The religious leaders took Jesus to the high priests after they arrested Him in Gethsemane. The time was now around 5 am. All the religious leaders and elders were there to accuse Jesus of wrongdoing. However, they could not find any accusation against Jesus. All the witnesses tried to come up with something, but their testimonies were not consistent. Deuteronomy 19:15-19 says, "One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you." The high priest was no longer doing his job to ensure that the trial aligned with the Word of God because he was ignoring to punish the false witnesses. Jesus was not responding or saying anything against their false witnesses because they weren't true.
However, when the high priest asked Jesus if He was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One. Jesus responded, "I am and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of Heaven" (Mark 14:53-65). Jesus only spoke when they questioned His identity. Jesus told them about His second coming in the future. Although the high priest and the elders at that time were already dead, their souls will witness His second coming. And this is true for all of us today. Many people are rejecting Jesus Christ today, but there will come a day when they will see Jesus as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and by then, it will be too late for them. Right after Jesus answered them, they accused Jesus of blasphemy. Blasphemy is falsely claiming to be God. Since they did not believe that Jesus was God, they accused Him of blasphemy. They then began beating, hitting Jesus with their fists, and spitting on Him.
Jesus had never done anything wrong, and the only reason that they accused Him of blasphemy was that they did not believe in Him as their Savior and God. However, in the end, all living and the dead will see Jesus sitting on His throne next to the Father in Heaven, reigning as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that He is God. Let us be encouraged today that our Lord Jesus is our King, and He will return to take us to be with Him and reign with Him forever.
Ask yourself these questions: What was the reason they arrested Jesus? What will I say if someone asks me who Jesus is? Do I believe in my heart that Jesus is my Lord and Savior?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank you for the devotion for today. Just as the religious leaders rejected Jesus, many people are also rejecting Him today. I pray that those close to me, my family and friends who do not know you yet, will come to know you personally. Please help and give me the courage and opportunity to talk to them about my faith in Jesus. In Your name Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Comments