Friday, March 24th

The Jewish Authorities

Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled.

Matthew 26:57

Read John 18:13-24, Mark 14:55-65

The highest Jewish authority in first century Judea was the Sanhedrin. It was the council composed of the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes, as well as the Sadducees and Pharisees. There were about 70 men in all. This night was not one of their usual meetings. Called out of bed, the group scrambled through the evening darkness to deal with the One who claimed to be Messiah. Their task as a council was to find some way to put this One to death.

Witness after witness spoke against the Savior, but as the night wore on, it was apparent that the testimonies were insufficient to bring the verdict they were looking for. The stories of the false witnesses contradicted themselves. The man who was accused remained silent.

Near dawn, the tired high priest, Caiaphas, knew they were getting nowhere, so he took the matter directly into his own hands. He stood up in the council and confronted Jesus face to face. “Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God?” (Matthew 26:63b). To the horror of all, “‘You have said so!’ Jesus replied.” (Matthew 26:64a). There was no further need of witnesses. They had heard the blasphemy with their own ears. This was enough to condemn Him.

The highest authorities in the land rejected the King of kings, thus sealing their fate and His. From this moment on they paraded the Galilean through the city, from official to official, with one goal in mind, death on a cross.

Something to think about

1. Where did the arresting mob stop on the way to Caiaphas?

2. Was this a fair trial? Why or why not?

3. How do the authorities of our land accept or reject Christ?