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The Condemnation of the King (Matthew 26:65-66) · Reformed Thinking

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Imagine you were standing in the stone courtyard of this massive,
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opulent palace in the ancient Near East.
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It is the dead of night. The air is freezing, biting at
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your skin, and the only light comes from a few scattered
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charcoal fires where anxious guards are warming their hands.
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You can smell the smoke, the sweat, and you know, the sheer
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palpable tension radiating from the men huddled together.
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Oh yeah, it would be an incredibly tense atmosphere.
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Yeah, for sure. So inside the walls, this
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palace, a group of the wealthiest, most educated, most
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politically connected men in the nation have been dragged out of
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their beds for an emergency midnight gathering.
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They are panicked. They're operating in the shadows
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because what they're about to do violates every single rule of
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their own legal system. That really does.
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They're about to conduct a trial that will alter the course of
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human history. It is a scene of absolute chaos
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masquerading as a formal judicial proceeding.
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I mean, you have judges functioning as prosecutors, a
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jury that has already decided the verdict before hearing a
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single piece of evidence, and a defendant who refuses to play by
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the rules of their rigged game. Welcome to reform thinking.
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Whether you are prepping for a theological discussion or you
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know you are just insanely curious about historical
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biblical events and how ancient justice systems operated, you
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were in the right place today. Glad to be here.
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Our mission on this deep dive is to tackle 2 massive theological
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treatises focusing on a single momentous historical scene.
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We are looking at the condemnation of Jesus Christ by
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the Sanhedrin, specifically recorded in the Gospel of
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Matthew chapter 26, verses 65 and 66.
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Such a heavy passage. It really is.
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We are going to unpack the historical context of this
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midnight court, the precise Greek phrasing used in a text,
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and the staggering theological weight of this event.
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Because what we are really looking at here is the exact
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point where human rebellion and divine sovereignty intersect in
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one room. OK, let's unpack this.
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We need to establish right out of the gate that this passage is
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not a tragic accident. When you read the sources we are
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analyzing today, the authors make it clear that this event is
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not a failure of a legal system. Nor is it a situation where a
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good teacher just got caught in a bad political current.
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From a reformed theological perspective, this is the
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execution of an eternal covenant.
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Wow, that is a big statement. It is.
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The baseline irony we're dealing with here is staggering.
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The Creator of the universe is willingly submitting to the
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tribunal of the creature. You have the Incarnate Word, the
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one who sustains the cosmos, subjected to the venomous
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legalisms of an apostate religious system.
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To really grasp the outcome of this trial, we have to 1st
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establish the corrupt geopolitical landscape of 1st
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century Judea. We cannot just look at this in a
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vacuum. No, you really cannot.
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The context is everything. So we are talking about 8033.
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It is Passover in Jerusalem. Now, for anyone listening who
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does not know the logistics of Passover in the ancient world,
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you have to understand the sheer scale of what is happening in
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this city. The logistics are a total
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nightmare for the local authorities.
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I can imagine. Yeah, the normal population of
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Jerusalem during this era was somewhere around 50,000 to
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80,000 people. But during Passover, the
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population of the city would swell massively.
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You have Jewish pilgrims from all over the known world
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flooding in. Oh wow, like how many people are
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we talking about? Well, a historian Josephus
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estimates the crowds could reach into the hundreds of thousands,
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perhaps even a million people. A million that is insane for an
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ancient city. It is.
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The city is bursting at the seams.
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People are camping in the surrounding hillsides.
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It is just wall to wall humanity.
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So it is kind of like hosting the Olympics, the Super Bowl,
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and a massive political protest all at the same time in a city
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that is currently occupied by a hostile foreign military.
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That is a highly accurate comparison.
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And that hostile foreign military, The Romans are on
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absolute high alert. Right, because they know the
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powder keg they're sitting on. Oh, absolutely.
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The Romans. Roman governor Pontius Pilate
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normally lived on the coast in Caesarea Meritima, where it was
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comfortable and Hellenized. But during the Jewish feasts,
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Pilate would bring extra cohorts of Roman soldiers up to
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Jerusalem. Just to keep a lid on things.
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Yes, they would station themselves in the Antonia
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Fortress, which overlooked the Temple courts.
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They were watching for any sign of a riot, any sign of a zealot
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uprising because, well, Passover celebrates the Jewish liberation
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from Egyptian slavery. It is an inherently anti
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imperial holiday. Rome does not like large groups
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of conquered people talking about liberation.
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Not at all. So the tension is palpable.
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The Roman guards are on a hair trigger.
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And that Roman occupation dictates the entire legal
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strategy of the Jewish religious council, the Sanhedrin.
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Let's talk about the Sanhedrin for a second, because the
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sources focus heavily on their legal constraints.
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Who are these guys and what is their relationship with Rome?
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The Sanhedrin was the supreme religious and legal counsel for
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the Jewish people. Composed of 71 members, you had
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the high priest acting as the president and the rest were a
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mix of Pharisees, who were the popular theological
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conservatives, and the Sadducees.
