‘And the high priest tore his clothes and says, “What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” And they all condemned him to be worthy of death.'
It is significant that Jesus had replied by simply quoting Scripture. Strictly what had He said was not blasphemous. But the mood of the investigation and the High Priest's histrionic behaviour put the worst interpretation on it, and to be fair it was an interpretation that we know to be true. Jesus was condemned because He made divine claims which they were not prepared to accept.
‘The high priest tore his clothes.' This was basically a manipulation of the reply. The tearing of the clothes was evidence of great emotion and symbolic of guilt and should only have occurred once the verdict had been reached. In other words he preempted the verdict and made known his view before the verdict was decided. Not that that concerned him. In his eyes it had never been the verdict that had been in doubt but the means of obtaining it.
“What further need have we of witnesses?” The point was that the man had condemned Himself, something He should not have been made to do. But we can sense the relief in the High Priest's voice. Now the need for witnesses could be ignored. And he had made clear that he expected all of them to agree with him.
‘You have heard the blasphemy.' Strictly not blasphemy according to the Law where misuse of God's name was the only grounds (Leviticus 24:15-16). But the idea had later been widened, as is evident here, to signify insult to His Person (compare Mark 2:7).
‘And they all condemned him to be worthy of death.' Note the phraseology, ‘to be worthy of death'. It was a recommendation not a sentence. This was an inquiry not a trial. Its view would have to be ratified by the official Sanhedrin meeting by daylight.