March 15:1-15

“As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.”  vs. 1

Visitors to Jerusalem often visit the Church of St. Peter Gallicantu, just outside the walls of the city. According to tradition the church is located on the site of the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest at the time. While the church itself is beautiful, many pilgrims are drawn to the cisterns that have been excavated under the building, near first century steps that lead up from the Kidron Valley, where Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. According to some archeologists, one of these cisterns could have been used as a prison cell by the chief priests. It’s a claustrophobic space with a hole in the ceiling through which prisoners were lowered. While we can doubt the authenticity of many Jerusalem historical sites, this one can actually be dated to the time when Jesus was kept prisoner on that Thursday night. It’s a place for believers to perhaps sense his presence! Standing in that cell we can imagine his anguish as he awaited the dawn and his appearance before the whole council. Of course it was all rigged–Jesus was a threat to the religious establishment, and now that they had him, they intended that he would die! They did need Pilate’s verdict to ensure his death, and in the end, they got exactly what they wanted.

Thought for the Day: Alone in the dark, where did Jesus get his strength?