A Journey to the Cross wk 2 Jesus' Accusers
Notes
Transcript
Jesus’ Accusers - A Journey to the Cross wk 2
Jesus’ Accusers - A Journey to the Cross wk 2
Last week we started the series A Journey to the Cross, as we looked in Mark 14:32-52 as Jesus prepared for the up coming events with prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.
In the Garden, Jesus prayed not His will but the will of the Father. Three times Jesus called on the inner circle of disciples, Peter, James, and John to pray and be alert. Then Jesus was met by His betrayer, Judas Iscariot who turned Jesus over to the Jewish Officials.
This morning we are going to look at Jesus’ Accusers as they have a hard time finding reliable testimonies against Jesus, the High Priest then questions Jesus and the Jewish Officials bring false charges against Jesus.
This morning we will continue look in Mark 14 at verses 53-65.
The first set of Scripture we will look at is verses 53-59.
53 They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together.
54 Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire.
55 Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any.
56 For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent.
57 Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying,
58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’ ”
59 Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent.
Pray
Pray
I. No Testimony.
I. No Testimony.
Upon being betrayed and arrest, Jesus is taken to the High Priest, all the chief priests, and all the other Jewish officials.
The Chief Priest and all the Jewish officials were trying to find testimonies against Jesus that would uphold, when it came time to present Jesus before the Roman authorities.
The Jewish Officials were looking for the death penalty, but were not finding any reliable testimonies.
We are told that many were giving false testimony, but none of the testimonies were consistent.
I imagine we have all had people falsely accuse us of things, and it is sad that when false accusations are made, that none of the testimonies are consistent but people still will listen.
This makes me think of what is said in 1 John 1:5-7
5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
As we are followers of Jesus, the world will hate us and be against us, as Jesus stated in Mark 13:13
13 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
People were giving all kinds of false testimonies against Jesus, and just as they falsely accused Jesus, as His followers people will do the same to us.
II. The High Priest Questioning.
II. The High Priest Questioning.
60 The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?”
61 But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”
62 And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
As Jesus stands there and hears all these false accusations against Him, the high priest asked Jesus are you not going to give an answer.
Another words are you not going to defend Yourself.
Are you not going to set the record straight.
But this was all to fulfill Scripture: Isaiah 53:7
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
As Jesus remained quiet the high priest then asked: Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?
After being asked that question Jesus responds with Mark 14:62
62 And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
The reason the high priest asked this question was so that they could use Jesus’ answer to accuse Him and charge Him.
There are times when people will asks us questions, not out of sincerity but for false claims, for a way of pointing their finger at us.
People may ask us if we are Christians, then when we answer, they may make a statement like, well Christians are not supposed to act that way, or a Christian should be or do something specific.
They did not ask the question to know anything about us, or about Christianity, but so that they could falsely accuse us.
III. False Charges
III. False Charges
63 Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses?
64 “You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.
65 Some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in the face.
After hearing Jesus’ response to the question that He was asked by the High Priest, the High Priest gets angry and tears his clothes, and states, what further need do we have of witnesses?
The High Priest says that Jesus has committed blasphemy by stating that He is the Son of Man.
Because of this charge, the entire Jewish council, all the officials condemn Jesus to a sentence of death.
Once this charge was made, the Jewish officials, and the temple police began to down grade Jesus.
Some spit at Him, now to me that is one of the most disrespectful things a person can do is spit on you.
They also blindfolded Him and hit Him with their fist and slap Him in the face.
They continue their disrespect and harassment telling Jesus to prophecy.
This once again is to fulfill prophecy, as seen in Isaiah 53:3-5
3 He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
As we look to Jesus as our Savior, our Lord and our example for life, we must remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:38-39
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’
39 “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
In a sense Jesus has given us an example of this in our text there in Mark.
As the officials, spit, hit and slap Him, Jesus just stands there and takes the false charges against Him.
We need to remember that we are told not to take vengeance in our own hands but leave it to God, as He will take care of it.
19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
It is not our job to bring vengeance but it is our job to love as Jesus loves.
Again in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, in Matthew 5:43-45
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
People can be drawn to Jesus, when we allow the love of Jesus to shine through us.
As it is stated in Romans there, when we show love to those that are trying to hate us, we will heap coals on their head, that is coals of love and of the gospel.
Jesus stood and took the disrespect, and the taunting by the Officials.
But Jesus also knew that God the Father would have vengeance in His timing.
We must learn that the world is going to hate us, falsely accuse us, disrespect us, taunt us, and just down right be nasty to us.
But as we have seen Jesus more or less turned the other cheek, we must also not rebuttal these things, but continue to show love.
I think of Stephen in this, he preached to the Jewish officials, but they became angry and drove him out of the city.
They were not satisfied with that so they began to stone Stephen, and as Stephen is filled with the Holy Spirit he states he sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God the Father.
As Stephen is dying, it is stated what happened in Acts 7:59-60
59 They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”
60 Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.
Hear what Stephen said there as he was actively dying from being stoned by the Jewish Officials, he cries out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!
Jesus also makes a similar cry when hanging on the cross.
Stephen and Jesus did not want these sins held against those killing them, because as Jesus has called us too, we must love our enemies, and that means to the point of asking God the Father not to hold the sins against them, but wanting it to be possible for their salvation.
The salvation of others must be more important than even our own lives, as the salvation of the lost world is God’s mission for us as His followers.
I ask today, have you accepted that salvation.
Have you made Jesus the Lord of your life, and have a intimate relationship with Jesus?
If not then today is the day of salvation, as we are not guaranteed tomorrow.