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Current Teacher's Article

Religious Trials of Jesus

I often pictured the trial of Jesus with Pilate standing above a bloody and beaten Jesus, while Pilate washed his hands and the crowd shouted "Crucify Him." However, I have learned that Pilate was not the only one to question Jesus. Today we are going to put on our sandals and walk with Jesus through the last night of His earthly life as He endured not just one trial but six!

Jesus spent His last evening on earth eating the Last Supper with His twelve disciples. Following the meal, He and eleven of the disciples went to pray at the Garden of Gethsemane. During the night Judas, one of the twelve disciples, betrayed Jesus in the garden. After being arrested, Jesus was questioned three different times before the religious leaders of that day. The three trials would be before Annas, Caiaphas, and Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. But who were these people?

Annas: Annas served as High Priest of the Temple in Jerusalem.   Later, Roman authorities removed him and appointed his son- in-law, Caiaphas, to replace him. The position of High Priest was a very powerful position.   The High Priest attempted to achieve balance between the politics of the Romans and the religion of the Jews. Although Annas was not the "High Priest" he still retained the title of a "high priest" in the minds of the people and continued to be a member of the Sanhedrin. After being questioned by Annas, Jesus was then taken to Caiaphas.
Here are some interesting links* on Annas:
     Annas Link 1
     Annas Link 2
     Annas Link 3

Caiaphas: Caiaphas was married to the daughter of Annas. He was appointed to replace his father-in-law as High Priest in the Temple by the new Roman governor. Although he was the official High Priest, he shared the title with his father-in-law Annas. An ossuary, believed to be Caiaphas’ was discovered in 1990.

Learn more about Caiaphas from the links* below.
Caiaphas Link 1
Caiaphas Link 2
    Caiaphas Link 3
    Caiaphas Link 4

The Sanhedrin: The Sanhedrin was a group of seventy-one Jewish religious leaders who served as a religious supreme court at the time of Jesus. The Sanhedrin continued until the fifth century. The Sanhedrin was re-established in Israel in 2004.

Here are some Jewish links about the Sanhedrin:
Sanhedrin Link 1
    Sanhedrin Link 2

The Charge: After questioning Jesus, Caiaphas tore his robe and declared Jesus guilty of blasphemy or claiming to be God. Knowing that they did not have the legal right to condemn someone to death, the religious leaders took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman official of the area.

Next month we will look at the civil trials of Jesus.

Serving Him with Stick Figures,
Dianna
Grapevine Studies
2010 Copyright by Grapevine Studies

*Disclaimer: We think it is important for Bible teachers and students to study a variety of opinions on a subject. Please understand that these links are for research and that Grapevine Studies does not endorse or promote every belief or viewpoint contained within the websites linked in this newsletter. Some of the sites are from a Christian perspective, while others are from a Jewish perspective.