(C) The final or intercessory prayer for them.  With the close of this prayer, in which he prayed for their preservation, their preparation for service and their final union with him in his glory, and which he prayed that they might have fullness of joy (John 17:13) his ministry with them ended till after his death.

(3) Christ’s suffering for the sins of the world. (Matt. 26:36-27 end:  Mk. 14:32-15 end; Lu. 22:39-23 end; John chs. 18-19).  From some good text on the Life of Christ or from the critical commentaries, the pupils can find a discussion of this section.  The following outline will, however, be sufficient for our purpose here:  (A) The agony in the garden and the betrayal and arrest.  This picture of the suffering of soul experienced by the Savior in which he also yielded himself to the will of the Father stands out in blessed contrast against the weakness of his sleeping friends and the unspeakable criminality of the betrayer.  Even in his arrest Jesus once more finds opportunity to show himself merciful in healing the ear of Malchus thereby, counteracting the injury caused by the folly or rashness of one of his friends.

(B) The Jewish trial.  The order of this trial seems to have been somewhat as follows:  (1) A preliminary trial before Annus; (2) A trial before day with only part of the Sanhedrin present; (3) A trial before the whole Sanhedrin at daybreak.  Knowing his rights Jesus several times refused to act. (1) He refused to bear testimony because no legal charge had been made against him. (2) He refused to testify against himself which was within his right. (3) He demanded that they bring witnesses because that was just according to law.  These last three points at which Jesus claimed and acted upon his rights instead of upon their request shows the tendencies of the trial to be unfair and illegal.  If one understands the Jewish law of trial it will be easy to see how glaringly out of harmony with the law this trial was.  There are at least ten illegalities in it.

(C) The Roman trial.  This whole story abounds in evidences of the prejudice and moral degeneracy of the Jewish leaders.  They hated Roman rule past all words to tell and yet would pretend loyalty to Caesar to carry out their wicked purpose.  By this means they put Pilate in a position that to release Jesus would make him appear to be untrue to Caesar in releasing one announced to be Caesar’s enemy.  The trial may be studied in the light of the different ones before whom he was tried. (1) The public and private examination before Pilate. (2) The examination before Herod. (3) The second examination before Pilate.  This also was partly private and partly public.  Again, following he outline of John, we may consider the events as they happened alternately outside and inside of the praetorium.