Mark 14:53-65
And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the
elders and the scribes came together. And Peter had followed him at a distance,
right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards
and warming himself at the fire. 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. 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." 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.
It is
absolutely important that we know our Saviour. The passage before us identifies
Jesus positively as the sinless Christ the Son of the Blessed (v.61). He
identified Himself as the Son of Man (v. 62). This is important, to know if
indeed ours is the true salvation, based on firm Scriptural evidence. Unless
this is known for sure, we risk neglecting such a great salvation. The identity
of Jesus is of uttermost importance to us. This passage reveals it so clearly –
The question of Caiphas to Jesus is the hinge upon which we hang today’s
message, for the answer that Jesus gave revealed His identity than ever before.
In one instance He bared His identity to the Sanhedrin in the way He had never
done, leaving no doubt who He is - "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."
What
is described here is the first trial of Jesus by the religious council, called
the Sanhedrin. Remember that this took place after the preliminary
interrogation by Annas, the recently retired high priest. So when he was
arrested at Gethsemane, He was first of all taken to the house of Annas, and
then at least 23 of the 70 members of the Sanhedrin were assembled at the house
of Caiaphas, the high priest and son-in-law of Annas.
The
whole council (v.55) must not be taken literally since we know that a few
members of the Sanhedrin were absent, like Joseph of Arimathea and possibly
Nicodemus. Mark’s intention is to indicate clearly that the court met in
plenary session. According to the Mishnah the presence of 23 members constituted
the quorum.[1]
1.
Jesus is sinless
The
first thing we notice in these verses is the fact that the Lord Jesus, was
unspotted, unblemished, and blameless. Attempts were made to obtain evidence
against him, witnesses were obtained and coached in order that they may fix
this Galilean for once and for all, to
put him to death, but they found none
(v.55). While in this verse their evil intention of killing Jesus is
unveiled, yet, the most remarkable thing is that they did not found him
culpable of any of the charges that they had levelled against. These men knew
that they did not find any reason to sentence Him to death.
Furthermore, when the witnesses were
produced, the quality of their testimony was wanting. For all those who bore
witness against Him, only bore false witness (v. 57). For this reason, their testimony did not agree
(v.56). Even when the charge of the statement of Jesus which they
quoted (v.58) that Jesus had said, '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 (vv.58-59). Mark
highlights this because we all know that once the testimony of the witness
fails the corroboration factor, then it has to be dismissed. The statement
about the temple may have had some truth, but as soon as witnesses fail to
agree, the witness is impaired and this is the point Mark is making here. Consequently,
the chief priests, the elders and the scribes were responsible and blameworthy
in the matter of the death of Jesus. Jesus had said as much in Matthew 23:29-36
Actually, the truth about the temple
statement is that Jesus had answered them, "Destroy
this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." John
2:19. Clearly He did not say that He will personally destroy any temple,
rather that He will raise it up in three days, and so there is no criminal
activity in this accusation – unless He had indeed said that He would destroy
the property (this is a civil suit). If they could prove his guilty on this
matter, then the Romans could take it up, for the Sanhedrin had no legal
mandate to trial a civil suit. But we see that even about this, there was no
agreement in the witness.
The other important aspect of Jesus
highlighted in this passage is that He did not answer them. Since these were
fabricated stories, the Lord did not see any point in responding to them,
proving His innocence before men, and demonstrating His passive obedience to
the Father!
This silence enraged the high priest who
stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have
you no answer to make?” But He remained silent and made no answer
(vv.60-61). In His silence, He gave an answer that they were too deaf to
hear –
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. Isa 53:7.
And again,
He committed
no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 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. 1Peter
2:22-23. And again, the earthly high priest put on trial the heavenly and
eternal great High Priest. But we know,
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. Hebrews 4:15.
The
fact that the Lord did not have any sin is absolutely necessary, for the lamb sacrificed
for the sins of people had to be a male without blemish, unspotted, and
undefiled. Remember that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of
the world, and so He has cleansed us from our sins by His precious blood, like
that of a Lamb without blemish or spot (1 Peter 1:19). For this reason, the
sacrifice being prepared is acceptable by God, and it is effective for cleaning
the sins of the people.
