Discussing The Interrogation of Jesus by Caiaphas & The Religious Leaders — From The Garden To The Cross
Welcome to another special edition of the Share Life podcast. We're in an ongoing series, as part of the discovery process for my next book project, From The Garden to the Cross: How Jesus' Harrowing Mission Shows Us The Way Forward. In this episode discussion, we're reflecting on the interrogation of Jesus by the religious leaders after his arrest in the garden of Gethsemane.
Before we jump into the specific discussion about the particular passage of Jesus being interrogated in the middle of the night, we take a step back and self-reflect on the status of the Christian church in America. We're about to discuss a scene where an innocent man is interrogated, where false witnesses are brought out against him, and where human intentions to convict supersede the truth of the situation. When we look around at believers, we often seem to look more like the deceptive religious leaders than we do Jesus. What's going on?
After we explore that idea, we jump into the passage about Jesus being interrogated. Join us as we explore the story through the following questions: What we can learn about Jesus, humanity, and ourselves from this monumental moment in time? This particular moment begins soon after Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested in the garden of Gethsemane.
Fellow Conversation Participants
Today I'm joined by Nick, Benji, and Todd.
- Nick Bryant is the founder of NickPrint, a printing company that prints everything but money. He launched his business on April 1st, 2006 (an April fool's joke to himself) and is a business he's sustained ever since. Check out my Inspirational Interview with Nick here.
- Benji Hollis is the vice president of sales for the annual Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl and also involved in a Leukemia legacy fund, inspired by his daughter Anna Charles' devastating battle with cancer that brought him to Jesus. You can also check out my discussion with Benji about Andy Stanley's book, Louder Than Words here.
- Todd Miechiels helps people know and share their story wholeheartedly through his work with The 3:15 Project and StoryDrive. Also, explore a previous episode of the podcast where Todd leans into the idea of sharing and resting.
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My Harmonized Account of the Interrogation Scene For Reference & Study — An Excerpt From The Book
The Roman soldiers, commanding officers, and the Jewish temple guards seized Jesus and bound him with rope.
His first stop was to Caiaphas’ father-in-law, Annas. Caiaphas, the high priest during that time, persuaded the Jews that it would be better for one man to perish for the sake of the people.
In response to Annas asking Jesus about his teachings and disciples, Jesus responded.
“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.”
A Jewish policeman slapped Jesus on the face and rebuked him.
“Is that the way to answer the high priest?”
Jesus responded.
“If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?”
Still bound up, Annas sent Jesus to the Chief Priest, Caiaphas.
Mark 14:53-65 | Matthew 26:57-68 | Luke 22:66-70
All the high priests, religious leaders, and scholars were gathered together when Jesus was led to the Chief Priest.
Peter followed at a distance until the courtyard where he kept himself warm and watched how things would unfold and his denial of Jesus was mere moments away.
Frantically looking for evidence against Jesus, the high priests and Jewish council conspired for a way to sentence Jesus to death.
They found nothing.
Several people were willing to bring fictitious stories but their contradictory retellings weakened their case.
Then, two from the crowd voiced how Jesus spoke of destroying the temple and rebuilding it, but even their stories were not believable.
It was then when the high priest stood up before the others and questioned Jesus.
“Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?”
Jesus remained silent.
The high priest asked Jesus another profound question.
“I command you by the authority of the living God to answer… Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
Jesus affirmed the answer to his question.
“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 back at Jesus.
“So, are you claiming to be the Son of God?”
And Jesus replied.
“You say that I am.”
The High Priest was aghast and tore his clothing to demonstrate his horror.
“Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”
They cried out.
“Guilty! He deserves to die!”
The high priests, religious leaders, and the entire high council met to discuss what would happen next with Jesus. Their plot to kill him was moving forward.
The crowd around began spitting on Jesus. After they blindfolded him, the Jewish police struck Jesus and mocked him, demanding this prophetic Messiah tell them who hit him.
Ready to escalate the matter, they tied up Jesus, led him out, and presented him to the Roman governor, Pilate.
Hero Photo by David on Unsplash
Hero Photo: Jesus before Caiaphas by Wenceslaus Hollar courtesy of the National Gallery of Art
From The Garden To The Cross, Podcast - From The Garden To The Cross
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