Chapter 1:
Jesus before the Sanhedrin

Jesus and three of his 12 disciples are in the Garden of Gethsemane. After Jesus had prayed for the last time, soldiers came, with Judas, the betrayer.

Judas comes to Jesus, after giving a sign to the soldiers, and kisses Jesus. "Greetings, Rabbi." Jesus asked, "Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" Peter, one of the first, takes his sword and cuts Malchus' ear.
Jesus shoves Peter to a tree, without even touching him. "Put away the sword, Simon Peter. They who live by the sword will also die by it." Peter releases his grip. Jesus heals Malchus' ear. "You men of the Temple have to come to Me with swords and clubs to arrest Me? Do you not know I can call 10 legions of angels carry Me away?" Jesus waited, "No?" Jesus looked at His followers, "If you let these men go their way, I will put Myself under your authority, so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled."

Jesus was taken to Caiaphas, the High Priest of Judaism's Temple. One eyewitness testified and said, "This Man says 'I Am able to destroy this Temple and rebuild it in 3 days.'"

Caiphas asked Jesus, "What do You have to say to this?" Jesus answered, "I did say that, and it is true; but I was speaking of this Temple" Jesus pounded his chest. "Why don't you understand?"

Caiaphas stepped aside to allow his Father-in-Law to come. Jesus bowed his head. "Of those who follow You," he asked, "What are You teaching them?" Jesus answered, "Everyone knows what I teach. I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple, where the people gather. I have not spoken in secret. Why do you ask these questions? Ask them!" Gasps were heard among the people, "But," Jesus added, "If you ask them, they will not give complete answers or they will not answer at all, because they didn't understand." –From John 18

"Do you cast out devils with the help of Satan?" Jesus chuckled, "You have accused Me of that before. And I have replied: "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Caiaphas then asked, "In the Name of the Living God, are You the Messiah, the Son of the living God?" Jesus answered, "I AM! I came to the World to be the Savior of not just the Jews, but all mankind. I would die, as you would have Me do, and My Blood would forever wash away the sins of mankind and conquer sin, the cursed disease which permeates this beautiful creation which we both walk on.

"In the future, you and all the people who are about to kill Me will see Me coming down on the clouds of Heaven and will be judged by Myself, as I sit upon the throne, which is on right hand of My Father, Yahweh."

"How sad it will be for you, if you only believe that I've come to conquer the people to whom you and I and my earthly family are enslaved to obey."

Caiaphas asked, "You speak of Rome?" "Yes, I do. If you don't believe in Me, why would believe in someone who'll clam to be Me?"

Caiphas and all the Sanhedrin thought of this. "What should we do? He has claimed to be God and the Son of God, and that is blasphemy."

Nicodemus spoke, "Have we not read the prophets and the books that speak of Him? 'A voice crying out in the wilderness "Prepare ye the way of the Lord and make His paths straight."' Nicodemus looked to Jesus, "That was the baptizer John, no?" Jesus nodded, "As you say." "And You are the Lord of whom he spoke?" "Yes." Nicodemus looked again to Caiaphas, "Yes, He has blasphemed according to our laws; but as He said while He was walking among us, 'I've come to fulfill the Law; not abolish it.' We should condemn anyone who claims to be Him, rather then condemn Him Himself. What further questions do we need to ask?" Nicodemus bowed before Jesus. "I believe." Another member of the council bowed.

The Sanhedrin conferred with one another. "We will take You to Pilate, but according to our laws, the penalty is death."

-Matthew 26