And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, “We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him with blows.
Comment: A horrific illegal court meets. We have here a quick summary of what happens at this, the first of what are to be several, trials following in rapid succession. They met at night, with His accusers as His judges, and not in the correct place – the Judgement Hall, all of which made it illegal in their own law. It says that the chief priests were seeking (possibly bribing) false witnesses who could not agree in their testimony. Then they heard “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” a quotation from an earlier trip by Jesus to the temple. This did not convince the ‘judges’, possibly because they knew how long the temple took to be built, possibly because the body is sometimes called the temple, and they knew that Jesus had talked about rising from the dead on the third day. You may recall that this fear of His resurrection was what made the High Priest seek guards on Jesus tomb – Jesus had said, they claimed correctly, that He would rise. Not believing that as fact, but fearing Jesus’ disciples would snatch the body and claim Him to have risen they requested and got guards against body snatchers.
Frustrated they came to the point and asked “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Many have claimed that Jesus never claimed to be God. His simple use of the name of God, ‘I AM’, and He added the extra as you can read above which settled the matter, for them. This was blasphemy they claimed, and it would have been if He had not in fact been God’s Son, the Promised Messiah. His unfair judgement was decided and treatment began!
Prayer: Let this and the scenes that follow be very real to me, Lord Jesus.
As I read it! 
Thank you Barry for your comments on this passage. The whole “trial” was not legal at all. The religious leaders seemed bent on deciding that Jesus should die and they were going to make it happen no matter what! Jesus knew that He had to die to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world, therefore, He allowed this “illegal trial” to condemn Him for something which He had not done. Having seen the film, “The Passion of the Christ”, I can imagine just what Jesus had to suffer. It was horrible but I thank Him that he did this for me, and all those who believe Him to be God’s Son who rose from the dead. God bless you.
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