57 Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” 62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” 67 Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?” Matthew 26: 57-68ESV
Matthew 26: 57-68 Kangaroos
18You are to appoint judges and officials for your tribes in every town that the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment. 19Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. 20Pursue justice, and justice alone, so that you may live, and you may possess the land that the LORD your God is giving you.… Deuteronomy 16: 18-20
Led him to Caiaphas the high priest - Remember, Caiaphas is one of the longer lasting high priest because of his political loyalties, not because of his loyalty to the call of a high priest. He gets along with Rome and the Jewish mafia. His father in law, Annas, was the priest preceding him, and in the book of John we see that Jesus was also brought before Annas. Annas had a particular beef with Jesus because Jesus had come in and cleansed the temple.
Who is Annas? Annas had been high priest for about five or six years, but that 20 years before this. He was not now the existing high priest, Caiaphas was. He was high priest that year, John 18:13 says. That’s kind of interesting because under God’s design, high priests were high priests for life. You didn’t have them chosen every year or so. But it was becoming such a political position, and it was bought and sold, in a sense, and then it was so connected with being able to bow the knee to Rome that high priests came and went rather rapidly. And from what I understand of history, the Romans had actually pressurized Annas out of the office of high priest because he was amassing so much power. He was a wily and clever man. And so he had been pushed out as high priest after about five or six years, but still carries the name, because a high priest was to be a high priest for life. But when Annas went out as high priest, five of his sons and one son-in-law, Caiaphas, who married his daughter, succeeded him, so he maintained control. It was “in the family,” if you will. And he maintained this title of high priest, and he was the boss. He was the head of racketeering. He was behind everything. In fact, all of the money changers and the selling and the buying in the temple, all of that was called “the bazaars of Annas.” He got a piece of all that action. He was the big boss, if you will, in the temple mafia, the temple criminal proceedings of extortion. He controlled it all.
I’ll give you just a little illustration. When you as a Jew would come to the temple, you would never come empty-handed. You would never come with nothing. Well, you don’t come to God with nothing in your hand. And so, when a Jew came he would bring either a sacrifice or an offering. If you brought an offering, he would bring some coins to put in those bell-shaped receptacles that were up on the wall where he gave his offering. The problem was he couldn’t put pagan coinage in there, because pagan coinage often was inscribed with an image, and an image to a Jew is a what? Is an idol. So what had to happen was there had to be an exchange of his coinage for temple coinage, which was acceptable. And when he came in with his money and made the exchange, he was taken, if you will. It was exorbitant, it was extortion, and the money changers were charging the people way more than they should – not giving a just return in temple currency.
On the other hand, let’s say a Jew came in with his lamb. Let’s say he had brought a lamb out of his own flock, and he came to offer it to the Lord, or a pigeon or a turtledove, depending on his economic capability, and he came in there. The first thing he would have to do is take his animal to a screening group of priests, and those priests would examine the animal to see if it was without blemish. Chances are, if you didn’t buy it in the temple, it was blemished. You understand? You could avoid all of that by coming with nothing, going to the temple stockyard, and buying an already approved animal at about three times the price. But what choice did you have if your animal was turned down? And so another way whereby they extorted from the people; this is the bazaar of Annas, this is how he is getting rich and influential. The first thing Jesus did when He came to the city of Jerusalem in John, chapter 2, was cleanse the temple. Remember that? John 2:13 to 17, He went in and overturned the tables and threw everybody out. Now, that was His initial contact with Annas and his operation, and you get a little idea of why Annas didn’t like Jesus, right? - J Mac
Where the scribes and elders had gathered - This is in the middle of the night, and it gives us an idea of what Jesus is up against. His accusers are also His judges, and they are the same who are seeking testimony against Him to support what they are bent on doing. Some would also suggest that Jesus' trial is illegal based on it's timing:
Jewish tradition and texts portray the Sanhedrin to be an established court based in Jerusalem with strict guidelines on how to function, including a prohibition against trials after dark, and a requirement that they occur in a public venue.[3] Talmud Sanhedrin (tractate) 32a reads: Hebrew: דיני נפשות דינים ביום וגומרים ביום, lit. 'In cases of capital law, the court judges during the daytime, and concludes the deliberations and issues the ruling only in the daytime.' (Steinsaltz Translation) And further on 32a Hebrew: דיני נפשות גומרין בו ביום לזכות וביום שלאחריו לחובה לפיכך אין דנין לא בערב שבת ולא בערב יום טוב, lit. 'In cases of capital law, the court may conclude the deliberations and issue the ruling even on that same day to acquit the accused, but must wait until the following day to find him liable. Therefore, since capital cases might continue for two days, the court does not judge cases of capital law on certain days, neither on the eve of Shabbat nor the eve of a Festival.' Maimonides quotes this mishna verbatim in his authoritative compendium of Jewish law Mishneh Torah, The Sanhedrin and the Penalties within their Jurisdiction §11.1 [4] - Wikipedia
And Peter was following Him at a distance - He still loves Jesus and would like to know how this will play out. He may even still hold some hope, but he is at a distance for fear. We should take great care in how we judge Peter, for most of us, even after coming to know Christ have kept our distance when we could have given helpful testimony or should have spoken against those that blemish His name.
