EPISODE 44 Luke Chapter 22 "Caiaphas and Christ" for Share The Word

Hi, and welcome to Share the Word, the best way to learn your way through the New Testament one chapter at a time. We know there are a lot of devotionals and encouraging thoughts for the day from the Bible available online, but our goal is a little more to honestly and systematically present the whole story of the New Testament. So let's listen in to today's lesson and go a little deep. Luke chapter 22, Caiaphas and Christ. I hope you've read or listened to Luke chapter 22 or will, because we have now arrived at the climax of the story. Most of the chapters in the New Testament Gospels are full of descriptions of what Jesus did and taught, and I usually try to focus on one or two big ideas that are essential to understand Christianity.

But in today's chapter, Luke is in full narrative mode, describing in detail what transpired over a crucial 12-hour period leading directly to the death of Jesus. So I'm going to follow his narrative and comment on most of it in this episode. The chapter opens with a time notation that we are very close to Passover, near the end of the week when Jesus died. The intensity is now ratcheting up. Luke tells us that one of the disciples is ready to betray him to the Jewish authorities, who jealously feared Jesus and had become his bitter enemies. They had offered this man, Judas Iscariot, reward money to devise a way they could capture Jesus without causing an uproar, because there were a lot of people in Jerusalem this Passover who greatly admired him.

Luke goes on to tell us that Jesus dispatched two of his disciples, Peter and John, to make preparations for them to celebrate the Passover Seder together. That required them to purchase a lamb and take it to the temple to be sacrificed. They were then to take the lamb and other necessary items to the place we call the upper room, where they would make all the necessary preparations. So this was Thursday, and Peter and John did as they were instructed. That evening, Jesus and his band of closest disciples gathered in that upper room in Jerusalem. His hour, as Jesus often termed it, was finally here.

Starting at verse 14 in our chapter, Luke describes the scene of Jesus at table with his disciples as they observed the Passover together. If you're unfamiliar, this was not just a holiday meal like our Thanksgiving in America, but a sacred meal combination ritual, which reminded the Jews of God's amazing deliverance of their forefathers from Egyptian slavery. It marked the founding event of their nation and had been celebrated unchanged for 1,400 years. But on this night, Jesus very purposely and deliberately changed it up for his followers. For them, it would no longer be about deliverance from Egyptian bondage, but be about deliverance from bondage to sin and death.

As they went through the ritual meal, Jesus said the ceremonial cup of wine which they shared would from this night forward be a reminder of the blood he would shed for them, and the bread on the table that they broke, a reminder of his body that would be broken for them. We refer to this now as the Last Supper and understand Jesus' words here to mean Christians should regularly going forward observe something like this in remembrance of him. Every time we participate in communion, as it's sometimes called, we remember how Jesus delivered us from sin and death when his body was broken and his blood was shed as a payment for our sin debt before a holy God. It was also during this meal that Jesus revealed to his disciples that it was one of them that was going to betray him, someone in that very room that night.

Judas' heart must have been pounding out of his chest at that point, sure that Jesus knew it was him, that he was about to be exposed as a traitor. But that didn't happen. Instead, Jesus told them all, What's about to happen to me has to happen, but that does not excuse the one who will bring it about. It might seem strange and definitely out of place that hearing that would provoke among Jesus' disciples a debate, Luke says, about which of them was the greatest. But that's what happened. Maybe it was over who was the most loyal or who was the most worthy of Jesus' trust.

Although Luke doesn't record it here, this was undoubtedly the point at which Jesus knelt down and was washing their feet, we learned in the Gospel of John, as these men had been foolishly going back and forth over this dumb question. He said they should strive to be servants to each other, not lords over each other, as he was washing their feet demonstrated, and as the ultimate example, his laying down his life for their benefit would soon demonstrate. Peter is the one who seemed like the natural leader of this group often, the one who spoke up for the others. So it's poignant that Jesus singled him out on this evening, astonishingly actually, and said, Peter, Satan himself has demanded permission to test you. And this night, before this night is over, before the rooster crows in the morning, Jesus told him, you will deny that you even know me three times. Peter was shocked by that.

He reflexively replied, That'll never happen. I'm willing to go to prison with you or even die with you if I need to. Boths he would shortly come to regret, painfully. Jesus then reiterated to all of them that things were about to drastically change, that what had been written, remember a formula introducing Old Testament quotations, He was numbered with transgressors is, Jesus solemnly told them, about to be fulfilled. This was a direct reference to the prophecy in Isaiah chapter 53. Numbered with the transgressors meant he would die soon as a criminal.

That important chapter, Isaiah 53, is all about the suffering and the death of the Messiah as an offering for our sin. It goes on to say, He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. The punishment for our peace fell on him, and by his scourging we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, each turning to his own way, but the Lord laid on him the iniquities of all of us. Those words, written by Isaiah 700 years before Jesus' time, are part of the most detailed prophecy in the Old Testament about the substitutionary death of Christ for us. And do not miss this critical point.

