Chapter 1: Called By God
Chapter 2: Triumphant Over the Jews
Chapter 3: Triumphant Over Pilate
Chapter 4: Trumped by the
Risen Christ
Chapter 1: Called By God
Chapter 2: Triumphant Over the Jews
Chapter 3: Triumphant Over Pilate
Chapter 4: Trumped by the
Risen Christ
The real battle was about to begin. Caiaphas was intent on keeping Jesus dead!
Haunted by Jesus’ Words
Caiaphas showed great insight into Jesus’ ministry. Jesus’ words were lodged in Caiaphas’ heart. Recall the Saturday meeting between Caiaphas and Pilate:
Sir, we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” Matthew 28.63-64
Who had remembered Jesus’ words of promise about the Resurrection?
Caiaphas
Who had forgotten them?
The disciples
You might say Jesus’ words haunted Caiaphas. When Jesus first drove the merchants and moneychangers out of the Temple, the Jews demanded,
“What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” John 2.18-19
Where does this saying of Jesus, about destroying “this” temple and rebuilding it in three days, show up again?
At Jesus' trial, two witnesses bring it up.
And there is one more spot! Can you guess it? Look up Mark 15.29-32.
At the cross of Christ while the chief priests are mocking Jesus others are also taunting him to save himself, since he is so big and strong he promised to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days.
What was Jesus promising by these words?
Jesus was promising to rise from the dead on the third day.
Did Caiaphas know that was what Jesus meant?
Hard to say at this point. The words keep coming up, so Caiaphas has definitely remembered them and tried to use them against Jesus. They haunted him so much that he broke his Sabbath by appearing at Pilate's palace to get a guard stationed at the tomb.
Hunted by Jesus’ Words
In all honesty, it worked the other way, too. Jesus deliberately went out of his way to teach and reach Caiaphas.
What warning did Jesus give to Caiaphas at his trial (see Mark 14.62)?
Jesus would be Caiaphas' judge on Judgment Day as the Son of God.
Jesus gave Caiaphas warnings long before this, however. Caiaphas was worried that his place would be taken away from him. Jesus’ parable of the Wicked Tenants showed Caiaphas that he was absolutely right. Read Matthew 21.33-46 and fill out the chart.
|
Vineyard |
Church on earth |
|
Owner |
God |
|
Tenants |
Caiaphas and the Jews |
|
Master’s servants |
Prophets |
|
Heir |
Jesus |
|
New tenants |
Gentiles |
How did the teachers of the law and the chief priests react to this parable and why?
They want to arrest Jesus, but are afraid that the people, who think Jesus is a prophet, would riot.
They feel this way because they know Jesus is telling the parable against them!
The Parable of the Two Sons was also directed at the religious leaders (Matthew 21.28-32). What did Jesus accuse them of in that parable?
They said they would do God's will, but they did not do it. John came sent from God, but they rejected his baptism.
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet was also directed at the religious leaders—Jesus accused them of paying no attention to God the Father’s invitation to come into the wedding banquet—heaven—by faith in his Son.
In fact, Jesus’ teachings during Holy Week end up in the “Seven Woes” which he preaches directly at the religious leaders. In a stunning climax he says,
“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berakiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” (Matthew 23.33-35)
Do you remember who else had said almost the same thing to these very same people about three and a half-years earlier?
John the Baptist (Matthew 3.7-12).
Confronted by Jesus’ Words
Caiaphas knew Jesus was “gunning for him.” Jesus had accused Caiaphas of unbelief, vainglory, disbelief in the Bible, a refusal to accept miracles and the resurrection of the dead. And all this was true! Caiaphas knew it! But there was one teaching of Jesus which brought all this together. He taught it within the last six months before his death.
Read Luke 16.19-31
Why wouldn’t the rich man’s five brothers be helped by Lazarus coming back from the dead?
Miracles do not convert anyone. Only the Word of God does, the very Word the brothers do not believe.
Who would come back from the dead?
Jesus
Who wouldn’t believe it with saving faith?
Caiaphas
Did Caiaphas Know Jesus Rose from the Dead?
That is the question. How tough a cookie was Caiaphas? Would he love his position of power and earthly honor so much that he would reject the Savior? Jesus seemed to say so repeatedly during his parables. Let’s follow the money, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also!
Caiaphas was a man who knew how to make a buck stretch. They had paid Judas 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus. Judas, in an attempt to make amends for his sin of betraying the Savior to death, threw the money back into the Temple. Caiaphas doesn’t want to waste the money!
Read Matthew 27.6-10
What is ironic about Caiaphas’ qualms about keeping the money?
