Jesus Appears Before the Sanhedrin

As Jesus was moved to the palace of Caiaphas, those guarding him became more of a mob than an official guard. It seems that those who are seekers of influence with Annas join in the attack. We can assume that those of the Sanhedrin who were gathered for this court were handpicked. We don’t know how difficult it was to assemble enough members to make the trial credible, but it was an illegal session for many reasons—the lack of proper announcement and the fact that it was a holiday.

Eventually, Annas sends Jesus to his son-in-law, the official high priest, for the legal formalities of his condemnation. Still in the predawn grayness, Peter moves with the crowd of servants and lesser officials who are aware of the unfolding drama. At the official residence of the current high priest, Peter joins those by the fire in Caiaphas’s courtyard to await the outcome of the meeting in process.