The Just… for the Unjust
Mark 14:53-65
Introduction: In his commentary on Mark, R.C. Sproul said,
“It is unthinkable that the Messiah, the
Ruler and Sustainer of the universe, should be subjected to a trial by mere men…”
(Mark, p. 382). Of course, Jesus spoke only truth, He never sinned, He
was guilty of nothing. The injustice of this procedure is evident at every
point: His accusers are guilty, Jesus is without sin, innocent, righteous,
holy… The Law required honest testimony, and fair trials. We read in Leviticus
19:15-16,
15 "You shall do no injustice in
court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in
righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.
16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people,
and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.
Do you remember how this chapter started? We
read in 14:1,
It was now two days before the Passover... And
the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and
kill him…
Their minds were made up. There would be no fair investigation of the
truth. They were determined not only to arrest Him, but they were determined to
kill Him. Until now Jesus has kept full disclosure of His identity low key,
revealed only to a few. Now it will come front and center. This is why He came…
The BIG Idea: Jesus, Messiah, Son of Man, and Son of God, willingly
endured injustice at the hands of men, so that we could be justified before
God.
I. The Illegal
convening of the Sanhedrin: At night,
in darkness (53-54).
53 And they led Jesus to the high
priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together.
54 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.
The moment the leaders of the Jews had long been planning was at
hand. The brought Jesus under the cover
of darkness to the home of the High Priest, Caiaphas. We know from comparing
the other Gospels that there was an initial stop at the home of the “High
Priest Emeritus,” Annas. Mark doesn’t give that detail. Now, rather than taking Jesus to the Chamber
where the Sanhedrin traditionally met, they brought Him to the home of the
High Priest, Caiaphas, and “all the chief
priests and the elders and the scribes came together.” This is described as
“the whole council” in v.55, so this
is likely a meeting of the Sanhedrin. It doesn’t necessarily mean all were there,
but at least enough for a quorum. The
Sanhedrin was not supposed to meet during the feast, or at night. But here they
were. The timing of their actions also seem symbolic, they are acting in the
darkness, and spiritually speaking, they are in the darkness.
Peter warms himself by the fire with the
guards… (Mark will return to Peter
after this scene). Think about it, this is Peter, the Rock, the one who
said “though they all desert you, I will
never leave you, I will die with you…” Now he is there, blending in with
the guards and others present in the High Priest’s courtyard… sitting by the
fire and warming himself. Peter, who had boasted that he would die rather than
deny Him. Now Jesus is being spit on and beaten and mocked, and Peter is
sitting quietly by, between a guard and a servant girl! Perhaps close enough to see and hear what is
happening but unwilling to stand up and be identified with Christ. Before we
judge Peter, we should ask ourselves, are we content to “blend in” with the
world? Are we comfortable going through life without drawing too much
attention? Enjoying the warmth of the fire, rather than risking being “exposed”
as a Christ-follower? R.C. Sproul similarly asked,
Are you following Jesus from a distance? Do
the people with whom you interact each day know that you are a Christian? I am
not asking whether you wear your Christianity on your sleeve and make a pest of
yourself to your friends and coworkers. I am simply asking whether they know
where your allegiance lies. If they do not, perhaps you are keeping a safe
distance from your Savior” (Mark p.
382).
Remember His invitation in chapter 8, “If anyone would be my disciple, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross and follow me…” That leaves no room for
“easy believism.” It is a radical call to discipleship, a call to count the
cost of being a Christ-follower. It means loving Him more than the world, more
than life! *He showed us His love, He endured injustice at the hands of men so
that we could be justified before God.
II. The Injustice
of false-witnesses (55-61a). They
had pre-determined the outcome they desired, and clearly felt the end justified
the means. Their intentions expressed in 14:1 are now in the process of being
carried out. Read 55-57…
55 Now the chief priests and the whole
Council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they
found none. 56 For many bore
false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. 57And
some stood up and bore false witness against him…
Mark tells us that the chief priests and the “whole Council” were
seeking testimony to justify putting Jesus to death. This was no fair trial, no
objective inquiry. They were not investigating the facts or seeking truth. They
had made up their minds long ago that Jesus had to go. And they were not going
to miss this opportunity. They were not seeking truthful witnesses, they were seeking testimony to put Him to death…
Our minds are made up, let’s invent a narrative to get it done! So they enlist
false witnesses as we see in 14:58 ff…
58 "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.'"
59 Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. 60 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?"
61 But he remained silent and made no answer.
False witnesses were bought forth, but they contradicted each other.