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And the Sadducees were the ones with the money, right?
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Yeah, they were the wealthy aristocratic elite.
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They controlled the very lucrative temple operations, the
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money changers, the sacrificial animal sales.
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But here is the critical legal constraint under Roman
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occupation. The Sanhedrin lacks what is
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called in Roman law the idios gladii.
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Idios Gladii break that down for me.
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It translates directly to the right of the sword.
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Oh OK. It means the Jewish authorities
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do not have the legal right to execute capital punishment on
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their own. Rome reserved the right of
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capital punishment exclusively for Roman governors and
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magistrates. So they could punish people,
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just not kill. Them right, The Sanhedrin can
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enforce religious laws, they can manage the temple precinct, they
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can even order beatings or excommunication from the
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synagogue. But they cannot legally put a
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man to death. So they are caught in a massive
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bind. They want Jesus dead.
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He is threatening their theological authority and their
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financial monopoly on the temple.
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But they need the Roman governor Pontius Pilate to swing the
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sword for them. Precisely.
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Which means they need a religious charge that is severe
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enough to warrant death in their own Jewish law, but flexible
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enough to be twisted into a political treason charge for the
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Roman. Right, because if they go to
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Pilate and say this man disagrees with our
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interpretation of Sabbath law, pilot's going to laugh them out
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of the praetorium. Oh, he would not even give him
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the time of day. Pilot does not care about Jewish
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theology. They have to convince Pilot that
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Jesus is a threat to Caesar. Yes, and the man orchestrating
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this dual layered political maneuver is the high priest
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Caiaphas. According to the historical
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records we have, Caiaphas held the office from 8018 to 36.
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Wow, wait, holding the High Priestess for 18 years in 1st
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century Judea is incredibly rare, isn't it?
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Very rare. The Romans were constantly
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deposing high priests who stepped out of line.
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So if he lasted 18 years, he must have been an absolute
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master at playing the political game.
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He was a political operative to his core.
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Caiaphas was a Sadducee. He was not occupying the Auronic
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seat through pure spiritual devotion to the God of Israel.
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Historical records from Josephus show us that he maintained his
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position through continuous collaboration with the Roman
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authorities. Like a puppet?
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Yeah. In fact, the Roman governor
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literally kept the high priests sacred vestments locked up in
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the Antonia fortress and only handed them over for the major
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festivals. Caiaphas was a puppet and he
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knew it. So we have a highly compromised,
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politically motivated leader running an emergency gathering
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in the dead of night at his own residential palace, and from the
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sources we are looking at, this entire setup is wildly illegal
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according to their own standards.
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It shatters their own legal framework.
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The sources refer to the later codified Jewish jurisprudence in
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the Mishnaeic tractate Sanhedrin.
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While this was written down a bit later, it reflects the oral
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traditions and legal standards that the Pharisees prided
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themselves on keeping. And those standards were pretty
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rigid. Oh, very.
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The rules for capital trials were extremely strict, designed
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specifically to protect the accused from a rushed emotional
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execution. Give me some specifics.
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What rules are they breaking right now in this midnight
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courtyard? First, Capital trials were
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strictly forbidden to occur at night.
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The rabbinic teaching was that judgments of life and death had
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to be conducted in the daylight, symbolizing the light of truth
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and transparency. Great.
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So that is strike one. Second, they were forbidden on
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feast days or the eve of a Sabbath or feast day.
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And this is the night of Passover.
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Yes, the biggest feast of the year, Strike two.
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Third, a capital trial was forbidden to take place in a
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private residence. It had to be held in the
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official Chamber of Hewn Stone in the temple precinct.
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But Caiaphas is holding this at his personal estate.
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Exactly. Furthermore, a verdict of guilt
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could not be reached on the same day as the trial.
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Wait, they had a mandatory waiting period?
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Yes, if the Sanhedrin reached a guilty verdict in a capital
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case, the judges were required to go home in pairs, eat very
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little food, drink no wine and take a full day for sober
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reflection and discussion. Like a cooling off period.
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Yeah, only on the next day could they return, vote again and hand
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down a death sentence. The entire system was built to
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prevent a mob mentality. Looking at this, I keep thinking
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about modern history. This operates like a show trial
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in a totalitarian regime. Oh, that is a fantastic
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comparison. You know, the kind where the
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secret police drag someone out of bed at 2:00 in the morning,
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the verdict is already decided by the dictator before the judge
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even sits down, and the entire proceeding is just theater for
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the state media. The goal isn't justice.
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The goal is to create the illusion of legal process to
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justify a political assassination.
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That is a very accurate assessment of what Caiaphas is
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doing. But I have to push back here.
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If the Pharisees and Sadducees cared so much about the
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meticulous details of the law, I mean, these are the guys who
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ties their mint and cumin, who debated how far you could walk
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on a Sabbath. Why would they break every
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single procedural rule to get this conviction when their
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illegal training stopped them? This is where the theological
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sources provide a fascinating psychological and spiritual
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analysis. The sources argue that their
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urgency to destroy the threat to their control overrode all
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established judicial protocols. It exposes what Reformed
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theology calls total depravity and epistemic blindness.
