Chief Priests and Scribes

September 27, 2021

Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again" (Matthew 20:18-19).

In today’s religious communities there are titles given to those who ‘rule’ over the church or religious organizations. We are familiar with ‘Pastor’ or ‘Priest’, but there are churches who have ‘Elder’, ‘Bishop’, ‘Teaching Pastor’, ‘Arch-Bishop’, ‘Monsignor’, ‘Cardinal’, ‘Pope’, ‘Rabbi’, ‘Imam’, and the list goes on. In the days of Jesus the Jewish religious leadership consisted of the Levites (the lowest classification of priests), the Priests (who were servants in the Tabernacle, Temple, and synagogues), and the Chief Priests (who were the highest classification of priests and were leaders of the Jewish people, also known as the Sanhedrin, of which the Chief Priest was the High Priest). The Chief Priests were made up of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Scribes (often not capitalized) were scholars who studied the Law, transcribe it, and wrote commentaries on it. They were also hired when the need for a written document arose or when an interpretation of a legal point was needed. They were also called ‘lawyers’ in the New Testament.

Jesus said He would be ‘betrayed’ to the chief priests and the scribes. The word ‘betrayed’ is paradidomi and literally means ‘to be surrendered to’, ‘to be handed over to’. We know that Judas Iscariot was the disciple who betrayed Jesus, but it was Jesus Himself who surrendered to the chief priests. (John 10:15-18) As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father

The Chief Priests and Scribes joined together to condemn Jesus to death. The Roman Empire did not allow the Jews to execute a person, but they did allow them to condemn a person who violated their laws. Execution could only be carried out when a person violated Roman laws. That’s an important matter to remember because even though Jesus was condemned by the Jews for blasphemy (Matthew 26:63-66), the complaint brought to Pilate was that Jesus was guilty of political treason (Luke 23:2-4). Therefore, Jesus was condemned by the chief priests and mocked, scourged, and crucified by Gentiles, just as Jesus said He would be.

“Father, may Your name be glorified and praised for the plan of salvation You, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit ordained in eternity past, and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Thank You, Jesus, for surrendering to this great plan of salvation that included Your death on the cross. No greater love for the Father and for mankind has ever been demonstrated in our history. To You be all praise and honor and glory forever, Amen.”

Pastor

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