John 18:12-14 12So the cohort of soldiers and the military tribune and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. 13And they led him first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14Now it was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it was better for one man to die for the people.
After Jesus was arrested, he was taken to Annas. John is the only one who records this part of the story. The detachment of soldiers who arrested Jesus suggests the possibility that the Romans were involved in the arrest. It was a joint effort between the Jewish officials and the Romans who wanted to keep the peace. The Jews must have brought their case before those with real power, but not enough evidence in the biblical text is given about the back story leading up to Jesus’ arrest. The Jews were the primary instigators because of where they took Jesus.
Annas served as high priest from AD 7 – 15. His son-in-law, Caiaphas, became high priest in AD 18 until 36. It appears that Annas still had significant influence if Jesus was taken to him first. He may have been a major opponent to Jesus and influenced the Sanhedrin to condemn him. A high priest was appointed for life, and so even though Annas was not the official high priest for the Romans, he was still in that position to the Jewish people. He was involved in the questioning and persecution of the early church in Acts 4:1-22. The family influence is evident with Caiaphas marrying Annas’ daughter. Much was going on in Jewish history behind the scenes of these verses. Annas was likely the real power behind the question of Jesus in the following verses.
John adds a reflective note about how Caiaphas defended killing Jesus back in 11:49-52. Caiaphas thought that getting rid of Jesus would stop any civil war or revolution that would be quelled by the Romans. This note is not just a reminder of the earlier statement, but it provides deeper insight into how all of what took place was God’s plan. The Jewish leaders thought they were acting according to God’s will by getting rid of a heretic, but they did not realize because of their lack of faith that they were making it possible for Jesus to bring atonement for all sin. The key phrase die for the people returns to the theme of the Lamb, who takes away the sin of the world (1:29).
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