Trial before Caiphas and the Sanhedrin
St. John omits any details of this trial, and I can think of two reasons why: the council had already decided to condemn Jesus to death, and it had no authority to carry out that sentence under Roman law, so this was a kangaroo court on both counts. At any rate, we're over to St. Matthew's Passion for a while:
Mt 26:57-75
We again get herein the account of Peter's threefold denial. I need not comment further on that. So 59-68 are the verses which contain different content from what we have seen thus far.
Now the chief priests and the whole council sought false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, - (59)
I'm sure they would have settled for true testimony, but there was none to be found. Even Jesus' claim about rebuilding the temple, which John recounts but Matthew only mentions through the mouth of witnesses, would not be grounds for execution under the law. So when the council reaches an impasse, Jesus himself provides the evidence they needed. At that point, in their eyes he had no dignity left to respect. I wonder what it was like for them to enter eternity and come face-to-face with the almighty king of creation and know that they had convicted, mocked and struck him and handed him over for execution? I pray they received the mercy he offers us all.
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