B19a-devotions

Matthew 26:57-68

Alternative devotions for CHRISTMAS DAY

Jesus was taken from the Garden of Gethsemane to the house of Caiaphas, where the High Priest was waiting with the Sanhedrin, a Jewish council of 71 religious leaders, scribes and Pharisees. To act, they needed a quorum of two thirds, but it seems that even at this evening hour they found sufficient. This gives the feeling of an organised ‘plot’ to deal with Jesus, and what happened reads like a less than proper legal process. Nevertheless, witnesses were found and charges had to be agreed before the matter could be taken to the governor (27:1,2); but Jesus’ response was so strong (26:64) that by the end of the hearing, the Sanhedrin had already decided Jesus’ guilt.

Whilst Jesus was hauled before Caiaphas, Peter, with continued bravery and a desire to prove Jesus wrong by staying with Him, had gained entry to the servants’ quarters (26:58). Matthew mentions this so that we keep Peter in mind, because he becomes the focus of the story later on. Ironically, Jesus’ ‘trial’ before Caiaphas was about whether Jesus was the Messiah; but Peter was the only person to have openly declared this (16:16).

The search for false testimony The Sanhedrin knew what they wanted before proceedings began (26:59). They needed a charge to warrant the Roman death penalty, and any suggestion of subversion would do, because the Romans were keen to stop any kind of activity that could potentially disturb the peace.

It is comical that the Sanhedrin could not find the false witnesses they wanted (26:60). By law, they required two witnesses (Num 35:30; Duet. 17:6; 19:15), especially when a sentence of death could be passed. Eventually two came forward not so much with false witness, but with their own version of what Jesus said in the Temple (16:61). Nowhere is Jesus reported as saying, ‘I can destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days’ (26:61), but it is no surprise that some had heard something like this from Jesus’ prophesies of the destruction of the Temple (12:6; 21:12-13; 23:38; 24:2). The accusation about destroying the Temple has a strange ring of both truth about it however, and even though it was far from what the authorities wanted, Caiaphas decided that it was enough to hold Jesus.

Jesus answers the charge Jesus remained silent for a time, fulfilling Isaiah 53:7 (‘yet He did not open his mouth’); but it was only a temporary silence. Caiaphas demanded ‘tell us if you are the ‘Messiah, the Son of God’ (26:63). Caiaphas’ words remind us of Peter’s confession (16:16), but Caiaphas had twisted the truth about Jesus into a charge for a death penalty! In reply, Jesus spoke as He did to Judas at the last supper; ‘you have said so’ (26:25), which was a way of saying, ‘look at the meaning of what you have just said.’

Jesus then spoke out powerfully, describing His ultimate mission; ‘From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ (26:64). The first part of this, ‘seated at the right hand ...’ comes from Psalm 110:1,2, a well known text referring to David’s deference to the Messiah as ‘Lord’. The second half comes from Daniel’s vision ‘I saw one like a Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’ (7:13). Putting this together, it seems that Jesus had a vision of His own glory after His death. In this, Jesus gave Caiaphas more than he needed. The attempt to find witnesses was now futile, as what Jesus said would have made the hair stand up on the back of the necks of the Sanhedrin; not with excitement, but with fury.

The verdict The High Priest was regarded as the guardian of the Law of Moses, and it was forbidden for him to tear his clothes even under provocation (Lev 21:10). So when Matthew reports that Caiaphas ripped his clothes in frustration (26:65), it adds irony. Caiaphas shouted ‘blasphemy’ at Jesus (26:65) when it was he who blasphemed against the Law by tearing his clothes! In truth, Caiaphas’ fury was not simply due to Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah (there were many such claims in those days) but His equating of Himself with God, using Old Testament images of God’s power and glory (26:64). The sacred name of God revealed to Moses as ‘JHWH’, was not said aloud, because it was thought to impugn God’s honour. Jesus had crossed the line of what was acceptable, and this was enough for Caiaphas.

The penalty for blasphemy was death by stoning (Leviticus 24:1f.), but the Sanhedrin knew that if they did this, their position of power would be compromised with the Romans, so they made this the basis of their appeal to the governor the next morning (27:1f.). To vent their anger, they insulted Jesus, hitting Him and spitting on Him (26:67). When faced with the reality of such appalling behaviour, it may seem heartless to say that this was a fulfilment of Isaiah 53:6 (and also 50:4-9), but the fulfilment of prophesy confirms Jesus’ status as Messiah and the ignorance of the Sanhedrin and Caiaphas.

The mockery of such proceedings are a shock to us who depend for our security on complex legal systems under which such an accusation would be inadmissible. But it is within such times that Jesus lived and ultimately, faced death. There may have been some justice involved, but little that we can recognise; justice was not the point. Jesus faced death because His words and deeds had created opposition to the authorities from the day he began to teach in Galilee. He did not conform to the expectations of the day, for He was the unique son of God. The events that were unfolding were and are unique in history, and must be seen as such.

57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 Peter followed him at a distance, up to the courtyard of the high priest. He went in and sat with the guards to see how things would turn out.

59 The chief priests and the Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus in order to have him put him to death, 60 but they found no-one, though many false witnesses came forward. Eventually two came forward 61 and said, ‘This man said, “I can destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.”’ 62 The high priest stood up and said, ‘Will you not answer? What is it that they testify against you?’ 63 But Jesus kept silent. Then the high priest said to him, ‘I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, 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 clothes and said, ‘Blasphemy! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy! 66 What is your verdict?’ They answered, ‘He deserves to die.’ 67 Then they spat in his face and hit him; and some slapped him, 68 saying, ‘Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you?’

Father, we are so happy, and You must be happy too! Your child is our Saviour and he has come into our world! Thank You, dear Father, thank You! Poets have written about this, preachers have preached about it, musicians have sung about it, and artists have painted it; but nothing compares to the truth! Praise You Lord God; we sing with the angels, ALLELUIA!

(reflections on words from the ‘Magnificat’ Luke 1:46-55)

Surely, the Lord our God has come to bless us!

He has given us His Son, who is born as a child,

And He will never stop giving His love and His care!

Surely the Mighty One has done great things for us!

He has shown us His mercy; it is for all who need it

And He will continue to be with His people forever!

Surely the Spirit of God is present to heal and save!

He has sustained the oppressed and raised up the poor

And He will continue to intervene in our world to help us!

Surely the God of our ancestors has kept His promise!

He has defeated the strong and proud by His power

And He will fulfil His promise to bring us true justice!

Surely our God will do all this through Jesus, His only son!

Weekly Theme: Christmas

Pray for all any people you know who long to share love and joy on Christmas day, but because of health or age are not able to join in with the festivities as they would wish.

On-going prayers

Give thanks for this special day and all that it mean
Pray for elderly people who have no one left to help or love them
Pray for those who have lost money in recent financial scandals

THIS IS THE ALTERNATIVE BIBLE STUDY FOR TODAY - ON THIS PAGE ONLY, and the discipleship page see below

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