Jesus Formally Condemned by the Sanhedrin

As soon as Jesus affirmed that he was God the Son, he was condemned. Most likely, it was somewhere around dawn on that Thursday morning. Later Matthew and Mark use a term that is translated as “very early.” This was used for the fourth watch of the night, which was from 3:00 to 6:00 in the morning.

How broad was the support for Jesus’ death? Matthew refers to the judgment being rendered by “the chief priests and elders.” Mark adds the phrase “the whole Sanhedrin,” but this may have been a reference to a call for the full court, rather than saying there were no absentees. John uses his standard term for the national elite, “the Jews” (or actually the Judeans.) One can’t help but wonder if Nicodemus and Joseph were there. If so, they surely voted against the action.