They led Jesus away to the high priest. All the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes came together with him.
Peter had followed him from a distance, until he came into the court of the high priest. He was sitting with the officers, and warming himself in the light of the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole council sought witnesses against Jesus to put him to death, and found none. For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony didn’t agree with each other. Some stood up, and gave false testimony against him, saying, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’” Even so, their testimony did not agree. (14:53-59)
When they arrested me, they had no specific plan concerning how to condemn me. They thought that it would be easy, yet it was not. They tried to use false witnesses, but the problem was that there were people like Nicodemus, who were secretly my disciples, who would not have accepted evident lies, or incoherent and contradictory testimonies. I knew that I was challenging their whole understanding of who God is. I have always known the Father, and they did not know Him. What they did know was a set of verses and traditional practices, but they did not have this intimacy with the Father that I had. They were trying to find words from my Father to condemn me, and of course they could find none.
The high priest stood up in the middle, and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is it which these testify against you?” But he stayed quiet, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”
Jesus said, “I am. You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of the sky.” (14:60-62)
Then, realizing that they had no basis for condemning me. The closest they had was the idea that I was blaspheming God, although it was a fully mistaken idea. They did not know the Father, yet they played the role of those discerning if I was honoring the Father or not. When the high priest asked his question, he intentionally mixed two parts: first the affirmation that I was the Christ - something that would not have been concerned blasphemous, and the second part, confirming that I am the Son of God. I had already shared with them that the Scripture would not condemn me for saying that I am the Son of God (see John 10:34-38, Ps 82:6), but would instead allow me to say so. Yet, I also knew the plan of the Father, His plan that would lead me to the cross. I spoke to them plainly, stating that I would be at the right hand of the Father, coming on the clouds of the sky. I knew that they could use this statement to condemn me, and in some ways I gave them the tools to do so. I never sought death, and for people to think that I committed a suicide would be greatly mistaken, it would be one of the lies of the devil. I did not seek death, but I accepted the cost of confessing the truth.
The high priest tore his clothes, and said, “What further need have we of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?” They all condemned him to be worthy of death. Some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to beat him with fists, and to tell him, “Prophesy!” The officers struck him with the palms of their hands. (14:63-65)
In all that, they had the impression that they were in control, while it was the Father who was in control. The high priest did all he could to convince the members of the Sanhedrin, even tearing his garments. They then condemned me to death for blasphemy. In order to destroy me, they started by humiliating me and striking me. The path to the painful cross was beginning, and I knew fully well what was going to happen.
In all this, I had accepted the Father’s path, I had accepted to be killed for my confession of my true identity. The time had come for me to proclaim in front of my enemies the truth that was in me and that I was representing. I am the Messiah - the Christ, and the Son of God. I showed the way to the Father, I am the way to the Father, yet I had to show what would become the Father’s greatest victory, to have a human freed from the power of sin and death. I came for that, for this deliverance from sin, suffering and death. Yet, for this deliverance to come, I had to accept that the sin of men would first weigh me down and crush me, leading me to death on a cross.
The wisdom of God is sometimes foolishness for men, because men focus on a very narrow part of reality, a limited part of their visible world. Yet God’s creation encompasses angels, the visible and invisible world, the heaven and the earth. What is logical and meaningful in God’s creation is not always meaningful in the limits of human visible realities. The path to the cross was a complete failure in the eyes of men, and yet it would become the greatest victory in the eyes of my Father. Men consider physical death as the ultimate failure, and they do all they can to avoid it. My Father considers spiritual death as the ultimate failure, and we do all we can to avoid it, through those who follow me. I came for this purpose, to open the path to eternal life for many, yet this path required for me to go through a shameful physical death. I was ready for that, it was the purpose of my coming, to bring this total victory.
In your life, it will be good that you distinguish clearly human failure from spiritual failure. Spiritual failure is brought through sin, while human failure happens when a human desire is not successful. You will have to learn that many of the greatest spiritual victories are won in the midst of human failures. It was the case for me, it will be the case for you also. As you learn to develop this intimacy with me, to let the Holy Spirit fully dwell in you, you then become able to grasp like I did that some human failures are indeed very good tools in the hands of God. It is important for you to learn, as you follow me, what Paul taught when he said: all things contribute to the good of those who love God. Think of my apparent failure in front of the Sanhedrin, and remember that suffering can sometimes become a tool in God’s hands. Don’t seek suffering, simply learn to place all you experiences in the hands of the Father and to follow our lead. Learn to accept that our purpose is not to give you an easy earthly life but to spread the love of God in you and through you. Love, pure love, holy love was the foundation of all I did, love for God and love for humanity. Let our love rule in you through the Holy Spirit. Rejoice with us of the treasures of grace that the Father has in store for you, all these good works prepared in advance for you to practice.
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