The High Priest tore his garment and said, “What further need do we have of witnesses?
The High Priest’s tearing of his garment was presented as an expression of sacred anger toward blasphemy, but in reality it was a false outrage against the truth. He no longer sees any need for witnesses, because they make Christ’s true confession the basis for condemnation. This is the climax of religious blindness: the Messiah stands before them and speaks the truth, and they call that truth blasphemy. When the heart is closed before God, even the testimony of the Son of God can become for a person not an occasion for salvation, but an occasion for condemnation.