How To Treat Your Enemies – Caiaphas the High Priest
Ron continues his “I Was There” series with a look at how Caiaphas, the high priest, treated his enemies. This series of posts recount the thoughts and actions of various individuals before and after the momentous happenings at Calvary. Read “Mary of Bethany” the first post in the series here.
Caiaphas The High Priest
Safely in the middle of an entourage of senior priests and elders of the people, Caiaphas strode purposefully toward the Temple. It had been good to see the Roman governor bow to his will, at least this one time. Within a few hours, the renegade rabbi, Jesus, would be dead and the disruptions He had caused around the Temple would begin to fade into memories. Itinerant rabbis with a few disciples travelling around the countryside had become something of an institution. So much so, that most people ignored them. But Jesus was different. He didn’t just teach, He acted. His so-called miracles were merely tricks, to be sure, and not even the High Priest’s own spies could figure out how they were done. His deceptions were troublesome because they lent authority to His teachings—teachings which conflicted with the Law of Moses.
Word Of The Execution Spreading
As the priests made their way through the narrow streets from Pilate’s Judgment Hall to the Temple Mount, Caiaphas observed more activity than usual. Of course, part of it could be credited to the Passover celebrations which attracted faithful Jews and proselytes from all over the Empire. Yet, he knew that word had gotten around that Jesus would be crucified and the usual rabble would be following the execution squad with their victims through the city, through the Damascus Gate and down the road to the site the Romans had chosen for crucifixion. Good! The more witnesses to this blasphemer’s death the better.
Caiaphas Recognized The Danger
While others had been upset by the Galilean teacher’s activities, Caiaphas gave himself credit for being the first to recognize that the danger had risen to the point where He would have to die. He remembered the day, a little more than a week ago when Jesus staged His most spectacular deception. He actually managed to make it appear that He had called Lazarus of Bethany out of his tomb—and done it with such skill that even some of the faithful men of the Temple had been fooled.
That occasion had prompted a gathering of the leading priests and the high Jewish council. They were helpless and indecisive. They kept asking, “What shall we do? This Man does miracles. Whatever can we do to stop Him?” They recognized that if they didn’t do something, eventually the whole of Judea, and probably Galilee, too, would believe the rumours that Jesus was the Messiah, come in the flesh. They also recognized that if this religious fervour continued to build, Rome would take notice and wipe out the existing leadership and possibly the whole country.
Better For One Man To Die
The pathetic head-scratching and fear-mongering continued until Caiaphas had stood up and shouted, “You know nothing at all!” That got their attention. “You haven’t even considered that it is far better for us that one man should die rather than that the whole nation should perish. Sacrifice one for the benefit of all. That’s the only way out of this. He must be killed.”
That’s all it took to get things focussed. Suddenly, they had a purpose. All they needed was a plan—and that had been handed to them by one of the very followers of the blasphemer. Judas would hand Him over to them. Perfect!
The Arrest Of Jesus
The arrest took place without incident. The trial had not gone as well as he had hoped but, eventually, one came forward with the testimony that Jesus had said that He would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days—a patently ridiculous claim. When confronted He had refused to answer, so Caiaphas put Him under oath and asked Him point-blank, yes or no, if He were the Messiah. And He said He was! Then, he quoted the sacred words of the prophet Daniel claiming to be the Son of Man.
Witnessing The Crucifixion
Caiaphas’ thoughts leapt to this morning’s work and, suddenly, an idea arose in his mind. He stopped the procession and quickly divided his followers into two groups. One would continue with him to the Temple. The other would go to witness the crucifixion of the Blasphemer.
“Be sure,” he charged them, “that everyone there understands that He is not the Messiah, not a Saviour, not the Son of God. Challenge Him to come down off the cross. Let everyone there see that God will not act to save Him, though He claims to be God’s own Son. Now, go. Make sure everyone knows the Man’s a fraud.”
The men left to do their master’s bidding. Normally, they hated to defile their eyes with the sight of naked criminals hanging on crosses, but today was an exception. Today they would mock the one who had left them speechless too many times.
Caiaphas The Victorious
Caiaphas watched them go, then gave the command to proceed and the men in flowing robes with wide borders and elegant tassels resumed their walk to the temple. The normally severe face of the High Priest broke into a celebratory smile. He had won! He had been challenged and emerged victorious over the One who taught people to love their enemies, and to do good to those who hate them. Caiaphas knew how to treat his enemies.
What do you think about Judas? We would love to hear from you. Share your comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Follow the “I Was There” Series
- Love Poured Out – Mary of Bethany
- Loved To Death – John the Apostle
- The Man In The Moonlight – Judas Iscariot
- When Fear Cast Out Love – Pontius Pilate
- How To Treat Your Enemies – Caiaphas the High Priest
- When Love Cast Out Fear – The Repentant Thief
- He Had Seen It All – The Roman Centurion
- One Last Time – Nicodemus
- Cold And Empty – Mary Madgalene
- You Know That I Love You – Simon Peter
Ron Hughes
Ron Hughes was the President of FBH International He developed his interest in technology and mass communications during his highschool years in Peterborough, Ontario. He received a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson University where he graduated as the program’s “outstanding graduate.” He gained experience working in both commercial and cultural radio stations in Southern Ontario as well as engaging in freelance production.
In 1983, he and his wife, Debbie, moved to Ecuador where they served as missionaries for 10 years. There, Ron produced radio specials and numerous music albums as well as several videos. Some of these videos were the first ever produced in Ecuador’s major indigenous languages. In 1993, the Hughes family returned to Canada at the invitation of FBH International (then Family Bible Hour). Ron retired from the ministry of FBH International in 2018. http://fbhinternational.com/
More Podcasts Below:
You Might Enjoy These Posts
Broken Yet Loved – A Reminder of God’s Unconditional Love
The Greatest Love – Learning About God in a Changing World
Images Courtesy of:
Caiaphas & Jesus – Matthias Stom
Christ Before Caiaphas – Giotto
Leave a Reply