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Jesus Before The High Priest.
-MAY 12, MARK
14:53-64;--MATT. 26:47-75;
LUKE 22:47-65; JOHN 18:2-27.--
Golden Text--"He is despised and rejected of men."--Isa. 53:3.
MARK 14:53. Jesus was first led to Annas (John 18:13), who, although deposed by the Romans, was the
rightful high priest according to the law, the office being for life, and he
was probably so regarded by the Jews, who, therefore, sought counsel of him
first. His son-in-law, Caiaphas (the same who had prophesied that it was
expedient that one man should die for the people--John 18:14),
was the acting high priest appointed by the Romans. Apparently, Annas agreed
with the general sentiments of the rulers, and, after asking Jesus a few
questions about his doctrine and his disciples, sent him bound to Caiaphas.-- John 18:19-24.
Since it was contrary to the Jewish law to hold a session of the
Sanhedrin for the trial of capital offences by night, and this being the night
of the paschal supper, making it still more objectionable, it is clear that
this was an irregular meeting of this assembly of the nation's representatives,
drawn together by common consent to participate in the crime of condemning
their Messiah, Jehovah's Anointed. From it, however, were carefully excluded,
evidently, a few such men as Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus (John
19:38,39; 7:50,51) and probably a few others known to be favorably inclined
toward the new teacher. They probably knew nothing of it.
Verses 55-59. What an astonishing fact is here stated: that the great
men of the most favored nation on earth, --the learned men, the wise men, the
rulers, the men of years and experience, the religious teachers--should thus
deliberately, and of long premeditation, wickedly conspire against the purest
and most noble character that had ever graced the earth. Not only had they
frequently deputed emissaries to catch him in his words as he taught in public,
but finally they had bribed an apostate disciple to betray him and a band of
Roman soldiers to arrest him, although there was no charge against him. And
then this august, learned and dignified assembly, having secured their hated
prisoner, busied themselves to find some two witnesses whose testimony should
agree together, according to the requirement of the law (Deut.
19:15), in order to his condemnation. They found many who willingly bore false
witness against him, but none whose witness agreed together.
Verses 60-62. Failing in their effort to satisfy this requirement of the
law, the high priest then endeavored to force Jesus to criminate himself,
saying, "Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against
thee?" But he (wisely) held his peace and answered nothing, knowing that
the truth was not desired and would avail nothing with these men who so warmly
cherished murder in their hearts. And, further, he had no disposition to defend
himself, knowing that his hour was come for the sacrifice of his life. But when
further urged to express himself by the inquiry --"Art thou the Christ,
the Son of the Blessed?"-- knowing that his reply would be like the
signing of his death warrant, he deliberately answered, "I am," and
added this prophecy--"And ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right
hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven."
This prophecy compassed the certainty of his death and resurrection, and
pointed to his return in the end of the Gospel age in power and great
glory--the power and glory of his Kingdom, which he had previously affirmed was
not to be of this world, or dispensation, of which Satan is the prince (John 14:30), but of the world to come, wherein dwelleth
righteousness.--Heb. 2:5; 2 Pet. 3:13.
This frank and fearless acknowledgment of his divine origin and
appointment as the long predicted Messiah, the Savior of Israel and the world,
was taken as blasphemy, and the hypocritical high priest, whose very robes were
symbolic of the blessed one who stood in their midst fulfilling to the letter
the predictions of the prophets, rent his clothes in token of astonishment and
horror at such blasphemy, saying, "What need we any further witnesses? Ye
have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned [R1809 : page 111] him to be guilty of
death"--the prescribed punishment for blasphemy.--Lev.
24:16; Deut. 18:20.
Thus fell the Jewish hierarchy into the ditch of unbelief and crime, and
the masses of the people, who had shifted upon them their personal
responsibility in the matter of receiving and rejecting Christ, considering
first whether any of the Pharisees or of the rulers believed on him, fell with
them, crying, "His blood be on us and on our children." Well hath the
Psalmist said, "It is better to trust in the Lord [in the word of his
truth] than to put confidence in man; it is better to trust in the Lord than to
put confidence in princes." Let Christians of the present day heed this in
this corresponding period of the Gospel age, when again the unfolding of truth
in its due time is bringing the professed people of God to a crisis "which
shall try every man's work [of faith], of what sort it is." If we lean
upon human props, we shall surely fall; but the word of the Lord endureth
forever.
W.T. R-1809 a : page 110 – 1895 r.