Jesus was tried before the council, also known as the Sanhedrin, but His trial was a travesty. There was no presumption of innocence, no representation by counsel, no witnesses for the defense. The trial was held in the dead of night, with false witnesses and suborned perjury. Various individuals felt free to punch and slap Jesus in the face during the trial. He was found guilty of blasphemy for telling the truth and was found worthy of death, even though it was illegal to pronounce death sentences the same day as the trial.
The Sanhedrin consisted of the most religious people in Jerusalem, representatives from among the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the priests, the scribes, and the elders. There were seventy-one members, seventy plus the High Priest, who presided. Its powers were limited by the Roman government, but it was allowed to decide domestic and religious matters, and had the power of the death penalty if the Roman governor concurred. Mostly, the Sanhedrin ruled in matters of the Old Testament Law of Moses, the traditions which had been added to the Law, religious doctrine, and charges of blasphemy. In the case of Jesus, the Sanhedrin had made up its mind long before the trial took place that He would be found guilty and put to death.
This old world hates God, and it hates Christians too. It’s treatment of God and His people is unfair, unjust, and uncivilized. We should not expect to be treated better than our Lord was treated. All that He suffered was totally undeserved, but He went through all of the pain and ignominy so that He could die for our sins. Hallelujah, What a Savior!