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I. Want to stop you there?
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Because total depravity is one of those terms that gets thrown
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around a lot and people often misunderstand it.
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They think it means people are as evil as they could possibly
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be all the time. Right, which is not what the
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term means at all. So what does it mean in this
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context? Total depravity means that every
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part of a human being, the mind, the will, the emotions is
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corrupted by sin and naturally hostile to the absolute
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authority of God. So returning to your question
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about their legal training, these men were highly educated.
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Super educated. But intellectual comparability
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does not equal spiritual sight. The sources argue that they are
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standing face to face with the fulfillment of all their
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prophetic scriptures. But because Jesus threatens
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their autonomy, their financial rackets, and their precarious
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political stability with Rome, they abandoned the very law they
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claim to protect. Wow, their intellectual
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brilliance without the regenerating grace of the Holy
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Spirit is completely useless for spiritual comprehension.
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They are completely blinded by their own self preservation and
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all of these procedural violations, the panic, the
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illegal witnesses, it all culminates in a shocking
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physical action from Caiaphas. It really does.
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Matthew 26.65 starts with this phrase.
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Then the high priest tore his clothes.
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Now I know a bit about the ancient Near East, and tearing
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your garments was a formalized expression of mourning.
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If someone died or if you heard something horrific, you tore
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your clothes. Yes, it was a highly visible
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visceral sign of grief or absolute horror at hearing
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blasphemy, but there is a massive legal and theological
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problem with Caiaphas performing this action.
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The sources mentioned Leviticus 21.10.
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Leviticus 21.10 explicitly commands that the high priest
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shall not tear his clothes nor uncover his head.
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The text says that if he does, he will die and wrath will come
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upon all the people. Why such a strict rule about
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clothing? It seems minor compared to
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murderer or theft. To understand this, you have to
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understand the function of the high priest's garments.
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God designed those garments, the ephod, the breastplate with the
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12 Stones representing the tribes of Israel, the blue robe,
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the turban. They were sacred.
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Like they carried symbolic weight.
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Oh, immense symbolic weight. They represented the beauty,
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holiness, and structural integrity of the Auronic
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priesthood. The high priest stood as the
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representative of the whole nation before God.
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His garments had to remain perfect and whole, symbolizing
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that the covenant between God and Israel was intact.
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I see. So for the high priest to tear
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his garments was to symbolically tear the priesthood and the
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nation itself. So Caiaphas is breaking the
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explicit Law of Moses to express his fake outrage over someone
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else allegedly breaking the Law of Moses.
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Precisely, let's look at the Greek text here, because the
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theological treatises get very specific about the mechanics of
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this terror and it reveals a lot about Caiaphas state of mind.
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OK, I do not read Greek, so you're going to have to break
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down why that specific word matters.
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Sure thing. The verb Matthew uses is
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dierksen, which comes from the root dieregnomy.
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And what is the significance of that?
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The key is the grammatical tense.
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It is in the aorist tense. In Greek, the aorist tense often
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denotes A decisive, sudden and violent action.
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It is looking at the action as a complete whole event.
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We are not talking about a slow, gentle ripping of a seam or a
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careful ceremonial cutting. It is an aggressive, forceful
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rending. Yes, and the direct object is
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Taimasya Autu, which refers to his outer robes.
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Wait, I thought there was a rabbinic tradition that allowed
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for a small tear if a judge heard blasphemy.
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There was a later tradition that allowed a judge to make a highly
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stylized minor tear, usually about 3 inches, in the front of
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the tunic near the neckline to show distress without ruining
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the garment. Kind of like a loophole.
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Exactly a loophole. But given the Aoris tense of the
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verb and the incredibly high stakes of this midnight trial,
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the sources conclude that Caiaphas likely made a massive,
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aggressive rending of his outer robes.
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He is trying to maximize the emotional manipulation of the
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room. He wants the visual to be as
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shocking as possible. It makes me think of a corrupt
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politician staging a photo op of outrage.
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He knows the cameras are rolling, or in this case, the
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rest of the council is watching his every move, so he uses this
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external dramatic display of piety to cover up what is
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essentially A calculated assassination.
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He wants every single person in that courtyard to think his
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heart is broken for the honor of Yahweh, but his heart is
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actually cold, calculating, and laser focused on maintaining his
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own political position. What's fascinating here is how
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this tearing symbolizes the literal collapse of the
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Levitical institution. When we look at the theological
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implications drawn by our sources, Think about the irony.
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The pre priest who is explicitly tasked by God with maintaining
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the purity of the law, becomes its chief violator in order to
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destroy the law giver himself. There's a staggering image.
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By violently tearing his garments, Caiaphas commits a
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literal act of sacrilege. Under the guise of religious
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mourning, the Old Covenant priesthood is tearing itself to
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pieces in the very presence of the true high priest.
