The House of Caiaphas

Matthew 26:49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him. 50 Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for." Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51 With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 52 "Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" 55 At that time Jesus said to the crowd, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56 But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled. 57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. 58 But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome. 59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward 61 and declared, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.'" 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. 67 Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him 68 and said, "Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?" 69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. "You also were with Jesus of Galilee," she said. 70 But he denied it before them all. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said. 71 Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 He denied it again, with an oath: "I don't know the man!" 73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away." 74 Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!" Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Caiaphas was the high priest from A.D. 18to 36 so he was high priest at the time of Jesus’ ministry. The most probable location for the home of the high priest in Jerusalem is on the eastern slope of Mount Zion. The working class lived in the lower city, in the valley. The upper city was filled with the rich and famous. Usually the prison was in the lower city. However, there would also have been a prison beneath King Herod’s palace and a prison under the home of the high priest. Only the political leader and the religious leader would have use for their own private prisons. And only one guy would have had this nice of home (complete with its own prison) in this nice part of town. All the evidence points to this being the location of the home of Caiaphas.

The 70 members of the Sanhedrin, the religious leaders made up of Pharisees and Sadducees, would have lived all over Jerusalem. It would have taken them some time to get ready at that late hour in the evening and rush to the house of Caiaphas. During that time, Jesus was interrogated and slapped around.

This official residence would have been an extensive complex, built by Annas (who continued to maintain influence over the high priesthood, arranging for several family members to become such).
Annas had been the high priest from 6–15 A.D. before he was deposed by the Roman governor. His son-in-law, Caiaphas, was his successor. However, Annas still had a considerable amount of power, and many thought of him as the real power behind the high priest.

Jewish officials arrested Jesus with the assistance of Roman soldiers and lead Him first to Annas for questioning. Because this arrest happened so quickly and at night, the Sanhedrin were not prepared to make a case against Jesus yet. So Annas “questioned” Jesus to come up with some charges against Him and also give the members of the Sanhedrin time to assemble. The arrest of God’s Son by government and religion reveals the depths to which sinful humans will go to remove Him from their lives.

The complex would have had a gate from the street, leading to a courtyard, which would have been surrounded by several connected buildings including residences for Annas and Caiaphas. It would not have been uncommon for informal meetings of the Sanhedrin to take place at this location, though this would not excuse the fact that such a trial was taking place after dark.

Under the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu (meaning "cock-crowing" in Latin), a dungeon type chamber, hewn out of bedrock, testifies to the type of power the high priest wielded. A single entrance, or portal, in the floor was the means by which a prisoner was confined in the dark cells below. The only way in or out for a prisoner was via a rope.

While we were in the pit, we read Psalm 88 about being lowered into the lowest pit. We could imagine Jesus being lowered into this pit by a rope. It would have been absolute darkness. “You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.” (Psalm 88:6) The Byzantines built the steps to get into the pit as part of their church. The only entrance in Jesus’ time was the hole.

When the church was rebuilt in the 1920s and completed in 1931, when the foundation was built, they found the pillars of the interrogation chamber. The heretics, blasphemers and dissidents would have been taken to the high priest. If you look closely, there are holes above and on the side to tie the religious prisoner’s hands and feet and slap him around. Not only was Jesus scourged and beaten by Pilate’s soldiers, but He was also beaten, scourged, slapped around, punched and spat upon by the religious leaders. Look how much He suffered for our salvation.

Jesus remains silent during this kangaroo court trial. He did not defend Himself because He did not want to derail His conviction. He needed to suffer and die. It wasn’t until He was put under oath and charged with being “the Christ, the Son of God” that Jesus spoke up to defend His Father’s glory, purpose and plan. That’s when the Sanhedrin got really riled up knowing that the “Son of Man” was a reference to the Messiah in Daniel 7:13,14.

Jesus declares that He will come again to judge them and all who have sinned. He makes this confession so He can go to the cross and die for all who have perverted justice. God uses the plans and plots of His enemies to accomplish our salvation. Though all of Jesus’ supporters have abandoned Him, He stands ready to bear the sins of the world. Jesus accomplishes the plan of salvation without aid from any human ally.