They were getting more and more frustrated. The chief priests and council had hit the wall with Jesus. Enough was enough! They had found Him in the garden . . . they had seized Him with their guard . . . they had brought Him to the high priest . . . and many were willing to stand up and bring some accusation against Him that would seal His fate. But they couldn’t find two liars who could agree on what the accusation was! Aarrggh!!!

False witness after false witness stood accusing Jesus . . . but they couldn’t get their stories together. And, of course, the law said that a man could not be condemned by a single accusation but that it was to be by the aligned testimonies of two or three witnesses. But they couldn’t find two lying men who could tell the same lie!!!

Finally, the high priest seizes the stage and takes matters into His own hand. He directly confronts Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” (Mark 14:53 NLT) But Jesus kept silent . . . no reply . . . nothing worth refuting . . . no point in declaring innocence for trumped up charges. And then the moment came . . . the high priest comes out with a straight question . . . and Jesus replies with a straight answer . . .

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 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.”    (Mark 14:61-62 ESV)

There it was . . . the defining moment . . . not an accusation . . . but a declaration. Not a criminal offence . . . but a prophetic reference.

Jesus said, “I am! . . . I am the Son of Man! . . . I will be seen in majesty and authority at the right hand of God . . . I will come one day with the clouds of heaven.” “Yes,” Jesus declared, “I am the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One!”

And all that was left was for men to make a decision . . . to decide what they would do with His declaration. Would they believe it or would they reject it?

And decide they did! The high priest dramatically tears his clothes and says, “There! Got ya’! That’s enough to condemn You! Blasphemy! You being a man claim to be God! The verdict? Guilty! The judgment? Death!” And taking their cue from the high priest some then began to spit on Him . . . and they blind-folded Him . . . and they beat Him . . . and they mocked Him.

Bad, bad, bad, decisions on their part. How I cringe at thought of these fools abusing Jesus, the Son of God. They were in His presence . . . they heard His claims . . . they were aware of the evidence which backed up His claims . . . but they decided to reject . . . and spit . . . and beat . . . and mock. Ouch!!!

And Jesus took it! Amazing!

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.    (Isaiah 53:7 ESV)

The Lamb of God was determined to die for the sin of the world . . . for my sin . . . and so He took it.

The Son of Man . . . the Christ . . . had revealed Himself . . . had determined to obey the Father even to the death on a cross . . . all that was left . . . all that is left, today . . . is for men and women to make a decision . . . to decide what they will do with Jesus. And, by His grace and patient working in my life, I made a decision years ago . . . a decision to believe that Jesus is who He said He is . . . to believe the revelation of Scripture that He has atoned for my sin through His death and resurrection . . . and to believe that one day He’ll return for me.

And so, I believe in the Son . . and I bow the knee . . . and I bask in His grace . . . and, one day, I will behold His glory . . .