How the Lord brought Jesus before Annas and Caiphas, and what kind of court order or trial the Jews held with him.
Matth. 26, 57-68.
And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him unto Caiphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders were gathered together. And Peter followed him afar off unto the palace of the high priest, and entered in, and sat with the servants, that he might see whither he went out. And the chief priests, and the elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, that they might kill him, and found none. And though many false witnesses came near, they found none. At last there came two false witnesses, saying: He said, I can destroy the temple of God and build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing to the things which these witness against thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest it. But I say unto you, From henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has blasphemed God; what need have we of further testimony? Behold, now you have heard his blasphemy. What do you think? They answered and said: He is guilty of death. Then they spat in his face, and smote him with their fists. And some of them smote him in the face, saying: Tell us, O Christ, who is it that smote thee?
(1) So far your loved ones have heard how our Lord Christ was betrayed by Judah in the garden and captured by the Jews. Now follows how they brought him before Caiphas, the high priest, and there they
that they unanimously decide they have cause enough to hand him over to Pilato and sue for his life.
2 Such history is not only described by the evangelists so diligently that we have
We should see and learn the holy innocence of our Lord Christ, for since we know that he is the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of virgins, we must conclude from this that he was completely pure and without all sin: But for this purpose this act of judgment serves especially, because it should happen to the church and the gospel in the world in the same way as it happened to the Lord Christ, so that we do not get angry when the same happens to us, but always look at this example and comfort ourselves with it and send us to patience.
(3) For if it so happened to our Lord and Head, the Son of God, that he was falsely accused, and given by the ecclesiastics into the hand of Pilate, and to the hangman's rope, what wonder if the like should happen to us? The servant shall not have it better than his lord; and we shall rejoice when it comes to us that we may boast: My Lord Christ also had it so. For then we can have hope, if we are like him in suffering, that we will also be like him in glory; yes, even in suffering, before the glory is revealed, we will find comfort, help and salvation. So that such history is first of all prescribed for our consolation, that we may become more confident and patient in suffering, because our Lord Christ Himself was not above such things.
(4) Secondly, it also serves to counteract the common worldly anger. For these, who are called high priests and elders among the people, are considered by everyone to be pious, holy people because of their office, status and nature; just as today the pope, bishops, monks and priests are considered to be the most distinguished members of the Christian church because of their office. But learn here, and look not at the office, lest thou be deceived; but see how they deal with Christ, what heart and will they bear toward him. If you find good or evil there, judge them according to that, and you will not fail to judge. The office is undoubtedly holy and good; but it may well be a rogue who leads the office. For here thou seest that the chief priests are the very ones who have made the Lord Jesus holy.
They cannot tolerate it, they put it to the test, and devise so much that they bring it to the cross. Then you must confess that they are the worst of the wicked.
(5) Therefore, if thou wouldest know for certain whether popes, bishops, and such like are pious or not, let not their ministry deceive thee; only see how they hold themselves against the gospel and the right doctrine: and thou shalt find that they are the children of Judas, and have as much heart against the gospel as the chief priests had against Christ. This is the true fruit, by which the false prophets, the wolves, can actually be recognized, even though they walk in sheep's clothing, and have the appearance of being pious, harmless people.
Now let us take the trial before us and see how the holy people deal so spitefully, dangerously, cunningly and poisonously with the dear Lord Christ. John the Evangelist reports that the Jews first led the Lord Jesus to Annas, who was not a high priest, but the high priest Caiphas' brother-in-law. But before Caiphas this son of Annas, Eleazar, and after Caiphas his other son, Jonathas, was high priest. From this it is easy to assume that Annas was an excellent, respectable, forerunner man, and the group that led Jesus captive came to him first, if perhaps in his house, as the oldest and closest, the Jews wanted to come together and confer. But Annas soon directed them to his son-in-law, Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year, for there the chief priests and elders were gathered together.
7 First of all, see how the chief priests deal unfairly with the Lord Christ. For they are both accusers and judges. Therefore the Lord must be in the wrong in his matters, and he may say and do as he pleases. In worldly affairs this would be a very great dishonor, as it is forbidden by special statutes that no one should be both plaintiff and judge. But nothing is sinful to these holy people, they have all power; what they desire, they may do, and despite who would do them wrong, or interpret something evil.
8 With our clergy, the pope and bishops, it is the same. For many years now, the Pope has opened his mouth to us Germans one after the other, and posed as if he wanted to abolish the discord in the matter of religion through a concilium. Thus it has been earnestly sought by our part at many imperial congresses and elsewhere that one might have a free Christian concilium, and counter and abolish the discord that is before one's eyes with holy scripture. But there one sees publicly that the pope desires to deal with us and the holy Gospel, just as the Jews here with Christ. He is a partisan, and he stands up for the quarrels of his doctrine and worship, which he has caused in the church against God's word and still keeps about it.
(9) What then shall the defendant do? If he himself is to be the judge, he will not do wrong, and he will not do right by his opponent, the plaintiff. That is what the pope and his crowd want in this trade, so fine are they, honorable people. Yes, that is even more, he lets himself be heard publicly, where a concilium is held, so we, as the previously damned by him, shall have neither voice nor attendance in such concilio. This is a courageous, unreasonable, burdensome act. But here it is, the world cannot deal with Christ in any other way; therefore we may take patience by the hand here, and bear such inequity with the Lord Christ until his time. It will not be otherwise. Caiphas, who sat down as a judge on the judgment seat, complains to the Lord Christ Himself and gives Him injustice in His cause. This is the first injustice in this trial of the clergy.
