The events that happened next occurred at a breakneck pace. In the space of six to twelve hours, Jesus was betrayed by Judas, arrested by an armed force, abandoned by His closest friends, endured six interrogations or trials + was disowned by Peter.
Jesus experienced three trials or interrogations at the hands of Jewish religious authorities.
The first was an interrogation by Annas, the former high priest + father-in-law of the current high priest, Caiaphas (John 18:12b-14, 19-23). Annas was one of the most powerful men in Jerusalem. He had served as the high priest for twenty years + for all practical purposes, still controlled the office of the high priest.
It was during this initial interrogation that a member of the temple guard hit Jesus for the first of what would be many times, accusing Jesus of being disrespectful (John 18:13-14, 19-24).
Frustrated by his inability to come up with something that could serve as grounds for execution, Annas sent Jesus off to his son-in-law, Caiaphas, the current high priest, for His second interrogation (Matthew 26:57, 59-68; Mark 14:53, 55-65; Luke 22:54a, 63-71; John 18:24).
Caiaphas brought the Sanhedrin together at his house in the middle of the night for this trial.
The Sanhedrin was a council consisting of twenty-four chief priests + forty-six additional elders chosen from among scribes, Pharisees + Sadducees. The high priest served as the overseer + a voting member of the group. A total number of seventy-one men were involved. At least 23 members showed up, the minimum number necessary for a conviction.
There’s no real concern or desire for justice or fairness in what goes down next. The majority of these leaders just wanted Jesus dead (Matthew 27:1; Mark 15:1a; Luke 22:66-71).
For most of the trial, Jesus demonstrated strength through silence. He knew that the outcome had already been determined, not by a group of feeble men gathered in a back room who thought they were in charge. The outcome had already been determined by God.
The physical abuse began early on in the interrogation.
Eventually, Caiaphas directly demanded, “I command you by the authority of the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Jesus finally broke His silence + replied, “You’ve said it . . . ”
He then went on to apply Messianic passages from books like Daniel + Psalms to Himself (Daniel 7:13-14; Psalm 110:1-2).
When Caiaphas heard Jesus say, “You’ve said it,” he tore his robe in apparent horror, shock + outrage over Jesus’ statement. It’s interesting that the guy who was supposedly so committed to keeping the law, actually broke the law by tearing his robe.
Leviticus 10:6 + 21:10 prohibited the high priest from tearing his robe. But religious people always prefer “looking right” to “being right.”
Caiaphas tore his robe + screamed, “But they had made up their minds, Why do we need any more evidence? We’ve all heard him as good as say it himself.” —Luke 22:71 MSG
The members of the council who were present all responded, “Death. He just sealed his own death sentence. He deserves to die [because of what He just said]” (Matthew 27:1; Mark 15:1a; Luke 22:66-71).
The moment this group reached a conviction of blasphemy, the humiliation, beatings + torture of Jesus continued (Matthew 26:67-68; Mark 14:65; Luke 22:63-65).
Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face + beat him with their fists. + some slapped him, 68 jeering, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?” —Matthew 26:67-68 NLT
The religious authorities knew that Rome had limited their powers of execution, so they would have to wait until daybreak to get approval from Pilate + Rome for execution. They did, however, have the power to inflict physical punishment. So, for the next few hours, they unleashed all the pent up rage they had carried against Jesus in unbelievable, degrading verbal abuse + relentless physical violence.
Jesus endured physical torture + verbal abuse that was unimaginable. He was blindfolded + beaten without mercy. He was mocked + verbally humiliated. Mockery is verbal violence. The Temple Guard torture squad ridiculed every aspect of Jesus’ life + ministry they could think of. Their goal was humiliation, degradation + dishonor.
Amazingly, the physical + verbal torture Jesus endured had been predicted seven-hundred years earlier by the prophet Isaiah:
I offered my back to those who beat me + my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery + spitting. —Isaiah 50:6 NLT
Just before daybreak, Caiaphas gathered the entire Sanhedrin one more time—the third trial—to confirm the conviction + verdict (Matthew 27:1-2; Mark 15:1).
The most powerful members of the council had already spoken. This gathering was about appearances, not about fairness. All three of these “trials” or interrogations took place between the hours of 1 + 6 a.m. on Friday.
Today’s Verse: I offered my back to those who beat me + my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery + spitting. —Isaiah 50:6 NLT
Today’s Prompt: Would you be able to demonstrate strength through silence if you were being wrongfully accused + mistreated?
Today’s Gratitude: I am grateful that Jesus offers Himself to others, even when it’s undeserved.
Today’s Prayer: Father, help me show the same strength Jesus showed when He was being attacked. Help me to have the same resolve to stay committed to what You’ve asked me to do, even when it costs me something. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
