Jerusalem. CHAPTER VII. From the Apprehension of Christ to the Crucifixion. SECTION I. Christ is taken to Annas, and to the Palace of Caiaphas. MATT. xxvi. 57. MARK xiv. 51-54. LUKE Xxii. 54. THEN the band, and the captain, and officers John xviii. 12. of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him, And led him away to Annas' first; for he was John xviii. 13, father in law to Caiaphas, which was the High Priest that same year a Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to Johnxviii. 14. the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. And there followed him a certain young man, Mark xiv. 51. having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them Mark xiv. 52. naked. And they that had laid hold on Jesus, Then they took him, and led him, led him away to Caiaphas the High Priest, and brought him into the High Priest's house: Matt. xxvi.57. Luke xxii. 54, Matt. xxvi.57. Luke xxii. 54. and with him were assembled all the Chief Priests, Mark xiv. 53. and the elders, and the Scribes. And Peter followed afar off. MATT. xxvi. part of ver. 57. 57 where the Scribes and elders were assembled. MARK xiv. part of ver. 53. 53 And they led Jesus away to the High Priest Luke xxii. 54. 1 The Annas here mentioned is called by Josephus, Ananus. He had been deposed from the Pontifical office by the Roman power; but his influence on that account had been rather increased, than lessened, among his countrymen. Under these circumstances, however, he could not with prudence openly interfere; but, from the passage before us, we may infer the great authority he still possessed; and it is more than probable that he privately suggested every measure that had been already devised against our Lord; and that on the present occasion he still continued to direct by his counsel and advice.-See John xviii. 24. Although Annas was deprived of the office of high priest, the Jews still acknowledged him as such, as we find from Acts iv. 6. where he is so called. His influence was so great, that he saw five of his own sons successively in possession of the high priesthood; and several also of his sons in law, among whom was Caiaphas. SECTION II. Peter and John follow their Master. MATT. xxvi. 58. MARK XIV. 54. LUKE Xxii. 55. Jerusalem. John xviii. 15. JOHN Xviii. 15, 16. And Simon Peter followed Jesus, Matt. xxvi.58. afar off, unto the High Priest's palace, John xviii. 15, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the High Priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the High Priest. John xviii. 16. Luke xxii. 55. But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the High Priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter. 69. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst b Matt.xxvi. Mark xiv. 54. the servants, and warmed himself at the fire; 58 But Peter followed MATT. XXVI. part of ver. 58. MARK xiv. part of ver. 54. 54 And Peter followed him afar off, even unto the palace of the High Priest, and he sat SECTION III. Christ is first examined, and condemned in the House of the High MATT. XXVI. 59–67. MARK xiv. 55–65. John xviii. 19 John xviii. 20. John xviii. 21. John xviii. 22. The High Priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said. * And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm Or, with a of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the High rod. Priest so? Jerusalem. c Matt. xxvi. 57. Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear John xviii. 23. witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me? Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caia- John xviii. 24. phas the High Priest. Now the Chief Priests and elders, and all the Matt. xxvi.59. council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; But found none: yea, though many false wit- Matt, xxvi.60. nesses came, yet found they none: for many bare false witness against him, but their Mark xiv. 56. witness agreed not together. At the last came two false witnesses, and bare false witness against him, saying, this fellow said, We heard him say, Matt. xxvi,60. Mark xiv. 57. Matt. xxvi.61. Mark xiv. 58. John ii. 19. d I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to Matt. xxvi.61. build it in three days. e Ch. xvi. 27. 1 Thess. iv. I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, Mark xiv. 58. and within three days I will build another made without hands. But neither so did their witness agree toge- Mark xiv. 59. ther. And the High Priest arose, and stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, Matt. xxvi.02. Mark xiv. 60. and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? Matt.xxvi.@. what is it which these witness against thee? But Jesus held his peace, Matt. xxvi.63. and answered nothing. Again the High Priest Mark xiv. 61. I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us Matt. xxvi.63. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: I am : Matt. xxvi.64. Mark xiv. 62. nevertheless I say unto you, • Hereafter shall ye Matt. xxvi.64. Rom. xiv. 10. see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven". 