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RESPONSE:
According to the historian Josephus,
Annas was highly regarded since five
of his sons and a grandson succeeded
him as high priest. To appearances,
he was the most influential member
of the high priestly family. Another
explanation is that the Sanhedrin
had not yet arrived. It was about
11:00 PM and the Sanhedrin's 70 members
didn't arrive until about 1:00 AM.
They needed to take Jesus some place,
so why not to Annas? The more plausible
explanation is found in the Talmud.
It says, "Woe to the house of
Annas! Woe to their serpent's hiss!
They are High Priests; their sons
are keepers of the treasury; their
sons-in-law are guardians of the Temple;
and their servants beat the people
with staves." The bazaars of
Annas were the tents of the money
changers and of those who sold doves
in the Temple. Jesus had put a dent
in Annas' profits by whipping the
money changers out of the temple.
Annas just wanted an opportunity to
get even.
The questioning of Jesus by Annas
was against the law. Jewish law prohibited
a prisoner from being asked a question
that might incriminate him. Jesus'
response to the inappropriate questions
was to point out that he had legal
means to gather information but not
by questioning him. An officer slapped
Jesus in the face for his response.
Yet, Jesus spoke the truth. He was
reminding Annas of the law.
GAL
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