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The system is imploding from the top down.
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The old system ripping itself apart right in front of the one
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who is about to replace it. And from that physical action,
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the dramatic ripping of the fabric, the whole scene rapidly
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shifts to the verbal accusations.
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This is where the legal process completely dissolves into a mob
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mentality. It happened so fast.
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After tearing his robes, Kaif has declares A blasphemation.
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He has spoken blasphemy. We have to define what blasphemy
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meant under 1st century Jewish law because it is much more
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specific than how we use the word today.
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Today, people use blasphemy to mean saying something slightly
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disrespectful about religion. Right, like making a joke about
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a sacred cow. But in this legal context,
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blasphemy meant something very precise.
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It meant pronouncing the divine name Yahweh in vain or
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arrogating to oneself the unique prerogatives and authority of
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God. And Jesus had just done that
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from Caiaphas's perspective. Yes, just moments before the
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tearing of the garments, Jesus had quoted from the prophet
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Daniel Chapter 7 and from Psalm 110.
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He claimed that he would sit at the right hand of the Almighty
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and come on the clouds of heaven.
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Which is a huge deal. Massive in the Jewish
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theological framework. Only Yahweh rides on the clouds.
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Only Yahweh sits on the ultimate throne.
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Jesus was making a direct, unambiguous claim to share the
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throne of God. Which, if untrue, would be the
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ultimate blasphemy. A mere human claiming the throne
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of the Almighty is a capital offense, but because it is true,
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it is absolute glorious revelation.
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The problem is, Caiaphas does not want to investigate.
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If it is true, he does not stop the trial and say let's examine
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the messianic prophecies and look at your miracles to see if
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this claim holds weight. He immediately pivots.
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He asked the room Thai, ancient crayon echo and Martyrrian.
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What further need do we have of witnesses?
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And that question reveals the absolute bankruptcy of the
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prosecution. This brings up a huge red flag
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for me when reading the legal background.
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The legal standard in the Torah, specifically Deuteronomy 19.19,
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requires multiple matching witnesses for any capital
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conviction. A man cannot be put to death on
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the testimony of one witness, let alone 0 witnesses.
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No, absolutely not. So by shouting to the room that
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they don't need witnesses anymore, isn't Caiaphas openly
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admitting his prosecution has failed up to this point?
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He is absolutely admitting that if you read the preceding verses
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in Matthew, the earlier attempts to secure false testimony had
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entirely collapsed. The sources note that the
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Sanhedrin brought in false witnesses, but their stories
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didn't match. And that ruins the whole case.
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Yeah, Under Jewish law, if witnesses cross examine each
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other and their testimonies conflict even slightly, the
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evidence is thrown out. So Caiaphas realizes the
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traditional legal route is dead. He bypasses the law entirely.
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How does he do that? He shifts the focus using the
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phrase Idina and ekisat. Look now you have heard he is
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taking the 70 men sitting in that room and forcing the entire
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council to to become direct ear witnesses.
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He is Co opting the room into his own prosecution, completely
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abandoning the need for outside objective testimony.
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It is a brilliant, albeit evil, rhetorical trap.
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Let's look at the psychology of the room for a second.
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Caiaphas is the most powerful man there.
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He is just violently ripped his expensive robes.
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He is screaming about blasphemy. It is pure intimidation.
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Yeah, and then he looks at his subordinates and says you heard
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it too, right? We don't need anyone else.
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He corners the council if any single member stands up and
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disagrees with him. Now they are not just
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questioning a legal procedure, they are siding with the
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supposed blasphemer. Exactly, they would be making
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themselves a target for the same wrath.
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Spot on. The psychological pressure is
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immense. And then Caiaphas demands a
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formal vote. He asks T Umindoki, what does it
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seem to you or what is your verdict?
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And the Council answers as one voice.
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They shout in Nochos the not to he is bound to death.
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The linguistic choice of the word in nochos is highly
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critical here. In the Greek text, it derives
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from the verb ineco, which literally means to be held fast,
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to be ensnared, or to be entangled in something you
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cannot escape. Right.
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In a judicial and legal context, it means being legally liable
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and bound to a specific penalty. So they're not just giving a
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casual opinion they weren't saying.
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In my personal view, this guy deserves to die.
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They are making a formal binding legal declaration.
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Correct. They are declaring him ensnared
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under the mandate of Leviticus 24.16, which requires death by
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stoning for anyone who blasphemes the name.
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Our sources point out the supreme irony of redemptive
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history. At this exact moment, the only
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human being in the history of the world who is completely free
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from the guilt of sin is legally declared by the myest earthly
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religious authority to be totally bound and ensnared to
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the penalty of death. The sinless man legally bound to
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death. It gives you chills when you
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realize the magnitude of what is happening.
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It really does. And it is crucial to recognize
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that Matthew, the author of this Gospel, didn't just record dry
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court transcripts here. He arranged this narrative with
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immense literary precision. The sources emphasize how
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Matthew places events side by side to force the reader to see
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the contrast. Yes, Matthew is a masterful
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narrator. He structures his Gospel to
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highlight theological truths through historical events.
