Telling the Beads Bead 12 - Episode 1 Brought before the High Priests

Bead Twelve Beaten with Whips

B12 - E1 Brought before the High Priests

During the deliberations of the religious leaders in the weeks leading up to the arrest of Jesus, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, had said on one occasion that if they allowed Jesus to carry on performing miracles, the people would believe in him and start to rebel against their authority and the Romans might very well decide to put the rebellion down by destroying the temple and their nation, so it was better that this one man should die in order to save the people. This was to be their justification for having Jesus put to death.

The soldiers, with their officer and the religious police, having arrested and bound Jesus, had been instructed to take him to the house of Annas, a former high priest and the father-in-law of Caiaphas. Peter and John had run away at first but stopped in their tracks and decided to turn back and follow the crowds from a distance. John had a friend who worked for the high priest and he allowed him to go through into the courtyard while Peter waited outside. 

John went to the servant on duty at the gate and asked her if he could bring his companion in. She agreed but as Peter passed her to go through the gate, she looked at him and said, “You’re a follower of that man, Jesus, aren’t you?” Peter replied adamantly, “No, of course I’m not!” The servants and guards had made a charcoal fire in the middle of the courtyard and were standing around, warming themselves because it was cold. Peter mingled with them on the outskirts of the group, trying to remain anonymous.  

Annas began to question Jesus about his followers and his teaching but Jesus said in reply, “I have always spoken openly to everyone wherever I went, in the temple, in the synagogues and in the countryside. I've said nothing in secret so why are you asking me these questions now? Why don’t you ask the people who heard me there? They know what I said.” One of the guards standing there struck him in the face, saying, “That’s no way to reply to the High Priest!”

Jesus said calmly to him, “If I've said something wrong, point it out to me, but if I've spoken the truth, why did you strike me.” Annas, realising that he wouldn't get the better of Jesus, sent him across the courtyard to the house of Caiaphas. Outside, Peter was still warming himself by the fire. Another servant-girl, catching sight of his face in the firelight, stared at him for a while then said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus, the preacher from Nazareth,” but once again, Peter strenuously denied it, saying “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”.

Another guard, who was related to the man whose ear Peter had struck off with his sword, whom they were to find out later was named Malchus, said to him, “I’m sure I saw you in the garden with the man we arrested. You're definitely a Galilean. Your accent gives you away!” For a third time, Peter cursed and swore on oath that he had never been with Jesus. “I don’t even know the man,” he said. At that moment, the cock crowed and Peter caught sight of Jesus as he passed through the courtyard. 

Jesus turned and looked at him and his words, spoken only a few hours before, came instantly into Peter’s heart. “Before the cock crows twice, you will have denied me three times.” Turning away in utter remorse, he ran and ran, not knowing where he was going, his eyes blinded by tears, until he found himself back at Gethsemane. Entering the garden, he threw himself down on the ground and cried and cried until deep furrows were cleft into his face and he hid himself away from everyone.

Meanwhile, Jesus had been taken to the house of Caiaphas where the elders of the people and all the members of the Supreme Council of religious leaders, were assembled. They had been searching for evidence against him so that he could be put to death but had been unable to find witnesses who could agree with one another until two men came forward and said, “ This man said he is going to destroy the Temple of God and in three days build another one not made by human hands!” 

Caiaphas stood up and said to Jesus, “Listen to this evidence against you? What you got to say in your defence?” Jesus remained resolutely silent. Caiaphas continued angrily, “In God’s name, I command you to answer! Tell us now, are you the Messiah, the Son of God!” This time, Jesus answered. “You have said it yourself. I am telling you that you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of God and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

At these words, Caiaphas, consumed by rage, turned to the Council and shouted, “What more evidence do we need? We have heard this blasphemy from his own lips. What is your verdict?” To a man, they shouted in reply, “He deserves to die!” Some of them began to spit in his face and others blindfolded him, slapping and hitting him with their fists, and mocking him cruelly. “Play the prophet then; tell us who is striking you if you are so clever.”

By now, it was in the early hours of Friday morning. The Council had come together to decide what their next step should be, The decision was made to send Jesus to the headquarters of Pilate, the Roman Governor, so finally, after a night of cruelty, wickedness and deceit, he was led away, bound in chains, to face whatever might befall him.

On the previous evening, Judas had left the upper room to go to the High Priest’s house to lead the guards who had been assembled there to arrest Jesus. He was unsure what to do after his Master was led away so he decided to follow behind and hang around outside the courtyard of the house, trying to see what was happening. When he saw Jesus being dragged off to stand before Pilate, he knew for certain that his friend would be condemned to death and the reality of his betrayal and its outcome suddenly hit him. 

Distraught and full of remorse, he went back to the chief priests and the elders and cried out to them, “I have committed a terrible crime. The man I betrayed to you is innocent!” They were, of course, totally unconcerned and replied scathingly, “What is that to us? That is your business. Sort it out yourself!” Throwing the thirty pieces of silver on the floor in front of them, he ran off until he reached the outside of the city walls and in utter despair of ever being forgiven or being able to forgive himself, he took his own life by hanging himself from the nearest tree.

Having picked the money up from the floor, the chief priests had to decide what to do with it. They all agreed that it would be against their law to put it in the temple funds because it was blood money. After some discussion, they decided to use it to buy the field where Judas had died, which had been known as the potters’ field, as a place to bury foreigners and from that time on, it was always known as the field of blood.