Daily Bible Study

Tweet

Day 54 Mark 14:53 They led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. 54 Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire. 55 The chief priests and all the council sought witnesses against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. 56 For many bear false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together. 57 There arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying, 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.’” 59 Neither did their witness agree together. 60 The high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, “Answer thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee?” 61 But he held his peace and answered nothing. Again, the high priest asked him, and said unto him, “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 Jesus said I am: and you will see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.” 63 Then the high priest rent his clothes, and said, “What need we further witnesses? 64 You have heard the blasphemy: what think you?” They all condemned him to be guilty of death. 65 Some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, “Prophesy”, and the servants struck him with the palms of their hands. In a courtroom lawyers and prosecutors bring accusations before a jury to decide whether the person is guilty or innocent. When they hear the testimony, they decide if it is enough to convict or set the person free. With the verdict, the judge makes the final decision. Jesus was on trial. The witnesses against Him couldn’t agree with each other. Everyone knew there needed to be at least two witnesses, three would be best. However, none agreed. Finally, the high priest stood and asked Him if He was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed. Jesus said He was and told them what He would do the next time they saw Him. With His reply, the high priest tore his clothes, turned to the other priests in the court and condemned Him to death. For Christians everywhere, this is the most pivotal point in the history of the church. Jesus laid claim to who He is, their Messiah, and what He will further do when He returns. He could not deny who He was. He could keep silent in the face of all the false accusations because they were false, they didn’t affect Him. Only when faced with undeniable truth did He answer and tell them who He is. It was at the moment when the high priest tore his robe that he handed his authority over to Jesus, though he was unaware of it. In the middle of claiming blasphemy and condemning Jesus to death, the high priest turned his authority over to Jesus. Matthew 28:18 Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Jesus received authority from His Father in heaven. When the high priest tore his robes, he handed Jesus his authority. The verdict of the court to condemn Jesus to death was the Father’s will. Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He will see His seed, He will prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. Though Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane to have the cup pass from Him, He was willing to do His Father’s will, and that was to die a painful death so you could have eternal life. When the high priest tore his robes when Jesus acknowledged He was the Son of the Blessed, their Messiah, he did what the Father willed. When the priests in the court heard what Jesus said, they condemned Him to death, fulfilling the Father’s will for His Son. You became a child of the Blessed when you accepted what Jesus did for you in the court of the high priest. In that moment, Jesus became your High Priest. Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, 2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. 3 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, since He who built the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. 5 Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, 6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. Jesus is our High Priest, the Son of the Blessed, His Father. He could not deny who He was to the high priest. He needed to fulfill the Father’s will for Him and all mankind. He needed to lay down His life for your salvation. John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so, I know the Father, and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it again. This command I received from My Father.” God ordained everything that happened in the court of the high priest. Without the priests condemning Him to death, there could be no salvation. It was God’s will for Jesus to die. It was God’s will for the high priest to exchange his authority with Jesus. It was God’s will for the priests to condemn Him to death. It was God’s will and promise fulfilled when He promised Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden a Savior to bring His people back into fellowship with Him. Until Jesus’ death, there could be no fellowship. Until the chief priest tore his robes, and the other priests condemned Him, there was no fellowship for believers. Only Jesus’ shed blood brought you into fellowship with the Father. It was the Father’s will. Jesus could not deny who He was or there would never been an exchange of authority and you would still be wallowing in your sins and condemned to Hell. But Jesus did not deny who He is, and you have the assurance of salvation because He laid claim to His Sonship. Let’s pray: Father, thank you for Jesus’ willingness to lay down His life for me. Thank you for my salvation because He did not deny who He was to the high priest. Thank you for the exchange of authority that made Him my High Priest and gave me authority through Him to bring salvation to as many as He wills. As Jesus did not deny who He is, let me never deny who I am, a child of the Blessed. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 6 September 2023 by Valerie Routhieaux The image belongs to me.