Reading
SAA Notes
All the gospels witness to this fact – the chief priests could not find any testimony against Jesus to condemn Him. They condemned Him by the words of His own mouth – something highly illegal in Israel. (Confession was inadmissible in a Jewish law-court. A person can lie for any number of reasons or easily be coerced.)
SJA Notes
* Dear God, please show us Your majesty today, that we might know You better.
“Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, ‘Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?'”
The humility of Jesus bears our thought.
Who is this man?
Isaiah (old testament book, a prophet hundreds of years before Jesus was born in the stable) speaks of Jesus here in this moment,
“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.”
Who is this man?
A man who would stay quiet while other men beat him, their hypocrisy and depth of hatred plain to see, causing a miscarriage of justice that will (and did) reverberate through creation itself!
Who is this?
In yesterday’s passage we read of the true power Jesus had at His disposal,
“Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels.”
What humility Jesus shows, this man who is God, the Creator God, King of kings, Lord of lords, mighty to save, majesty and honor are His – What humility He shows!
Oppressed and afflicted, with the Father’s omnipotence at hand able to be brought to bear – Yet He chooses to walk this narrow road filled with the shadow of death and terrible pain.
For us.
Jesus did it for us.
* Mighty God Above,
Thank You for Jesus, who bore the curse of sin that we deserve, so that we can be free.
Please help us to understand a little more how Jesus bore this meekly, with all humility, and what it means for us today.
Hallelujah, what a Saviour!
Amen.