53 And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. 54 And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire. 55 And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. 56 For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together. 57 And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying, 58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. 59 But neither so did their witness agree together. 60 And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? 61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 63 Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? 64 Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death. 65 And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands. (Mark 14:53-65 KJV)
Jesus Before the Council
We have here Christ’s arraignment, trial, conviction, and condemnation in the ecclesiastical court, before the great Sanhedrin, of which the high priest was president or judge of the court—the same Caiaphas who had recently declared it expedient that He should be put to death, guilty or not (John 11:50), and who therefore could rightly be considered partial.
Christ was hurried away to his house—his palace, as it is called. And there, though it was the dead of night, all the chief priests, elders, and scribes who were in on the scheme were assembled, ready to receive their prey—so sure were they of it.
Peter followed at a distance (Mark 14:54). When he came to the high priest’s palace, he went in and sat with the servants so that he might not be suspected of belonging to Christ. The high priest’s fireside was no proper place, nor his servants proper company, for Peter, but it became his entrance into temptation.
Great effort was made to obtain false witnesses against Christ (Mark 14:55-56). They had seized Him as a criminal, but they had no charge to bring. They sought for witnesses, questioned some, bribed others, and tried to intimidate those who wouldn’t comply. The very men who by law were supposed to prosecute false witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:16-17) became ringleaders in injustice. It is time to cry, “Help, Lord,” when those charged with keeping peace and justice become its corrupters.
He was finally charged with words spoken years earlier, which, as misrepresented, seemed to threaten the temple—an object of their idolatry (Mark 14:57-58). But the witnesses did not agree (Mark 14:59). One claimed He said, “I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days” (Matthew 26:61); another claimed He said, “I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days, I will build another not made with hands.” These accounts contradicted each other and could not support a capital charge.
He was then urged to be His own accuser (Mark 14:60). The high priest stood up angrily and said, “Aren’t you going to answer?” This was done under the pretense of justice but was really an attempt to trap Him (Luke 11:53–54; 20:20). Still, Christ said nothing, setting us an example of 1) patience under slander (1 Peter 2:23) and 2) wisdom when words may be used against us (Isaiah 29:21). In such evil times, the prudent keep silent and commit their cause to the righteous Judge.
When asked whether He was the Christ, He confessed that He was (Mark 14:61-62). The high priest asked, “Are you the Son of the Blessed?”—meaning, the Son of God, for the Jews often called God “the Blessed” (Romans 9:5). Jesus answered that they would see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power. Though He appeared lowly and despised (Isaiah 53:2-3), they would one day see Him glorified. Such a statement, spoken with majesty, might have caused some to pause the proceedings, as Felix did when Paul spoke of judgment to come (Acts 24:25). But these priests, blinded by malice, mocked at fear and ignored the warning signs (Job 39:22-24; 15:25-26).
The high priest, upon hearing this confession, convicted Him of blasphemy (Mark 14:63). He tore his robe. Some believe this was his official priestly garment, worn even at night for this occasion. As before, in opposing Christ, he acted without understanding (John 11:51-52). If Saul’s tearing of Samuel’s mantle signified the kingdom torn from him (1 Samuel 15:27-28), then Caiaphas tearing his robe signified the priesthood torn from him, just as the tearing of the temple veil at Christ’s death opened the way for all. Christ’s own garments, even at the crucifixion, were not torn, symbolizing His eternal and unchangeable priesthood.
They agreed He was guilty of blasphemy and therefore worthy of death (Mark 14:64). The question, “What do you think?” seemed fair, but it was not. The high priest had already declared, “You have heard the blasphemy,” giving judgment first when he should have voted last. So they all condemned Him. Any friends He had on the council were either absent or uninformed.
They then abused Him, mocking Him for sport (Mark 14:65). Some priests themselves stooped to this behavior, forgetting the dignity and gravity of their office. While waiting for morning to complete their evil plan, they amused themselves by mocking a condemned man. That night, which should have been solemn, they turned into a night of mockery. If they did not think it beneath them to abuse Christ, shall we think anything beneath us by which we may honor Him?