At last, the religious officials thought, Jesus was under their control.  How foolish!  Annas, the religious father figure, could now interrogate Him.  Although Jesus was a threat to the religious authorities, they were also fascinated by Him, His teaching and miracles (Luke 23:8).  But what more could His interrogators learn?  Jesus had taught the crowds in public, consistently telling them the truth from God.  What He said and did was public knowledge; it was no secret.  But when Jesus told Annas to find evidence against Him, a temple guard hit Him in the face for confronting His accuser.

Instead of them judging Jesus, He gave them a lesson in justice.  Jesus reminded them that justice is all about the truth.  If you cannot demonstrate guilt, then the prisoner must be declared innocent (Exodus 23:6-7).  Speaking the truth was natural to Jesus because He is the Truth (John 14:6).  Truth is part of His nature, the nature of God.  Believing and obeying the truth about Jesus sets people free (John 8:32).  

But His captors were not interested in truth; they just wanted Jesus to be removed from their lives, for ever.  That is why the lies that bound them were stronger than the rope around Jesus.  By now, Annas had been humiliated and sent the prisoner to his son-in-law Caiaphas, who had been made the top religious official that year (John 18:13-14).  He was malleable, working alongside the occupying Roman authorities, and had already said that it would be better for everybody if Jesus was killed (John 11:49-50).
 
Many people still believe that Jesus does not matter, and they do not need His help or advice.  They are wrong.  And especially so when they refuse to submit to His authority.  God can never be cross-questioned as though His future depends on the verdict of human beings.  Neither can He be accused without evidence; and there never is anything to demonstrate that God is anything other than good all the time.  So to be angry at God, to blame Him or even to question His actions or motives, is foolish … not only because God is always true to His Word but because He easily exposes where we are false.  It is time to repent!