Falsely Accused
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Key Verse: “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? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Selected Scriptures: |
AFTER JESUS HAD INSTITUTED the Passover Memorial Supper in Jerusalem with his twelve apostles they crossed over the Brook Kidron to the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane. Our Lord had announced that one of his little group would betray him that very night. Darkness had fallen and, as noted in our last lesson, Judas singled out Jesus with a kiss as the identifying sign for the crowd of men armed with swords and cudgels to lay hands on our Lord. Peter made an effort to defend him but then they all forsook him and fled.—vs. 50
The mob led Jesus away to the high priest; assembled with him were all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. “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. And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. For many bare false witness against him, … saying, We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. But neither so did their witness agree together.”—vss. 54-59
When the high priest asked Jesus what all these charges meant, he remained silent. A second time the high priest questioned him, “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus, finally convicting himself with his claim to be the Messiah, replied, “I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”—vss. 61,62
“Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death. And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.”—vss. 63-65
When morning came, the chief priests, elders, and scribes had a conference and decided to send Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. They could not put him to death, lacking such authority. Rome would have to do that. When Jesus was brought before Pilate, he was asked by Pilate, “Art thou the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, “Thou sayest it.”—Mark 15:2
The chief priests accused him of many things, but Jesus kept silent. Pilate marvelled at our Lord’s silence to these accusations. It was the feast of Passover, and custom was that a prisoner could be released as the people wanted. Pilate thought it was opportune to have the people select Jesus for release; but the chief priests moved the people so that they cried for Barabbas to be released, a man who was also held prisoner, and had committed murder. The scripture says, “Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him.” When Pilate asked what evil hath he done, they cried out “Crucify him.” Then Pilate delivered Jesus to be crucified.—Mark 15:12-15