Tag Archives: Caiaphas

MARK’S GOSPEL…THE TRIAL – 39

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Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭53‬, ‭55‬-‭59‬, ‭61‬-‭62‬, ‭64‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together…The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree. Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’ ” Yet even then their testimony did not agree. But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer…Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” ….“You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death.”

‭‭

In a court of law, “A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.” This is the way justice is supposed to work. A justice system is responsible to examine the evidence objectively and make its judgment by determining the guilt or innocence of the accused based on the reliability of the evidence and the truthfulness of the witnesses. 

However, in Jesus’ trial, every rule of law and justice was overturned in favour of a predetermined verdict of “guilty as charged.” The judge and jury were determined to kill Him, so their “evidence” was contrived to confirm their verdict!

The legal team was made up of, supposedly, the most respected, most trusted, most honest men of integrity in the land of Israel, the representatives of divine justice which they were tasked to represent by dispensing the law of God truthfully and accurately.

So, they found Jesus guilty of all charges and condemned Him to death! First, the charges…blasphemy against God according to their law… , second, treason against Rome according to Roman law. 

Was Jesus guilty of blasphemy? No! Was He the Son of God? Yes! Why then, was He found guilty? The verdict depended on the perspective of the court. Jesus backed up His claim to be the Son of God by His words and works. His miracles were, primarily, evidence that He was who He said He was.

For example…

To His disciples, He said…

“Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

His authority to forgive was backed up by a miracle. 

“Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”

“Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?”

‭”But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Then the man got up and went home.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭9‬:‭2‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

However, the religious leaders refused to believe the evidence.

Was Jesus guilty of treason? This charge was for Pilate’a benefit and for Pilate to decide as the representative of the Roman government. Did Jesus claim to be a king in rebellion against Rome?

“Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭18‬:‭33‬-‭38 NIV‬‬

Pilate was both mystified and convinced, by Jesus’ answer, that He was no threat to Rome. He released Him to be crucified only on the insistence of the Jews that He was guilty of blasphemy by the standards of their law. 

So, by the grossest miscarriage of justice in history, in the face of all the overwhelming evidence that Jesus was the Son of God, they condemned Him to death and crucified Him. 

Who was right? The Jews or Jesus?

Although Jesus was forced into this situation by the Jewish authorities, He went willingly because it was according to His Father’s will. He submitted, not to His accusers but to His Father because this was the only way to redeem His people from sin. 

Peter said…

“This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul said…

“…and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The war between darkness and light raged in the courtroom that day, and darkness won…or did it?

OUR BUDDY, PILATE

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OUR BUDDY, PILATE

“Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning and, to avoid ceremonial uncleanness, they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So, Pilate came out to them and asked, ‘What charges are you bringing against this man?

“‘If He were not a criminal,’ they replied, ‘we would not have handed Him over to you.’ Pilate said, ‘Take Him yourselves and judge Him by your own law.’ ‘But we have no right to execute anyone,’ they objected. This took place to fulfil what Jesus had said about the kind of death He was going to die.” John 18:28-32.

John said nothing about Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas. According to the other three gospels, it was this trial that revealed the Sanhedrin’s true colours. Caiaphas allowed false witnesses to testify without suffering the penalty for lying. The men of the Sanhedrin behaved in a disgraceful way, using verbal and physical abuse against the prisoner and allowing the soldiers to mock Jesus by ramming a crown on His head woven out of twigs covered in vicious thorns.

Having satisfied themselves of Jesus’ guilt, the Jewish leaders marched Jesus to Pilate to have their verdict ratified. They had decided that He was guilty of blasphemy because they refused to accept His claim to be the Son of God. They did not bother the test His claim by listening to the testimony of reliable witnesses. As far as they were concerned, He was guilty and that was that, (which, of course, He was, but not in the way they had determined)..

Although it was illegal to condemn a man on his own testimony, Caiaphas put the question to Jesus, ‘Are you the Christ?’ to which Jesus replied, ‘You have said it.’ Triumphantly proclaiming Him ‘Guilty!’ they bundled Him off to Pilate to ratify their verdict and sentence, but Pilate would not buy the charge of blasphemy. That was an internal, religious matter. Pilate didn’t give a hoot about their religious squabbles. It was His job to protect Rome’s interests and nothing else.

The religious hierarchy thought that they had Jesus in the bag. Charge Him with treason because He claimed to be the king of the Jews and Pilate would be a pushover. After all, they were buddies, and he would go along with them as long as they did their job in keeping the peace. Since they insisted that Jesus was a rabble-rouser, Pilate would surely rubber-stamp their verdict and condemn Him to death.

They did not bargain on Pilate’s resistance to their straightforward scheme. Pilate had to be sure that this man’s so called “treason” was in fact a threat to Rome. He couldn’t go crucifying people left, right and centre just because the Jewish high court insisted that they were guilty. It may have been true that Jesus claimed kingship over the Jews but what evidence was there that He was planning to overthrow Roman rule and drive the Romans out of Israel? What sort of king was He?

