Chapter XXXV.--JESUS TAKEN BEFORE ANNAS AND CAIAPHAS.

After He had healed Malchus, Jesus said unto Peter, "Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" Here Jesus plainly declares that He _gave_ Himself to fulfil the Scriptures, which declared, that in no other way could man be redeemed from the curse of the Law. His sufferings and death were the means appointed by the Father for the redemption of man; but His sufferings and death were voluntary--no man could _take_ His life unless He chose to give it. He _could_ have saved Himself, but then His work would have been unfinished, and mankind for ever lost. Therefore was He willing to drink the cup which His father had given Him. "In that same hour Jesus answered and said unto the Chief Priests and captains of the temple, and to the multitudes, and to the elders, which were come to him, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me: ye stretched forth no hands against me: but the Scriptures must be fulfilled; this is your hour and the power of darkness."

Here, again, Jesus showed that those who came against Him, could only succeed because the time was now come, when they were allowed to execute their wicked purposes, "that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."

Jesus Christ had now given Himself into the hands of His enemies: the disciples seeing this, and being perhaps afraid of sharing His fate, did the very thing they had lately thought impossible when their Lord had warned them of it. "Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled." "Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him, and led him away to Annas first; for he was father-in-law to Caiaphas, which was the High Priest that same year."

It has already been said that the Romans had made Caiaphas High Priest instead of Annas. Annas had filled that office for eleven years, and ought to have continued in it as long as he lived: but the Romans, who had no regard to the Jewish Law, had made this change.

The Jews, however, had a great respect for Annas as their rightful High Priest; and in spite of the Romans they still considered and treated him as such; and therefore, in the first place, they took Jesus before him, that he might advise them as to what was next to be done.

As they were on their way, leading their prisoner, "there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body": this young man felt sufficient interest in Jesus to follow Him; "but when," for some reason which we are not told, "the young men" who guarded the Lord, "laid hold on him," he gave a further proof of the fear which now prevailed amongst all the disciples and followers of Jesus; for "he left the linen cloth" upon which they had laid hold, "in their hands," and so escaping, "fled from them naked."

This young man seems to have been clothed in the manner common to the poorer sort of people in those days. Even in later times travellers tell us, that in some places the Arabs only wear a large blanket or sheet, wrapped round them in a peculiar manner; and that the same thing is done in some parts of Palestine also. Annas, it would seem, sent Jesus at once to Caiaphas; no doubt fear of the Romans who had unlawfully deprived him of his dignity, prevented his exercising that authority, which by the law of God still belonged to him, and to him only: so he sent Jesus away at once. "Then they took him, and led him away to Caiaphas the High Priest. (Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people)." Jesus was then brought into the High Priest's house, where were assembled with him all the Chief Priests and Scribes; evidently waiting for the return of those whom they had sent out, under the guidance of Judas Iscariot, to take Jesus. Mean time, Peter and John had so far recovered themselves, as to venture to follow Jesus at a distance: for they really loved their Master, and were anxious to learn what would become of Him. "And Simon Peter followed Jesus afar off, unto the High Priest's palace, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the High Priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the High Priest." "That disciple" here spoken of, was John, who himself gives us the account of the matter. He was in some way known to Caiaphas, and was therefore allowed to go into the palace. "But Peter stood at the door without." John, who had been admitted into the High Priest's palace, was not one of those selfish people who care only for their own comfort: he thought of Peter standing outside, and went out and spake unto the young woman, who, according to the custom of the Hebrews, kept the door or acted as porter; and in consequence she "brought in Peter," who joined the servants and attendants: "and when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them, and warmed himself at the fire; and sat with the servants to see the end."

Though the month Abib, which answers to our April, is very much warmer in Palestine than it is here, still the nights are often very cold; and a gentleman who travelled in Galilee tells us, that even in the month of May, an Arab chief who entertained him, had a fire lighted in a ruined building for them to sit by, because it was cold.

The fire now kindled by the attendants, though in the same hall, was no doubt at some distance from that part where Jesus was standing before the High Priest; whilst John, being known to Caiaphas, was probably standing much nearer to his beloved Master.

"The High Priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing"; that is, He had said nothing in secret contrary to what He had taught in public, and therefore instead of now answering such questions, Jesus referred Caiaphas to those who, having heard Him, were able to bear witness as to what He had said. "Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said. When he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand (or with a rod which he held in his hand), saying, Answerest thou the High Priest so?" Jesus quietly rebuked this man, showing that if he had said or done what was wrong, the officer should have accused Him of it in a proper way, and not have struck Him, contrary to the law, which forbids any one to be treated as guilty until proved to be so. "Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me?"

The Jews knew very well that they could not ask the Romans to put Jesus to death, unless they could find some fault to lay to His charge: they must get persons to witness or declare, that He had done things for which He deserved to die; and they well knew that no one could with truth do this. Therefore, "the Chief Priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus to put him to death; but found none" to answer their purpose: "yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none," whose testimony would be sufficient: "for many bear false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together." No man could be put to death unless two witnesses gave testimony as to his guilt: if witnesses speak the truth, their testimony must be the same: but naturally when witnesses tell lies, one will say one thing and one another, and therefore the words of these men who spake against Jesus, "agreed not together."

The sin of the Chief Priests and elders was very great; they _sought_ for false witnesses: unhappily, there never is any difficulty in finding men who care so little for what is right, that for a bribe or reward they are ready to tell lies; but if liars are the children of the Devil, what must those be who _encourage_ them, and almost force them to speak untruly? "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour," is one of the commandments: let us be very careful not to break this commandment, even unintentionally. We may not _mean_ to say what is _not_ true, and we may not _mean_ to make mischief; but we shall certainly do both, unless we are very careful always to repeat _exactly_ what we see or hear, _adding_ nothing, and _leaving out nothing_. Even the manner or tone of voice in which anything is said or done, makes a difference. For instance, things may be done or said in fun, and there may be no harm in them; but if you repeat them, as if they were done or said in earnest, they may appear very wrong; and so you will cause people to be blamed, and thought ill of, when they do not deserve it.

There is, perhaps, no commandment which we all break more frequently than the ninth--not wilfully; few, it is to be hoped, would act so wickedly as to do that; but from carelessness: by chattering about other peoples' concerns; repeating things when we are not _sure_ they are true; telling tales; and so on. Our God is a God of truth: we are told that He loves truth in the inward parts, that is, in the heart; and therefore if we love Him, we shall always speak the truth from the heart, and be very careful to tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, even in the smallest matters. The perfect truth that God requires, forbids deceit of all kinds. We may deceive others by our actions, and even by our silence; but let us ever remember, that all deception is in the eyes of God as the sin of lying, that sin which is an abomination to the Lord.