57 And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. 58 But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest’s palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; 60 But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, 61 And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. 62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? 63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. 64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. 66 What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. 67 Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, 68 Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? (Matthew 26:57-68 KJV)
Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council
We have here the arraignment of our Lord Jesus in the ecclesiastical court, before the great Sanhedrin. Observe,
The sitting of the court; the scribes and the elders were assembled, though it was in the dead time of the night, when other people were fast asleep in their beds; yet, to gratify their malice against Christ, they denied themselves that natural rest, and sat up all night, to be ready to fall upon the prey which Judas and his men, they hoped, would seize.
See, who they were, that were assembled: the scribes, the principal teachers, and elders, the principal rulers, of the Jewish church: these were the most bitter enemies to Christ our great teacher and ruler, on whom therefore they had a jealous eye, as one that eclipsed them; perhaps some of these scribes and elders were not so malicious at Christ as some others of them were; yet, in concurrence with the rest, they made themselves guilty. Now the Scripture was fulfilled (Ps. 22:16): The assembly of the wicked have enclosed me. Jeremiah complains of an assembly of treacherous men; and David of his enemies gathering themselves together against him (Ps. 35:15).
Where they were assembled: in the palace of Caiaphas the High Priest; there they assembled two days before, to lay the plot (Matt. 26:3), and there they now convened again, to prosecute it. The High Priest was Ab-beth-din—the father of the house of judgment, but he is now the patron of wickedness; his house should have been the sanctuary of oppressed innocence, but it is become the throne of iniquity; and no wonder, when even God’s house of prayer was made a den of thieves.
The setting of the prisoner to the bar; they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away, hurried him, no doubt, with violence, led him as a trophy of their victory, led him as a victim to the altar; he was brought into Jerusalem through that which was called the sheep-gate, for that was the way into town from the mount of Olives; and it was so called because the sheep appointed for sacrifice were brought that way to the temple; very fittingly therefore is Christ led that way, who is the Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world. Christ was led first to the High Priest, for by the law all sacrifices were to be first presented to the priest, and delivered into his hand (Lev. 17:5).
The cowardice and faint-heartedness of Peter (Matt. 26:58): But Peter followed at a distance. This comes in here, with an eye to the following story of his denying him. He forsook him as the rest did when he was seized, and what is here said of his following him is easily reconcilable with his forsaking him; such following was no better than forsaking him; for,
He followed him, but it was at a distance. Some sparks of love and concern for his Master there were in his heart, and therefore he followed him; but fear and concern for his own safety prevailed, and therefore he followed at a distance. Note, It looks bad, and bodes worse, when those that are willing to be Christ’s disciples are not willing to be known to be so. Here began Peter’s denying him; for to follow him at a distance is by little and little to go back from him. There is danger in drawing back, even in looking back.
He followed him, but he went in, and sat with the servants. He should have gone up to the court, and attended on his Master, and appeared for him; but he went in where there was a good fire, and sat with the servants, not to silence their reproaches, but to protect himself. It was presumption in Peter thus to thrust himself into temptation; he that does so throws himself out of God’s protection. Christ had told Peter that he could not follow him now, and had particularly warned him of his danger this night; and yet he would venture into the midst of this wicked crew. It helped David to walk in his integrity, that he hated the congregation of evildoers, and would not sit with the wicked.
He followed him, but it was only to see the end, led more by his curiosity than by his conscience; he attended as an idle spectator rather than as a disciple, a person concerned. He should have gone in, to do Christ some service, or to get some wisdom and grace to himself, by observing Christ’s behavior under his sufferings: but he went in only to look around; it is not unlikely that Peter went in, expecting that Christ would have made his escape miraculously out of the hands of his persecutors; that, having so lately struck them down who came to seize him, he would now have struck them dead who sat to judge him; and this he had a mind to see: if so, it was foolish for him to think of seeing any other end than what Christ had foretold—that he should be put to death. Note, It is more our concern to prepare for the end, whatever it may be, than curiously to inquire what the end will be. The event is God’s, but the duty is ours.
The trial of our Lord Jesus in this court.