For
the absolutely sinless One to be subjected to a trial conducted by sinful men
was itself a deep humiliation. To be tried by such men, under such
circumstances made it infinitely worse… the entire trial was a farce, a
mis-trial[2].
Notice how illegal this trial was:
1)
They bribed Judas to betray Him (vv.
10-11)
2)
It was conducted at night (v.17)
3)
Outside the temple (vv.53, 54)
4)
It was on the eve of the Passover
against the regulations
5)
Bribed the witnesses to bear false
witness (vv. 56-59)
6)
They demanded Jesus to incriminate
Himself (v. 60)
7)
The sentence was pronounced before conviction
(v.64)
To
cover up this, they stamped the papers and so endorsed the decision of the
night in the morning, for public relations.
Because the sinless Saviour died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.
2.
Jesus is the Christ
Caiphas’ question was, "Are you the Christ…? This was going to be the most decisive question of the day since all the
other tactics had miscarried. Obviously, the question is suggestive. It was a
leading question. This was such an important matter that, the high priest put
Jesus under oath (Matt. 26:63). And Jesus’ response was as clear as the noonday.
For without any hesitation, Mark records,
“And Jesus said, "I am..." The point is made since Jesus admitted
that He is the Christ. This was incredible in the eyes of the council, but it
was a sufficient evidence against Him.
The
long awaited Messiah is here, before their eyes. He is a man, that they had
well known, or so they thought. He is a man who in every way, according to
them, is a ‘weakling and helpless’. The sort of a Messiah that they were
expecting, and that they thought they needed, was in every way unlike the man
before them. According to them, Jesus was taking them for a ride and they would
not accept it. For they wanted a conquering Lion of Judah, who would overturn
the Roman rule and establish a political kingdom of God and rule from
Jerusalem. But they did not realize that the Messiah was first to come as the
sin-atoning Lamb, in order to bring them salvation. Since the warrior and the
champion was not before them, they rejected Jesus Christ, He became their
stumbling block and they rejected the very stone that was the capstone.
As
soon as 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." This utterance in the eyes of the chief priest was
tantamount to blasphemy and a clear indication that He was to be sentenced to
death. The Lord admitted to be the Son of God in the highest exalted sense.
Actually, He had claimed divine prerogatives and so He was either guilty of
blasphemy or He was speaking the truth – but nothing was done to establish what
is the truth. This is what C.S. Lewis has called trilemma – Jesus was either a
lunatic, a liar or the Lord. But we all know without any shred of doubt that He
is the Lord.
But
Jesus is not the Christ because He was declared by some ecclesiastical council
or authority. He is the Christ because God appointed Him and after all, His
ministry had proved the point for those who are interested to see. For this
reason, when the time came to declare His identity, He did no hide it, but
spoke clearly, boldly without no reservation or hesitation. They may have
condemned Him to death illegally, or said that He deserved death, spit on Him,
blindfolded Him, struck Him, yet all these served the eternal cause of proving
that this is indeed the Suffering Servant of the Lord. No amount of mockery,
contempt or blows from the temple guards could reverse the fact that Jesus is
the Christ.
That Son of man who at the
moment, before the eyes of the Sanhedrin appeared so mean and despicable and so
that they trampled upon him, spit on Him and rained blows on Him. But He would
soon be seen appearing in majesty. Of course His present appearance did not
have any resemblance to what He talked about, for at the time he was under the
worst of humiliation. He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and
no beauty that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man
of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their
faces he was despised and we esteemed Him not (Isa. 53:2b-3). But we know that
through the thickest cloud of his humiliation some rays of glory were still
darted forth. But these chief priests were so miserably blinded with malice and
rage, that, like the horse rushing into the battle, they mocked at fear, and
were not affrighted, neither believed they that it was the sound of the
trumpet of His coming in judgment.[3]
3.