Now the chief priests and the whole counsel were seeking false testimony against Jesus - Matthew is laying out a very strong accusation against the Sanhedrin. They are supposed to be representatives of God's law, and God's word clearly states that you shall not bear false witness and that you shall not lie. Not only are they seeking false witnesses, but they are doing so in the hopes of a guilty verdict that seeks the death penalty. According to God's word you don't seek false witness or bare it against your neighbor, in fact, you actually have to examine any witness to make sure that they are giving valid and honest testimony. No one could die on the testimony of only one witness either, and there was never to be mob justice, you were supposed to have a fair trial. The Sanhedrin was also to be assembled to look into charges that already existed, not assembled to invent them, theirs was only to investigate, and so this is very rigged and outside the hope of any real justice. For men like this the end justifies the means, and they keep only that part of the law which is easy for them, yet they have work arounds for all else. They hold others to a standard that they themselves don't keep. If they were just then everyone here that was willing to bear false witness should have been executed according to the law. Slander is a gross thing, and those without mercy are the worse tyrants.
15A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 16If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime, 17both parties to the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and judges who are in office at that time.…
…18The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, 19you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you. 20Then the rest of the people will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so evil among you.… Deuteronomy 19: 15-20
They found none, though many false witnesses came forward - This speaks volumes to an innocent life, and the only reason these apostate leaders are even trying to find witnesses that can get their stories straight is to honor some part of the law, as though it will sanctify the lie. They also don't have the power of death, that belongs to the occupying force, Rome, which will ultimately have to consent to this. Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin are merely covering their bases, there is no concern for finding the actual truth, they just hate Jesus and want Him dead. This is all theatre so that when they turn Him over to Herod and Pilate they can pretend that they have done their due diligence.
At last two came forward - This goes back to their law about needing two witnesses, and here they have found two that tell the same story, and way out of context, but good enough for the purposes of these thieves. Now they have that important thing called a "charge", and they can now examine Him.
…55Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but they did not find any. 56For many bore false witness against Jesus, but their testimony was inconsistent. 57Then some men stood up and testified falsely against Him:… Mark 14: 55-57
I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days - We know that this referred to His earthly temple and so the death and resurrection of Him Who tabernacled with us, Immanuel, God taking on human flesh. Jesus also foretells the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem which was accomplished by Rome in 70 A.D.
…18On account of this, the Jews demanded, “What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things?” 19Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” 20“This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?”…
…21But Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body. 22 After He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this. Then they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. 23While He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the signs He was doing and believed in His name.… John 2: 18-23
1As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look at the magnificent stones and buildings!” 2“Do you see all these great buildings?” Jesus replied. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” Mark 13: 1-2
What is it that these men testify against You - Well, it's kind of a charge, but Jesus doesn't answer it. They obviously hope to accuse Him of plotting to destroy their temple, and I say, "their", because they have made it a den of thieves, and it is no longer God's house.
…6We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. 7He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. 8By oppression and judgment He was taken away, and who can recount His descendants? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was stricken for the transgression of My people.… Isaiah 53: 6-8
I adjure You by the Living God - He's actually addressing God, yikes! Remember, the Son seeks to do the will of the Father Who sent Him, and He will not deny God, but this is so deeply layered.
Tell us if You are the Christ the Son of God - What? This is not the original charge, this is a new charge originating not from two or three witnesses but from the High Priest himself. This is all over the place, this is a kangaroo court.
