In Mark 14 we read the record of Jesus “trial” before the Jewish council. For most of the trial Jesus remains silent, but eventually the high priest Caiaphas directly asks Jesus, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus responds, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
At this admission Caiaphas tears his garments and pronounces that Jesus is guilty of blasphemy and therefore must be put to death. Providing helpful commentary on this scene is Frederick Leahy:
Caiaphas was a polished ecclesiastic. He knew what to do and when. He knew that he was soon to preside over a meeting of the Sanhedrin in plenary session formally to confirm the verdict given. Then the court would be solemnly constituted in the name and by the authority of the God of Israel. Knowing that the prisoner was charged with an offense which deserved the holy intolerance of God, Caiaphas gave expression to his professed horror by rending his garments. As a rule the high priest was forbidden to do this (Lev. 10:6; 21: IO), but this was no ordinary occasion. The torn clothes were meant to symbolize a broken heart, but the heart of Caiaphas was unbroken. In his heart of hearts he was glad that at last he could condemn the prisoner. He was simply acting a part. Hendriksen rightly discerns his thoughts: ‘We’ve got him now.’
The Cross He Bore, Frederick Leahy
Despite Caiaphas’s pretense his actions in this moment prophetically manifest two powerful truths.
First, his rule as high priest is over. Tearing those high-priestly robes is a picture that the better high priest has come – and what Caiaphas refused to see is that the better high priest was standing bound in front of him. The tearing of his robes is akin to the tearing of the veil in the temple that will happen later in the day.
Second, R. A. Finlayson points out that about the time Jesus would be standing trial before Caiaphas the temple priests would be examining the Paschal lambs for sacrifice. Although Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin find Jesus unfit what they fail to realize is this: by putting Jesus to death, they are offering up the final sacrifice, effectively ending their purpose as priests.