JESUS, THE SON OF MAN

This message was preached at Grace Baptist Church in Westlake, OH on Sunday, October 12, 2008. The song mentioned at the end, during the meditation time was Hold Me Jesus by Big Daddy Weave. The preparation of this message was challenging to me as I thought about what Jesus went through in order to do God's will and bring my salvation. It has caused me to be more thankful, recently, for all He has done.

JESUS, THE SON OF MAN
Mark 14:26-65

Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 14. In the Bible in front of you, it is page 881 or 899.

Jesus used the title: Son of Man to refer to Himself 12 different times in the gospel of Mark and only once calls Himself the Christ, the Messiah. We are supposed to take not of this title and consider why it is important. Jesus was truly fully God and fully man. As a man, He would present Himself as a suffering servant, willing to give of Himself for the eternal destiny of others. He would also be the one to judge mankind in the future, ruling for 1,000 years here on Earth. But, before the glory comes the pain. This man would suffer and then die for the sins of the world.

This has major significance for us today, that Jesus was The Son of Man. And as we cover several verses this morning, that tell the story of Jesus being betrayed and falsely accused, I want us to focus in on what Jesus was going through. You will see Jesus experience intense emotions as He is left alone to suffer and die. However, there are 3 important things that stood out to me in this study, that I hope will challenge and encourage you – as we look at Jesus as The Son of Man.

In his book Quote Unquote, Lloyd Corey tells a story of a man who seemed to have everything going for him, only to have everything fall apart. A new friend of his from work called one day and said: Looks like everything is going great for you my friend. I was riding by in a taxi yesterday and saw you in a sidewalk café eating with a beautiful woman. You seem to have it made. Well, the friend said, let me share with you the reality of my life. That beautiful woman was my wife, but the furniture we were sitting in was my furniture she threw out; and she was telling me that she was leaving. Things are not always as they seem. Sometimes they are worse.

If you could have looked into the Passover meal Jesus was having with His disciples, you might have wrongly assumed: Everything is going great. There He is with His close friends, lounging around the table, eating a meal together, drinking wine, laughing. But, if you couldn’t hear the details or watch what happened next, you might not know that one of those close friends was about to betray Jesus; and the rest of them were going to abandon Him. And that Jesus was explaining that He would no longer be with them, but was going to suffer terribly and then die.
Things were worse than they looked; and Jesus, as The Son of Man, was about to experience loneliness in a way that no one else would ever match.
Mark 14:26-28 – “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, you will all fall away, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”

Right away, we are introduced to a theme connected with Jesus being the Son of Man. One reason He had to become a man is so that he could do this:
As the Son of Man: Jesus died for you
What He has been telling His followers, and what He reiterates here, is that He was going to suffer and then die, and then rise again. Consider this passage of Scripture that describes it:

I Peter 1:18,19 – “Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

This was Passover time. They knew the significance of a lamb’s blood being shed. Jesus was going to do this, as the Son of Man, to ransom us, redeem us, save us from our sins. As we go through these passages and the ones coming in future weeks, let this thought sink in, and let it draw you closer to Him because of it.

With the Passover meal, the tradition in singing the hymn or chanting would be to use Psalms 115-118 after the meal. I wonder if Jesus and His disciples sung or chanted Psalm 118 in this particular case. Because if they went with tradition, they may have used the following words that would have incredible significance just before Jesus was betrayed and arrested:
Please read the bold words out loud with me:

Psalm 118:6,7 – “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.”

Psalm 118:22-24 – “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Scholars estimate it was midnight by the time they left the upper room and headed to the western slopes of the Mount of Olives, where Gethsemane was located. And Jesus makes this strong statement and prediction: “you will all fall away.” To fall away, here, means “to take offense of, be ashamed of”. He had said during the meal that one of them would betray Him. Now, Jesus is saying the rest of the 11 that are left: all of you will fail me. What a statement!

And He uses a quote from the Old Testament prophet Zechariah to describe what would happen: “I will strike the Shepherd” (God the Father would bring suffering on Jesus Christ, His own Son; and in doing so, His followers would scatter. They would not remain with Him. Jesus is simply stating that the fact that His closest followers would run away is a prediction of prophecy. It will happen).
But, He doesn’t stop there. He then says that He would rise again, be reunited with His followers; and they were to follow His lead. Galilee was a significant place because it is where Jesus had called His followers and trained them. But, His followers couldn’t focus on the positive part of the statement; but only the negative; and they took it personally…

Mark 14:29-31 – “Peter said to him, Even though they all fall away, I will not. And Jesus said to him, Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times. But he said emphatically, If I must die with you, I will not deny you. And they all said the same.”

