Luke 22:66
And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying, And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying,
At daybreak the elders of the people, the chief priests, and the scribes assembled and led Jesus into their council for a formal daytime hearing. This was a second appearance that followed the nighttime arrest, preliminary questioning, and His mocking and abuse by soldiers and the crowd in the guardroom. Although His condemnation had already been decided, the leaders held the formal proceeding by day because trying a prisoner at night was contrary to Jewish law, to make their actions appear lawful, and there He received the final sentence of condemnation. The council meeting was driven by envy, jealousy, and religious bigotry and sought to secure His condemnation.
The leaders questioned Him again so that those who had missed the night hearing could hear His words themselves, and because Roman authorities would not treat His earlier claim as a capital offense, they aimed to present His claim to Messiahship as a political threat. They asked Him whether He was the Christ, and He answered that they would neither believe His answer nor respond to His questions, but declared that the Son of man would sit at the right hand of God's power. When they asked whether He was the Son of God and He affirmed their words, they regarded His own testimony as sufficient witness against Him to condemn Him. The council's death sentence required Pilate's confirmation before it could be executed, so they sought Roman approval and Jesus was taken to Pilate for legal judgment.