They examined witnesses against him, though they were resolved, right or wrong, to condemn him; yet, to put the better color upon it, they would produce evidence against him. The crimes properly cognizable in their court were false doctrine and blasphemy; these they endeavored to prove upon him. And observe here,
Their search for proof: They sought false witness against him; they had seized him, bound him, abused him, and after all still had to seek for something to lay to his charge, and could show no cause for his commitment. They tried if any of them could allege from their own knowledge anything against him, and suggested one slander and then another, which, if true, might touch his life. Thus evil men dig up mischief (Prov. 16:27). They made proclamation that if anyone could give information against the prisoner at the bar, they were ready to receive it, and many bore false witness against him (Matt. 26:60); for if a ruler listens to lies, all his servants are wicked, and will carry false stories to him (Prov. 29:12). If Naboth must be taken off, there are sons of Belial to swear against him.
Their success in this search: in several attempts they were baffled, they sought false testimonies among themselves, others came in to help them, and yet they found none; they could make nothing of it, could not take the evidence together, or give it any color of truth or consistency with itself, even they themselves being judges. The matters alleged were such obvious lies, as carried their own refutation along with them. This redounded much to the honor of Christ now, when they were loading him with disgrace.
But at last they met with two witnesses who, it seems, agreed in their evidence, and therefore were listened to, in hopes that now the point was gained. The words they swore against him were, that he should say, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days (Matt. 26:61). Now by this they designed to accuse him, as an enemy to the temple and one that sought its destruction, which they could not bear to hear of; for they valued themselves by the temple of the Lord (Jer. 7:4), and, when they abandoned other idols, made an idol of that. Stephen was accused for speaking against this holy place (Acts 6:13–14). As one that dealt in witchcraft, or some such unlawful arts, by the help of which he could rear such a building in three days: they had often suggested that he was in league with Beelzebub.
Now, as to this: First, The words were misquoted; he said, “Destroy this temple” (John 2:19), plainly indicating that he spoke of a temple which his enemies would seek to destroy; they come and swear that he said, “I am able to destroy this temple,” as if the design against it were his. He said, “In three days I will raise it up”—egero auton, a word properly used of a living temple; I will raise it to life. They come and swear that he said, “I am able,” oikodomesai—to build it; which is properly used of a house temple. Secondly, The words were misunderstood; he spoke of the temple of his body (John 2:21), and perhaps when he said, “this temple,” pointed to or laid his hand upon his own body; but they swore that he said the temple of God, meaning the holy place. Note, There have been, and still are, such as twist the sayings of Christ to their own destruction (2 Pet. 3:16). Thirdly, Make the worst they could of it, it was no capital crime, even by their own law; if it had been, no doubt he would have been prosecuted for it when he spoke the words in a public discourse some years ago; the words were capable of a good meaning and such as showed care for the temple; if it were destroyed, he would exert himself to the utmost to rebuild it. But anything that looked criminal would serve to give color to their malicious prosecution. Now the Scriptures were fulfilled, which said, False witnesses have risen up against me (Ps. 27:12); and see Ps. 35:11. Though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me (Hos. 7:13). Now, to discharge us from all these just accusations, our Lord Jesus submitted to this, to be unjustly and falsely accused, that in the virtue of his sufferings we may be enabled to triumph over all challenges; Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? (Rom. 8:33–34). He was accused, that he might not be condemned; and if at any time we suffer thus, have all manner of evil, not only said, but sworn, against us falsely, let us remember that we cannot expect to fare better than our Master.
Christ’s silence under all these accusations, to the amazement of the court (Matt. 26:62). The High Priest, the judge of the court, arose in some heat, and said, “Answerest thou nothing? Come, you the prisoner at the bar; you hear what is sworn against you, what have you now to say for yourself?” But Jesus held his peace (Matt. 26:63), not as one sullen, or as one self-condemned, or as one confused; not because he wanted something to say, but that the Scripture might be fulfilled (Isa. 53:7): As the sheep is dumb before the shearer, and before the butcher, so he opened not his mouth; and that he might be the Son of David, who, when his enemies spoke evil things against him, was as a deaf man that heard not (Ps. 38:12–14). He was silent, because his hour was come; he would not deny the charge, because he was willing to submit to the sentence; otherwise, he could as easily have put them to silence and shame now, as he had done many times before. If God had entered into judgment with us, we would have been speechless (Matt. 22:12), not able to answer for one in a thousand (Job 9:3). Therefore, when Christ was made sin for us, he was silent, and left it to his blood to speak (Heb. 12:24). He stood mute at this bar, that we might have something to say at God’s bar.