Jesus, that evening in the upper room, unmistakably identified himself as that prophecy's fulfillment. The next scene Luke takes us to is set very late that night on the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem in the Garden of Gethsemane. This was a park-like setting where Jesus and his disciples often camped when in the city of Jerusalem. The disciples, no doubt depressed and emotionally spent at this point, soon fell asleep there. But Jesus, keenly aware of where he was on the divine clock, was far from sleep. At a distance from them, alone, he was crying out in prayer to the Heavenly Father, If there is any way to avoid what is going to happen, and this shows his true humanity, doesn't it?

Father, let this pass from me. But no reprieve came because there was no other way. God the Father sent an angel to be with his Son there in the darkness as the encroaching cold, pure evil began to settle around him. Luke, who, remember, was a physician by training, says at this point Jesus was sweating profusely, with great droplets pouring from his face and head like drops of blood. This may indicate the intense pressure he was feeling was causing small blood vessels in his head to break, resulting in blood mixing with his sweat. This is a very real and known condition called hematidrosis.

Yet Jesus submitted to the Father and to the divine plan for our salvation that night, since there was no other way for sin to be adequately atoned for. When he arose from prayer, perhaps to seek some solace from his friends, he found them all asleep. And it was then that torches began casting their shifting shadows among the olive trees. Muffled voices could be heard as a band of temple police and officials, led by Judas Iscariot, invaded this quiet space. As they approached, Jesus stepped out from the darkness of the grove to meet them. Judas approached him and gave him the greeting of a friend, a kiss on the cheek.

That was the agreed-upon sign to those who were with him to identify the one they were after. Jesus whispered, Judas, are you really betraying the Son of Man with a kiss? Peter and perhaps another of the disciples, now awakened, started to engage these intruders with swords, and it looked like a real struggle could ensue. But Jesus put a stop to that, instructing them to put away their weapons. Then he chided this armed band, You've come out here with swords and clubs to arrest me in the middle of the night when I've been in the temple every day teaching. Why didn't no one lay their hands on me then?

These cowards, led by Judas, had to do their dirty work in the dark, and Jesus says as much when he added, Now is the hour of darkness, and the power is now yours. That's when the disciples scattered into the night, realizing Jesus had no intention to resist this. As they disappeared into the trees, he was bound and led back down the slope of the Mount of Olives into the city of Jerusalem. Realize we are in the wee hours of the morning now, probably 1 or perhaps 2 a.m. While everyone in Jerusalem was sleeping, Jesus was taken to several locations. First, he was interrogated and mocked by his most determined enemies, the high priests.

Then the council of the Jews, we call the Sanhedrin, were convened and held a mockery of a trial. Very early on Friday morning, he was taken to the praetorium to be questioned by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. He was in Jerusalem with extra troops that week to keep peace for Passover. But Pilate wanted no part of what he viewed as a religious squabble, so he sent Jesus on to the puppet king Herod Antipas. But Herod Antipas only sent him back to Pilate. Luke does not tell us about all of these places and what happened at each place, but he does focus in on a couple key scenes.

One being at the high priest Caiaphas' residence. This man feared Jesus because of his popularity with the common people, and he despised the Messiah talk surrounding him. His greatest fear was that if enough people accepted Jesus as Messiah, a popular uprising would follow, and that inevitably would lead the Romans to brutally putting it down. Caiaphas realized if that chain of events unfolded, he and his fellows on the Sanhedrin would be removed, or worse, and the whole temple enterprise, which gave them status and wealth, would be shut down. Remember, it was Caiaphas who had earlier persuaded the other members of the Sanhedrin that it was, and these are his words, expedient that one man die for the people rather than all die. That is, Jesus needed to be killed to be sure the status quo they all benefited from was not disturbed.

Beginning at verse 54, Luke describes a pathetic scene regarding Simon Peter. After Jesus' arrest, the greatly shaken Peter had apparently trailed the arresting party at a safe distance to see what would happen next. When the arresting party reached the high priest's house, Peter arrived a little after them, and he carefully milled around the courtyard where some people were gathered. Safe to say, some of those who had been in the arresting party were there, as well as household servants who had been awakened by all the activity. They'd built a fire, and Peter was doing his best to just kind of anonymously blend in, warming himself by the fire. Three different people came over to him, and during the next little while, the time during which, realize, Jesus was inside Caiaphas' residence being interrogated and brutalized by his enemies.

Three different people recognized Peter as one of his disciples and said as much, and each time Peter denied even knowing who Jesus was, much less being a follower of his. Ugh. It was just then that two things happened simultaneously. Jesus was just then led from one part of the compound to another, either through that courtyard or perhaps a veranda overhead, and their eyes met for a moment, Peter's and Jesus. And when they did, the rooster crowed. It's been 2,000 years practically, but it's impossible for me to even read this without sensing the ugly shame that immediately must have gripped Peter.

