Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?
The rending of the garments and the cry for no more witnesses belong to the hearing of Jesus before Caiaphas and his court in the judgment hall, with the high priest himself presiding. It came in hurried midnight proceedings after Jesus had been bound and led over the brook Kedron past gardens and olive groves to the palace of Annas. Annas was the ex-high priest still recognized by the people as high priest, and before him was held a preliminary examination in advance of the formal trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrim.
The priests were laboring to secure condemnation on two grounds, blasphemy by which to condemn Him before the Jews and sedition as a disturber of the peace by which to condemn Him before the Romans. This double aim arose because under Roman rule the Sanhedrim could only examine a prisoner and pass judgment for the Roman authorities to ratify. Their midnight seizure by a mob and questioning violated their own law that every man should be treated as innocent until proved guilty and that the law does not judge a man before hearing him and knowing what he does.
In the excitement of the trial Jesus stood calm and dignified while Caiaphas and the others displayed hostility. Caiaphas demanded that Jesus perform a miracle, but received no answer. The scene set the divine majesty of Christ against the earthly authority and splendor of the high priest. The tearing of the clothes followed Jesus' identification of Himself as the Christ and His words of the Son of man coming in glory. The high priest presented the act as horror at blasphemy and declared that further witnesses were unnecessary, so that Jesus' own words were made the ground for the verdict of death.
The rending of the garments and the cry for no more witnesses belong to the hearing of Jesus before Caiaphas and his court in the judgment hall, with the high priest himself presiding. It came in hurried midnight proceedings after Jesus had been bound and led over the brook Kedron past gardens and olive groves to the palace of Annas. Annas was the ex-high priest still recognized by the people as high priest, and before him was held a preliminary examination in advance of the formal trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrim.
The priests were laboring to secure condemnation on two grounds, blasphemy by which to condemn Him before the Jews and sedition as a disturber of the peace by which to condemn Him before the Romans. This double aim arose because under Roman rule the Sanhedrim could only examine a prisoner and pass judgment for the Roman authorities to ratify. Their midnight seizure by a mob and questioning violated their own law that every man should be treated as innocent until proved guilty and that the law does not judge a man before hearing him and knowing what he does.
In the excitement of the trial Jesus stood calm and dignified while Caiaphas and the others displayed hostility. Caiaphas demanded that Jesus perform a miracle, but received no answer. The scene set the divine majesty of Christ against the earthly authority and splendor of the high priest. The tearing of the clothes followed Jesus' identification of Himself as the Christ and His words of the Son of man coming in glory. The high priest presented the act as horror at blasphemy and declared that further witnesses were unnecessary, so that Jesus' own words were made the ground for the verdict of death.