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!