They needed corroborating witnesses but they all apparently had differing
stories! Some of them said that Jesus had spoken against the Temple. What had Jesus said about the Temple? In the
previous chapter (13) He had predicted its destruction, and back in John 2, at
the outset of His public ministry, He had used the figure of the Temple
metaphorically, to speak of His coming death and resurrection. Let’s read a few
of those verses…
Mark
13:1-2 And as
he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look,
Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" 2 And Jesus said to him, "Do
you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon
another that will not be thrown down."
He was clearly prophesying the future
destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, which would be razed by the Romans in
AD 70. In this discourse on the Mount of Olives He didn’t say that HE would
destroy the Temple, only that it would be leveled. And that is exactly what
happened. Back in John 2 there was a different exchange. After cleansing the
Temple for the first time, near the outset of His public ministry, the Jewish
leaders challenged His authority for doing such a thing…
John
2:18-21 So, the
Jews said to him, "What sign do you show us for doing these
things?" 19 Jesus
answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it
up." 20 The Jews then
said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you
raise it up in three days?" 21
But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Here it seems Jesus is intentionally veiling a
prophesy of His death and resurrection.
In the context John says that only after the resurrection would the
disciples “remember” that He had said these things. In John 2:21 he lets the
reader have a little more information, i.e.,
He was speaking not about the physical building, but about His body.
It seems these false witnesses are mixing up these two different
prophecies which had two different referents. And in neither case did Jesus say
He would be the one to destroy the temple!
V.61 tells us that Jesus did not respond to these convoluted, false
charges. He remained silent, which evokes the description of the Servant in
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.” (Isa 53:7).
That beautiful chapter describes the
righteous, suffering, servant. He was willing to be the Lamb led to the
slaughter. The testimony of these so-called witnesses collapsed on itself, one
contradicted the other. Without corroboration in a capital case there could be
no conviction. Jesus, like a lamb being led to slaughter, remained silent. *He
endured injustice at the hands of men so that we could be justified before God.
III. One Isolated
Witness Spoke Truthfully: Jesus
responds to the direct question of the High Priest (61b-62). Who do you claim to be?
Again, the high priest asked him, "Are
you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"
62 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."
“I AM,”
Messiah and “Son of God” rightly defined… The High Priest was
clearly frustrated by the inability of their false-witnesses to get their
stories straight. And so, he switches to another tactic, to seek to get Jesus
to say something that they could use against Him, to catch Him in His own
words. And he gets right to the point: “Are
you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” These titles are used in parallel.
“Christ” is the Greek translation of
the word “Messiah,” the “Anointed One.” The High Priest further
asks, “Are you the Christ, the son of
the Blessed?” What the High Priest meant by that second title was “Son of God.” This was an example to the
Jewish practice of avoiding saying the name of God. They would use phrases like
“Kingdom of Heaven” rather than saying “Kingdom of God,” or, as
here, “Son of the Blessed,” in
place of “Son of God.” He is asking, “Who do you claim to be?” Are you
the Messiah, the Promised One of Israel?”
Until now, as Mark has been telling the story of Jesus, he is showing us
that when people came to understand who Jesus was, almost always He told them
to keep it to themselves. In the light of the full context of the Gospel we can
see that He was saying, “Keep it to yourself for now.” That is,
until the right time. This so-called “messianic secret” was part of Him
controlling the unfolding of His story. His teaching and the miracles that He
did bore witness to who He is. Yet He guarded the flow of information. Even
back in chapter 8, when Peter, speaking for the twelve said “You are the Christ,” Jesus’ immediately
warned them not to tell anyone about Him (Mk 8:29,30). Why? Revealing His
identity too soon would precipitate more opposition and even violence at the
hands of the leaders. It wasn’t time yet for them to be His witnesses.
But the hour had now come, and He, the True Witness, speaks.
Are You
the Son of the Blessed? Who are
you, Jesus? Mark here includes for us Jesus direct answer to that question in
His response to the High Priest. The answer He gives was the truth. His answer
has at least three components indicating the full and correct understanding of
the person of the Messiah. Are you the
Christ, the Son of the Blessed? Jesus answer is affirmative, but I think He
is saying more, essentially challenging the High Priest’s understanding of the
person and nature of the Messiah…
1) “I
AM…” Remember the historical context, Jesus had just revealed His
authority as the great I AM when the contingent appeared to arrest Him (Jn
18:5,6). Against that background, He says the same thing here: “I AM.” The God who spoke to Moses from
the burning bush stood before the ruler of the people, incarnate, the Promised One
and the Hope of Israel, and was not recognized by him! It seems to me that
Jesus is saying more than “yes” in answering the High Priest with these words.
