Faces in the Crowd, Daily Reading, March 4th

Wednesday Day 7 Caiaphas: A Lesson in Compromise Matthew 26:57, 62-66

57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled ... 62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" 63 But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." 64 "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." 65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?" He is worthy of death”, they answered.

This was the opportunity that Caiaphas had been waiting for. He, along with other Jewish leaders, had been looking for an appropriate time to eliminate Jesus and now it was being placed in their laps. Jesus was being delivered bound and chained before them. We might wonder why there was such hostility between Israel’s chief spiritual leader and Jesus who was Israel’s Messiah. In the Old Testament, the High Priest functioned primarily in a spiritual role, but between the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New this began to change. Since Israel no longer had a king, the office of the High Priest became more and more a political office. High Priests were supposed to be Levites but in these days the office often went to the highest bidder, regardless of their genealogical background. It was imperative then that the High Priest be on good terms with the Roman officials. The fact that Caiaphas had remained in office far longer than his predecessors showed that he had learned how to play the political game.
His antagonism toward Jesus is explained in a scene in John 11 where the religious leaders express fear that everyone will believe in Jesus and “then the Romans will come and take away our place and our nation” (11:48). At this point Caiaphas speaks and says, “You do not realise that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish” (11:49). Caiaphas is saying more than he realises, because Jesus would soon die for the sins of the nation. Caipahas is referring to something different, and is saying that it is better to sacrifice this man than for us to lose our place, our power and our position. Caiaphas is merely protecting his turf. He is thus willing to ignore the clear evidence that Jesus is Israel’s Messiah, and is willing to bend a number of legal principles to get Jesus convicted and put to death.
We also will go to great lengths to protect ourselves. It may be our reputation we are guarding, so we remain silent when we should speak up for Jesus. It may be a new job opportunity that comes our way, but in taking it we will have to bend our Christian principles. It may be holding on to a position we already have, but our Christian faith must not get in the way. Like Caiaphas, we zealously protect our turf. Luther had it right when he said, “Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also. The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever.”

Forgive me Lord, for bending and compromising my Christian principles so that I may further my career, my agenda and my plans. Help me to hold these things loosely and to remember that my ultimate allegiance is to you.

Old Testament Reading Malachi 2:1-9