The High Priest Caiaphas

Caiaphas who believed in the Lamb of God...

Caiaphas, at first, believed that Jesus was the Lamb of God, the promised sacrifice for the sins of Israel.¹ In the end, when Jesus was taken before the high priest, Caiaphas questioned him as to whether he was the Christ.² Caiaphas doubtless believed that Christ would carefully observe all of Israel’s religious laws and traditions. When Jesus reviled him, the priests called for his execution.

Moses had forbidden people to speak evil of the high priest, who ruled over them and executed the judgments of their religious laws.³ Moses, however, also instructed the people to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength and their neighbor as themselves.⁴ The Israelites could not do this unless they were merciful as God is merciful.⁵ Moses said when he gave the law: Gather the people together, men, and women, and children …that they may hear … and observe to do all the words of this law.⁶ It is not possible to carry out the penalty of the law, which is death, and also show love and mercy as well. Because Jesus did not condemn others, but chose instead to show mercy, he observed all of the law.

Caiaphas obviously did not comprehend that the Law of Moses required that the penalty of death be set aside for the sake of mercy. Had he truly believed that Jesus was the Lamb of God, and had known what the scripture meant, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, he would not have condemned the Lord.⁷ Because Caiaphas judged by the law, Jesus spoke to him of the Day of Judgment in which he himself would be judged by the same measure he used to judge others.⁸ That judgment awaits all those who use the Law of Moses to condemn people whom God has forgiven and rendered guiltless.

References
¹ Mt 26:57-68; Jn 11:49-53
² Mt 26:57-68
³ Acts 23:4; Ex 22:28
⁴ Deut 6:5, Lev 19:18
⁵ Lu 6:36
⁶ Deut 31:12
⁷ Hos 6:4-11; Mt 12:7
⁸ Compare Mt 7:1 with Mt 26:64