The Last Week of Jesus's LifeSample

Friday, April 3, 33 AD

Nearing dawn, Annas realizes he is getting nowhere. He sends Jesus to his son-in-law’s synedrion, who have now assembled in Caiaphas’s quarters within the mansion. It’s time to get their corrupt court to charge this man with something the Romans can execute him for, while still maintaining the charade that this is all about faith and religion.

Sunrise in Jerusalem is 6:26 a.m. It is the third day of the Roman month of Aprilis, the day of Venus, which we now call Friday. Luke 22:66 says the chief priests, their lawyers, and the aristocrats gather at the crack of dawn, thus fulfilling their religious rule about not holding a trial in the dark, and leading Jesus before their synedrion. There are almost certainly fewer than seventy people present, if only because it is so early, and because only twenty-three are necessary to form a quorum. Moreover, Annas has probably excluded anyone and everyone who will vote against his will. The Sabbath is less than twenty-four hours away, and they’re desperate to get this errant rabbi killed quickly so they can maintain the appearance of being ritually clean for the most profitable of festival weekends.

They cut straight to the point and ask Jesus if he is the Christ. Luke 22:67 clocks the rabbi’s reply: “If I tell you, you will not believe.” An exasperated synedrion seeks testimony and/or evidence they can use to put him to death, but they can’t find any. A whole host of folk break the ninth commandment by bearing false witness against Jesus (Exodus 20:16), but they can’t find a way to make their stories match up, and it takes two male witnesses to make an ironclad Jewish case. Not only that, but they break all sorts of their own religionist rules by holding a trial during a feast week, by not voting individually but by acclamation, by not waiting a full night before carrying out a death penalty sentence, by asking the accused questions of self-incrimination, and by not allowing the accused to have legal representation. But again, these are not good and faithful Jews.

Finally, two religionists stand and falsely claim, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands’” (Mark 14:58). This likely gets the high priests to pay attention, as the temple is their golden goose. But this isn’t what Jesus actually said. When asked by whose authority he preaches, Jesus said that if they “Destroy this temple . . . in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). As usual, it’s just a rabbinical play on words. The temple he’s referencing isn’t the physical Jerusalem stone pile, but his own body.

Greatly annoyed, Caiaphas stands and addresses Jesus. “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” Before a corrupt court, an innocent man need not waste his breath, so the rabbi stays silent. Plus, he knows what every religionist in the room knows—that Caiaphas has broken the law. As a high priest, he is supposed to be the impartial judge, not the accusatory prosecutor.

Caiaphas presses him again. “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if are you the Christ, the Son of God” (Matthew 26:63). It is an excellent question—two heavily load questions, actually— and no matter how Jesus answers, it’s a win for the House of Annas. If he says he isn’t the Messiah and the Son of God, they can publicly discredit him. If he says he is, they can hand him over to the Romans.

Knowing they have him—and more importantly, knowing his time has come—Jesus finally admits it publicly: “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62). There it is. The theological and political shoe drop. In one sentence, Jesus has declared himself God of the universe and king of Israel. The great irony is that this is what real Jews have been praying for forever. The House of Annas has what it needs to convince the Jews and the Romans.

Joseph Caiaphas tears his clothes, the formal sign of condemnation according to the religionist rulebook. Disregarding the fact that the high priest is forbidden by Mosaic law from performing this action (Leviticus 10:6; Leviticus 21:10), he launches into an oh-so-holy tirade. “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy from his own lips. What is your judgment?”

The sycophant synedrion replies in Matthew 26:66, “He deserves death.”