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As we mentioned just before the tearing of the garments, Jesus
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speaks in verse 64 combining Daniel 7.13, the Son of Man
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coming on the clouds, with Psalm 110.1, seated at the right hand
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of the Almighty. Let's talk about the weight of
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that claim. Jesus is claiming supreme cosmic
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authority. He is essentially warning his
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earthly judges that the roles are temporary.
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He is telling them you may be judging me right now in this
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midnight court, but one day you will stand before my heavenly
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tribunal. It is an assertion of absolute
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sovereignty in the face of imminent execution.
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Precisely. And Matthew deliberately
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contrast that steadfast confession of Jesus inside the
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courtroom was what is happening outside in the courtyard below,
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while Jesus is standing firm in the absolute truth of his
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identity before the most powerful, intimidating men in
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the nation. Matthew cuts the camera, so to
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speak, to Peter. Ah.
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Yes, Peter's denial. His leading apostle the rock
21:33
collapses and sheer cowardice and denies even knowing Jesus
21:37
before servant girl. The contrast is devastating.
21:40
Inside, the king confesses the truth and is condemned.
21:44
Outside, the disciple lies to save his own skin.
21:47
It highlights Christ's total isolation.
21:49
The legal system has failed him, the religious leaders hate him,
21:53
and his closest friends have abandoned him.
21:55
He is walking the path to the cross completely alone.
21:58
Matthew also ties this trial scene into a recurring theme
22:02
throughout his entire Gospel. If you read Matthew from chapter
22:05
1, you see this massive clash building between the true king
22:09
of Israel and the false shepherds of Israel.
22:11
You see it from the very beginning.
22:12
Think of chapter 2, King Herod the false King installed by
22:15
Rome, trying to slaughter the infant Christ because he feels
22:18
threatened by the true King. And then throughout his entire
22:21
ministry, Jesus is constantly clashing with the Pharisees and
22:24
Sadducees over the Sabbath, over tradition, over authority.
22:28
The tension just keeps escalating.
22:30
It reaches a boiling point in chapters 21 through 23, where
22:33
Jesus rides into Jerusalem, cleanses the temple which hits
22:37
Caiaphas right in the wallet, and then pronounces those
22:39
terrifying 7 woes upon the scribes and Pharisees, calling
22:44
them whitewashed tombs and telling them their house is left
22:46
desolate. The midnight trial is the
22:49
judicial resolution of that long standing conflict.
22:53
The religious leaders finally have their chance to eliminate
22:56
the threat. Our sources argue that they are
22:59
actively fulfilling the parable Jesus told them just a few days
23:03
earlier in the temple courts, the parable of the wicked
23:06
tenants. Remind me how that one goes?
23:08
Well, in that parable, the tenants of the vineyard see the
23:10
owner's son coming and say, this is the air.
23:13
Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.
23:15
That is what they're doing. They think if they kill the air,
23:17
they get to keep the vineyard. They get to keep their control,
23:20
their temple, and their status quo with Rome.
23:22
Yeah, they are just grasping at their own turf.
23:25
But we have to consider who Matthew is writing this for.
23:28
When we read this today, you know we are far removed from the
23:32
cultural context. But Matthew's original audience
23:35
wasn't us sitting here in the 21st century.
23:37
No, the primary audience was mid to late 1st century Jewish
23:41
Christians. And what was their daily reality
23:43
like? These were people enduring
23:45
severe sociological and religious upheaval.
23:49
They were confessing Jesus as the promised Messiah, and
23:53
because of that confession, they were being formally
23:55
excommunicated from their local synagogues.
23:58
And excommunication back then wasn't just finding a new
24:00
building to attend on Sunday. Far from it.
24:03
It meant losing your family connections.
24:05
It meant economic ruin because other Jewish business owners
24:08
would not trade with you. It meant losing your identity
24:11
within the covenant nation of Israel.
24:13
You were treated as a Gentile, an outsider, A traitor to the
24:17
traditions of the Fathers. They were facing the agony
24:20
accusation from their own families that they were
24:22
following a cursed crucified criminal who was formally
24:25
condemned by the legitimate high priest of Israel.
24:28
Imagine hearing that from your parents.
24:30
Right. Their families would say the
24:32
Sanhedrin, the smartest men in our nation, the men who know the
24:35
Torah better than anyone, looked at your Jesus and declared him a
24:38
blasphemer. How can you follow him?
24:40
That is the exact context in which Matthew writes this
24:43
detailed eyewitness account. He is providing these persecuted
24:47
believers with apologetic armament.
24:49
Equipping them for the fight. Yes, he is giving them the
24:52
intellectual and theological tools to withstand the cultural
24:55
pressure. He is proving to them by
24:58
detailing the broken laws, the false witnesses, and the legal
25:01
night trial, that the Sanhedrin's verdict was not a
25:04
disaster that invalidated Jesus's claim to be the Messiah.
25:08
He is showing that the trial was a sham.
