The time, the place, the occasion, the intensity of feeling that pervaded the assembly, all combined to make the words of Jesus before the Sanhedrin the more impressive. The highest religious authorities of the nation were seeking the life of Him who declared Himself the restorer of Israel. The Lord of the Sabbath was arraigned before an earthly tribunal to answer the charge of breaking the Sabbath law. When He so fearlessly declared His mission, His judges looked upon Him with astonishment and rage; but His words were unanswerable. They could not condemn Him. He denied the right of the priests and rabbis to question Him, or to interfere with His work. They were invested with no such authority. Their claims were based upon their own pride and arrogance. He refused to plead guilty of their charges, or to be catechized by them.

Tidspunktet, stedet, anledningen og de stærke følelser, som forsamlingen var gennemtrængt af, forenede sig om at gøre Jesu ord foran Sanhedrin endnu mere betagende. Folkets højeste gejstlige øvrighed stræbte ham efter livet, som havde erklæret sig for at være Israels Frelser. Sabbattens Herre stod som anklaget foran en jordisk domstol for at besvare beskyldningen for at bryde sabbatsloven. Da han så frygtløst forkyndte sit kald, betragtede hans dommere ham med undren og raseri; men hans ord lod sig ikke gendrive. De kunne ikke dømme ham. Han benægtede præsternes og rabbinernes ret til at udspørge ham eller til at blande sig i hans gerning. De var ikke forlenet med en sådan myndighed. Deres påstande var kun baseret på deres eget hovmod og deres egen anmasselse. Han nægtede at erklære sig skyldig i det, de anklagede ham for, eller at lade sig udspørge af dem.