This man had just a few hours before been boasting about his loyalty and his bravery. Now he is here denying he even knew who Jesus was, vehemently denying it, even in one case to a little girl. When the rooster crowed, he remembered Jesus' words, and Peter fled that courtyard. He went out, Luke says, and wept bitterly. Probably any follower of Jesus, definitely me, who has ever disappointed a Savior knows at least something of how Peter was feeling. Yet even in this lowest point in his life, Peter's faith, unlike Judas's, was real.

I can say that with confidence, and it's encouraging to remember this because remember, Jesus had said earlier that evening, Satan has demanded to sift you like wheat, Simon, but I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. Jesus knew that Peter would fail miserably that night. But he also knew that he would be desperately sorry about it. He knew that he would genuinely repent of his pride and his failure, and that he would become, actually through that hard lesson, more of a humble servant-type leader that Jesus needed him to be in the years ahead. It's heart-wrenching to picture Peter wandering Jerusalem's dark streets that night, so ashamed, so bitterly angry at himself.

But that failure did not define who this man would become. It, in fact, was used by God to shape who he needed to be. The final scene Luke shows us in chapter 22 begins at verse 66. Throughout that night, Jesus was abused and interrogated in one venue after another, as I've said, and we can learn about each of them from looking at each of the different writers' accounts. But at one point, as many Sanhedrin members as could be gathered had been convened in their council chamber inside the temple for an impromptu trial. This was the leading priests, the prominent Pharisees, respected elders of the Jewish nation.

The high priest who presided over the council was named Joseph Caiaphas, and he wanted to get Jesus on record before the rest of them, making the kind of claims that he knew they would consider blasphemous and therefore, by this religious court, deemed worthy of death. So, under questioning, Caiaphas pressed Jesus about specifically who he claimed to be. Did he claim to be the Messiah? Jesus knew they would not believe him no matter what he said, but he did once again affirm to them and identify himself as the figure the prophet Daniel saw in his vision seated next to the right hand of God. Hearing that, Caiaphas probed deeper. So you think you're of the very same nature as God?

To which Jesus honestly replied, Yes, I am. His actual reply was akin to our, You've got that right. There were expressions of shock and dismay in that room, whether real or feigned. The Gospel of Matthew says the high priest Caiaphas tore his robe in a visible display of horror at Jesus' blasphemy. But this was exactly what he wanted them all to hear, and from Jesus' own mouth, because he hoped that this would satisfy even the most reluctant among them that Jesus was a dangerous impostor. Hearing his own claims, the whole council agreed there was no need for further testimony because Jesus had, to their satisfaction, condemned himself.

We have to hit the pause button on this very tense narrative right here because the chapter breaks right here. But we'll see how this all finally plays out in our next podcast, and it's very dramatic. Stay tuned. But before I leave you today, I want to share something very significant related to the historicity of this account. You know, there are still determined enemies of Christ today. One way they have attempted to discredit him and Christianity is to cast doubt on its foundational narratives, especially these accounts surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Critics in the past effectively did this by scoffing at what they claimed was the lack of historical accuracy in the biblical accounts, saying, for example, that key individuals in these accounts were not real people, and suggesting then that the whole story of Jesus was just a fable, a legend. But in the last several decades, archaeology has put a lie to that line of criticism over and over again. One key character in our account today is a perfect case in point. In 1990, on a construction site in South Jerusalem, a bulldozer scraped open the roof of an up until then unknown tomb. The discovery halted work as archaeologists were called in to investigate. What they discovered was a four-room subterranean tomb containing 12 ossuaries of wealthy Jewish people, probably all one family.

Ossuaries are small stone caskets. In Jesus' time, families who could afford to laid out their deceased loved ones in a tomb, and then some years later, when the flesh of the body had decayed away, the bones would be gathered and placed in these small caskets permanently. Scientists were able to date this particular tomb to the first century because of coins and other artifacts found inside it. One ossuary in this first-century tomb was a very ornately carved limestone box. It obviously belonged to a prominent person. They even did DNA analysis and found the bones were of a male approximately 60 years old at the time of death.

The clincher was that it was inscribed not once but twice with the name Joseph Caiaphas. This was the man identified not only in the Gospels but also by secular Jewish historians as being in the office of high priest the year Jesus died. This amazing artifact is displayed at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem today. Seeing it vaults the account of Jesus' passion described by the New Testament writers right into our time and in a very tangible way. The high priest of Israel in 33 A.D., who we're told by Luke conspired to have Jesus arrested, who convened the Sanhedrin to contrive a basis to condemn him, and who politically pressured the Roman governor to execute him, Joseph Caiaphas, was a real person. We have his casket.

We have his bones to prove that. If you're curious, you can see photos of what I'm describing in part five of our blog article, Why Trust the Bible? It's on our website. Check it out. If you're enjoying these commentaries, please help us share the word by passing along the podcast to your friends and family. For more information, visit us at sharetheword.org.

From all of us at Share the Word, our blessings and prayers go out to all of you.