Christ Before the High Priest
53 They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together. 54 Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.
55 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. 56 Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree. 57 Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’” 59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree.
60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
62 “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.”
63 The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65 Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.
Mark 14:53-65
Horsham: 20th September 2025
Jesus is escorted from Gethsemane towards Jerusalem by a huge group of soldiers and temple staff. Whilst he has not offered resistance, he is bound with ropes. This party made their way in the darkness across the valley towards the east gate of the Temple. In the darkness, Peter was following at a distance. The other disciples, including Judas, had run for their lives.
It is easy to miss the pace of events which now unfold. It is a matter of but a few hours until Christ would be nailed to the cross. We need to dip into all of the Gospels to grasp the order of events and pick up important points of context.
‘kangaroo court’
The Sanhedrin, the highest court in Israel, are legally required to meet in the Temple compound, yet some of them at least, set up some kind of kangaroo court at the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest, about a quarter of a mile from the Temple. It is a huge house, sometimes described as a palace, which has good sized rooms built around a large central courtyard.
It is to this same house that the arrest party travelled, delivering Jesus into the hands of Caiaphas and his team, who undertake the interrogation in one of his public rooms. There is something very irregular in this ‘court’. Some commentators believe that this was some kind of unofficial, preliminary hearing to interrogate Jesus and formulate a charge. Under Jewish Law, Jesus should be entitled to defend himself. But in front of this extraordinary court, Jesus is silent. Impervious to their questions and the accusations of witnesses whose stories carry half-truths at best, and conflict with each other. The authorities were desperate for new witnesses. We need to remind ourselves again that this is going on at the dead of night, while the city is asleep. It’s as if they are reduced to grabbing people off the street and encouraging their false testimony by threat or payment. They don’t keep to the script, misquoting his comments about the destruction of the Temple. The authorities are determined to build a charge of insurrection which would justify his death. “This charge was formulated by deliberately and maliciously mis-repeating and misinterpreting certain things which Jesus had said. (Barclay, Gospel of Matthew, Vol 2, p413)
The question of last resort
Then comes the question of last resort, direct from the mouth of Caiaphas. A question that Jesus has to answer. Matthew tells us that the full question is ‘I place you under oath by the living God to tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.’ (Matthew 26:63) This question is framed in a very specific and traditional oath which under Jewish Law demands a response. Only now does Jesus break His silence. Looking directly at Caiaphas He says ‘You have said so.’ Claiming to be the Messiah is not of itself a punishable offence. But Jesus continues. ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ (Matthew 26:64) The power of this acclamation in this context is massive. Everyone in the room recognises the allusion to the prophecies of Daniel 7. No-one misses the fact that Jesus is claiming to be the Christ, and that he is promising to return in judgment. All this, in the face of Caiaphas. In context, it carries a sense of threat against the High Priest. He himself will be judged – by Jesus. Caiaphas is beside himself.
The tearing of clothes is a symbol of rage. The only occasion when the High Priest is permitted to tear his clothes is when he is in the presence of blasphemy. This expression of rage is theatrical. His charge of blasphemy is real.
‘abused to His face’
In his fury, Caiaphas whips up a frenzy of anger amongst the Sanhedrin and everyone else present. ‘They all condemned him as worthy of death.’ (v64) People in the room, maybe guards, maybe the ordained leaders of Israel, start to spit at him. They blindfold him. They abuse him to his face. They beat him. They slap him. He cannot see the attacks coming. He is helpless. He is defenseless. Every blow disorientates. They are abusing the Son of God.
Things are happening quickly. It is barely an hour since his arrest and already he is charged, arguably convicted, of blasphemy by the Sanhedrin. However, there is still work to do. The Jewish authorities cannot carry out the death penalty, especially during the Passover weekend. Only the Romans can do that. But the Romans are unlikely to care about a charge of blasphemy.
The clock is ticking. Messengers will already be on their way to the Roman palace to make ready the next ghastly episode in this story.
End Piece
It was not lawful to conduct court process during the hours of darkness. It was not lawful to hold a criminal trial during the Passover (Barclay, Matthew, p412). It was not lawful for the Sanhedrin to convene and pass judgment in the house of the High Priest. It was not lawful to allow false witnesses to give evidence. (See Sproul, p.350 – 351). Such is the determination of the Jewish authorities to be rid of Jesus that they will break any of their own rules to achieve their purpose. In every sense, this process is mired in conspiracy, intrigue and deceit.
There were those on the Sanhedrin who were more supportive of Jesus. Nicodemus had visited Jesus during the night only a few days earlier (John 3). Joseph of Arimathea was ready to ensure the proper burial of Jesus in his own tomb (Matthew 27:57). It is probable that neither they nor any other supportive voices were at the Palace for this preliminary trial. They would have been unwelcome and unhelpful to the cause of the High Priest.
The most powerful image of this dreadful episode in the life of Christ is surely the bound, blindfolded and broken man, with his own blood and other people’s spittle running down his face.
Hold that image. Beaten. Bruised. Disorientated. Abused. This is your Saviour. This is your King.
‘It is unthinkable that the Messiah, the Ruler and Sustainer of the universe, should be subjected to trial by mere men, but in the good providence of God, that is what occurred.’ Sproul, p149
Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK
