Motley Crew Bible Study
June 29, 2011
Matthew 26:57-64
The Questions
1. What time of the day are these events occurring?
2. What difference does the time of day make?
3. Dr. Lenski says, “Thus unindicted and illegally arrested He stands before the Sanhedrin at this illegal hour.” What do you think?
4. How many disciples followed Jesus?
5. How many witnesses must they have for a capital trial?
6. After all of Jesus' public preaching and teaching what do you make of the fact that they had such a hard time finding two who agreed to lie?
7. What did Jesus really teach about the temple?
8. Where is Jesus going to sit and what does that mean?
Unless otherwise indicated, all citations from the Holy Bible are from the New International Version, copyright 2011, used with permission.
Motley Crew Bible Study
June 29, 2011
Matthew 26:57-64
Some Suggested Answers
We opened with prayer.
More so than most days, we had several excellent, wide-ranging conversations prior to looking at the Word, such that we did not have the usual amount of time to discuss the answers to today's questions.
Read Matthew 26:57-64
Jesus Before the Sanhedrin
57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. 58 But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.
59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.
Finally two came forward 61 and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent.
The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
64 “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”[a]
Footnotes:
Matthew 26:64 See Psalm 110:1; Daniel 7:13.
Psalm 110
Of David. A psalm.
1 The LORD says to my lord:[a]
“Sit at my right hand
until
I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”
Footnotes:
Psalm 110:1 Or Lord
Daniel 7:13
13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.
Footnotes:
Daniel 7:13 The Aramaic phrase bar enash means human being. The phrase son of man is retained here because of its use in the New Testament as a title of Jesus, probably based largely on this verse.
Matthew's Gospel omits the preliminary examination before Annas.
John 18:12-14
12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13 and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.
The examination by Annas is given by John, who then says that Jesus was taken first to Caiaphas and then to Pilate. The examination before Caiaphas is not given in John's Gospel. See John 18:19 ff. It is reproduced below.
Unless otherwise indicated, all citations from the Holy Bible are from the New International Version, copyright 2011, used with permission.
The commentator Matthew Henry observed that after Jesus was taken into custody,
… he was brought into Jerusalem through that which was called the sheep-gate, for that was the way into town from the mount of Olives; and it was so called because the sheep appointed for sacrifice were brought that way to the temple; very fitly therefore is Christ led that way, who is the Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world. Christ was led first to the High Priest, for by the law all sacrifices were to be first presented to the priest, and delivered into his hand, Lev. 17:5.
1. What time of the day are these events occurring?
During the night hours. Recall that the mob that came to arrest Jesus was carrying torches. Also, the rooster had not yet crowed, announcing the arrival of morning.
Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.
Those who do evil like the night-time hours, laboring under the cover of darkness so that they cannot be seen. The Darkness hates the Light.
19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
2. What difference does the time of day make?
According to Jewish law as given in the Torah, it is illegal to conduct a trial or to hear testimony of witnesses at night. There are three rules of Jewish law that bear on this question:
Halacha 1
Until when should the
judges hold session? A minor Sanhedrin and a court of three should
hold sessions from after the morning service until the end of the
sixth hour of the day. The supreme Sanhedrin, by contrast, would hold
sessions from the time of the slaughter of the morning sacrifice
until the offering of the afternoon sacrifice. On Sabbaths and on
festivals they would hold sessions in the House of Study on the
Temple Mount.
Halacha 3
A court should not
begin adjudicating a case at night. According to the Oral Tradition,
this concept was derived as follows: Based on Deuteronomy 21:5 which
mentions: "Every dispute and every blemish," an equation is
established between the adjudication of disputes and blemishes. Just
as blemishes are viewed only during the day; so, too, disputes should
be adjudicated only during the day.
Halacha 4
Similarly, we do not
listen to the testimony of witnesses or validate the authenticity of
legal documents at night. With regard to cases involving monetary
law, if the judges began hearing the matter during the day, it is
permitted for them to conclude the judgment at night.
Source: The Mishneh Torah, the complete code of Jewish law, authored by Maimonides (a.k.a. Rambam; Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon) (1135-1204 C.E.), Book 14, "Sefer Shofetim," Hilchot 1, "Hilchot Sanhedrin V'HaOnshin Hamesurim Lahem," Chapter 3. Translated by Eliyahu Touger.
In addition, it has been observed that:
“Another reason for the proceedings to be illegal was because the trial was begun and concluded within one day, a flagrant violation of Hebrew law. If a man were convicted on a capital charge, no judgment could be pronounced until the afternoon of the following day. One night must intervene between the verdict and the sentence.” J. Todd Nunley, "The Arrest, Trial and Crucifixion of Jesus Christ Compared to the Modern American Juris Prudence System," July 28, 1998; the treatise is reproduced at http://dentonpbc.org/Glad10.htm
Dr. Lenski writes:
“When news came that they were really bringing Jesus as a prison, the leaders knew that delay was not advisable. … The legal restrictions that forbade trials at night were summarily set aside in the case of Jesus. … The leaders who deliberately plotted the murder of Jesus were not men to balk at a technicality of legal procedure when they finally had their victim in their grasp.” Lenski, p. 1056.
3. Dr. Lenski says, “Thus unindicted and illegally arrested He stands before the Sanhedrin at this illegal hour.” What do you think?
Sad but true. Dr. Lenski added: “Those who could decree ... death, would certainly now not be squeamish about the means to be employed to attain their end.” Lenski, p. 1058.