Friend though he might have been, Pilate was not ignorant of the nature of these Jewish leaders. They could be conniving and unscrupulous to get their own way. Most of them were drawn from the wealthy political party of the Sadducees who did not have much interest in religion. They did not believe in the supernatural and rejected the Pharisees’ belief in the resurrection. Despite the coalition in the Sanhedrin between Pharisees and Sadducees, there was a deep divide between the two groups. Many years later, Paul would exploit this divide to turn the heat of their hatred off him.

Pilate had a responsibility to exercise Roman justice, even towards Jewish prisoners. Therefore, he questioned Jesus’ accusers. ‘What’s the charge against Him?’ he demanded. The Jewish leaders shrewdly turned his question back on him. They dodged the question by trying to make Pilate look foolish. ‘Don’t be silly, Pilate! Do you think we would have brought Him to you if we hadn’t already found him guilty?’

‘Guilty of what?’ No answer! Pilate was also shrewd. ‘You take Him and try Him,’ he replied. He knew that they had no power to execute anyone. Only he could do that. This would turn into a running battle between Jewish and Roman authorities with Jesus as the prize. Who would come out tops?

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

WHY ANNAS?

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WHY ANNAS?

“Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound Him and brought Him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.” John 18:12-14.

Why Annas? Who was Annas?

“Annas ben Seth was the most powerful and respected of the Jewish authorities of the time. He was appointed high priest by the Roman procurator, Quirinius, when Judea officially became a Roman province in AD 6 and held office until he was deposed by the Roman consul Gratus in 15 AD. He was head of a dynasty of five sons and a son-in-law, Caiaphas, through whom he still wielded power and influence although he was no longer officially high priest.

“Throughout John’s story, the world has been judged by the presence of Jesus and the world has in turn judged Him. The whole Gospel is a thus a description of a trial, a theme that reaches a climax as Jesus is brought before the authorities. As He is put on trial, we see revealed both His own identity as King and His confident trust in His Father.” http://www.biblegateway.com

Jesus was arrested by both Jewish and Roman authorities and brought to trial before representatives of Jew and Gentile. It was clear from the very beginning of this mockery of justice, that the real judge was not Annas, Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin or Pilate but Jesus, and the accused, the entire Jewish and Gentile worlds, which were on trial for their rejection of Jesus, the Son of God and the true representative of the Father.

Annas and Caiaphas, co-conspirators in the plot to rid God’s people of their Messiah! Annas, the power behind the throne, conducted an interrogation of Jesus. This was not a formal trial. There were no witnesses, no jury and no sentence. Rather, Annas was probably probing Jesus for legitimate reasons for sending Him to Caiaphas for a legal hearing. He was seeking to get Jesus to incriminate Himself.

“Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about His disciples and His teaching.” John 18:19.

Why Jesus’ disciples and His teaching? He questioned Jesus about His disciples because the Jewish authorities were concerned about Jesus’ popularity. Only a few days before, He had ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey, raising a frenzy of excitement among the common people. They had hailed Him as their king, and probably saw Him, not as the Old Testament prophets had predicted, toas an atoning sacrifice for sin but rather as the deliverer from their oppressors.

This was dangerous because the Jewish religious leaders were in good standing with Rome. They did not want anyone or anything to disturb this relationship which was mutually beneficial. The high priests, from the time of Herod the Great, received their appointment from Rome and were expected to keep the Jewish populace in order. Many Jews resented their close relationship with Rome and some even suspected them of taking bribes or being involved in other forms of corruption.

Annas also questioned Jesus about His teaching because he was probably hoping that Jesus would incriminate Himself as a false prophet or a false teacher. Jesus had already completed His public teaching about Himself so He told Annas to check with those who heard Him because He had taught openly. The fact that Jesus had taught openly and that many people had heard Him would have increased Annas’ anxiety. The last thing he wanted to do was to gather evidence from the common people. Jesus was too popular to risk the people taking sides.

Was Jesus in a subtle way demanding a fair trial? There were plenty of people who could have borne witness to what He had taught and done, but the only ones who were called told a trumped-up story which did not agree anyway (Mark 14:56-59).

As powerful and influential a figure as Annas was, he must have realised that Jesus was a hot potato and decided to get rid of Him by passing Him on to Caiaphas. What would Caiaphas, this puppet of Rome, do with Him?

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

IT HAD TO BE!

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IT HAD TO BE!

“Therefore, many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. ‘What are we accomplishing?’ they asked. ‘Here is this man performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.'” John 11:45-48 NIV

Wrong! The religious leaders were really being melodramatic! In what way would Jesus’ signs cause them to “lose” their temple and their nation?

Jesus’ miracles, up to this point, were in no way disturbing the Romans. What He was doing was evidence that the God who wanted them to worship Him was not the vengeful, demanding and legalistic god of the Pharisees but a loving Father who wanted them to submit to His way so that they would live in harmony with Him and with one another.

Like all the others, including Jesus’ disciples, it seems that the Jews” idea of the Messiah was one of a strong political ruler who would restore the Davidic kingdom to its former glory by getting rid of the Romans and setting up His own rule in Israel. Did they think that Jesus’ miracles were His way of getting the people on His side so that, when He made His move against Rome, they would rise up with Him?