(10) Secondly, this is also very burdensome; they want to have the Lord Christ badly killed, and yet they cannot find a sufficient cause, but have to make do with lies and false witnesses; until finally Caiphas, the judge, himself appears, and brings forth an accusation that has a little standing. Among other false testimonies is this, that two of them come forward and say: He said, I can tear down the temple of God and build it in three days.
11. such historia, how it had happened,
For when our Lord Jesus drove out the changers and merchants with their oxen, sheep, pigeons, and whatsoever else they had, with a scourge, in Jerusalem at an Easter feast, and spilled the money of the changers, and overturned the moneychangers' tables, the Jews gathered together, saying, Thou art subduing thyself by a strange power; hast thou also commanded to do this? What sign do you show us that you may do this? The Lord answered, "Break down this temple, and on the third day I will raise it up. This is what he meant by the sign of Jonah in Matthew 12. As if to say, Ye desire a sign, and it shall be done unto you. You will kill me, but on the third day I will raise myself from death. Whoever is not satisfied with such a sign can no longer be helped. That is the history. But how they turn the words so mischievously! He said, Ye shall break him; and they say, He said, He would break him. And even if one would let such words remain in the mind, as the Jews understand it, of the temple at Jerusalem; should a man have been guilty of death because of such a word?
12 In sum, whoever wants to accuse against Christ must become a shameful liar, as we also see in our papists. What they cry out against the gospel is a vain lie. They are not ashamed, the unholy people, they write it in the books: "We handle the reverend Sacrament in such an angry way that we pour the chalice, if it remains, on the walls, and trample the blessed bread, if it remains, underfoot. Are these not gross, palpable lies? It is not done with bad bread and wine, they are kept nice and honest. Should it not be done here, since we confess and teach that it is not only bread, not only wine, as the sacramentalists teach, but the body and blood of Christ, given for us on the cross and poured out for our sins? But do not be surprised by such lies from the papists. He who deals in lies cannot speak the truth; and he who acts against the truth cannot speak anything but the truth.
We have to make do with a lie. This is what the world began with Christ, as we see here, and must continue with Christians and the holy gospel.
013 And when the testimonies would not agree together, and were of themselves inconclusive, Caiphas the judge, or high priest, came forth, and, as John reported, asked Christ for his disciples and for his doctrine, as if to say, What new doctrine bringest thou? Is Moses not good enough for you? Must you have something special? Are you alone learned? Are we all fools? Where are they now who regard your teaching as right and godly? It would be so good, we would also put up with it and accept it. But it is a vile company that thou hast attached to thee; that which is honest and sincere would not desire thy preaching.
014 To such a question the Lord answered, I have always taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, where all the Jews come together, and have spoken nothing in the corner: why askest thou me therefore? Ask those who have heard what I have said to them? Behold, these know what I have said." The Lord does not want his teaching to be ignored, and says that he did not shy away from the light, but preached publicly; for this reason, he should not be called a preacher in a corner.
(15) But there is a wicked wretch who gives the Lord a hard blow in the cheek, because he thus answers the high priest and does not celebrate him more highly. Such priests of today are the useless washers, jokers, cocles and the like, who want to serve, blaspheme and desecrate the holy gospel only to gain favor with their bishops and the idol at Rome. This must be suffered: Christ also suffered it; but yet not to be silent about it, nor to let such iniquity go unpunished or unreported. As Christ here harshly attacks the servant, and says that he beat him with an unjust punishment, and yet leaves it at that.
(16) Yet the enemies of Christ have nothing to stand on. Therefore Caiphas, the high priest, goes to the main thing. "I beseech thee," he says, "by the living God, that thou wouldst give us
say whether you are the Christ, the Son of God? The latter can take the matter to work and grab the throat of the Lord Christ.
17 First, notice that this is not Caiphas' opinion, that he or the others would believe in him if he said he was Christ. No, but they want him to make such a confession, and they think there is no need for it. Christ understands it well, but he does not want to deny it. You say it," he says, "that is, Yes, as you say, I am Christ. And what is more, in a few days you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power. That is: I shall suffer no more, but in such flesh and blood I shall be eternal Almighty God, and shall reign over all, until I come again in the cloud at the last day, and judge the living and the dead. Well, there the high priest has the glorious, excellent confession, what he should think and believe of this man, whom he and others have ordered to be captured and killed. How does he need such a confession?
He tore his clothes and said, "He has blasphemed God, what more can we testify? Behold, now that ye have heard his blasphemy, what think ye?
(18) Now this is the first judicial transaction before the spiritual law, that they make Christ a heretic and blasphemer. The chief priests are satisfied with this, and the rest is that they bring such a secular or civil accusation before Pilate and help him to death.
19 However, because they discuss such things, each in his own way, the innocent poor Christ has to take the blame, spit in his holy face, beat himself with fists, be plucked here and there, pushed and mocked. For they think they are doing the right thing, because he is recognized as a heretic and blasphemer. When he says that he is Christ, they drive out their mockery. One hits him in the front, the other in the back. Are you Christ, they say. Dear, prophesy, who has beaten you?
(20) But see diligently whether the gospel of this day be not so? The papists ask us and want to know our doctrine. If then we confess it most simply and faithfully, as happened at Augsburg and elsewhere at the Diet, the cry goes up with power: Heresy, heresy; and let no one refrain from doing to the poor Christians whatever shame, scorn, ridicule and harm he can inflict. Are you the evangelicals, they say, is this your gospel? Beyte, we want
give you the Gospel. So we have played the Passion now and then with the devout Christians in Germany, France, England, that God may have mercy.
(21) Therefore we may well and diligently take note of such processum juris with the clergy, whether we also encounter such things, that we may look to our Lord Christ and learn patience from him, and draw right comfort, whether we must suffer with him because of his word, that we may also live and be glorious with him. May God grant this to us all, amen.