Jesus' Final Visit to JerusalemIsampula

The Trial before the Jewish High Council

First, they took him to Annas, since he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas.31 Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, “It’s better that one man should die for the people.” Then Annas bound Jesus, and the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest at that time, where the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders had gathered.

Meanwhile, Simon Peter followed Jesus at a distance, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus. Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. He went right into the high priest’s courtyard.

Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire, lit in the middle of the courtyard. They sat around it, warming themselves, and Peter joined them there. He sat with the guards, warming himself by the fire, and waited to see how it would all end.

Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them. Jesus replied, “Everyone knows what I teach. I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple, where the people gather. I have not spoken in secret. Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said.”

Then one of the Temple guards standing nearby slapped Jesus across the face. “Is that the way to answer the high priest?” he demanded.

Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?”

Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard below. One of the servant girls who worked for the high priest came by and noticed Peter in the firelight, warming himself at the fire, and began staring at him. The woman asked Peter, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you? She looked at him closely, and finally, she said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus of Nazareth, the Galilean. This was one of Jesus’ followers!”

But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “Woman,” he said, “no I am not. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t even know him!” And he went out into the entryway. Just then, a rooster crowed.32

Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But they couldn’t find any evidence against Jesus. Even though they found many who agreed to give false witness against him, they could not use anyone’s testimony—they contradicted each other. Finally, two men stood up, came forward, and gave this testimony: “We heard this man say, ‘I will destroy this Temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, made without human hands.’” But even then they didn’t get their stories straight!

Then the high priest stood up before the others and asked Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus remained silent and made no reply. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God the Blessed One.”

Jesus replied, “You have said it. I Am.33 And in the future, you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand 34 and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 35

Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”

“Guilty!” they all shouted. “He deserves to die!” Then some of them, the guards in charge of Jesus, began to spit in Jesus’ face, mocking him. And they blindfolded him and beat him with their fists. “Prophesy to us, you Messiah!” they jeered. “Who hit you that time?” And they hurled all sorts of terrible insults at him. And the guards slapped him as they took him away.

Meanwhile, out by the gate,36 another servant girl noticed Peter standing there, and she began telling the others, those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth. This man is definitely one of them!” Someone else looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!” They asked him again, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?”

But again, Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “No man, I’m not!” Peter retorted. “I don’t even know the man.” A little later—about an hour later—some of the other bystanders 37 came over, confronted Peter, and said, “You must be one of them, because you are a Galilean, too; we can tell by your Galilean accent.” One of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?”

But again, Peter denied it. He swore, “Man, a curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed the second time.

At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows twice tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And Peter left the courtyard, went away, and broke down, weeping bitterly.

Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. At daybreak, all the elders of the people—the entire high council—assembled, including the leading priests and the teachers of religious law, to discuss their next step: to lay plans for putting Jesus to death. Jesus was led before this high council, and they said, “Tell us, are you the Messiah?”

But he replied, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me. And if I ask you a question, you won’t answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated in the place of power at God’s right hand.”

They all shouted, “So, are you claiming to be the Son of God?”

And he replied, “You say that I am.”

“Why do we need other witnesses?” they said. “We ourselves heard him say it.”

Then, they bound Jesus and led him away.

31 Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not include the detail of Jesus being first led to a trial before Annas but direct their focus on the inquisition by Caiaphas. John’s account includes the detail that Jesus had a preliminary hearing before Annas, and then a more official hearing before Caiaphas. Collectively, the accounts indicate there were three phases of the Jewish trial: (1) a hearing before Annas, (2) a hearing before Caiaphas and the Jewish high council, and (3) an early morning gathering of the elders, leading priests, and teachers of the law (the entire Jewish high council) to make an official decision to send Jesus to the Roman ruler Pilate. The arrangement of the Gospel texts in this passage collectively presents a picture of how the events unfolded chronologically but should not be viewed as definitive.

32 The accounts of Peter’s denials vary in detail between the four Gospels in terms of order, the identity of the accuser, and their location. This may be a matter of one or more writers focusing on certain details while the other writer(s) simply present the events in a summary manner.

Footnotes:

33 Or The ‘I Am’ is here; or I am the Lord. See Exod 3:14.

34 See Ps 110:1.

35 See Dan 7:13.

36 Here, John reads as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself.

37 Luke reads someone else.