Jesus did not condescend any reply to such frivolous charges, but maintained perfect silence. Caiaphas said to him, “Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee?” Still Jesus was silent. The charges brought against him were sufficiently preposterous, without any defence on his part. Caiaphas was not a little perplexed, and in his perplexity said,――
“I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.”
Jesus replied, “I am; and hereafter ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
Caiaphas affected to be shocked. He rent his clothes, saying, “What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy. What think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.”
While this cruel farce was being enacted, Peter sat warming himself by the fire, not far from Jesus, conversing occasionally with the servants. One of the maid-servants looked upon him, and said, “Thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.” Peter replied, “Woman, I know him not.” Soon after, a man-servant reiterated the charge, saying, “Thou art also of them.” Peter again replied, “Man, I am not.” About an hour after, several who stood by said, “Surely thou art one of them; for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech bewrayeth thee. But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.”
Just at that moment, the clear crowing of a cock was heard once and again. Jesus, who had overheard all this conversation, turned round, and simply looked at Peter. That sad and sorrowing glance pierced like a two-edged sword. The prophetic words of Jesus rang in his ears: “Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.” The wretched man “went out and wept bitterly.”
A scene of awful insult and suffering now ensued, such as perhaps never before or since has been witnessed in a nominal court of justice. They spat in his face; they beat him with their clinched fists and with the palms of their hands; they mocked him, saying, “Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?” Even the servants joined in the general outrage of derision and violence.
The morning had now dawned. The chief priests and elders took counsel how they might put Jesus to death. This could not be done without the consent of the Roman governor. They therefore bound him again, and led him to Pontius Pilate, a cruel despot, who was then Roman governor of Judæa. Early as it was, quite a crowd followed as Jesus was led from the hall of Caiaphas to the judgment-seat of Pilate.