09.18.22 - Mark 14:53-65

Open your Bibles to Mark 14:53-65. •We are continuing our study of the Gospel of Mark.  •This morning we will be looking at Mark’s account of Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin.  The justice system is fascinating to many.  •But as fascinating as it can be, it can likewise be horrifying at times.  •It can be truly terrifying when INJUSTICE reigns instead of justice as defined by God.  •We hear stories and watch movies and documentaries about miscarriages of justice. We hear of men and women found guilty, imprisoned, and even executed for crimes they did not commit.  •And it makes us sick to our stomachs. Especially when the evidence seems to clearly indicate that someone was bearing false witness or that the trial was fixed against the defendant to ensure a guilty verdict.  I mention this because today we are considering the Jewish trial of our Lord Jesus Christ. •And it was ANYTHING BUT a just trial.  •We will witness our Lord suffer many, many injustices and violations of Jewish court law and standards.  •We will see how Jesus was tried by sinful men and unjustly and blasphemously condemned for blasphemy.  •And we will see Jesus, the True and Faithful Witness, give a true testimony about Himself in the midst of a den of lying witnesses.  And from the text this morning, I hope to point out some things to encourage you in the Lord and also exhort you to live godly lives in a wicked world.  •As we see Jesus suffer, we will see His example for us as we suffer at the hands of sinners.  •As we see Him bear witness to Himself, we will be reminded that we also must bear witness to Him.  •And as we see Him voluntarily submit to condemnation and death, we will come face to face with His love for us.  •May God help us to see His love and take it to heart, so that we might be transformed more into people who live for the glory of the crucified Christ.  If you would, and are able, please stand with me for the reading of the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God.  Mark 14:53-65 [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.  [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.  [57] And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying,  [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. 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.”  [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. (PRAY) Our Heavenly Father,  Your Word is glorious. For in it we see the glory of God.  In your Word, we hear your promises, learn of your character, see your works, and behold your great love for your People demonstrated most clearly in the life, death, and resurrection of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  And so we ask that you might help us this morning to understand, believe, and receive your Word with faith.  By your Holy Spirit, work in us today and transform us as we sit under the ministry of your Word.  Grant us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to believe.  Grant that we would see Christ today. And seeing Him, that we would be forever changed.  Glorify yourself in us through the preaching of your Word.  We ask these things in Jesus’ Name and for His sake.  Amen. 1.) In this text our Lord Jesus is taken to trial.  •It’s a Jewish trial before the highest Jewish court in Israel, the Sanhedrin.  •The Sanhedrin was made up of seventy men (scribes, elders, and chief priests) and was headed by the high priest to make a total of 71 members.  •Though Israel was under Roman occupation, the Romans permitted the Sanhedrin to hear religious law cases and minor civil cases for Jews.  •But only the Roman government had the power to exercise capital punishment.  •So this is a religious trial for Jesus. The Sanhedrin will look for a capital case against Jesus so that they can then take Him before the governor Pontius Pilate to have Him tried again for execution according to Roman law.  Mark tells us that the crowd that arrested Jesus took Him to the high priest’s home. And there the Sanhedrin assembled to put Jesus on trial.  •The high priest at that time was a man named Caiaphas. And he had long been desiring the death of Jesus.  •Mark also tells us that Peter had followed Jesus “at a distance right into the courtyard of the high priest.” •And then Mark leaves Peter behind in the narrative. We’ll pick back up with him next week, Lord willing.  Our Lord’s trial then begins in the high priest’s house.  •And it is anything but fair and just. It’s a kangaroo court and a mockery of all that is good and right.  Mark begins the account of the trial by telling us that “the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but they found none.” (v55) •Hear that: They were looking for witnesses to testify AGAINST JESUS.  •That’s not what a court does. A court exists to hear accusations and weigh them against the law and use proper legal processes to come to a verdict.  •But this court is LOOKING for witnesses against Jesus.  •They had already made their decision. The verdict was already in: Jesus was guilty of a capital crime.  •All that remained for them was to find the proof of His guilt.  •In this trial, our Lord was guilty until proven innocent. And He would never be proven innocent in their eyes.  •Mark 14:1 reminds us, “And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest Him by stealth and kill Him.” •This was not about justice. These men, except for one named Joseph of Arimathea, hated Jesus and wanted Him dead. And now their opportunity to “legally” convict Him to death had come.  And to this end, they found lying witnesses. [56] For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree.  [57] And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying,  [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.  •NOTE: That they had “many” witnesses ready to testify against Jesus after MIDNIGHT indicates to me that they had these liars ready and on standby.  •Again, this was not a real trial. Many were found by the Sanhedrin who were willing to lie about Jesus and falsely accuse Him of crimes.  •But their testimony did not agree.  •The OT Law says, “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.” (Deuteronomy 19:15) •That portion of Deuteronomy goes on to say that if a false witness is found to be intentionally lying, that he must suffer the exact same penalty that the defendant would’ve suffered if he would’ve been convicted.  •But that portion of the Law was ignored that night. And the lying witnesses were permitted to go free.  But they lied and said that Jesus had threatened to destroy the Temple and in three days rebuild another.  •The parallel in Matthew 26 tells us that they did eventually find two witnesses to make this general claim.  •But Jesus never said that. Jesus never threatened to destroy the Temple.  •The closest thing He ever said to that is found in John 2:19-20: Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”  •Jesus was making a prophecy that the Jews would destroy His body, the temple (that they would kill Him), but that He would be raised in three days.  •John 2:21 verifies this by saying, “But He was speaking about the temple of His body.” •These false witnesses were twisting the words of Jesus into an earthly and personal threat that He would destroy the Temple.  The only other thing Jesus had said about the Temple being destroyed was in the Olivet Discourse.  •And even there, He prophesied that the Romans would destroy it as an outpouring of God’s judgment against the Jews for rejecting His Messiah.  •The destruction of the Temple would be a divine judgment and a sign to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah and had come into His Kingdom. •But Jesus’ prophecy was not a threat that He would personally destroy the Temple while He was on earth.  •More than that, Jesus never promised that the Temple would ever be rebuilt.  •So, again, they were twisting His words if they were referring to what He had said about the future destruction of the Temple in AD70. But, as Mark said, “Yet even about this their testimony did not agree.” •Now, this can be understood two ways, but the result is the same: 1. They agreed in their general accusation that Jesus had threatened to destroy and rebuild the Temple, BUT their testimonies did not agree in exact detail.  •Their testimonies needed to agree exactly in order to be admissible in court. So any disagreement or contradiction would get them thrown out.  •So their testimony did not agree completely, but their general accusation was the same.  2. The Greek here is more literally translated, “Their testimony was not EQUAL.” •This could be understood as “not equal to a capital offense.” •V55 says, “they were seeking testimony against Jesus to PUT HIM TO DEATH.” •And it can be argued that a threat against the Temple was not a capital crime in Jewish Law. •So Mark might be saying that they agreed in their charge against Jesus, but that their testimony was not EQUAL TO the punishment the Sanhedrin were seeking to give Jesus (the death sentence). Regardless of how you understand the specifics of what Mark is saying in v59, the major point remains: •The false witnesses tried with all their might to testify against Jesus to have Him condemned to death, but they couldn’t make anything stick.  •Why? Because Jesus was innocent of all wrongdoing.  •He is the spotless Lamb of God who has NO SIN.  Mark then tells us that through all of this, our Lord remained silent. He said nothing.  •Eventually the high priest questioned Jesus about the accusations made against Him. But Jesus continues in silence.  •And eventually the high priest asks Him directly, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” •Jesus answers “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 with this answer, the high priest accused Jesus of blasphemy, the Sanhedrin agreed, and they condemned Him to death.  •And then, to highlight their hatred for Jesus, they took turns spitting on Him. And they covered His face and then took turns punching Him and telling Him to prophesy which one struck Him.  Brothers and sisters, this was the first trial of our Lord.  •And it was a travesty. It was the single greatest miscarriage of justice in the history of the world.  •But in this trial are lessons for us to learn, examples to imitate, and glorious love to behold.  2.) First, let’s consider Jesus’ Silence in the Face of Injustices Committed Against Him.  •I don’t know how many of you know this (I didn’t), but there were many laws, both from the OT and from Jewish legal tradition that were broken in this trial: 1. The Sanhedrin was not to come to a verdict at night.  •But it was after midnight when this trial happened.  2. The Sanhedrin was not to convene during a Sabbath or festival, or on the eve of a Sabbath or festival.  •But it is the eve both a Sabbath and the Passover.  3. The Sanhedrin was not to meet privately. Capital cases were to be held in the Temple and be public.  •But this trial was closed and held at the personal home of the high priest.  4. In capital cases, arguments and evidence for the INNOCENCE of the defendant were to be heard FIRST and THEN evidence for guilt was considered.  •But v55 tells us from the get-go that “they were seeking testimony against Jesus to put Him to death.” 5. The detection of false witnesses was to end the trial.  •But the false witnesses were allowed to continue.  •And the false witnesses were not charged with any crime, contrary to Deuteronomy 19.  6. The Sanhedrin could not initiate charges. They could only rule on the charges brought against someone.  •But the high priest questioned Jesus directly in an attempt to force Him to incriminate Himself. 7. There was supposed to be a day intervening between conviction and sentencing so the Sanhedrin could vote again to convict of a capital crime.  •This was to ensure that nothing was done hastily and to prevent wrongful convictions.  •But, as we will see later in Mark, they move to execute Jesus in a matter of hours.  8. Beating a prisoner being held in custody was illegal.  •But v65 says the Sanhedrin members did exactly that. These religious leaders who seemed to be so strict in their observance of biblical Law and tradition all of a sudden throw all of that out the window.  •When it comes to Jesus, they hate Him so much, that they violated nearly everything in order to condemn Him. •And that was because THEY KNEW THEY HAD NOTHING ON HIM.  •They knew He was innocent. But they wanted Him dead anyway because He was a threat to their godless, manmade, self-righteous religious system. And He was a threat to their personal status in Israel.  He was lied about. And nobody cared.  •He was not offered a fair trial. And nobody cared.  •His reputation was maligned before others without cause. And nobody cared.  •He was in the midst of a den of traitors, rebels, and murderers. And nobody cared.  •Brothers and sisters, He is truly human. And this caused Him great pain in His soul.  •Think of how you would suffer, how infuriating this would be to be lied about, how lonely you would feel, how hopeless you would feel.  •And remember, He is innocent. And He knows it. And they know it.  •This would be horrible to endure. And Mark’s account is only a summary. Who knows what awful things they said about Him that Mark didn’t record? But Jesus remained silent. And, in one regard, this is an example to us for how we should suffer.  •Look at how He suffers here. What does He do? More importantly, look at what He doesn’t do: •He does not lash out when spoken badly about.  •He does not return insult for insult.  •He doesn’t lose His cool when lied about.  •He doesn’t seek revenge against His enemies.  •He doesn’t lie about them when lied about.  •He bears it all with perfect godliness as He entrusts Himself to God.  Apparently Peter overhead this while he was in the courtyard because he says in 1 Peter 2:21-23: “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.” Brothers and sisters, this is our example for when we suffer injustice at the hands of sinners.  •When we are lied on, reviled, have our reputations dragged through the mud, and all other manner of injustice done to us, this is how we are to respond.  •We do not return evil for evil. Why? Because our Lord didn’t.  •We don’t insult others in return. We don’t seek to “get even.” We don’t mock. We don’t threaten.  •Instead, we are to entrust ourselves to God, who knows the truth, who knows we are innocent, and who will right all wrongs, whether in time or eternity.  •When we suffer for the name of Christ, when we are hated for His sake, and even when we are mistreated for lesser reasons, we will not seek revenge.  •Why? Because our Lord has left us an example. He entrusted Himself to God, knowing that God will fix it all in His time and way. And we are not greater than Jesus. So we must do as He did.  Please hear me: Repaying evil for evil is the way of the world. It is not of God.  •We do not have the right to treat others as they have treated us. But we are to continue to do good, love our enemies, and do unto others as we would have them do unto us.  •We are to imitate our Lord. And there is no excuse for doing anything other than that.  •So when you suffer injustice, you may seek justice, you may defend yourself and your reputation using wisdom. But you are to entrust all vengeance to God.  •Anything less is unbelief that God will do right in the end. And it is also an implicit denial that Jesus is worthy of our imitation.  When you are mistreated, whether for the sake of Christ or for something less than that, remember our Lord at His trial. •Our way is the way of love, not revenge. Our way is the way of peace, not continued fighting. Our way is the way of Christ, not the world.  •Brothers and sisters, do not succumb to worldly wisdom and seek revenge or to hurt those who hurt you.  •Entrust yourself to God when you are mistreated and imitate our Lord Jesus Christ.  But not only do we see an example for us in His silence, we also see His love in His silence.  •I had never considered this before, but this is glorious: •He kept silent for our sake as He was falsely accused.  •In His silence, He refused to defend Himself.  •As Isaiah 53:7 says, “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.” He refused to defend His innocence.  •But why? Why didn’t He defend Himself? Would it have been wrong for Him to do so? No. It’s not wrong to defend your good reputation against lies.  •But Jesus refuses to speak for a good reason: He is committed and submitted to the will of God.  •He knows it is God’s will for Him to die as the substitute for sinners.  •He knows that He MUST go to the Cross. And that His condemnation before the Sanhedrin is part of that process. He must be rejected by the nation in order to make atonement for sinners.  •And so He remains silent SO THAT He can be condemned. So that He can die.  •He does not make a defense because He does not intend to win the trial and go free.  •Rather, His intention is to win salvation for others by the blood of His Cross. By satisfying God’s wrath against sinners as He hung from a tree.  3.) We’ve considered His silence, but now let’s consider His Speaking.  •Jesus only broke His silence to answer a direct question from the high priest.  •Apparently Caiaphas had enough of Jesus’ silence. So he took matters into his own hands and said, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Are you the Christ? •The Messiah. The King of God’s Kingdom. The descendant of David who will reign forever.  •The Savior of Israel. The promised Redeemer of the People of God. The Chosen One of God.  •Caiaphas knew that Jesus had hinted at this. And he knew that many were claiming that Jesus is the Christ.  •“Are you the One the prophets spoke of? The One that God promised would rescue His People and lead them to glory?” Are you the Son of the Blessed? (Son of God) •Caiaphas knew that Jesus had alluded to this. And he understood that Jesus did not mean that He a symbolic relationship to God like the OT king was a “son of God.” •He understood that Jesus meant something more when He said this.  •John 8 and 10 proves that the Jews understood that when Jesus called God His Father that He was saying something about being co-equal with the Father and having a relationship to Him that nobody else could have.  •“Are you the Son of God? Are you equal to Him? Are you uniquely God’s Son? Do you have God’s authority?” These were not honest questions.  •Caiaphas was laying a trap for Jesus.  •If Jesus remains silent, it will be the same as if He denied that He is the Christ and Son of God.  •If He answers, “Yes,” Caiaphas will accuse Him of blasphemy.  •In Caiaphas’ mind, Jesus cannot be the Christ. He stands before him a bound, tried, beaten, disciple-less, rejected, poor commoner. So He must be lying against God by claiming that God has made Him King.  •And Jesus cannot be the Son of God because He is a mere man, according to Caiaphas. More than that, to Caiaphas, Jesus is a heretic of the highest order. So for Him to claim to be equal to God is certainly blasphemy.  And let’s be honest, if Jesus is lying, if He is not telling the truth, He would be a blasphemer.  •But we know that He is the Christ. And He is the Son of God.  So here Jesus stands before the Sanhedrin facing a great dilemma.  •If He tells the truth about Himself, they will kill Him.  •And it is in light of this knowledge, that what happens next is so amazing and full of love and grace from our Lord Jesus.  •Jesus breaks His silence and says, “I am…” When Jesus finally speaks, He does so in order to seal His fate by declaring His full identity.  •He is the Messiah. He is the Savior who has come into the world to save the People of God.  •He is the One the prophets spoke of. He is the One who will die to save the nation. He is the King of the Kingdom.  •And He is the Son of God. He is God in the flesh. He is the eternally begotten Son of God to whom all men owe their worship and full allegiance.  •Hear me: He is who He said He is! Trust in Him! Believe in Him! He is the Christ, the Son of God! And as such, He is the only hope for hell-bound sinners! And hear this again and marvel: Jesus knew what would happen when He answered the question. •He knew they would “have Him.” He knew that they would use His answer to condemn Him to death for blasphemy.  •BUT HE ANSWERED ANYWAY.  See the love of the Lord Jesus Christ for His People! •See His great love for sinners! •He broke His silence in order to condemn Himself to death! •And He did it so that He could offer Himself as the sacrifice for sin for us! •Knowing it would mean His death on a cross, He answered anyway. He answered in order to save us.  •As they hymn says, “Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned He stood; Sealed my pardon with His blood. Hallelujah! What a Savior!” •He loves us. Don’t you ever doubt that. He loves us.  4.) Now, let’s consider His Declaration of Future Glory.  •Though our Lord was on trial that day, it would not be that way forever.  •Let’s look at His full response to the high priest’s question about His identity: “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of Heaven.” At His trial, when giving His answer that would condemn Him to death, Jesus also affirmed that His death would not be the end.  •And He did so by combining Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13-14 in His answer.  •Psalm 110:1 says, “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’” •Daniel 7:13-14 says, “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a Son of Man, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. 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, and His kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” He affirmed that He is the Christ and the Son of God. But then went further.  •He said that He will be seated at the right hand of God. That His enemies will be put under His feet.  •And He declared that He is the Son of Man to whom God will give an eternal Kingdom and who will inherit the whole world and rule over it. And He said that the high priest and the Sanhedrin would see it.  •They would see Him “coming with the clouds of heaven.” •That’s not a reference to His Second Coming. It’s a reference to His enthronement as the Son of Man, as the King of the Kingdom of God.  •Jesus says “YOU WILL ALL SEE.” •And they would see! They would see that Jesus is the Messiah when God destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem in His wrath in AD70.  •They would see that Jesus had come into His Kingdom when His prophecy came to pass.  •But even more than this, they will all see Him in the glory of His Kingdom on the Last Day when He judges them.  Oh, they would see.  •In history and in eternity, they would see.  •They will kill Him. But He will rise from the dead and ascend to Heaven as King of all kings and Lord of all lords.  •He is the Son of Man that Daniel spoke of. He is David’s Son and David’s Lord.  Jesus will have the final word.  •Though he now stands before them as the Suffering Servant, He will be crowned King.  •Though He is in His humiliation now, they will one day see Him in His exaltation.  •Though He is suffering now, they will see His glory before long.  •Jesus is saying here, “You may be judging me now. But one day I will judge you.” •Though He was made low for a little while, He would be raised to glory forevermore.  Brothers and sisters, do you see the contrast in all of this? •He is the Faithful Witness in a den of false witnesses.  •He spoke the truth about Himself. And He gave a warning to sinners concerning future judgment.  NOTE: Be reminded here, that we need to make this same confession before men.  •We need to say what He said: He is the Christ. He is the Son of God. And He will judge the world.  •He is the Savior for all who believe. And He is also the judge of all mankind.  •We must preach what He preached. We must confess what He confessed. •And like Him, we must be willing to suffer for what we confess because all men need to hear and heed this warning.  5.) Lastly, let’s consider the Great Ironies of the Trial.  •When we think about who Jesus is (the Christ and Son of God) and who these men are (high priest, religious leaders, Jews, mere men), we can’t help but be shocked at how upside-down this trial was.  •And when we consider this, we see the humility and love of our Lord shining even more brightly on this dark night.  1. Think about this: Caiaphas, the current high priest of the Old Covenant, is in every way inferior to Jesus, the Great High Priest of the New Covenant.  •And yet, the inferior is assuming authority and judgment over his Superior.  •The one whose office was always pointing forward to Jesus and His work of Redemption is now judging his Greater Fulfillment.  •The one who had to make atonement for himself before offering sacrifices for others is mocking the sinless High Priest who only offers a sacrifice for sinners and never for Himself.  •The temporary priest of a temporary covenant that was passing away is condemning the One who is the eternal King-Priest after the order of Melchizedek.  •The priest who offered sacrifices that could never take away sins, sits in self-righteous judgment over the Priest who offers Himself to save sinners.  •And Jesus ALLOWED it.  2. And think about this: The religious leaders who claim to know the Scriptures better than everyone and should be the first to recognize a true prophet are the ones who spit upon, mock, and beat the Great Prophet of God’s People.  •The true Prophet is mocked and told to “prophesy” by the very ones who were supposed to be looking for and waiting for the Prophet Moses spoke of.  •The ones to whom God said “I will require it of whoever does not listen to my Prophet” are the ones who are spitting in the face of the Prophet and condemning Him to death.  •The ones who blindfolded Jesus are the blind ones! •And the ones mistreating the Prophet are unknowingly fulfilling the Scriptures about His suffering: •“I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.” (Isaiah 50:6) •And Jesus ALLOWED it.  3. And this: The King, the Son of Man who has an eternal Kingdom, is condemned by those who should’ve first submitted as His subjects (the Jews). •The King, who is their kinsmen according to the flesh, came to His own and His own received Him not.  •Those who should’ve gladly recognized and crowned Him King are the ones who voted to have Him crucified.  •And Jesus ALLOWED it.  4. And this: Men, sinful men, sinners who have no right to stand before God, accuse God Incarnate of blasphemy.  •Man, the sinner, puts the sinless Son of God on trial.  •Sinful men accuse the holy God of sin.  •And in accusing the Son of God of blasphemy, they commit the greatest blasphemy of their lives.  See in this trial the wickedness and upside-down nature of this whole affair.  •See the blackness of the hearts of men. See the injustice of it all.  •And seeing the wickedness of men, see the goodness of our Lord Jesus highlighted. For He endured all of this for us! As the hymn write said, “How low was our Redeemer brought!”  •To the dust! He was ground into the dirt!  •So low was His humiliation that we scarcely have words for it. First, in the Incarnation in general, that God would take on human flesh. And then most extremely in His trial, beating, and death on a cross! •Oh, sinner, see His love for you! •How much must He love you to endure so much shame and misery and injustice for your sake? Hear me: We do not suffer for things we do not love.  •We do not sacrifice for things we do not love.  •And in His trial, we see something of the sufferings and humiliation of our Lord Jesus Christ.  •And we must therefore conclude that He loves those for whom He suffered.  •How low He was brought reveals how deep His love is for us! From the heights of heaven to the dust of the earth! He loves us! •From the angel-surrounded throne to the hellish home of the high priest. He loves us! •From the realm of eternal glory to the shame of the Cross. He loves us! •From the brightness of heaven to the darkness of the grave. He loves us! •All praise to Him! Praise Him for His great love shown in His suffering! Praise Him for His love for you! 6.) Oh Christian, remember the love of Christ shown for you at His trial.  •He chose death. He remained silent and gave no defense. And when He spoke, He sealed His fate.  •He endured all manner of injustice and was brought lower than low for your sake.  •He loves you. And you need to be convinced of that.  I will beat this drum in every sermon about His Passion because it is the heartbeat of His suffering: •HE LOVES YOU! •The Son of Man, the Judge, the One seated at the right hand of God who judge the world LOVES YOU and died for your sins in order to make you His own! Brothers and sisters, we must remember His love for us.  •And I say that because His love is the key to everything.  •Our knowing and believing that He loves us is the key to everything.  •If we get that, then we will suffer like Him because we want to glorify the One who loved us because we love Him.  •If we know that He loves us, then we will speak openly and declare Him to the word because we love Him too! •If we know that He loves us, then we will be willing to suffer anything for His sake because He first suffered for us.  Brothers and sisters, focus on His love for you.  •And everything else that God commands of us will flow from there.  •I’m not saying that our obedience will not take effort and a strong will at times.  •But our effort and will, will only be as strong as our love for Christ is. And our love for Christ will only ever be as    strong as our conviction is that He loves us.  May God grant each one of us to behold the love of Christ in His suffering for our sake.  •And seeing, may God change us and cause us to glorify Him in our lives.  •Amen.