Had the Jews only listened without the filter of their prejudice and envy, they would have heard something different from their twisted interpretation of His words and works. Their protests covered up a much more sinister and personal reason for hating Him. Jesus was not shy of showing them up for what they were — greedy and conniving opportunists who used their position to enrich themselves at the expense of the people whom they controlled through their religious demands in the name of God!

This latest challenge, the spectacular and unassailable act of raising Lazarus who had been putrefying in the grave for four days, was the last straw. The religious leaders had to exterminate Jesus because they did not know what He would do next. What they did not take into account was that nothing He had said or done up to this point, indicated that He had intentions of rising up against Rome and taking over. All they knew was that He had great power and they were afraid of Him.

Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up. ‘You know nothing at all! You do not realise that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.’ He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So, from that day on they plotted to take His life.” John 11:49-52 NIV.

Caiaphas was high priest and spokesman for the Sanhedrin. Little did he know that what he had to say, out of his puny reasoning, was actually an accurate and profound prophetic statement of the truth. Caiaphas saw Jesus as the scapegoat for themselves and the people. It was either Jesus or them. However, he unwittingly verbalised God’s redemptive purpose for sending Jesus.

John was quick to pounce on his words and explain that Jesus’ death was indeed a substitute for the Jews in Israel and all God’s people everywhere. Were the words of Isaiah, which the prophet had spoken centuries before and which Caiaphas would have known so well, subconsciously emerging from his lips?

“Surely. He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we were healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6 NIV.

Yes, Caiaphas, you were absolutely right! It had to be, but you were part of the plot to kill Him and you were guilty!

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Our Buddy, Pilate

Bible Study, , ,

OUR BUDDY, PILATE

“Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning and, to avoid ceremonial uncleanness, they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, ‘What charges are you bringing against this man?

“‘If He were not a criminal,’ they replied, ‘we would not have handed Him over to you.’ Pilate said, ‘Take Him yourselves and judge Him by your own law.’ ‘But we have no right to execute anyone,’ they objected. This took place to fulfil what Jesus had said about the kind of death He was going to die.” John 18:28-32 NIV.

John said nothing about Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas. According to the other three gospels, it was this trial that revealed the Sanhedrin’s true colours. Caiaphas allowed false witnesses to testify without suffering the penalty for lying. The men of the Sanhedrin behaved in a disgraceful way, using verbal and physical abuse against the prisoner and allowing the soldiers to mock Jesus by ramming a crown on His head woven out of twigs covered in vicious thorns.

Having satisfied themselves of Jesus’ guilt, the Jewish leaders marched Jesus to Pilate to have their verdict ratified. They had decided that He was guilty of blasphemy because they refused to accept His claim to be the Son of God. They did not bother the test His claim by listening to the testimony of reliable witnesses. As far as they were concerned He was guilty and that was that.

Although it was illegal to condemn a man on his own testimony, Caiaphas put the question to Jesus, ‘Are you the Christ?’ to which Jesus replied, ‘You have said it.’ Triumphantly proclaiming Him ‘Guilty!’ they bundled Him off to Pilate to ratify their verdict and sentence, only Pilate would not buy the charge of blasphemy. That was an internal, religious matter. Pilate didn’t give a hoot about their religious squabbles. It was His job to protect Rome’s interests and nothing else.

They thought that they had Jesus in the bag. Charge Him with treason because He claimed to be the king of the Jews and Pilate would be a pushover. After all, they were buddies, and he would go along with them as long as they did their job to keep the peace. Since they insisted that Jesus was a rabble-rouser, Pilate would surely rubber-stamp their verdict and condemn Him to death.

They did not bargain on Pilate’s resistance to their straightforward scheme. Pilate had to be sure that this man’s so called “treason” was in fact a threat to Rome. He couldn’t just go crucifying people left, right and centre just because the Jewish high court insisted they were guilty. It may have been true that Jesus claimed kingship over the Jews but what evidence was there that He was planning to overthrow Roman rule and drive them out of Israel? What sort of king was He?

Friend though he might have been, Pilate was not ignorant of the nature of these Jewish leaders. They could be conniving and unscrupulous to get their own way. Most of them were drawn from the wealthy political party of the Sadducees who did not have much interest in religion. They did not believe in the supernatural and rejected the Pharisees’ belief in the resurrection.

In spite of the coalition in the Sanhedrin, there was a deep divide between the two groups. Many years later, Paul would exploit this divide to turn the heat of their hatred off him.

Pilate had a responsibility to exercise Roman justice, even towards Jewish prisoners. Therefore he questioned Jesus’ accusers. ‘What’s the charge against Him?’ he demanded. The Jewish leaders shrewdly turned his question back on him. They dodged the question by trying to make Pilate look foolish. ‘Don’t be silly, Pilate! Do you think we would have brought Him to you if we hadn’t already found him guilty?’

‘Guilty of what?’ No answer! Pilate was also shrewd. ‘You take Him and try Him,’ he replied. He knew that they had no power to execute anyone. Only he could do that. This would turn into a running battle between Jewish and Roman authorities with Jesus as the prize. Who would come out tops?