25:10
By exposing the corruption, the tearing of the garments, the
25:13
rhetorical traps, Matthew completely strips the Sanhedrin
25:16
of its moral authority. He is telling those early
25:20
Christians, you didn't abandoned God.
25:22
The high priest abandoned God when he condemned God's Son.
25:25
And beyond that, it provides a model of holy endurance.
25:29
When these early Jewish Christians get dragged before
25:32
their own local councils, when they are falsely accused and
25:35
slandered, they know they are simply walking the exact same
25:39
path their king walked. The servant is not greater than
25:42
his master. This raises a massive question.
25:46
If we look at the historical timeline, the literary
25:48
structure, and the absolute injustice of this trial, we have
25:52
to ask about the spiritual mechanics.
25:54
How does this trial function in the divine plan?
25:57
Because if you just look at the historical facts, it looks like
26:00
a defeat. It looks like the bad guys won,
26:02
Caiaphas gets his verdict, Ilate swings the sword and Jesus ends
26:05
U in a tomb. It certainly looks like a defeat
26:08
on the horizontal plane of human history.
26:10
On the horizontal plane, corrupt judges are maliciously
26:13
condemning an innocent man to maintain their own control.
26:17
But the theological treatises we are analyzing evaluate this
26:20
trial through the lens of Reformed theology, specifically
26:23
referencing the framework found in the Westminster Confession of
26:25
Faith, Chapter 8, which deals with Christ the Mediator.
26:28
Break that down for us. What does that framework tell us
26:31
about what is actually happening in this room?
26:33
It forces us to look at the vertical plane.
26:36
While Caiaphas is executing his corrupt political will, the
26:40
righteous judge of all the earth is executing perfect holy
26:43
justice upon his own Son. God ordained this entire event
26:48
from eternity past. As the Apostle Peter preaches in
26:51
Acts chapter 2 verse 23. Jesus was delivered up by the
26:55
predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.
26:58
That is a heavy concept to wrestle with.
27:00
The Father ordained the very betrayal, the illegal trial and
27:03
the condemnation of the Son. The malice of Caiaphas was real,
27:06
His guilt is real, and yet it was entirely encompassed by the
27:09
sovereign plan of God to save his people.
27:12
This brings us to the core doctrine of penal
27:14
substitutionary atonement. This is the heartbeat of
27:17
Reformed theology regarding the cross.
27:19
To understand how salvation actually works in this trial, we
27:22
have to look at the concepts of the active and passive obedience
27:25
of Christ. Let me see if I can explain this
27:27
and you tell me if I have it right.
27:28
Go for it. So Christ's active obedience
27:31
refers to His perfect, sinless life.
27:34
From his birth to this moment in the trial, he fulfilled every
27:37
single demand of God's moral law.
27:41
He loved God perfectly and loved his neighbor perfectly.
27:43
Things that we failed to do every single day.
27:46
Absolutely. And that act of obedience
27:48
secures a positive status of righteousness that can be
27:51
credited or imputed to the believers account.
27:54
You have that right. The act of obedience is about
27:56
providing the perfect record of righteousness that we lack.
27:59
But that alone does not solve the problem of our guilt.
28:02
That is where the passive obedience comes in.
28:04
So his passive obedience refers to his willing submission to the
28:09
penalty of the broken law. He submitted to the arrest in
28:12
the garden. He submitted to the false
28:14
accusations of the witnesses. He took the spitting and the
28:16
beating from the guards, and eventually he submitted to the
28:19
crucifixion. Yeah, that passive obedience
28:21
satisfies the divine retributive justice of God against our sin.
28:24
Precisely. Jesus did not stand before
28:27
Caiaphas merely as an innocent victim of a corrupt system.
28:30
He stood there as the federal head, the legal representative
28:33
of his people. That adds a mind bending layer
28:36
of irony to the Council's verdict.
28:39
When the 70 men of the Sanhedrin shout he is bound to death.
28:42
They are speaking out of pure sinful malice, but they are also
28:47
accidentally declaring A staggering theological truth.
28:50
Yes, he is legally bound to death, not for his own blasphemy
28:54
because he was innocent. He is bound to death because the
28:57
sins, the blasphemies, and the lawlessness of His people have
29:01
been legally imputed or credited to Him.
29:04
I see the Father ratified the Sanhedrin's corrupt verdict in
29:08
the Court of Heaven so that we who are actually guilty and
29:10
bound to eternal death could be legally acquitted.
29:14
God uses the greatest injustice in human history to enact the
29:17
greatest act of divine justice. If we connect this to the bigger
29:20
picture of biblical theology, we see a massive cosmic transition
29:24
occurring right in this moment. We talked earlier about Caiaphas
29:27
violating the law by violently tearing his sacred robe.
29:30
Right, the Aoris tense RIP. Yeah, when he did that, he
29:33
symbolically declared the end of the Levitical system.