16. Then the High Priest rent his clothes, saying, Matt. xxvi.65. 2 This passage of Daniel, to which our Lord refers, was always considered by the Jews as a description of the Messiah. Our Saviour, therefore, now in his lowest state of humiliation and depression, asserted his claims as the Messiah, who should appear again in the clouds of heaven, as the judge of the world.Sohar Genes. fol. 85. col. 338, &c. Dan. vii. 13. nowa nɔba n7, "This is the king Messiah." Schoetgen, Hor. Heb. vol. i. p. 233. This was only done by the High Priest in cases of blasphemy. He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need Jerusalem. 4 Christ was first arraigned before the High Priest, then before the whole Sanhedrim, (Mark xv. 1.) before both of whom he was accused of blasphemy, and on this charge was by both condemned, Matt. xxvi. 65, 66. He was next taken before the Roman Governor, as guilty of sedition, and acquitted, John xviii. 38. xix. 4, &c. When the Jews therefore saw this, they were compelled to acknowledge the real grounds of their prosecution: "We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God." But, finding that this charge also was disregarded by Pilate, who was still inclined to acquit him, (for blasphemy against the God of the Jews was not considered by the Romans to be a crime,) they, in despair, make a personal attack upon Pilate himself, and threaten, if he does not comply with their demands that he be crucified, to accuse him to Tiberius, (whose suspicious and jealous nature was generally known,) of remissness in duty, and negligence in the suppression of sedition and rebellion. Intimidated and overcome by this menace, he yields to their importunate solicitations, and condemns a man, whom he publicly acknowledges to be innocent, to the ignominious death of a common malefactor, that he may screen himself from the malice of his accusers. Some objectors to Christianity have argued, that the Jews could not have believed in the reality of the miracles of our Saviour, or they would not have delivered him up to the Roman Governor. They deem it scarcely possible that a whole nation would cry out for the crucifixion and scourging of a man, who gave sight to the blind, healed the sick, and raised the dead to life. It is implied in this objection, that the contemporaries of Christ discredited his miracles, because he was rejected and crucified; whereas the Jews of every age have contended, that miracles afford no proof of the divine mission of a prophet, who teaches false doctrines, such as they suppose Jesus to have taught; and consequently, according to their notions, he might have been persecuted and crucified by their ancestors, while the reality of his miracles was fully admitted. They even go so far as to assert, that in their law against false prophets, Deut. xiii. (a) the clause in ver. 6, was framed for the individual case of Jesus Christ, and that it points to him in particular. "This is Jesus," say they, "who denied his father, saying that he had a mother, but not a father; that he was the Son of God, and that He himself was also God." Maimonides may be supposed to give the general opinion of the Jews, when he affirms that the miracles of a prophet, who recommends the worship of other gods, are no criteria of the truth of his pretensions. "Because the testimony of the understanding, which proves the falsity of his professions, is of more weight than that of the eyes which see his miracles (b)." The Jews saw and acknowledged the miracles of Christ, but imputed them to the agency of evil spirits, (Matt. xii. 24. Luke xi. 15.) permitted by God to try the firmness of their faith, and the constancy of their obedience to the Mosaic law, Deut. xiii. 3: on the other hand, they heard him assert his own divine (a) See Fagius on Chald. Paraph. Deut. xiii. in the Critici Sacri, and on Deut. xviii. 15. vol. ii. p. 87, and 123. (b) Maimonides Præf. in Misnam, p. 3. ed. Surenhusii ap. Wilson.] Jerusalem, What think ye? They answered and said, He Matt. xxvi.66. And they all condemned him to be guilty of Mark xiv. 64. 61 And said 63 MATT. XXVI. part of ver. 61. 63. And the High Priest answered and said unto him. MARK xiv. ver. 55. part of ver. 57, 60, 61. and ver. 62, 63, 64. 55 And the Chief Priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. 57 And there arose certain 60 And the High Priest-saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? 61 But he held his peace 62 And Jesus said-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?— nature-the latter they considered as blasphemous; and the supposed impiety Bishop Blomfield has justly observed, that the sum of the offence given by (c) See on the subject of this note, Wilson's Method of explaining the New Testament, first and second chapters. (d) See Bishop Blomfield's Dissertation on the Knowledge of a Redeemer before the Advent, p. 115; and Wilson ut supra. J |