Devotion: Caiaphas
Caiaphas
Please read the scripture from the weekend: Matthew 26:1-5, 57-67
If there is one true villain in the crucifixion story, I’d argue it’s Caiaphas. Pilate certainly holds much of the blame for Jesus’s death, but in Matthew 27:11-26, you can see him trying to reason with Jesus and the crowd. Ultimately his desire to appease the crowd and the high priests won out over his knowledge that Jesus was innocent, but he was clearly conflicted. He at least knew what was happening was wrong, even if he had a hand in it. Similarly, Judas the betrayer was obviously majorly responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. But some interpretations of the motivations of Judas make him seem extremely, tragically misguided rather than malicious. These interpretations paint him as a disappointed revolutionary, who wanted the best for all his people, not just a greedy man willing to sell Jesus out for money. And his clear remorse after Jesus’ condemnation shows that he, like Pilate, knew what he had been involved in was unjust.
Caiaphas doesn’t fare as well. His motives are much clearer than those of Judas, and can’t really be interpreted as misguided. Jesus was a threat to his religious and political power, and Caiaphas wanted him out of the way. Matthew 26:59 makes it clear the high priests weren’t looking to find legitimate religious reasons for vilifying Jesus. All they wanted was false testimony to get Him sentenced to death. Based on what we can take from the scriptures, Caiaphas felt no remorse or conflict, and his motives were purely based on his interests. Seeing Caiaphas in this light, as the “true” villain of the story, makes it all the more troubling to realize we are often like him.
We may not realize it the way Caiaphas did, but Jesus’ teachings are often a threat to the things we value in our personal lives. Wealth and possessions, status in our jobs and communities, a strong sense of individualism. These are all things we believe are valuable, and that Jesus calls us to reject. Instead of seeing this threat and reacting violently, as Caiaphas did, we ignore the threat and water Jesus down. We transform him from a teacher who lovingly but sternly challenges our values and ways of life to a friend who came to do nothing more than to save us from our sins and make us comfortable. This choice to simplify Jesus is a betrayal, just like the actions of Judas, Pilate, and even Caiaphas. Instead, let us recognize the challenge, as Caiaphas did, but prayerfully rise to meet it, and interact with the true Jesus, a teacher who came to save and challenge us.
Holy God, help us learn from the mistakes of Caiaphas. Keep us from resenting or ignoring the challenges Jesus poses to us, and instead see them as the guidance of a teacher who loves us more than we can know. During this season of Lent, and forever after, let us draw closer to the real You. Amen.
Written by Preston Thiemann
Preston Thiemann and his wife, Rachel, live here in Lincoln. He is the Web Content Coordinator for the ASEM Marketing team at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he’s worked since April 2015. At Sheridan, he also plays guitar with the Praise Band and is active in Sheridan’s 20s & 30s group called Second Quarter.In his spare time, he enjoys reading, watching movies and spending time with friends.