Peter ignores the part of Jesus rising and being reunited with them; and chooses to focus on the falling away part; and he wasn’t about to let that pass. “These losers might fail you; but not me!” And then Jesus responds: You want to know the truth Peter? You will fall harder than the rest: before the sunrise, you will deny that you even know me! Wow!

But Peter just could not accept that; even though he knew that Jesus always told the truth. He would not give in: “Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you.” And his boldness spread to the rest of the guys, and the other 10 finally spoke up: “That’s right Jesus – we are with you. We will not fail you. We will die with you if we have to!” But Jesus knew the truth. And in just a few hours from that moment, they would all do what they swore they would never do.

We will focus more on Peter next week; but this morning, we are considering the effect statements like this would have had on Jesus. Think of the situation, from a human standpoint; which is how we want to consider Jesus, as the Son of Man. Someone is coming to beat you up after school and your friends all promise to “have your back” and defeat the school bully with you. But, as the bully and his posse approaches, you look behind you and your so-called friends who promised to fight to the death (or at least the first bloody lip) are nowhere to be seen.

You are standing trial for a crime you did not commit. Your friends promise to testify on your behalf. But when threats are made against them, when the judge asks if there is anyone who will give testimony on your behalf, no one responds. You have gained support within the office for a new proposal that will mean career advancement for you; but after you share the risky proposal with your boss, the others in the room who said they would support you, are looking at you as thought they had never heard such a crazy idea in their life.

The family you grew up with, the person you married, or the life-long friend…things have happened, relationships have been splintered…pressure has been applied…and they are no longer there for you. Can you come close to imagining what Jesus was going through, as His friends, those He hand chose, were claiming complete devotion – to the death – and yet He knew they would soon run away and hide.

Mark 14:32-34 – “And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, Sit here while I pray. And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.”

In this garden like setting, Jesus said to the 11 disciples: stay here while I go and pray. He took the 3 guys that were closest to Him on further into the garden. As Jesus walks further into the garden with these 3 followers, He begins to respond bodily to what was about to take place. He became very distressed and troubled; and He even shared with these guys transparently: “I am completely overwhelmed and feel the strength of my life fading away.” “Stay here, stay alert and keep your eyes open; while I go and pray.” Jesus was feeling the full effect of what was coming.

“I am now the most miserable man living”, wrote a famous American leader. “If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on earth. To remain as I am is impossible. I must die or be better.” You may be surprised to know that the man who wrote that was Abraham Lincoln – or maybe not. In the darkest days of the Civil War, President Lincoln struggled within his soul – with the reality of his emotions because of the state of the nation. Jesus knew that pain and emotional turmoil.

Mark 14:35-36 – “And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will but what you will.”

Jesus goes a little bit further, falls prostrate on the ground and cries out to His Father: [fall on the ground] Daddy, I know you can do anything. Please, Please, if there is any other way to accomplish your will, to save mankind, than for me to go through this inevitable suffering, don’t make me experience this cup, this overflowing pain. But, daddy, I want what you want. This is not about my will, but yours. Do your will daddy. I am willing.

There is a second significant thing we learn here from Jesus:
As the Son of Man: Jesus gave you an example to follow
Another key passage that can be applied here is:

I Peter 2:21-23 – “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”

Jesus gave His followers this example and left it for us. When things got rough, when He knew the end was near. When, as a man, he did not want to go through the needed suffering, He prayed. He cried out to God, speaking the truth of His heart. He didn’t hold anything back. He even told God the father about His own desires for His life; and how He did not want to experience what He knew He was going to experience. But, in the end, he put it in God’s care, entrusting Himself to the Father and wanting more than anything else, for God’s will to be done.

SO WHAT?
Talk to God about your will, and then commit your life to His.

I believe this is the greatest biblical example of a clear biblical principle. God wants us to share the reality of our hearts with Him. Talk to him about your marriage struggles and how you sometimes feel life giving up. Talk to him about how a lot of what he allows in your life just doesn’t make any sense. Talk to him about the circumstances in your life that you wish were different. Like David in the Psalms, talk about your disappointments. But, then, commit yourself by faith; and commit your circumstances by faith to the only One who really knows what He is doing.

Mark 14:37-40 – “And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him.”

