Rejection by Sanhedrin

After healing an invalid on Sabbath Jesus was haled before the Sanhedrin and charged with Sabbathbreaking and to this charge was added that of blasphemy (v. 18). The leaders of the nation sought to counteract Jesus' undeniably great influence over the people. Also, they set spies to watch Him, apparently to build up a case, so that they could condemn Him to death.

By their action in publicly censuring Jesus in the spring of a.d. 29 the Jewish leaders sought to undermine His authority and influence with the people. They made a public proclamation warning the nation against Him and set spies to follow Him in an endeavor to find cause for legal action against Him. In the full knowledge that their opposition to Him was without excuse they became even more bitter toward Him from now on, and began laying plans how they might take His life. This design they succeeded in carrying out two years later, at the Passover of a.d. 31.

By the spring of a.d. 29 they had ample evidence of his Messiahship—they knew of the vision of Zacharias (Luke 1:5—20), of the announcement to the shepherds (Luke 2:8—12), of the coming of the wise men (Matt. 2:1, 2), of the visit of Jesus to the Temple at the age of 12 (Luke 2:42—50), of the witness of John the Baptist to Christ as the Messiah (John 1:19—34). More recently they had had the additional evidence of the perfection evident in Jesus' character, of the soundness of His teachings, and of the divine character of His miracles. Added to all of this they had the prophecies. These, the Jews must have been impressed were being fulfilled in events then taking place.