Jesus Is the Son of God
The Lord answered the question asked by
Caiphas, "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."
In this answer, He was saying, I am both the Christ and the Christ, being both
fully God’s Son and fully Son of Man.
It interesting to note that when the high
priest heard the response of Jesus he tore his clothes in supposed mourning, as
a public show, while deep within it was in celebration now that he had found a
handle to execute his venom on the Son of God. It was a sign of official
detestation and abhorrence at the blasphemy supposed to have been uttered.[4]
For this reason, in his opinion there was no need for further witness – He had
self-condemned Himself! His malicious venom was unveiled to all and sundry. And
this is what we see even now – there are many who would not have Christ because
they don’t see the glory of the Blessed. Yet He is our Great God and Saviour
(Titus 2:13)
But you wonder, why was the statement of Christ
blasphemous before the high priest? The statement of Jesus was a blasphemy
because He had said that He is, ‘the Son of the Blessed’ (v.61) and had claimed
powers that only God possess – only God according to them could come with the
clouds of heaven. (v.62)
What
proof did Jesus produce that He is indeed the Son of God? He gave a double
proof:
a) He will be seated at the right hand of Power, meaning that He will
occupy the most exalted place. The throne of God, is His. Notice how He spoke
like a typical Jew, circumventing to mention the Name of God, something that
was forbidden by the Jews. He instead called God, ‘Power’ just as the high
priest had earlier on called God, ‘the Blessed’.
b) He will come a second time with the clouds of heaven. Who else can do
this? Only God is capable of coming to judge universally with all the sovereign
power and with the clouds of heaven (His dwelling place). Therefore the Lord
had given them sufficient reasons for the charge of blasphemy if it was not
true.
While this eternal reality did not dawn on
them, they nonetheless went on to abuse and make sport of our Saviour in the
same manner, if not worse, the Philistines mocked Samson, to their own
destruction.
He had
both a confession and a stern warning for them. In this response, the Lord
alluded to three OT Messianic passages in order to demonstrate to them that He
was coming as the Judge of all the earth – Isaiah 52:8; Psalm 110:1; Daniel 7:13. While they were now
in a state of glee judging Him, tables would soon be overturned and they would
be before Him as the Judge! Jesus
is no doubt coming back to establish His kingdom that cannot be shaken, there
are those who are in it now. But those who have continued to mock Him, and
scoff at His second coming, as Peter records in 2 Peter 3:3-9.
Applications
1.
Here we learn
humility as the attitude of facing suffering. The Lord, the glorious Lord, did not gloat over His
position. He did not insist on His own way. Instead, in humility He agreed to
be humbled, to become like a lamb, to come on earth and to face wrath of God,
so that He might bring us to salvation. “Have this
mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in
the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but
emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of
men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to
the point of death, even death on a cross”. Php 2:5-8.
2.
We must never think that pressure from persecution or suffering is a
reason for sinning. The Lord did not threaten
or revile or even contemplate retaliation. For we read, “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. He committed no
sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 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. He himself bore our sins in his
body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his
wounds you have been healed.” 1Pe
2:21-24.
3.
There is no doubt that
Christ is coming back, not as a Lamb but as a roaring conquering Lion of Judah. He is coming to establish
His eternal Kingdom. Are you prepared to meet Him? Are you ready for His
appearing? You can only be ready, if you will be found in Him, not having a
righteousness of your own that comes by the law, but the righteousness that comes
through and by faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on
faith.
4.
Since Jesus is the Christ,
and the Son of God then you must believe Him, thank Him, worship Him. It is not for nothing
that you are hearing this message – it is so that you will not fall into the
same pitfall as the Jews who rejected their hope. You who is an unbeliever, you
have heard this so that you may know Christ, the Saviour of sinners. You who
has been redeemed from your sins and from the wrath to come, you should be
profusely thankful and grateful. You are to live in a manner that offers
worship to Him. Like Thomas when He learnt that Jesus is the Christ, we are to
cry, “MY LORD, AND MY GOD!”
