Paid In Full: An In-depth Look at the Defining Moments of Christ's Passion (13 page)

Chapter 14:
A Holy Life
Laid Down for You

After Jesus demonstrated His phenomenal power, He permitted the soldiers to take Him into custody. In a certain sense, this was simply an
act
, for He’d already vividly proven that they didn’t have adequate power to take Him. Just one word and He had put the soldiers on their backs — yet the Bible says, “And they that
had laid hold on Jesus led him away
to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled” (Matthew 26:57).

The words “laid hold” are from the Greek word
kratos
. In this case, this word means
to seize, to take hold of, to firmly grip
, or
to apprehend
. Used in this context, it primarily carries the idea of
making a forceful arrest.
Once Jesus demonstrated that He could not be taken by force, He then allowed the soldiers to seize Him.

Matthew 26:57 goes on to tell us that once Jesus was in their hands, they “led him away.” This phrase comes from the Greek word
apago
— the same word used to picture
a shepherd who ties a rope around the neck of his sheep and then leads it down the path to where it needs to go.

This word depicts exactly what happened to Jesus that night in the Garden of Gethsemane. He wasn’t gagged and dragged to the high priest as one who was putting up a fight or resisting arrest. Instead, the Greek word
apago
plainly tells us that the soldiers lightly slipped a rope about Jesus’ neck and led Him down the path as He followed behind, just like a sheep being led by a shepherd. Thus, the Roman soldiers and temple police led Him as a sheep to slaughter, just as Isaiah 53:7 had prophesied many centuries earlier. Specifically on that night, however, the soldiers led Jesus to Caiaphas, the high priest.

Let’s see what we can learn about Caiaphas. We know that Caiaphas was appointed high priest in the year 18 AD. As high priest, he became so prominent in Israel that even when his term as high priest ended, he wielded great influence in the business of the nation, including its spiritual, political, and financial affairs. Flavius Josephus, the famous Jewish historian, reported that five of Caiaphas’ sons later served in the office of the high priest.
²

As a young man, Caiaphas married Anna, the daughter of Annas, who was serving as high priest at that time. Annas served as Israel’s high priest for nine years. The title of high priest had fallen into the jurisdiction of this family, and they held this high-ranking position firmly in their grip, passing it among the various members of the family and thus keeping the reins of power in their hands. It was a spiritual monarchy. The holders of this coveted title retained great political power, controlled public opinion, and owned vast wealth.

After Annas was removed by the Romans, the title of high priest passed to his son-in-law Caiaphas. Annas continued to exercise control over the nation through his son-in-law. This influence is evident in Luke 3:2, where the Bible says, “Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests.…” It was impossible for two people to serve as high priests at the same time; nonetheless, Annas held his former title and much of his former authority. He was so influential at the very end of Jesus’ ministry that the Roman soldiers and temple police who arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane led Jesus to Annas first before delivering him to Caiaphas, the current high priest (John 18:13).

Both Annas and Caiaphas were Sadducees, a group of religious leaders who were more liberal in doctrine and had a tendency not to believe in supernatural events. In fact, they regarded most supernatural occurrences in the Old Testament as myths.
³

The constant reports of Jesus’ supernatural powers and miracles, as well as the reputation He was gaining throughout the nation, caused Caiaphas, Annas, and the other members of the Sanhedrin to view Jesus as a threat. These religious leaders were control freaks in the truest sense of the words, and it was an affront to them that Jesus’ ministry was beyond their control and jurisdiction. Then they heard the verified report that Lazarus had actually been resurrected from the dead! This incident drove them over the edge, causing them to decide to murder Jesus.

These leaders were so filled with rage about Lazarus’ resurrection and were so worried about Jesus’ growing popularity that they held a secret council to determine whether or not Jesus had to be killed. Once that decision was made, Caiaphas was the one who was principally responsible for scheming how to bring His death to pass.

As high priest and the official head of the Sanhedrin, Caiaphas was also responsible for arranging Jesus’ illegal trial before the Jewish authorities. At first, he charged Jesus with the sin of blasphemy. However, because Jesus wouldn’t contest the accusation Caiaphas brought against Him, the high priest then delivered Him to the Roman authorities, who found Jesus guilty of treason for claiming to be the king of the Jews.

