Mark 14:61b-65 (NIV): Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death. Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.
Jesus was not interested in saying a single word to defend Himself against false accusations. But, as He always did, He never hesitated to identify Himself as the Messiah when He was directly asked. So when the chief priest asked, “Are you the Christ (Hebrews: Messiah), the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus would not be silent. His answer was unequivocal: “I am.” He was indeed the Messiah, and He was indeed the Son of God Himself.
But this was not an argument about titles or theologies. Those sitting in judgment over Jesus had no idea who was really sitting in front of them. They had no conception that the one they had been hating, the one with whom they had been arguing, the one they had been plotting against for years was actually the very God that they claimed to serve. All they saw with their black hearts and their sin-darkened eyes was a man who had annoyed them, who had held up a clear mirror to their sins and spiritual deformity, and who therefore must be done away with.
But Jesus gave them the whole truth. Not only was He the Messiah, but He would sit at God’s right hand, making Himself equal to God. And He would come in the clouds of heaven, a reference that all of those scholars would immediately understand as a claim to divinity.
Jesus was speaking the truth, but to the ears of His accusers, this was the blasphemy they had been trying to find. “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” they later told Pilate (John 19:7 NIV). To His credit, when Pilate heard that, he had the good sense to be afraid of who might be standing before him. The Sanhedrin, on the other hand, were simply overcome with glee. They believed that by their great cleverness they had gotten Jesus to slip and expose Himself to the charge of blasphemy. They rejoiced underneath their feigned shock and dismay at the “blasphemy” they had just heard. They smiled as they tore their robes in mock distress. And then they spit on their Messiah; they punched the One who had come to offer them eternal life at His own expense. They believed that they had won a great victory in the moment of their most profound fall.
Father, sometimes we can be so blinded by our presumptions, our assumptions to what the truth is, and even our prejudices, that we fail to see the truth that is standing right in front of us. Lord, help us to keep our vision clear, so that we can see all that You want to show us. Keep our hearts open, so that we will never deny Your truth when it comes. Amen.