1When Jesus had finished all these words, he said to his disciples, 2“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”
3Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas. 4They took counsel together that they might take Jesus by deceit and kill him. 5But they said, “Not during the feast, lest a riot occur among the people.”
6Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. 8But when his disciples saw this, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9For this ointment might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”
10However, knowing this, Jesus said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has done a good work for me. 11For you always have the poor with you, but you don’t always have me. 12For in pouring this ointment on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of as a memorial of her.”
14Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him to you?” So they weighed out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16From that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
17Now on the first day of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying to him, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
18He said, “Go into the city to a certain person, and tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.”’”
19The disciples did as Jesus commanded them, and they prepared the Passover.
20Now when evening had come, he was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples. 21As they were eating, he said, “Most certainly I tell you that one of you will betray me.”
22They were exceedingly sorrowful, and each began to ask him, “It isn’t me, is it, Lord?”
23He answered, “He who dipped his hand with me in the dish will betray me. 24The Son of Man goes even as it is written of him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.”
25Judas, who betrayed him, answered, “It isn’t me, is it, Rabbi?”
He said to him, “You said it.”
26As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, “All of you drink it, 28for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins. 29But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
30When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of me tonight, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32But after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee.”
33But Peter answered him, “Even if all will be made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble.”
34Jesus said to him, “Most certainly I tell you that tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
35Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.” All of the disciples also said likewise.
36Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go there and pray.” 37He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and severely troubled. 38Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with me.”
39He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.”
40He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What, couldn’t you watch with me for one hour? 41Watch and pray, that you don’t enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42Again, a second time he went away and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup can’t pass away from me unless I drink it, your desire be done.”
43He came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44He left them again, went away, and prayed a third time, saying the same words. 45Then he came to his disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Arise, let’s be going. Behold, he who betrays me is at hand.”
47While he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48Now he who betrayed him had given them a sign, saying, “Whoever I kiss, he is the one. Seize him.” 49Immediately he came to Jesus, and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50Jesus said to him, “Friend, why are you here?”
Then they came and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. 51Behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
52Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place, for all those who take the sword will die by the sword. 53Or do you think that I couldn’t ask my Father, and he would even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must be so?”
55In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to seize me? I sat daily in the temple teaching, and you didn’t arrest me. 56But all this has happened that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.”
Then all the disciples left him and fled.
57Those who had taken Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. 58But Peter followed him from a distance to the court of the high priest, and entered in and sat with the officers, to see the end.
59Now the chief priests, the elders, and the whole council sought false testimony against Jesus, that they might put him to death, 60and they found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward 61and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.’”
62The high priest stood up and said to him, “Have you no answer? What is this that these testify against you?” 63But Jesus stayed silent. The high priest answered him, “I adjure you by the living God that you tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
64Jesus said to him, “You have said so. Nevertheless, I tell you, after this you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of the sky.”
65Then the high priest tore his clothing, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Behold, now you have heard his blasphemy. 66What do you think?”
They answered, “He is worthy of death!” 67Then they spat in his face and beat him with their fists, and some slapped him, 68saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who hit you?”
69Now Peter was sitting outside in the court, and a maid came to him, saying, “You were also with Jesus, the Galilean!”
70But he denied it before them all, saying, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
71When he had gone out onto the porch, someone else saw him and said to those who were there, “This man also was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72Again he denied it with an oath, “I don’t know the man.”
73After a little while those who stood by came and said to Peter, “Surely you are also one of them, for your speech makes you known.”
74Then he began to curse and to swear, “I don’t know the man!”
Immediately the rooster crowed. 75Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” Then he went out and wept bitterly.
Much debate has taken place over whether all these rules, or at least many, were in place in AD 33, since the Mishnah was not written and codified until about AD 200. However, oral tradition had passed down these laws for several centuries. A second objection focuses on the fact that these were primarily Pharisaical laws, and thus not written until after the destruction of the Second Temple. However, the absence of any mention of the Pharisees after Jesus’ arrest may indicate that the proceedings of the Sanhedrin was totally dominated by the Sadducees who cared little about the laws promoted by the Pharisees.
Rule 1: There was to be no arrest by religious authorities that was effected by a bribe.
Based on Exodus 23:8.
Rule 2: No steps of criminal proceedings were to occur after sunset.
This was to avoid the possibility of conspiracy, especially one that would be carried out using the cover of night. Once the sun had officially set, the authorities were not to proceed with any form of criminal proceedings. By Jewish reckoning, the sun officially sets once three stars are visible.
Rule 3: Judges or members of the Sanhedrin were not allowed to participate in an arrest.