Jesus came back to His disciples, Peter, James and John – the ones that he asked to keep watch. Just one hour had passed and they were sound asleep. Jesus rebukes them, reminding them of their weakness, despite their strong statements to the contrary a little earlier. Jesus instructs them and warns them. You need to pray, depend on God’s strength, that you would not fall to temptation. Jesus knew they would be tested. He knew they would fail. He makes the statement: The spirit indeed is willing (We will go with you to the death!) but the flesh is weak (you guys just fell asleep and you are about to face incredible temptation to run away).
I don’t really think that Jesus is condemning them. In fact, I think He is getting them ready to understand that they will need God’s help to go into the future. They will need the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s purpose without Jesus’ physical presence. In Acts 1:8, Jesus promises to leave them the Holy Spirit, God’s presence, that would help them accomplish His mission.

So, after rebuking them, Jesus goes and prays some more. He comes back and guess what? They were asleep again! And they were like…[no answer] They didn’t know what to say. They were getting an early feel that what Jesus said was indeed true: their spirit was willing, but their flesh was weak. So, He gives them another chance.

Mark 14:41,42 – “And he came the third time and said to then, Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Three times Peter and the other 2 failed to stay awake and pray. 3 times, very soon, Peter would deny that He even knew Christ. Let’s not leave this until we note another important example of Christ:

SO WHAT? Spend time with God, to prepare you for life’s challenges

What Jesus modeled is what the disciples failed in; and I do as well – often. But He showed us, especially in the midst of uncertainty and difficulty, now is not the time to drift from God; but it is exactly the time to run toward Him. Of course, this is a need for us every day; but like the disciples, we often get tired and try to go it on our own. If we could somehow take this from Jesus’ example, we would find a greater strength, a greater wisdom, to face the challenges of each day.

If you need some ideas on what to read, feel free to go to my blog which is listed in your bulletin, and see a daily Bible reading schedule there. Spend a few minutes reading God’s Word. Spend a few minutes talking to Him about life. Commit your day to Him. Experience His power in your life.

Jesus basically said – ok guys, its time. The Son of Man is betrayed in to the hands of sinners. What He had predicted earlier was now going to happen. He would be betrayed. Get up guys, the time has come. The rest of the disciples, no doubt, were now with them as Judas approaches.

Mark 14:43-46 – “And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard. And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, Rabbi! And he kissed him. And they laid hands on him and seized him.”

While Jesus was talking, Judas approached with a crowd, representatives from the Sanhedrin, made of the chief priests, scribes and elders – and their hired soldiers. They served the religious court and this was the time they chose to arrest and accuse Jesus of religious violations worthy of death. They held short hand swords and clubs to use as needed. Judas led them to the garden where he knew Jesus would be and turned Him over by calling Him Rabbi (his teacher) and kissing him. It was a common sign of respect to a teacher to kiss him on the hand or cheek; but Judas used it to betray Him.

Jesus put up no fight; giving Himself to what He had just prayed – God’s will. And this was part of it.

Mark 14:47 – “But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.”

Mark doesn’t identify him but we know, from John 18:10 that this was Peter, who, having just fallen asleep 3 times, failing to watch and pray, spontaneously decides to take matters into his own hands. As Jesus allows Himself to be arrested, Peter takes his sword and goes after Malchus (we find in parallel passages), the servant of the high priest. But all he gets is the right ear of Malchus. Peter impulsively tries to defend Jesus in the wrong way at the wrong time. When he later has the opportunity to speak up for him, he falls. Luke reports that Jesus restored Malchus’ ear and rebuked Peter for taking physical action.

Mark 14:48,49 – “And Jesus said to them, have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.”

Jesus rebuked the religious leaders for coming after Him as though he was leading an uprising; as though he had come armed to rob them. They came prepared to give physical force. “Why didn’t you take me when we were together day after day in the temple? You had opportunity then.” But, Jesus points out that these things have happened to fulfill the Scriptures. So, Jesus is submitting Himself to what needs to happen. Again, in the midst of this, Jesus sets an example to follow:

SO WHAT? Embrace the circumstances God has given you
No, Jesus didn’t like the circumstances; but since He had submitted to God’s will, He now embraced them. He didn’t try to run or fight or perform a miracle (which He could have). He now addressed the circumstances as they were; and added “let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” It would be like us, finally accepting our circumstances, and saying “let God’s will be done.” You can only do that if you truly believe that God is in control and will do what is for your spiritual good (Romans 8:28).

That means that your struggling marriage is not a surprise to God; and can actually be the catalyst for your spiritual growth and God’s glory. That financial struggle you are going through doesn’t have to be seen as the end. It can be seen as what God has allowed so that you can learn to trust Him fully; and you can embrace that thought as you walk through those struggles. Fill in the blank with your struggle; and once you have committed it to God’s will and prayed through it; then see it as what God has allowed for your spiritual good –and embrace it.

So, here is a question: What will His followers do, those who just hours earlier, promised to suffer and die with Jesus if necessary? They would certainly never leave Him – right?

