59 Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. 60 They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, 61 and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’ ” 62 The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” 63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
Like prosecutors in a modern criminal trial, the religious leaders were determined to find some damning shred of evidence, even if they had to stretch it to the point of incredulity. They had to draw upon all their skills at manipulating the law, the people and the circumstances. The whole council was complicit in the guilt of the false witnesses, that is, they all knew full well that evidence requiring death was completely lacking and that the only means of accomplishing their objective was to find two people willing to distort the truth! Yet the leaders themselves could justify their own actions legally because they could claim they did not lie themselves. The blame could be shifted to the “false witnesses.” They were simply ruling on the “evidence.” This is the beginning of what was prophesied in Psalm 22:16, “For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me. They pierced my hands and my feet.”
So, after considering many approaches, all of which suggested distortion of the facts, they found two supposed witnesses willing to make the same testimony. Their testimony was a distortion of what Jesus actually said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up… He was speaking of the temple of His body” (John 2:19, 21). He was saying that they would destroy the temple, not Him. He would raise it up. While obviously they missed the whole point of what He was saying, they distorted it to sound like He was saying He would destroy the temple.
Caiaphas exploded at Jesus’ refusal to answer the accusation. Scripture prophesied, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).
So Caiaphas pulled out his trump card. Based on the Law of Moses, a person was required to testify when the High Priest put him under an oath (Lev 5:1). And the question the High Priest wanted answered is the one Peter had answered earlier, who is Jesus? Is He the Christ, the Son of God?
Lord, while being reviled, You did not revile in return; while suffering, You uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Yourself to Your Father (see 1 Pet 2:23).
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