29:37
The old covenant priesthood, which was run by weak, sinful
29:40
men who had to constantly offer animal sacrifices for their own
29:43
sins before they could offer them for the people, was
29:46
finished. It had served its purpose and
29:48
now it was obsolete. And it is replaced by what the
29:51
author of Hebrews calls the Melchizedekian order.
29:54
Wait, you're going to have to break that down for me.
29:56
Who is Melchizedek and why does this new order matter?
30:00
Melchizedek appears briefly in the book of Genesis as the king
30:03
of Salem and a priest of God. Most High Psalm 110, the exact
30:07
Psalm Jesus quoted to Caiaphas, prophesize that the Messiah will
30:10
be a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.
30:13
Got it. The author of Hebrews explains
30:15
that this priesthood is superior to Aaron's because it is
30:18
eternal, based on an indestructible life, and held by
30:21
a sinless mediator. So Jesus is the true final high
30:25
priest. And notice the contrast in their
30:27
actions. Caiaphas, the fading Levitical
30:29
priest, tore his expensive clothes in a theatrical display
30:33
of fake outrage to protect himself.
30:35
Jesus, the true high Priest, did not tear his clothes.
30:38
He offered his own flesh. And when his flesh was torn on
30:41
the cross just hours later, what happened in the temple precinct
30:45
where Caiaphas ruled? The massive curtain, the veil
30:47
separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple, was
30:50
torn right down the middle from top to bottom.
30:53
God himself tore the fabric. The high priest tore his robes
30:57
in defiance. God tore the temple veil in
30:59
grace. It showed that earthly temples,
31:02
animal sacrifices and human mediators were forever obsolete.
31:06
Because the way was opened. Yes, the access to the presence
31:09
of God was thrown wide open for anyone who trusts in the
31:12
finished work of Christ. This brings us to what I think
31:15
is the most confrontational part of our analysis today.
31:19
Having established the historical facts, the illegality
31:22
of the trial and the deep theological mechanics of
31:24
substitution, we have to connect this directly to the listener.
31:28
If you are listening right now, you have to consider what the
31:30
source is called the Caiaphas within.
31:32
The caiaphas within that is deeply unsettling phrase.
31:36
It forces us to look in the mirror because it is so easy to
31:39
read this narrative in Matthew 26 and think, oh, those terrible
31:44
Pharisees, those corrupt Sadducees.
31:46
If I had been in that courtyard, I would have stood up for Jesus.
31:49
I would have objected to the false witnesses.
31:51
We all like to think we would be the heroes.
31:53
But the reality of total depravity, which we discussed
31:56
earlier, means that our natural unregenerate hearts possess the
32:00
exact same hostility toward the absolute sovereignty of God as
32:04
the men in that room. Typhus rejected Jesus primarily
32:08
because Jesus threatened his control, his social status, and
32:11
his autonomy. He wanted to run his own life
32:14
and his own religious system without interference from a
32:16
sovereign Lord. We do the exact same thing every
32:20
time we choose our own desires over the clear commands of
32:23
scripture, or every time we rely on our own moral performance to
32:26
justify ourselves instead of relying entirely on the grace of
32:29
Christ. We are echoing the spirit of the
32:31
Sanhedrin. We want to be the kings of our
32:34
own little empires. The sources make a critical
32:38
point here about the danger of religious knowledge without a
32:41
submitted heart. The men on the Sanhedrin were
32:44
the most biblically literate men in the nation of Israel.
32:47
They had memorized vast portions of the Torah.
32:51
They studied the prophets daily. Yet they were entirely
32:54
spiritually blind to the Word made flesh standing right in
32:57
front of them. It proves that intellectual
32:59
brilliance and religious activity are not the cure for
33:02
the human condition. You can have a PhD in systematic
33:06
theology. You can be a respected leader in
33:08
a religious institution and still be fundamentally hostile
33:11
to the true Christ. And the sources we are analyzing
33:14
do not just leave this as an ancient historical problem.
33:16
They point out that the Sanhedrin has modern theological
33:19
descendants. They specifically identify
33:21
modern religious groups. And to be clear, we are simply
33:24
reporting the arguments made by the authors of these treatises.
33:28
They point to groups like Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses,
33:30
right? These groups claim that Jesus is
33:33
a lesser God, an Archangel or a created being, rather than the
33:37
eternal uncreated creator. The authors argue that when
33:41
these groups deny the full eternal deity of Jesus Christ,
33:45
they are functionally echoing Caiaphas's chart of blasphemy.
33:49
When Jesus claims equality with the Father, Caiphus says that is
33:52
impossible. You are a mere man.
33:54
I see the parallel. When modern groups say Jesus is
33:57
a created being, they are agreeing with the premise that
34:00
Christ's claim to full absolute deity is false.
34:04
The sources argue for a strict polemical separation from these
34:07
theological systems. Because you cannot compromise on
34:10
the identity of Christ. If he is not fully God, His
34:13
sacrifice cannot save. A finite creature cannot bear
34:17
the infinite wrath of God against sin.
