“The high priest said to him, ‘I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God’“ (Matthew 26:63).
A construction crew was widening a road in Jerusalem’s Peace Forest, when workers stumbled across a cave, which had been an ancient burial site. Within the burial cave were 12 boxes, quarried from limestone, and within each of those boxes, were the bones of someone who had rested in peace for almost 2,000 years.
One of those boxes known as ossuaries was carved with a rare, intricate pattern of rosettes and carried the inscription “Joseph, son of Caiaphas.” It was obvious that this was a VIP, a man of great importance.
Now, in Israel, stumbling across something like this sent shockwaves through the community of archaeologists and scholars of antiquities. For almost two years, Israeli archaeologists studied the discoveries and then released their findings. Yes, they were quite certain. They had discovered the tomb of Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest, who condemned Jesus and sent him to Pilate, hoping for his execution.
And, who was Caiaphas? Caiaphas, the high priest who ruled in Jerusalem from A.D. 18-36, was a religious leader who had become a corrupt puppet of the Roman government. Instead of honestly using his influence for good and God, he used his power and influence to amass a large family fortune. It was Caiaphas who brought the moneychangers and the sellers of animals and birds into the temple area. By doing this, Caiaphas could control the flow of money and goods through taxation, siphoning off a certain amount for personal gain.
Early in the ministry of Jesus, Caiaphas rightly assessed Jesus’ growing popularity as a threat to his control. He knew that as Jesus’ influence grew, his base of power was threatened, which led him to conclude that Jesus had to be silenced.
John, in his Gospel, tells us that Caiaphas, as high priest, “prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation,” and then set out to make his prediction come true. Now, John adds, “So from that day on they plotted to take his life” (John 11:52-53).
Enraged by the desecration of the temple, Jesus took a whip and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and drove those who sold doves out of the temple saying, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers” (Matthew 21:13). The battle lines were drawn. It was the powerful religious establishment against one man. As Jesus, along with His disciples, prayed in the darkness of the garden of Gethsemane, the temple guard, sent by Caiaphas, took Jesus and brought Him before the religious council of the day, known as the Sanhedrin.
History says that Caiaphas had more to do with the death of Jesus than any other man, including Pilate, whose existence has been verified by an inscription found in Caesarea.
O.K. you may be thinking: “So, they have the bones of the old guy! Now what?” Undoubtedly, one more stop will be added to the itinerary of tourist busses making the rounds on Bible land tours, while tourist guides recount the part Caiaphas played in the drama of Christianity. But what is really significant is that one more time archaeologists have confirmed the existence of key players in the drama of redemption. The evidence of both history and archaeology continues to confirm the truthfulness of the Gospel accounts. As Josh McDowell suggests: It is evidence that demands a verdict.
The issue is not, “Who was Caiaphas?” but rather, “Who was this One whom Caiaphas silenced, but yet speaks today?” His name is Jesus Christ.
Resource reading: Luke 23:44-49.