The court illegally switched the charges from a perceived threat that Jerusalem's temple would be destroyed (Matthew 26:59 - 61) to blasphemy (Mark 14:62 - 63). After the second trial, the Sanhedrin again changed the charges against Jesus before they were to present their case in front of the Roman authorities. - BibleStudy.org
This is that which they want Jesus to say, because to them, to claim to be the Son of God is to claim to be deity, and to claim to be deity is blasphemy, if you are not God. Only God has the right to that, and it blasphemous for a man to claim to be God. And so they want Jesus with His own mouth to blaspheme, and then they will have their reason for execution, because in Leviticus 24:16, it says, “If anyone blasphemes the name of God, he is to be put to death.”
There’s no crime at all. The only crime they could come up with was that He said He was God, and that wasn’t a crime, because that was the truth. So mark it down for all history: Jesus was executed not for saying He was God apart from truth, but for being the God He said He was. He breaks into the scene with the last ploy, and puts on Jesus the heavy oath – you can find it in Leviticus 5:1 and 1 Kings 22:16. “I adjure Thee by the living God,” in the face of the God who lives and punishes those who lie, You tell us the truth. First of all, “Are You the Messiah?” Are You the Messiah, the promised one, the promised King? You know, He claimed to be the Messiah. In Luke 4:21, He read the scripture from Isaiah in the synagogue, closed the scroll in His hands, set it down and said, “This day is this fulfilled in your ears.” In other words, I am the Messiah. I am the one the Scripture speaks of.
You have said so - "Yep, you said it, and that's Me."
…61But Jesus remained silent and made no reply. Again the high priest questioned Him, “Are You the Christ, 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 Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “Why do we need any more witnesses?… Mark 14: 61-63
Then the high priest tore his robes - This they did in the face of blasphemy, to show their disdain for what was being said. So this is the new current charge, blasphemy. Jesus also let him know in no uncertain terms that He was the Messiah in saying that the next time Caiaphas saw Him would be at the great white throne of judgment when Jesus returns to judge the earth. The reference is a very clear picture of Christ from the Old Testament. I don't believe Caiaphas tore his clothes because he was offended for God's sake, for Caiaphas and the truth weren't on speaking terms, this was more for theatre, to get the crowd to side with him. He's a politician, a weather vane.
…13In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. 14And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. Daniel 7: 13-14
He deserves death - Caiaphas, though evil, lying, and manipulative, has been effective. He has swayed his audience, and I have watched that a lot with mankind, if the facts don't favor you then crank up the emotion, people eat that stuff up. Wisdom and discernment are unfortunately things that men need to beg for, but they don't because they think they already have it. There is beauty here as well, that He doesn't really deserve death, but those He is dying for do.
…11Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 13They open their jaws against me like lions that roar and maul.… Psalm 22: 11-13
They spit in His face and struck Him - Spitting is like the tearing of the robe, in this culture it is the highest, most significant show of disrespect, of hatred.
…5The Lord GOD has opened My ears, and I have not been rebellious, nor have I turned back. 6I offered My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spittle. 7Because the Lord GOD helps Me, I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set My face like flint, and I know that I will not be put to shame.… Isaiah 50: 5-7
It’s absolutely frightening. To the Jews, the supreme sign of contempt was to spit, Numbers 12:14, Deuteronomy 5:29. In fact, to this day, there’s a tomb in the Valley of Kidron that’s known as Absalom’s tomb. And, of course, the Jewish people have long hated the memory of Absalom, because Absalom was the son of David who was a traitor against his own father, and tried to take his own father’s life, and David is beloved by the Jewish people, and rightly so. And when anybody walks by Absalom’s tomb even to this day, if they’re faithful to Judaistic tradition, they spit on Absalom’s tomb. It is a symbol of disdain, hatred. And they spit in the face of God – the face of Jesus Christ, the beloved. - J Mac
Prophesy to us - Jesus was known and revered by many as a prophet, for no one spoke with such authority, cast out demons or healed like He did. The facts pointed to Him being the Son of God, but they hated Him without cause, just like the scriptures foretold, so now they want to destroy Him in the eyes of His followers. "Prophesy who hit you", what a dangerous game, they are living and participating in the greatest moment of all of human history, betraying the Son of God. Oddly, they say, "prophesy", for this is the same way their fathers treated the prophets before Him.
…33Nevertheless, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not admissible for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem. 34O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! 35Look, your house is left to you desolate. And I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”… Luke 13: 33-35
