Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.
John’s gospel account is moving very quickly now. John spent a great many words describing the last evening Jesus spent with his disciples. He describes the evening in enough detail that we feel we were there. Now that the evening is over and Jesus has been taken captive, John is in a hurry. In a few short sentences, we move from the Mount of Olives to the house of Annas. Then we watch as Peter denies Jesus and Jesus is taken to Caiaphas. From Caiaphas’ house, Jesus is taken to the palace of the Roman governor.
All this is in very near to the Temple. The Mount of Olives is less than half a mile away. The homes of the high priests would not have been far off. Even the governor’s palace would be fairly close by. The evening has been spent eating, washing feet, talking and in prayer. Jesus prays for his disciples and we know from other gospel accounts that he later prayed in the garden for a long time. When Judas finally finds him, the night is mostly gone.
In the last hours of the night, Jesus walks to the house of Annas for a short interview. Then he is led on foot to Caiaphas. Little was probably said. The chief priests are not interested in dialogue at this point. From the house of Caiaphas, the entourage makes its way to the governor’s palace by walking. By now dawn has claimed the sky and the torches are no longer needed to see. The governor is called. The Jews cannot come into the palace because of their religion’s rules so the governor gets dressed and comes out to meet them.
All this time Jesus is allowing himself to be led around like a circus animal. The Author of All Creation has the power to Un-Create as well. One word from him and all his problems are history. Yet it is history that tells us he did not use that power. Instead, he applied godly humility and perfect self-control. Knowing what was going to happen in excruciating detail did not deter him. The time had arrived. Jesus was ready.
Food for Thought: In Jesus’ day walking occupied a great deal of time. While walking a person had time to think, or talk, or simply ponder the moment. How do you spend your time these days and does it allow you time for thinking, talking, and pondering God’s will in the moment?
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