When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus, to put him to death.
This statement shows that Jesus’ trial receives its official continuation early in the morning. What had been done secretly the previous night is now confirmed as a false legality. The chief priests and the elders, who should have been guardians of justice, become agents of sin by passing a sentence of death on the Son of God. The morning, which is usually a symbol of light, here becomes a witness to the carrying out of dark-minded plans. This reveals the deep nature of sin: when a person’s heart is blinded, even in the light he acts as in darkness.