At the House of Caiaphus
Matthew 26:57-68, The Voice - The crowd that had
arrested Jesus took Him to Caiaphas, the high priest. The scribes and elders
had gathered at Caiaphas’s house and were waiting for Jesus to be delivered. Peter followed Jesus (though at some distance
so as not to be seen). He slipped into Caiaphas’s house and attached himself to
a group of servants. And he sat watching, waiting to see how things would
unfold.
The high priest and his council of advisors first
produced false evidence against Jesus—false evidence meant to justify some
charge and Jesus’ execution. But even
though many men were willing to lie, the council couldn’t come up with the
evidence it wanted. Finally, two men stood up.
Two Men: Look, He said, “I can destroy God’s temple and
rebuild it in three days.” What more evidence do you need?
Then Caiaphas the high priest stood up and addressed
Jesus.
Caiaphas: Aren’t You going to respond to these charges?
What exactly are these two men accusing You of?
Jesus remained silent.
Caiaphas (to Jesus): Under a sacred oath before the
living God, tell us plainly: are You the Anointed One, the Son of God?
Jesus: So you seem to be saying. I will say this:
beginning now, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God’s
power and glory and coming on heavenly clouds.
The high priest tore his robes and screeched.
Caiaphas: Blasphemy! We don’t need any more
witnesses—we’ve all just witnessed this most grievous blasphemy, right here and
now. So, gentlemen, what’s your verdict?
Gentlemen: He deserves to die.
Then they spat in His face and hit Him. Some of them
smacked Him, slapped Him across the cheeks, and jeered.
Some of the Men: Well, Anointed One, prophesy for us, if
You can—who hit You? And who is about to hit You next?
My
encouragement to us as we work our way through the passion narrative is that we
force ourselves to be present – really be present. Imagine that you are there as Peter was, hanging
out in the shadows, watching the terrible events unfold. I will confess that it has become harder and
harder for me to do, so I do know that it is no small thing to ask.
Hear the witnesses make up lies
about Jesus, so outlandish and unbelievable that even though the religious
leaders were seeking contrived charges, they deemed these lies unusable. Finally, someone recalls something Jesus did
actually say, but they twist it out of context.
Even in stating a technical fact, they are lying. In our present era of alternative facts, this
should be too hard to imagine. But hear
this shady tactic used against our Savior.
Hear the silence in the room as
Jesus is asked to respond to the false charges.
Why won’t He at least tell them what He meant when He made that
statement? Everyone there wants Jesus to
say something, but He doesn’t give them the satisfaction. Feel the building tension as the silence
becomes painful.
Hear Caiaphus break the silence to
continue the interrogation of Jesus.
“Are You the Anointed One, the
Son of God?
While
Jesus doesn’t directly answer Caiaphus, He knowingly gives the gathered Council
all they need to condemn Him. But hear
the words Jesus speaks. From now on, when
anyone thinks of God, they will simultaneously think of Jesus. God’s glory is Jesus’s glory. When God returns. Jesus will be right
there. Caiaphus may think he has all the
power in the room, but Jesus’s power is synonymous with God’s power. Experience the irony of Jesus’s statement
even as Jesus submits to the inferior powers present in the room.
Be
jolted by Caiaphus’s sudden verdict, “Blashphemy!” What are your feelings as you hear all those
in the room agree that Jesus should die because they cannot handle His Truth.
Here’s
where it gets a bit harder. Watch as these
religious leaders, the supposed representatives of God’s goodness, spit in the very
face of God-in-the-flesh. Don’t turn
your eyes away as these “paragons of God’s shalom/peace” punch God in the face
with their bare knuckles. Continue to
strain your attention as they mock the God that they claim to be
defending.
It’s
important to not push this discomfort and shame of this story to the edges of
our consciousness because the shame and violence God endured at the hands of
the very people God chose to be the messengers of God’s truth is the heart of
the truth Matthew would have us not just hear, but experience. To experience this
truth is to begin to experience the surprising character of God that is revealed
in these uncomfortable moments. Matthew
didn’t record this story so vividly just so we would know the details. Matthew is hoping that we will experience this
story in all it’s awful glory. Matthew
is hoping that we will meet God in the same way that he did – in this gut-wrenching
story.
Question: How do you experience
the details of Matthew’s account of the suffering of Jesus?
Prayer: Lord, it’s
hard for us to face the details of suffering you willingly endured at the hands
of our fellow human beings. But as we
do, help us experience the length, height, and depth of Your grace and
love. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for people who are experiencing brutal violence today.
Song: This Jesus Must
Die (Jesus Christ Superstar) – Andew Lloyd Weber
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