”I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. ”I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”
It is late at night. Jesus is in the home of Annas the high priest. In terms of the kind of homes we see today this house would be a McMansion. It is cold outside but inside the light from the oil lamps keep the inside of the stone building warm.
Jesus has been without sleep for a day and a night. His day yesterday was wrapped up in the celebration of the Passover. “Celebration” is probably not the appropriate word here. This particular Passover was more like a funeral. Jesus keeps talking about going away, and the sorrows to come. Judas leaves under a cloud of mystery with hints from Jesus about betrayal. During the night Jesus prays for his disciples and teaches them many things.
Later, in the Garden of Gethsemane, he prays alone. Then Judas arrives with the soldiers, and Jesus is taken captive. His whole life and ministry have been leading up to this moment and like a fighter who has trained all his life for one big fight, Jesus is ready. He allows himself to be taken captive while at the same time protecting his disciples from being harassed.
Peter follows. Outside in the courtyard, he waits, torn between fantasies of rescuing Jesus and the fear of being outed as a disciple of Jesus.
Inside, in the pre-dawn hours of the night, Annas interrogates Jesus. Finally Jesus answers.
“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”
Why is Jesus deferring to others? Why isn’t he making the case that he is God’s Son? Why doesn’t he answer?
Perhaps the reason Jesus defers is that he knows what is in Annas’ heart. Being God he can see that there is no love inside the man who questions him. The hate that fills Annas burns like the fire that warms Peter outside. It is a hot fire, and the light it gives has nothing to do with the Light from God. (John 1: 4-9; 3: 19-21)
Food for Thought: There is an added irony here. The chief priests and the Pharisees mostly knew of Jesus through the very thing Jesus was telling them to do: Those who heard Jesus told the chief priests what Jesus had said. Jesus was essentially saying, ”You already know what I said from asking those who heard me. Why are you bothering me with this pretense of asking questions?” The subtlety of Jesus’ words would not have been lost on Annas. How do you think Annas might have reacted to Jesus’ response?
I think Annas’s mind was on a mission. He likely did not care what Jesus said. Anything Jesus said could and would be used against Him – or twisted by Annas to get to the outcome He desired. I wonder how often we all do that. And I wonder how often we do that to God.