Caiaphas was so powerful that even after the death of Jesus, he continued to persecute believers in the Early Church. For instance, after the crippled man at the Beautiful Gate was healed (
see
Acts 3), Peter and John were seized and brought before the council (Acts 4:6). Caiaphas was the high priest at this time and continued to serve as high priest until he was removed in 36 AD.

This emphatically tells us that Caiaphas was also the high priest who interrogated Stephen in Acts 7:1. In addition, he was the high priest we read about who gave Saul of Tarsus written permission that authorized him to arrest believers in Jerusalem and later in Damascus (Acts 9:1,2).

Because of the political events in the year 36 AD, Caiaphas was finally removed from the office of high priest. Of the 19 men who served as high priests in the first century, this evil man ruled the longest. The title of high priest, however, remained in the family after Caiaphas stepped down, this time passed on to his brother-in-law Jonathan, another son of Annas.

Consider this: Jesus had never sinned (2 Corinthians 5:21); no guile had ever been found in His mouth (1 Peter 2:22); and His entire life was devoted to doing good and to healing all who were oppressed of the devil (Acts 10:38). Therefore, it seems entirely unjust that He would be led like a sheep into the midst of the spiritual vipers who were ruling in Jerusalem. According to the flesh, one could have argued that this wasn’t fair. However, Jesus never questioned the Father’s will or balked at the assignment that was required of Him.

The apostle Peter wrote this regarding Jesus: “Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). The word “committed” is the Greek word
paradidomi,
a compound of the words
para
and
didomi
. The word
para
means
alongside
and carries the idea of
coming close alongside to someone or to some object
. The word
didomi
means
to give
. When these two words are compounded together, the new word presents the idea of
entrusting something to someone.
The prefix
para
suggests that this is someone to whom you have drawn
very close
. It can be translated
to commit, to yield, to commend, to transmit, to deliver,
or
to hand something over to someone else.

Knowing He was in the Father’s will, the Lord Jesus yielded Himself to the One who judges righteously when He found Himself in this unjust situation. In that difficult hour, Jesus drew close to the Father, fully entrusting Himself and His future into His Father’s hands and leaving the results in His control.

In that difficult hour, Jesus drew close to the Father, fully entrusting Himself and His future into His Father’s hands.

If you are in a situation that seems unfair or unjust and there is nothing you can do to change it, you must draw as close to the Father as you can and commit yourself into His loving care. You know He wants the best for you, even though you have found yourself in a predicament that seems so undeserved. Your options are to get angry and bitter and turn sour toward life, or to choose to believe that God is in control and working on your behalf, even if you don’t see anything good happening at the present moment.

When Jesus was arrested and taken to Caiaphas to be severely mistreated, there was no escape for Him. He had no choice but to trust the Father.

What other choice do
you
have today?

God is love, and Jesus personified that love as He walked on the earth. The cruelty and unbridled hatred Jesus experienced at the hands of corrupt religious leaders was insane and unjust. Yet through it all, He drew close to the Father, entrusting the final outcome into His Father’s hands.

When you have faced injustice in the past, did you fully entrust your heart, your circumstances, and your final outcome to the Father? How can you trust Him more? Think about it.

Life is not always fair. At times there is nothing you can do to change a situation; all you can do is walk through it. In those moments, you must remind yourself that your Father God is greater than all. He has a plan for you, to give you a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

Are you or someone you love in an undeserved predicament? What can you do to release the matter into the hands of God? How can you express your commitment to put your trust in God and not in man?

When Jesus was taken to be severely mistreated, there seemed to be no means of escape for Him. Evil men thought they had Him in their power; however, a
higher
purpose was at work.

When evil appears to prevail and you seem to have no way out, one freedom remains:
You can still choose how you will respond
. Your options? You can either become angry with people and grow bitterly resentful, or you can draw near to God and rest your heart upon His faithfulness as you simply trust in Him. The choice is yours. Carefully consider the consequences of your options, and then determine your response.