34:20
But the sources do not just target obvious sex and cults,
34:23
they level a massive pointed critique against modern,
34:26
pragmatic, seeker sensitive ecclesiology within the
34:29
evangelical church itself. This is where the application
34:31
gets very sharp for the modern church leader and attendee.
34:34
It makes me think of a corporate PR firm trying to rebrand a
34:37
product that isn't selling well to modern consumers.
34:40
That is a good way to put it. Imagine a tech company realizes
34:43
their core software is too difficult to learn.
34:46
It requires too much discipline, so the PR team files off all the
34:51
sharp edges, changes the packaging, removes the complex
34:54
features and markets it as an easy, fun lifestyle accessory.
34:58
The sources argue. That is what so many modern
35:01
churches do with the message of Jesus.
35:03
They want to increase attendance and cultural approval so they
35:07
water down His absolute demands. They replaced the massive
35:11
offense of the cross, the demand for repentance, and the reality
35:14
of divine judgment with therapeutic self help and
35:17
moralistic life coaching. They want the social benefits of
35:20
religion, the community, the warm feelings without the demand
35:23
for total submission to a sovereign king.
35:25
They strip away the severity of the gospel to make it palatable
35:27
for a culture that hates authority.
35:29
But the reality is you cannot integrate the true crisis
35:32
Scripture into a casual, self-directed lifestyle.
35:35
He does not offer himself as an additive to make your current
35:38
life slightly better. He demands a total collapse of
35:40
human pride. He demands the throne.
35:42
Right, you can't just download Jesus into your life like an app
35:45
on your phone to optimize your daily routine.
35:48
He is the King of Kings. When modern church movements try
35:52
to present a toothless, highly manageable Savior who only
35:55
exists to facilitate human happiness and self
35:57
actualization, they are rejecting the Christ of Matthew
36:01
26 just as surely as Caiaphas did.
36:04
They are inventing a false Christ who does not offend them.
36:07
The conclusion we must draw from our analysis is that the true
36:10
Christ is intensely offensive to the natural man.
36:12
He disrupts our autonomy. He tells us we are deeply broken
36:15
and unable to save ourselves. The authors of our sources urge
36:18
believers to reject church growth pragmatism that hides the
36:21
cross. True believers must be willing
36:24
to stand with the condemned Savior outside the camp bearing
36:26
his reproach, even if it means being mocked by the cultural and
36:30
religious elites of our day. Because, as the Apostle Paul
36:32
wrote, the message of the cross is a stumbling block to some,
36:37
and it is absolute foolishness to others.
36:39
But to those who are being called and saved, it is the
36:42
wisdom and the authority of God. So we look back at this midnight
36:46
court in ancient Jerusalem. We look at this illegal,
36:48
desperate gathering of powerful men.
36:51
It is quite the scene to imagine.
36:52
And we see human malice utilizing the very forms of
36:56
justice to execute the highest act of lawlessness in history.
37:01
And yet the staggering beauty of the gospel is that God utilized
37:05
that exact human malice to enact the salvation of the world.
37:08
We have covered a vast amount of historical, linguistic and
37:12
theological ground today, but we have to leave the listener with
37:14
one final, sobering reality drawn from the conclusion of our
37:18
source material. The state of Christ's
37:20
humiliation, His silent submission before corrupt
37:22
judges, is forever over. The next time the world sees
37:25
him, he will not be a prisoner bound by Roman guards.
37:28
You owe the reigning king. Yes, at the second coming the
37:31
the roles will be entirely reversed.
37:32
The earthly judges will stand before the heavenly tribunal.
37:35
Just imagine that moment for a second.
37:37
Think about the resurrection of the dead.
37:39
Imagine the moment Caiaphas rises from his grave at the end
37:42
of history. And give you pause.
37:44
He will open his eyes and he will look upon the very one he
37:47
condemned as a blasphemer. In that dark courtyard, the high
37:51
priest who aggressively tore his expensive robes in mock horror
37:55
will experience real, eternal terror as he faces the
37:59
unfiltered wrath of the Lamb. He will see that the man he
38:02
bound to death is the Lord of glory.
38:04
It is a terrifying prospect for those who remain hostile to God,
38:08
but for the believer, for the one who has looked at their own
38:11
sin and trusted entirely in the perfect substitute, that
38:15
reigning judge is their personal Savior.
38:17
Such a huge comfort. For the Christian, the day of
38:19
judgement is not a day of terror, but a day of consummated
38:23
joy and total vindication. We started today talking about
38:26
this chaotic midnight trial, about how the Sanhedrin
38:28
intentionally broke every rule to condemn an innocent man.
38:32
It was a massive miscarriage of human justice.
38:34
One of the biggest in history. But the beauty of the Gospel is
38:38
that through their corrupt verdict, God provided absolute,
38:41
crystal clear legal acquittal for His people.
38:44
The record shows that we are guilty, but the cross shows that
38:47
the penalty has been paid in full by the true High Priest.
38:50
Keep reading, keep thinking, and thank you for joining us on this
38:52
deep dive on Reformed thinking.