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From Heaven With Love
heard His blasphemy. What think ye?” And they all condemned
Him.
Caiaphas was furious with himself for believing Christ’s words,
and instead of rending his heart and confessing that Jesus was the
Messiah, he rent his priestly robes in determined resistance. This
act was deeply significant. Done to secure Christ’s condemnation,
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the high priest had condemned himself. By the law of God he was
disqualified for the priesthood. He had pronounced on himself the
death sentence.
A high priest was not to rend his garments. By the Levitical
law, under no circumstances was the priest to rend his robe. Express
command had been given by Christ to Moses concerning this. See
Leviticus 10:6
. Finite man might rend his own heart by showing a
contrite and humble spirit. But no rent must be made in the priestly
robes, for this would mar the representation of heavenly things. The
high priest who dared to engage in the service of the sanctuary with
a rent robe was looked on as having severed himself from God.
This action exhibited by Caiaphas showed human passion, human
imperfection.
By rending his garments, Caiaphas made of no effect the law of
God, to follow the traditions of men. A manmade law provided that
in case of blasphemy a priest might rend his garments in horror at
the sin, and be guiltless. Thus the law of God was made void by the
laws of men. But in this act, he himself was committing blasphemy.
When Caiaphas rent his garment, his act was significant of the
place the Jewish nation would thereafter occupy toward God. The
Jewish people had rejected Him who was the antitype of all their
types, the substance of all their shadows. Israel was divorced from
God. Well might the high priest rend his robes in horror for himself
and for the nation.
The Injustice of Christ’s Trial
The Sanhedrin had pronounced Jesus worthy of death, but it
was contrary to Jewish law to try a prisoner by night. In legal
condemnation nothing could be done except in the light of day
and before a full session of the council. Notwithstanding this, the
Saviour was now treated as a condemned criminal, to be abused by