Jews to work His glorious purposes to ensure that “all Israel will be saved” and the “fullness of the Gentiles” will come in to the Kingdom of God (cf. Rom. 11). All the unlawful disregard of process inflicted upon our King by the Jews was according to what God’s hand had “predestined to take place” (cf. Acts 4). But we nonetheless grieve for how our Lord was abused and mistreated, denied justice and due process for our sakes. As such, in the PCA we have a firm devotion to observing judicial procedure and upholding due process.

In the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), we believe in process. The congregation I serve is about to ordain a new ruling elder, and there has been a process leading up to it and even a particular process we must follow on the night of his ordination.

Judicial process in the PCA is exceptionally rigorous and specific. There are even procedures that must be followed in the PCA before entering into judicial process! There are numerous reasons for this. One is surely the closing verse of 1 Corinthians 14: all things should be done decently and in order (14:40).

While the context of 1 Corinthians 14 deals with worship, the principle nonetheless holds true for the government of the Church more broadly.

The Sufferings of Our King

But there is a more important reason clear, fair, and impartial judicial process is so valued by the PCA: our King was falsely accused by wicked Jews and was finally executed because proper judicial process was not observed.

This has become especially clear to me as I have preached through the Gospel of John:

The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee” (John 7:45–52).

In that brief passage, the leaders of the Jews declare a crowd of their countrymen “accursed” because they follow (to some extent) the Lord Jesus Christ. Many members of the Jewish Senate apparently have already decided Jesus is guilty – of something – and they are ready to condemn Him accordingly.

But the esteemed Nicodemus reminds them of their duty according to the Law: they must give a man a hearing; it is unlawful to condemn a man without due process.

The appeal to God’s word made by Nicodemus has no effect on the wicked and unbelieving Jews. They turn and deride Nicodemus, and they twist the Scripture in order to undermine their colleague’s reminder of God’s Truth: “Search [the scripture] and see…” they retort.

Satanic Disregard of Due Process

We should not miss the satanic undertones in this passage. In the wilderness (cf. Matthew 4 or Luke 4), Jesus rebuked Satan’s temptation by quoting Scripture, and Satan responded in the next temptation by quoting Scripture, twisting it to his own wicked purpose:

And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matthew 4:3–7).

Most commentators believe John wrote the Fourth Gospel assuming his readers are familiar with some of the other Gospels. In light of this, it is hard to believe John does not want us to perceive a satanic undercurrent in the Jewish attempts to disregard judicial process as they try to condemn Jesus in John 7ff.

Following the arrest of Jesus, John’s Gospel bears out the legal gymnastics observed by the Jews in order to secure a conviction against Jesus: e.g. two separate hearings in order to try and condemn him on the same day (cf. John 18:12-23 before Annas and John 18:24 before Caiaphas), the sudden and early morning timing of the Jewish trials followed by the quick referral to Pilate (John 18:28ff).

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