By his actions he is the man who turned the money into blood money. His hypocrisy is stunning. It would be like a pair of teenage boys kill their parents, but their defense attorney pleads for mercy from the judge because the boys are orphans!
What good use did he put the money to?
He bought a "Potter's field," a burial ground for pilgrims who died in Jerusalem.
How, ironically, does that play into our certainty that Jesus is the Christ?
Jeremiah predicted not only the amount of money involved (30 pieces of silver) in the betrayal of the Savior, but also the ultimate use that "blood money" would be put to--the purchasing of a field from a pottery maker.
On Easter Sunday, however, penny-pinching Caiaphas becomes the last of the big spenders!
Read Matthew 28.11-15
What report did the guards bring Caiaphas?
They told Caiaphas everything--the angel, the earthquake, the rock rolled away, the arrival of the women, the conversation between the angel and the women, maybe even Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene.
What report does Caiaphas want the guards to spread?
Jesus' disciples came and stole the body while they slept.
Sleeping on duty was a capital offense for a Roman legionnaire. What would induce soldiers to risk their own lives for people not even over them in the chain of command?
Caiaphas paid them "large sums of money."
What did Caiaphas mean when he said, “If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble?”
Caiaphas would continue bribing his way up the chain of command all the way to the governor, if that's what it would take. Obviously the amoung of the bribes would rise exponentially the farther up you went.
Why would Caiaphas be handing out blank checks drawn on the Temple treasury?
He knew Jesus had risen from the dead! He did not question the soldiers' story at all, but simply accepted it. His immediate reaction is the reaction of a man who is engaging in damage control. He must have spent more than a few hours figuring out what to do if Jesus really did rise from the dead.
One more thing! When Caiaphas got Pilate to post a guard in the first place, he said, “This last deception will be worse than the first.”
In Caiaphas’ mind, what was the first deception?
The first deception was Jesus claiming to be the Savior, the Son of God.
In Caiaphas’ mind, what would the second deception be?
The second deception would be that Jesus had risen from the dead.
Why had Caiaphas played into the hands of Jesus in publicizing the “second deception”?
The second deception--the Resurrection--would be more damaging to Caiaphas' cause. By showing he knew the Resurrection to be true, he was also showing his awareness that Jesus was the Son of God. And, as P. T. Barnum said, "No publicity is bad publicity." Caiaphas' actions would draw people to the empty tomb.
So, did Caiaphas know Jesus rose from the dead or not? Be ready to defend your answer.
Yes. He would not have been handing out all that money had he not known. But he did not believe in it. Jesus was his enemy, the one who would destroy his way of life as the High Priest. Like Esau, selling his birthright for a pot of stew, Caiaphas preferred to be High Priest rather than to be saved.
No Teflon Priest
During President Reagan’s years in office, critics lambasted him for having a “Teflon Presidency.” Scandals (and there were the normal, that is to say, many) just seemed to roll off his back. Caiaphas would have given his right arm to have discovered Ronald Reagan’s secret!
Caiaphas had bought a mere fifty days of peace through all his efforts to kill Jesus. It all starts to come back upon him.
|
Event |
Charge |
Caiaphas’response |
|
|
Acts 2.36 |
Pentecost | You (and Caiaphas) crucified the Christ |
X |
|
Acts 3.14-15 |
Peter heals the crippled beggar at the Temple | You (and Caiaphas) asked for Barabbas and killed the Christ |
See Acts 4.3 Caiaphas arrests Peter and John |
|
Acts 4.10 |
Trial of Peter and John before Caiaphas | You (Caiaphas) killled the Savior |
See Acts 4.18 Caiaphas orders them not to preach or teach in Jesus' name |
|
Acts 5.21 |
Apostles freed from prison, now teaching in the Temple |
X |
See Acts 5.27-28 Gently bring them in for their trial |
|
Acts 5.30 |
Peter and disciples defend themselves before Caiaphas | You (Caiaphas) killed the Savior by hanging him on a tree |
Gamaliel urges restraint |
|
Acts 7.52-53 |
Stoning of Stephen | You (Caiaphas) betrayed and murdered the Righteous One |
See Acts 7.57-58 pull him outside and stone him. |
How is Caiaphas doing in escaping the blame for Jesus’ death?
Not well at all
How is Caiaphas doing in getting people to believe Jesus was a deceiver?
More and more people are believing in Jesus--even in the Sanhedrin with Gamaliel there is wavering.
Caiaphas’ Last Great Hope
Read Acts 9.1-2
What plan of action had Caiaphas settled upon?
Kill all the Christians unless they renounced Christ.
How did Saul play into his plans?
Saul would franchise his persecution plan and take it to Damascus.
