Spat on, Beaten, and Slapped

Betrayed by the World: Jesus Christ was Rejected and We will be, too!

Bible Passage: Matthew 26:59–68

Big Idea: Even when facing rejection and suffering in a world that opposes Christ, we are called to remain steadfast in our faith, remembering that Christ Himself endured much more for our sake.

Sticky Statement: Stand up for the One who stood up for you

Open: The old hymn proudly admonishes us to “Stand up for Jesus!” And while it does not come right out and say it, it strongly implies that life IS a battle. The final verse says:

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, The strife will not be long; This day the noise of battle, The next the victor's song. To those who vanquish evil A crown of life shall be; They with the King of Glory Shall reign eternally.

Today, we will look at Jesus facing condemnation. We will look at the suffering He endured. We will remember His ominous words that people will hate us for loving Him. And we will look at what He hopes and longs for from us in our lives.

Recommended Study:

As you prepare your sermon, consider exploring the historical context of the Sanhedrin's trial proceedings in Logos.

Delve into the Old Testament prophecies that foreshadow Christ’s rejection, such as Isaiah 53.

1. Fabricated Falsehoods

Matthew 26:59–62

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 26

59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin

Should the facts lead to a story or a story choose the facts we hear?

Ferguson “witnesses”

Here, too, conflicting witnesses

False “Christian beliefs”

God sends people to Hell

Prosperity gospel

Self-righteous Christians

Brandon Scott “It is amazing how much light the original source sheds upon itself”

Jesus stood silent in light of the false accusations, even when goaded! Its almost like He turned the other cheek to the authorities.

Chinese proverb: “Three things can not long be hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

Trans: False witnesses are more and more common. Whether due to misinformation, lack of information, or, in some cases, a mind that will not hear truth, we see more and more unreliable and false witness daily. To avoid contributing to that , we need to stand firm like Jesus. We need to stand up like He did. You need to stand up for the One who stood up for you!

Let’s see what that looked like.

2. Boldly Borne Witness

Matthew 26:63–64

Jesus’ story was told before He ever walked this Earth. Isaiah wrote:

Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not open his mouth.

Often, our best response to lies or distortions is silence. The saying goes, “better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove any doubt.” Jesus listened to the lies, the slander, the hatred directed at Him, and silently, He took it all.

Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him.

Caiaphas could take no more: ARE YOU THE SON OF GOD?!?

Jesus’ cryptic answer-

Daniel 7:13 “I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him.”

Psalm 110:1 “This is the declaration of the Lord to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each according to what he has done.”

He could have said yes. But that was not His way. Instead, like a great teacher, He showed them the evidence and asked them to come to a verdict — And that they did!

Ferguson facts — 2 grand juries!

Officer Wilson stood firm, and truth came out

Here, Jesus models the courage needed to stand firm in the truth, despite hostile surroundings. This assurance in His divine role invites us to boldly profess our faith, trusting that our identity in Christ transcends worldly judgment.

It should encourage us to stand up for the one who stood up for us!

Trans: Jesus knew that the crowd did not want to hear the truth. He knew that the truth would lead to His condemnation and death. He understood the realities of rejection.

3. Rejection's Realities

Matthew 26:65–68

BLASPHEMY! —

An American Dictionary of the English Language BLASPHEMY

An indignity offered to God by words or writing; reproachful, contemptuous or irreverent words uttered impiously against Jehovah.

Caiaphas and us have something in common, or, at least, we ought to have in common that we hate blasphemy. Anything that mocks or belittles our God should be offensive. Even more so when it comes from brothers and sisters in the faith!

But, Caiaphas had his mind made up. We, I pray, listen. I truly hope that, if we had been there, that we would have stood with Jesus. But, the truth is, even the Twelve (Eleven) were scattered. Caiaphas took Jesus’ words as a lie, not as truth, and condemned Him.

Tearing the robes was a traditional sign of extreme anguish or of receiving extremely bad news. Caiaphas heard the precious name of the Lord being taken in a way he could not understand, and to him, it was a blow to the faith! It was a major insult that this backwater hick, this nothing of a workman turned rabbi, this impudent nobody DARED to equate himself to the Lord God.

Side question: how much are you bothered by hearing the Lord’s name misused, abused, and thrown around without reverence?

Jesus warned us that association with Him could lead to us being in similar circumstances.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 10

He told them, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest. 3 Now go; I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 10

22 You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. For truly I tell you, you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

In North Korea, the penalty for owning a Bible is public execution

In sub-Saharan countries, just being called a Christian can get you killed

In Iran, people are imprisoned for their faith

In many countries, Christ followers cannot own property, used public resources, or even talk about their faith without fear of mob reprisals

In America, we still have freedoms and protections. But they are closer to being taken than many believe. Remember Gavin Newsom threatening to arrest John MacArthur?

Like many of our freedoms, they are only free if we fight for them. But, we fight differently. WE fight with prayer. We fight with faithfulness to the Lord. We fight with upright integrity.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, 16 by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing

Trans: And that is our goal, to be blameless in the sight of God, and confounding to the ways of the world. We are called to fidelity to Christ and boldness in the Holy Spirit.

4. Going Forward in Faith

Matthew 5:10-13

Having seen how the world falsely accuses, how Jesus modeled bold, humble firmness, and the lengths the world will take in efforts to condemn, we must boldly and humbly reflect Jesus to the world.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 3

14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear them, or be intimidated,, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 16 Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.

And, always, always, stand up for Jesus boldly, because He boldly stood up for you!