The high priest did
not tear his clothes when Jesus was on the cross. The tearing of his clothes happened
during Jesus' trial before the Sanhedrin (the Jewish high court), after Jesus declared himself to be the Messiah, the Son of God.
Here's a breakdown of why this is important:
* The Biblical Account: The tearing of the High Priest's clothes is described in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark when Jesus is questioned by the Sanhedrin. For example, Matthew 26:63-66 states:
"But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
“You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”
“He is worthy of death,” they answered."
* Significance of Tearing Clothes: In Jewish tradition, tearing one's clothes was an expression of extreme grief, outrage, or mourning. In this context, the high priest tore his clothes because he considered Jesus' claim to be the Messiah, the Son of God, to be the worst kind of blasphemy. According to Jewish law, blasphemy was a capital offense.
* Why Not on the Cross? The high priest and the Sanhedrin had already condemned Jesus to death for blasphemy *before* he was taken to Pontius Pilate. By the time Jesus was on the cross, the trial was over, and the Jewish leaders had achieved their goal of having him executed by the Roman authorities. Therefore, there was no reason for the high priest to tear his clothes at that point.
In summary, the high priest tore his clothes at Jesus' trial before the Sanhedrin, because he viewed Jesus' claim of being the Messiah as blasphemy.