604
The Desire of Ages
sentence according to his works. There rushed before his mind as a
panorama the scenes of the final judgment. For a moment he saw the
fearful spectacle of the graves giving up their dead, with the secrets he
had hoped were forever hidden. For a moment he felt as if standing
before the eternal Judge, whose eye, which sees all things, was reading
his soul, bringing to light mysteries supposed to be hidden with the
dead.
The scene passed from the priest’s vision. Christ’s words cut him,
the Sadducee, to the quick. Caiaphas had denied the doctrine of the
resurrection, the judgment, and a future life. Now he was maddened
by satanic fury. Was this man, a prisoner before him, to assail his most
cherished theories? Rending his robe, that the people might see his
pretended horror, he demanded that without further preliminaries the
prisoner be condemned for blasphemy. “What further need have we
of witnesses?” he said; “behold, now ye have heard His blasphemy.
What think ye?” And they all condemned Him.
Conviction mingled with passion led Caiaphas to do as he did.
He was furious with himself for believing Christ’s words, and instead
of rending his heart under a deep sense of truth, and confessing that
Jesus was the Messiah, he rent his priestly robes in determined resis-
tance. This act was deeply significant. Little did Caiaphas realize its
meaning. In this act, done to influence the judges and secure Christ’s
condemnation, the high priest had condemned himself. By the law of
God he was disqualified for the priesthood. He had pronounced upon
himself the death sentence.
A high priest was not to rend his garments. By the Levitical law,
this was prohibited under sentence of death. Under no circumstances,
on no occasion, was the priest to rend his robe. It was the custom
among the Jews for the garments to be rent at the death of friends, but
this custom the priests were not to observe. Express command had
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been given by Christ to Moses concerning this.
Leviticus 10:6
.
Everything worn by the priest was to be whole and without blemish.
By those beautiful official garments was represented the character of
the great antitype, Jesus Christ. Nothing but perfection, in dress and
attitude, in word and spirit, could be acceptable to God. He is holy, and
His glory and perfection must be represented by the earthly service.
Nothing but perfection could properly represent the sacredness of the
heavenly service. Finite man might rend his own heart by showing a