2) You will see… the Son of Man seated at the right hand of
Power… (He alludes there to Psalm 110:1; “The LORD said to my Lord,
sit at my right hand until I make the nations a footstool for your feet…”
). The Son seated at the right hand of God, called “Lord” by David, and so
clearly greater than him… Who’s Son is He? The Son of God!
3)
Jesus also makes reference to Dan
7:13,14 when he describes the Son of Man…
coming on the clouds of heaven... We
read in Daniel 7,
Daniel
7:13-14 13
I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came
one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented
before him. 14 And to him was
given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and
languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which
shall not pass away...
Jesus alludes to this vision of Daniel, and
this messianic figure coming on the clouds of heaven and being given an eternal
kingdom. He is speaking to the religious leader of the Jews, essentially
saying yes, I am the Messiah, but do you understand what that really means?
The great I AM, the Son of God, the Son of Man! He knew how the religious leaders would
respond to this straight forward declaration! He gave a true witness, even
though He knew their minds were made up. *It is why He came, to endure
injustice at the hands of men so that we could be justified before God.
IV. The Illegitimate
Judge: The High Priest Disqualified Himself
in tearing his robe and unjustly condemning Jesus for blasphemy (63-65).
63 And the high priest tore his garments
and said, "What further witnesses do we need? 64 You have heard his blasphemy.
What is your decision?" And they all condemned him as deserving death. 65 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.
The irony here is overwhelming. A human
“judge” charging the Creator of the Universe, God the Son, the One who knows
the hearts of will judge the souls of every human, with blasphemy!? That
is the highest form of blasphemy imaginable!
“…tore
his garments… (See Lev. 21:10). This action by the High Priest was
intended to indicate His righteous indignation at what he considered the
blasphemous answer of Jesus. The Law actually prohibited the tearing of the
High Priest’s garments (Lev 21:10). [The soldiers would later cast lots for
Jesus’ garment, it would not be torn!]. The Mishnah permitted it only in
the case of blasphemy. That is the claim
here, not that claiming to be the messiah would be blasphemous in itself. Seemingly
the High Priest discerns that Jesus is claiming more than that… His claim to be
the Son of God is to be understood as a claim to deity. Did he hear the
expression “I AM” in its fullest sense? Did He understand what Jesus was
implying by calling Himself God’s Son? If so, he was right about Jesus’
claim, but totally wrong in rejecting Him. Jesus was the one, truthful
witness who testified that day! The only blasphemy that day was the leaders
rejecting Him, beating and mocking Him, sentencing Him to death. By the way,
the Law required that blasphemers by stoned (Lev 24:15,16). But the Romans did
not authorize the Jews to carry out capital punishment. So, the High Priest had
to manipulate the situation so that the Roman authorities would carry out his
bidding. A thousand years earlier God had inspired David to write out a psalm,
Psalm 22, that perfectly described a crucifixion!
See Mark 8:31; 10:34, as he had prophesied…
Jesus had predicted, specifically that the leaders would reject Him, mock Him,
even spit on Him (cf. Isa 50:6). And yes, He would be tortured and put to
death. But that wasn’t the end of the story. He would rise on the third day!
What is God
saying to me in this passage?
The Big Idea in this passage is that *Jesus willingly endured injustice at the
hands of men so that we could be justified before God.
What would
God have me to do in response to this passage?
1) Let’s
start with Peter warming himself by the fire, next to the guard. Do we
sometimes stay silent, and fail to be a voice for righteousness, failing to
hold forth the Gospel? Lord forgive us! Consider what He willingly endured for
us. The Just suffering for the unjust, so that we could be forgiven, reconciled
to God. We are His witnesses!
2)
When life seems out of control, be encouraged that Jesus is in control. The
leaders thought they had the upper hand, but they could only do what God
allowed, for His purpose. Jesus willingly endured injustice before men, so that
we could be justified, declared righteous, before God. Remember what Jesus
endured for us! There will not always be justice in this life – but know this: Jesus
came to undo the Fall! And He has revealed to us the end of the story: Spoiler
alert: Jesus wins! And so do we, if we are His.
3)
As we reflect on what He endured for us, He suffered and died so that we could
be forgiven. Let’s remember, and prepare our hearts to worship at the Table. AMEN.
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