Read Acts 9.3-6
How does Saul show his utter cluelessness about his religion?
He has no idea who his God is when Jesus appears to him.
Why would this not be surprising, if he was working for Caiaphas?
Caiaphas was able to lose himself in the daily work of religion without thinking too deeply about the significance and meaning of his religion. Saul, too, was a busy man.
Why is it fitting that Jesus should appear to Saul?
As Jesus had gone head to head with Caiaphas, so he would personally go head to head with Caiaphas' brightest star.
Read Acts 9.10-16
How effective had Caiaphas’ policy been?
Very! Even the prophet Annanias is so terrified of Saul that he is trying to talk God out of sending him to help Saul.
What was going wrong with Caiaphas’ plans?
His star, his chief persecutor, Saul, had converted to Christianity.
What was happening to Caiaphas’ public reputation and why?
Caiaphas is losing face because everything he does to thwart the growth of Christianity ends up promoting it.
Read Acts 9.19-30
Prove that Caiaphas is a dangerous man still to the Christians in Jerusalem.
The disciples are afraid to see Saul face to face, thinking that he is a spy of Caiaphas'.
Prove that Caiaphas is a beaten man now.
Saul moves freely about Jerusalem and teaches openly about Jesus. Caiaphas cannot punish him, for he would have to admit his last, great hope had gone bad on him, so he simply pretends it is not happening.
Here’s how the story ends.
Jesus:
I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! Revelation 1.18
Caiaphas:
Ossuary Box of Caiaphas, excavated by Zvi Greenhut, Jerusalem, December 1990. Housed in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
(left)
Inscription on Caiaphas Ossuary.
(bottom)
Etching
of Caiaphas Inscription. "Joseph, son of Caiaphas"
For a great discussion of Caiaphas’ Ossuary, see Biblical Archaeological Review, September/October, 1992
Religious for All the Wrong Reasons
Caiaphas was in the church for himself. Can you think of reasons why people might be involved heavily in the church for all the wrong reasons—and know it?
Couple living in sin
going to church just to make themselves feel respectable, compensating for knowing what they are doing is wrong by doing something they think is right. Caiaphas was in church a lot, too.
Guy obtaining an unscriptural divorce
trying to justify his actions and get in good with the pastor so nobody thinks he is a great big sinner. It would also be a great way to drive the wife out of her church. Caiaphas would do anything to get rid of Jesus, too.
Addict just released from rehab
may be looking for power from on high to stay off the drugs, but may be looking for soft touches to give him money for his next hit or feed him when he hits bottom. Caiaphas could get away with a lot of things because of soft hearts in the church of his day.
Lutheran gal who turned Catholic for her husband
trying to preserve the family unity, she submits to her husbands will--falsely thinking that's what the Bible means when it says that--and goes to a church she does not believe in. Caiaphas was trying to preserve his extended family's way of life, too.
Church councilman
wants the respect of the people he is supposed to be leading so he better go to church. his attitude is Law motivated. I bet Caiaphas had a lot of days when he felt he had to go to church.
Pastor
all the wrong reasons--remember! maybe it's a power trip. for once a little man can have his say and be the big fish in the little pond. maybe he is delusional and thinks that his ideas and plans are hatching right out of the head of God. If there's anything Caiaphas did well, it's wield power.
Pastor’s wife
ever hear of the power behind the throne? she can be the first in on the juicy gossip, being privy to the lives of hundreds of people. with a little wooing and cooing she can make her husband, Rev. Milktoast, do anything she wants and who's going to stop here? she has neither a call nor an elected office in the church! the only way to get rid of her--well, that won't work, because most Christians would be hesitant to poison somebody!
President of the United States
Not the current President or any of the past ones--we're talking hypothetically here! what better way to stay in touch with your Evangelical or Moral Majority bloc of voters than showing up regularly in a Christian house of worship! Or a synagogue to show your support for Israel! Or a mosque to show your awareness of the Moslem voters!
Pastor’s mother
see Pastor's wife, only add 25 years.
Embezzling treasurer
who would have ever guessed he took all that money! he was the best member we had. he never missed church!
Can you think of times when you are involved in church for all the wrong reasons?
I think you all can come up with numerous times on your own.
What is the only good reason to be involved with the church?
We go to church to hear the Good News of our salvation. Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these other things will be added unto you as well, Jesus said. Yes, you can make great friends at church--even find a wife! Yes, your family and marriage will be stronger. Yes, you will enjoy a good reputation. But even if all those things were taken away, there is something that cannot be taken away. Remember "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"? The kingdom ours remaineth. That is the only good reason to be involved with church and that reason is the only reason which will not lead you into detours.