Mark 14:50-52 – “And they all left him and fled. And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.”

Verses 51 and 52 are additions that no other gospel mentions. In fact, when I came to this passage in Mark to study, I realized that I didn’t even remember this reference being here. There is not a lot of explanation here, so we need to be careful of making too much of it. Many scholars believe that Mark, this gospel’s author, was the young man written of here. In fact, I read of how some believed Mark arrived on the scene there after Jesus was arrested in the early hours of the morning, began to follow Him and then, when confronted by the soldiers, left his sleeping garment in their hands. But, even with this strange addition to the story, the point is that everyone, even this young man determined to stay with Jesus – eventually left. We don’t know everything about why this is here; but what we do know is that it adds to the drama of that moment… of everyone leaving Jesus.

At his lowest moment as a human being, Jesus found Himself all alone. The guys who had promised a few hours before to never leave Him and go to death with Him if necessary – had changed their minds…and ran away. We probably cannot fully understand what Jesus was feeling at that moment; but we can relate to an extent. I am assuming that all of us have had those moments when we felt all alone – no one seemed to understand – no one seemed to care. But, I doubt any of our feelings of loneliness and being deserted by friends can ever come close to what Jesus experienced.

I believe there is a third key point we need to consider here. That Jesus,
As The Son of Man: Jesus understands your pain
He knows what you are going through. A key passage here to illustrate this biblical truth is:

Hebrews 4:15 – “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Yes, He was God. No, He never sinned. However, Jesus, as the Son of Man, went through every kind of temptation and experience of pain, to a greater degree than we ever will, partly for this reason: to help us believe that He knows our pain. You can’t name anything that Jesus can’t understand. He is our high priest in heaven and He can sympathize with us on every level.

I worked with this man closely for a couple of years in ministry. We had become friends. I felt I could trust Him and I shared the reality of my life with Him – including my greatest failures. But, at the moment of greatest vulnerability, this friend, this partner in ministry, turned his back on me. He accused me falsely of things I did not do. He tried to gather support for cutting off my pay and kicking me out of the church as pastor.

I had never felt so betrayed. Yes, Teresa supported me. Yes, I had friends in ministry at that church that knew the truth and supported me. But, if you have ever been in this type of situation, it still feels lonely. It is utterly frustrating to know that lies have been spread, and the damage of rumors have been done; even though they are not true. It hurts deeply to know that one you trusted in decided to abuse your trust and fend for himself. Although I had human support around me, there was nothing like the encouragement I received from Jesus Christ.

In those dark and lonely hours, it was Jesus who really knew what I felt. It was Jesus who understood. It was God who encouraged me with truths from His Word. He lifted my spirits in a way that even my most loyal friends could not. He identified with me. He knew the whole truth. I entrusted myself to Him.

Now, plug your own pain in here. You have faced times of loneliness or betrayal in the past most likely. If you haven’t, be sure that it will come. And in those moments of pain, when everything seems wrong, when no one seems to be on your side, when it seems cloudy, dark and gray – when there seems like no way out. Remember Jesus who said that He understands. Consider what Jesus went through on His way to the cross. Let Him bear the burden of your pain; and know that all is not lost.

Now, Jesus faces his greatest fears, alone, as He faces the religious leaders, who have been plotting and strategizing for one thing – His death.

Mark 14:53 – “And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together.”

Jesus first goes before the religious authorities before He faces the political ones, who then had the power to put Him to death. The religious leaders led Jesus back to Jerusalem to the residence of the high priest, Joseph Caiaphas (Mt. 26:57). According to scholars Walvoord and Zuck:

“The 71 member Sanhedrin, including the presiding high priest, was hastily assembled in an upstairs room for a plenary night session. This was an informal trial that required a formal ratification after dawn to satisfy strict Jewish legal procedure allowing trials only in the daytime. A quorum consisted of 23 members but on this occasion the majority were probably there even though it was around 3 a.m. on a feast day.”

They would have to wait until later in the morning to get any kind of Roman trial, so for now, before opposition from the people could be raised, they needed a hasty religious trial that would somehow support their intentions of killing Jesus. They were so intent on taking this opportunity to rid themselves of Him now, that they were willing to go against their tradition by holding trial on a feast day.

Mark 14:54 – “And Peter had followed him at a distance, right in the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire.”

This is interesting, that the one who spoke most boldly about staying with Jesus until the end, had decided to blend in with the crowd and try to find out what was going on. In fact, he was sitting in the courtyard near where Jesus was being tried, sitting with guards and staying warm by the fire. Mark lets us know that Peter was nearby; that although he had just fled from Jesus, he was probably trying to convince himself that he was still being loyal, as he followed from afar. Mark will get back to him later in the chapter.

