs. 14-16) After exposing Judas at the Last Supper (vs. 20-24), Jesus told the other disciples they would leave Him too (vs. 31). Christ prayed to God His Father alone in the Garden of Gethsemane that He would not have to drink from the cup of suffering for the sins of the world (vs. 39). Denying His own will to take up His cross; Jesus acquiesced to His Father's plan. Judas identified Jesus with a traitor's kiss and the LORD was arrested by Roman guards. Peter tried to use violence to intervene, but was rebuked by Jesus who explained it fulfilled ancient prophecy for Him to be betrayed, suffer, bleed, and die for our sins. (vs. 47-56)
Matthew leads us to Caiphas' home where the leaders "were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put Him to death." (vs. 59) Jesus was then accused of saying He would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, and of claiming He was the Messiah. (vs. 60-63) They did not know both statements were true. He was referring to His own bodily death, burial and resurrection, and to His identity as the Son of God. They called Jesus' claims blasphemy and deemed Him guilty and worthy of death. They spit in His face, slapped and beat Him, making rude and mocking remarks. Once Jesus was removed from what was essentially a kangaroo court—an unofficial tribunal held to try someone regarded, especially without good evidence, as guilty of a crime, He was taken to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate to be tried.
In Matthew 27, we find that the governor and even His wife knew Jesus was not guilty. "...As Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.” (vs. 19) However, Pilate really had no other choice but to sanction the crucifixion. The will of God dictated that Jesus be sent to the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins, so we can be eternally free in the Kingdom of Heaven. | 
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