The court of our Lord

 

Archimandrite Vasiliou Bakoyannis | Romfea.gr

The Romans, having Palestine under their control, gave its High Priests the right to judge the people.

They could also impose the death penalty, by stoning, as they did to the protomartyr Stephen (Acts 5:17-42), but they could not impose death by cross (John 18:31-32), because they had to get permission from the conqueror, something they detested, which is why they rarely made such decisions, however, for Christ they made such a decision! That is where their envy for Christ led them! (Mt. 27:18).

As soon as they arrested Him, they led Him for preliminary interrogation to High Priest Annas. The preliminary interrogation did not bring anything against Jesus.

And instead of releasing Him, High Priest Annas sent Him bound (!) to the Sanhedrin, with High Priest Caiaphas as president (Jn. 18:15-25).

First they arrested Him, and then they sought to find an accusation against Him! Who, after all, would control them?

They had the sword, they had the melon too! “Woe to the weak who is right...!”

Of course, Jesus saw all this and tolerated it, because He came down from heaven for one and only reason: To be crucified for our salvation, and for this He was led to the slaughter “like a mute lamb.”

Caiaphas, in order to condemn Him, called many false witnesses to the Great Court (Mt.26:60).

However, many of them, seeing the good Christ bound in chains, did not have the heart to testify against Him, and they disagreed with the false witnesses! (Mk. 14:55-59).

And so the Court could not make the decision it wanted! According to the law, the accusation had to be based on at least two witnesses (Deut. 19:15).

They could not even try Jesus with false witnesses, but they had to try Him. And the time was passing, because they had to have Him executed by Friday afternoon.

The anxious Caiaphas asked Jesus, “Are you the Son of God?” “Yes, I am” (Mt. 66:63-64), He answered. “Blasphemy,” exclaimed Caiaphas, meaning, if possible, that the chained Jesus was the Son of God! “What need have we then of witnesses?!” (Mt. 26:65).

They tried him at night, in violation of the divine law, which said that trials should be held during the day (Jer. 21:12). After they had made the decision they wanted at night (Mt. 26:66), they held a formal trial in the morning (Mt. 27:1), so that their decision would be valid!

Blasphemy against God was punishable by stoning (Lev. 24:16). However, the High Priest Caiaphas, wanting to completely humiliate Jesus, disregarded the divine law and decided to crucify Jesus!

It was the worst punishment that could be imposed on a convict! They crucified only the most extreme and dangerous criminals!

On Good Friday morning (Jn.18:28) they took Jesus bound to Pilate, to get his signature.

Judas saw this scene, and he could not bear it, because he did not expect the High Priests to make such a humiliating decision, and he killed himself! (Mt.27:1-5).

The High Priests, seeing Pilate tending towards the acquittal of Jesus, made the people shout, demanding His crucifixion! The High Priests were also shouting! They were shouting so loudly that they “covered” the voices of the people! (Lk.23:23).

And while they had decided to crucify Jesus, on the charge of blasphemy, now they decided to crucify Him on the charge of being the King of the Jews! (Jn.19:13-17). It was enough that He was crucified!

By crucifying Him, they put Him in the middle, among the robbers, not because of honor, but to show that He was the leader of the robbers, the leader...!

The most scandalous thing here is that Christ was not condemned by the underworld, by robbers, by criminals, but by the religious leaders of the people, led by the High Priest Caiaphas, because Jesus “stole” their glory!

Power corrupted them. If they did not have power, they might not have gotten into this mess!

Their preoccupation with the Scriptures, with the Temple, with preaching, did not “manage” to save them...!

We, as Priests, can preach about love and injustice, read the Scriptures, and attend church, but if we do not guard ourselves against vanity, envy, and resentment, we will surely become “Caiaphas,” if we have not already become one!

“Caiaphas” did not die!