Luke 22:66 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said,

NIV: At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them.

NASB: When it was day, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their council chamber, saying,

CSB: When daylight came, the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the scribes, convened and brought him before their Sanhedrin.

NLT: At daybreak all the elders of the people assembled, including the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. Jesus was led before this high council,

KJV: And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying,

NKJV: As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying,

This is Jesus' third trial of the night, but the first which is vaguely legal. After Jesus' arrest, the guards and servants took Him to the home of Annas, the priestly power broker. John seems to call this man the "high priest," although at that time he was a chief priest (John 18:13–24).

Annas then sent Jesus to his son-in-law, the current high priest, Caiaphas. Caiaphas needed to find something for which Pilate would crucify Jesus. He and some of the Sanhedrin members brought out witnesses to testify against Jesus, but their accounts didn't match. Eventually, Jesus admitted to being the Messiah and the Son of God (Matthew 26:57–68; Mark 14:53–65; Luke 22:63–65).

Now, it is daybreak. They take Jesus to the full Sanhedrin council and finalize their charges against Him. Jesus affirms that He is the Christ and the Son of God (Luke 22:67–70).

Not everyone present is Jesus' enemy. Joseph of Arimathea is a member of the council but also a disciple of Jesus (Matthew 27:1, 57; Mark 15:43). He, along with Nicodemus, will take down Jesus' body from the cross and bury Him in the stone tomb (John 19:38–42).

More shockingly, not everyone present will remain Jesus' enemy. The priests should know that Jesus fulfills the prophecies that describe the Messiah. At the time, however, they had no earthly reason to give up their power and position to follow Him. That will change. After watching the disciples boldly preach Jesus' resurrection—ignoring the Sanhedrin's warnings and beatings—some will change their minds. Luke will later write: "And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7).

Jesus' forgiveness of His killers will bear fruit (Luke 23:34).

Luke 22:66–71 records Jesus' third and only legal trial before the Jewish leaders. Whatever Jesus said in the first two trials doesn't matter. In this third trial, before the Sanhedrin, they make an official charge: Jesus formally claims to be the Son of God. His claim, they think, blasphemes God and the Roman emperor—a capital offense. Matthew 27:1–2 and Mark 15:1 only say that at this trial the Sanhedrin agree to take Jesus to Pilate (Luke 23:1–5). After Pilate sees Jesus, he'll send Him to Herod Antipas (Luke 23:6–12) before the Sanhedrin convinces Pilate to crucify Jesus (Luke 23:13–25).

Luke 22 is a long chapter which records events leading to Jesus' political trials and crucifixion. He has successfully taught crowds at the temple and proved His authority over the religious leaders (Luke 19:47—20). Meanwhile the leaders have spent the week planning to arrest Jesus and have Him killed (Luke 19:47–48). This chapter records the Last Supper, the arrest on the Mount of Olives, and the trials before the Jewish religious leaders. Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 18 cover much of the same information.

Luke 23 continues Jesus' trials before Pilate and Herod Antipas. He is then led to the cross where He forgives His murderers and saves a thief before He dies. In Luke 24, Jesus rises from the dead, meets two disciples while they travel, and explains to them how the Old Testament prophesied the death of the Messiah. In the final scene of the gospel, Jesus is reunited with His disciples, blesses them, and ascends into heaven.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.