The purpose was to ensure their neutrality. If they participated in the arrest, it meant they had already taken sides.
Rule 4: There were to be no trials before the morning sacrifice.
All of the daily morning rituals in the Temple had to be completed before any trial could be conducted.
Rule 5: There were to be no secret trials, only public.
In keeping with the second rule, secret trials were forbidden in order to avoid the possibility of conspiracy.
Rule 6: Sanhedrin trials could only be conducted in the Hall of Judgment of the Temple compound.
Since all trials had to be public, the people would have to know where to go to observe a trial. Sanhedrin trials, therefore, had to be held only in this one room, the Hall of Judgment in the Temple compound. This hall was known as the Lishkat ha- Gazit, the Chamber of Hewn Stones.
Rule 7: During the trial, the defense had the first word before the prosecutors could present the accusations.
This is the reverse of the western system. The defense provided all reasons why the accused could not be guilty of anything and presented character witnesses. Then the two or three witnesses for the prosecution officially presented the accusation.
Rule 8: All could argue in favor of acquittal, but all could not argue in favor of conviction.
Under Jewish criminal law, it was permissible to “stack the deck” in favor of the accused, but not against him. It was permissible for everyone to argue only for acquittal, but it was not permissible for everyone to argue only for conviction. The accused had to have at least one defender.
Rule 9: There were to be two or three witnesses, and their testimonies had to agree in every detail.
Based on Deuteronomy 19:15–19.
Rule 10: There was to be no allowance for the accused to testify against himself.
This was to avoid two possible situations. First, a man might be suicidal and so confess to a crime he did not commit. Second, he might be trying to protect someone else who was guilty and so confess to a crime he did not commit.
Therefore, the individual himself could not be counted among the two witnesses that were minimally required for a court case to be heard.
Rule 11: The high priest was forbidden to rend his garments. This rule was based on Leviticus 21:10. In a Jewish context, the tearing of garments was a sign of the emotions.
For example, if a family member died, the relatives would tear their clothing. This also happened if a family member married a Gentile or became a believer in Yeshua. Because the trial had to be decided based on the facts presented by two or three witnesses, and not on the basis of emotions, the high priest could not tear his clothing during the trial.
Rule 12: Judges could not initiate the charges; they could only investigate charges brought to them.
Like the third rule, this law was supposed to keep judges neutral. If they originated the charge, it would mean that they had already taken sides.
Rule 13: The accusation of blasphemy was only valid if the name of God itself was pronounced.
In Hebrew, the name of God is comprised of four letters that correspond to the Latin letters YHWH or YHVH. Unless a person pronounced this four-letter name of God, they could not technically be accused of blasphemy.
Rule 14: A person could not be condemned solely on the basis of his own words.
This rule emphasized the necessity of having two outside witnesses.
Rule 15: The verdict could not be announced at night.
This rule was to avoid a rush to judgment. It might have been a very long day with many witnesses being questioned, arguments back and forth, and people getting tired and edgy. To avoid a rush to judgment, once the night had come (meaning once three stars were visible), the judges had to wait until the next day to announce the verdict, even if they knew what it would be.
Rule 16: In the case of capital punishment, the trial and guilty verdict could not occur at the same time, but had to be separated by at least 24 hours.
The purpose of this law was to permit more time for information to become available which might favor the accused.
Rule 17: Voting for the death penalty had to be done by individual count, beginning with the youngest, so the young would not be influenced by the elders.
Rule 18: A unanimous decision for guilt showed innocence, since it is impossible for 23 to 71 men to agree without plotting.
The number “71” is the full membership of the Sanhedrin. Not all the members needed to be present, but there had to be a minimum of 23. However, even with the minimum, it was inconceivable in a Jewish context that all 23 men could agree on one issue, unless there was a plot involved. This came from the observation that Jews enjoy arguing among themselves, as noted earlier in the discussion on the school of the Sopherim.
Rule 19: The sentence could only be pronounced three days after the guilty verdict.
The trial and the verdict had to be separated by 24 hours, but three more days had to pass before pronouncing the sentence, for the same reason: to allow more time for information to come forth that would favor the accused.
Rule 20: Judges were to be humane and kind.
Rule 21: A person condemned to death was not to be scourged or beaten before his execution.
Rule 22: No trials were allowed on the eve of the Sabbath or on a feast day.
[1] The preceding is taken from Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Yeshua, The Life of Messiah From a Jewish Perspective, Vol 4, (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2017), pp. 4–8, and slightly revised by Robert L. Dean, Jr. (Dean Bible Ministries, www.deanbibleministries.org). I, in turn, have slightly edited the work.