What does Matthew 27:1 mean?
During a hasty sham trial, conducted in the night at the home of the chief priest, Jesus had been found guilty and deserving of death. This involved at least some members of the Jewish ruling council known as the Sanhedrin. Using language from Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13, Jesus had "confessed" to being the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. Since the Jewish religious leaders refused to believe this could possibly be true, they convicted Him of blasphemy (Matthew 26:57–68).However, that trial was not technically legal. Traditional Jewish law of that time required any trial involving a death penalty offense to be held openly during the day. Such an event would normally have taken place in the temple. So, when morning arrives, a second, ceremonial "trial" is convened. They simply affirm the verdict the group had made under the cover of darkness, which is also the same sentence determined long before (John 11:53): Jesus was to be put to death.