Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin

Matthew 26
57 And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.

The Temple police and thugs took Jesus to the palace of the high priest.

John wrote that they first brought Him to Annas, father in law to Caiaphas.

The hastily convened leaders  needed to trump up charges to justify putting Jesus to death.

58 But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.

According to the Bible, the only Disciples to follow Jesus to His trials were Peter and John.

All of them must have realized that they might also be subject to arrest.

59 Now the chief priests, the elders,[a] and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death,

60 but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none.[b] But at last two false witnesses[c] came forward

61 and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’”

Jesus had previously predicted the destruction of the temple but not by Himself.

He did foretell that He would be killed and would rise the third day.

62 And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?”

Even then Jesus could  have defended Himself, but He knew that His words would be twisted. . We can describe the position of the religious leaders as: We’ve already made up our minds so don’t confuse us with the facts.

63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”

The high priest demanded that the Son of God sware by the living God that He is the Son of God.

64 Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Jesus spoke clearly. He knew what awaited Him then, but He also knew the rest of the story:

Jesus is interceding for us before the throne of God and is coming back to conquer the forces of evil. .

65 Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!

66 What do you think?”

They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.”  

The vote was not one hundred per cent. John wrote that Joseph of Arimathea did not consent.

The next day he and Nicodemus took Jesus down from the Cross and buried Him.

 

67 Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands,

68 saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?”

Luke wrote that  the meeting in the middle of the night was followed by a formal morning meeting of the elders, the chief priests and the scribes.  If this was the 71 member Sanhedrin,

their meeting was against their own rules. All criminal trials were to be conducted during the day. Only if the verdict was not guilty, could a trial be completed in one day. Criminal trials were  not to occur during Passover.  The Sanhedrin had to meet in the Hall of Hewn Stone in the Temple. They were to examine witnesses separately. (Barclay)  Leviticus 21: 10 specifies that the high priest was not allowed to rend his clothes.

Why were they so determined to do away with Jesus?  

Peter Denies Jesus, and Weeps Bitterly

69 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.”

70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.”

Just a few hours earlier in the evening Peter insisted to Jesus that he would go with Him even unto death.  Now, he was afraid of a servant girl.

71 And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

72 But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!”

73 And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.”

Eleven of the disciples and Jesus had  Galilean accents, and they recognized him from the arrest in the Garden.

74 Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!”

Immediately a rooster crowed.

75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.

Luke wrote that Jesus looked across the court yard at Peter at that very instant.

How would we have responded to the arrest in the Garden and the half a dozen trials to follow?

The Sanhedrin convicted Jesus of blasphemy, but Roman law did not allow them to carry out a death sentence. The next stop was Governor Pilate.

Footnotes:
Matthew 26:59 NU-Text omits the elders.
Matthew 26:60 NU-Text puts a comma after but found none, does not capitalize Even, and omits they found none.
Matthew 26:60 NU-Text omits false witnesses.