Mark 14:55-59 – “Now the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands. Yet even about this their testimony did not agree.”

This is really hard to believe, but it did happen. The Sanhedrin, this group of religious leaders, were looking for evidence, for testimony that would support the death sentence they had already determined in their hearts. However, they weren’t finding anything credible. There were many people eager to be the heroes and say things against Jesus; but unfortunately, they were all false and they couldn’t get witnesses to agree on anything that would stick. There were so many discrepancies that not even this group set against Jesus could take their testimonies seriously. They had to hold to the Law of Moses, where at least 2 people’s testimonies had to match up in agreement.

Finally, they had at least 2 guys who stood up and testified about a statement they said that Jesus made: “I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.” Even though their testimony did not match up here, this kind of statement was so serious that the details of accuracy didn’t matter.

Jesus had made a statement like this (John 2:19) referring to his body; but when he had made the statement, most people assumed he was talking about the actual temple structure. And that, if true, would be a major problem and issue. According to Josephus, the First Century historian, destruction of a worship place was a capital offense in the ancient world. So, if Jesus had threatened to desecrate the temple in this way, the religious leaders would see this as an assault, not only on their religion, but against God and those who worship Him in the temple. It didn’t matter, in this case, that the testimonies of this statement were still not matching up perfectly. This opened the door for Caiaphas the high priest to corner Jesus:

Mark 14:60-62 – “And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you? But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

The High Priest asked Jesus 2 questions in order to find accusation against Him. The first was basically this: What do you have to say about the accusations from these witnesses? What do you have to say for yourself? And Jesus was silent. This, of course, is in keeping with the prophecy from:

Isaiah 53:7- “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”

When it came to false accusations and much of the injustice thrown at Jesus, He did not answer them; but allowed for it to happen. It fulfilled prophecy and proved that Jesus was the suffering servant, the silent lamb, here to be sacrificed for the sins of the world. But, then the high priest asks a direct 2nd question, and Jesus was willing to answer it directly.

The question: Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? What is he really asking? Since Christ was a reference to the promised Messiah, prophesied from the Old Testament as the One who would be sent by God to save His people from their sins; and since Blessed or Blessed One here is a reference to God the Father, He is asking this:

Are you truly the One sent by God to be our Messiah, our Savior? And Jesus answered directly: I am. In saying this, He was not only confirming Himself to be the promised Messiah, but He is using the same words He used in another context to identify Himself with God, and as God. I am brings back memories for the Jewish people of the time when God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and when Moses asked God about what whom he should say sent him, God answered: I AM has sent you. When Jesus used this phrase: I am, He was also identifying Himself as God, who had no beginning and no ending. He also, was God the Son, and as such, was sent by God the Father to accomplish this mission.

Jesus continued on to say that they would know this for sure one day when they were judged by Him. He was not trying to say that this crowd would necessary see all of this take place (we know they didn’t); but that future Jews would see it, and all of those there that rejected Jesus would see Him judge them one day, after they were resurrected. On that day, those judging Jesus now would be judged by Him; and then they would know the truth: He was the promised Messiah. The Bible tells us that all people, even non-believers will one day recognize this and respond:

Philippians 2:10,11 – “So that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Mark 14:63-65 – “And the high priest tore his garments and said, What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision? And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, Prophesy! And the guards received him with blows.”

That was all the High Priest needed to hear. In tearing his inner garments, he was showing that what Jesus just said was blasphemy. In his opinion, Jesus was dishonoring God by claiming to be sent by Him and claiming His powers. So, the high priest, in a demonstrative way, urged the Sanhedrin court to make their decision, even though all of the witnesses had been contradictory. “You have heard Him blaspheme with your own ears. We don’t need any more witnesses. Find Him guilty now and give him the death penalty. And that is exactly what they did.

Some who were there felt free to begin abusing Jesus, by spitting on him (what could be more degrading?), and hitting him. The mocking began as well. They would cover his eyes, have someone hit him; and then ask: So, tell us, great prophet – who was it that hit you? The suffering, that Jesus knew was coming, that He had prayed for God to remove Him from, had begun in full force. And it would get worse.

SO WHAT?
I’m going to let you determine that. You have heard the message. You have read and listened to God’s Word. You have seen some of the biblical principles illustrated here; and you have heard my suggestions on how to apply it. Now, you determine, as you pray, what specifically are you supposed to do in response to God’s Word this morning. That is what you can write down. That is what you can discuss tonight in life group.

Take this time, as the song plays, to consider your response.