4. How many disciples followed Jesus?
Two, Peter and John, although John does not name himself. John 18:15 ff.
Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard,
Dr. Lenski observes: “ … Peter and John recovered sufficiently to follow Jesus from a distance by keeping themselves out of sight. Love drew them, fear held them at a distance.” Lenski, p. 1056.
We know that of the disciples only John was at the cross.
When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,[a] here is your son,”
Footnotes:
John 19:26 The Greek for Woman does not denote any disrespect.
There is also the passage in the Gospel of Mark about an unidentified young man who was following Jesus. Some have speculated that this was Mark himself.
51 A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, 52 he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.
5. How many witnesses must they have for a capital trial?
“Two or three” witnesses were required.
Deut. 17:6.
“On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.”
The same requirement is found in Deut. 19:15: “One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”
6. After all of Jesus' public preaching and teaching what do you make of the fact that they had such a hard time finding two who agreed to lie?
It's hard to make up a story that can be agreed upon when the target has never sinned.
Even though their quotes were similar, they weren't the same. They just didn't understand the truth of what Jesus was saying. He is a powerful teacher.
Compare the accounts in Matthew and Mark:
Matthew 26:60-61
... many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
Mark 14:56-59
Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree. Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’” Yet even then their testimony did not agree.
It is interesting that this court failed to act properly with regard to these contradictory witnesses. A thorough investigation should have been performed, but was not.
Deut. 19:16-21
16 If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, 17 the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. 18 The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, 19 then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you. 20 The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. 21 Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Deut. 5:20. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
The penalty for blasphemy is death. In Leviticus 24:15, The Lord said to Moses: “ … anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD is to be put to death. The entire assembly must stone them.”
Thus, those who falsely testified that the Lord had committed blasphemy should themselves have been executed, but were not.
Matthew Henry observed concerning the Lord:
Now the scriptures were fulfilled, which said, False witnesses are risen up against me (Ps. 27:12); and see Ps. 35:11. Though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me, Hos. 7:13.
7. What did Jesus really teach about the temple?
We find the truth of the matter in the Gospel of John:
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
8. Where is Jesus going to sit and what does that mean?
“But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
As we discussed before, sitting at the right hand of the host is in the place of honor.
That He is sitting is important. The High Priest always stood during the sacrifices of the Pascal Lambs. Jesus is sitting, now, because those sacrifices are no longer needed.
The conversation turned to Pilate, who appeared to be desperate to find any reason to let Jesus go. “From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, ...” John 19:12. “Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again.” Luke 23:20.
Pilate's wife had already warned him to have nothing to do with this man. Matthew 27:19. But the chief priests had stirred up the crowd, Mark 15:11, and the crowd continued to shout loudly, “Crucify him.” Matt. 27:23; Mark 15:14; Luke 23:21; John 19:6.
Finally, afraid that a riot would ensue, he ordered that Jesus would be crucified. He attempted to literally “wash his hands” of this affair, but, of course, that is impossible. Matthew 27:24. However much we might proclaim that we were “just doing our duty,” it is still true that we are each fully responsible for our actions. Either confess and receive forgiveness, or face the consequences at the time of the Second Coming and Final Judgment.
We closed with prayer.
Parallel Verses
Mark 14:53-65
Jesus Before the Sanhedrin
53 They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together. 54 Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.
55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. 56 Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.
57 Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’” 59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree.
60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
63 The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”
They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65 Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.
Luke 22:54-65
Peter Disowns Jesus
54 Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 55 And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56 A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”
57 But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.
58 A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”
“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.
59 About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”
60 Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.
The Guards Mock Jesus
63 The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. 64 They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” 65 And they said many other insulting things to him.
Jesus Before Pilate and Herod
66 At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. 67 “If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.”
Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, 68 and if I asked you, you would not answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”
70 They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”
He replied, “You say that I am.”
71 Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”
John 18:12-29
12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13 and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.
Peter’s First Denial
15 Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, 16 but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.
17 “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.
He replied, “I am not.”
18 It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.
The High Priest Questions Jesus
19 Meanwhile, the high priest [Annas] questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
20 “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. 21 Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”
22 When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.
23 “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” 24 Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”
He denied it, saying, “I am not.”
26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.
28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”
Other Verses
Deut. 17:6-13. Witnesses and Law Courts
6 On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. 7 The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting him to death, [i.e., they must cast the first stone] and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you.
Law Courts.
8 If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge—whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults—take them to the place the LORD your God will choose. 9 Go to the priests, who are Levites, and to the judge who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you the verdict. 10 You must act according to the decisions they give you at the place the LORD will choose. Be careful to do everything they direct you to do. 11 Act according to the law they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left. 12 The man who shows contempt for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering there to the LORD your God must be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel. 13 All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not be contemptuous again.
Deut. 19:15-21. Witnesses
15 One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
16 If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, 17 the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. 18 The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, 19 then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. 20 The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. 21 Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
The Prayer And Study Resources web page has a listing of some research web sites that I use. In addition, Additional Research Resources is a page with a more complete list of Bible and Lutheran resources, plus there is the Research Resources Checklist, which is the web page I use when I first begin a Bible study. Both of these last two web pages are always growing, and please let me know if you are aware of other great sites.
Cited Source:
R.C.H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1943)
Maimonides, The Mishneh Torah, ca. 1180. This is the authoritative codification of Jewish law.