SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/28/2024 9:47 AM
My Worship Time Focus: “The Illegal
and Unjust Condemnation of Jesus”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: “Matthew
26:65-66”
Message of the verses: “65 At this the
High Priest tore his robes and cried, "That was blasphemy! Where is the
need for further witnesses? Look, you’ve heard the blasphemy — 66 what’s
your verdict now?" And they replied, "He deserves to die.’”
John MacArthur begins this rather short section by
writing the following: “Upon that instantly
recognizable confession by Jesus, the high priest tore his robes in horror, saying,
‘He has blasphemed!’’ The unbelieving
members of the Sanhedrin had long ago discounted Jesus’ claims of deity. He had pleaded with them, ‘I I do not do the
works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not
believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father
is in Me, and I in the Father’ (John 10:37-38).
In other words, even if they could not believe the divine source of His
teaching, how could they argue against the divine power behind His countless
public miracles.”
Let
me just try and answer this question that is asked at the end of this first
paragraph. It was prophesized that all
of what is happening to Jesus would happen, but that does not make those who
are fulfilling these prophecies any lest responsible in fulfilling them. This was their desire to kill Jesus and they
were using this sham trial in order to do it.
Jesus was in total control of what was happening around Him as I have
mentioned before that it was those who seem to be putting Jesus on trial were
actually the ones who were on trial by Jesus, and also as mentioned when it
comes to the “White Throne Judgments” they will fully understand that they were
the ones who were on trial then and also during the white throne judgments, but
naturally it will be far too late.
Those
on the Sanhedrin had closed minds concerning the truth, and there would be no
amount of evidence that would open their minds, and their eyes to the truth, as
it was far too late for them, as they were just like Judas who betrayed
Him. “Like many people throughout the
ages who have rejected Christ, it was not that they had carefully examined the
evidence about Him and found it to be untrue or unconvincing but that they
refused to consider the evidence at all.
Even God’s own Holy Spirit cannot penetrate such a willful barrier to
His truth and grace. Miracles do not
convince the hard hearted” writes John MacArthur.
I
want to talk a little about when the high priest tore his robes. I have to believe that his robes were tore
many times as a show of horror, but in my opinion I think that this was just a
show as he is now getting the evidence that he thinks he needs to put Jesus to
death even though this whole sham trial where there was nothing happening according
to the law as I have mentioned before. I
think that he was happy to put on this little show because he was getting what
he wanted. Let us look at Leviticus
21:10 “‘The priest who is the highest among his brothers, on whose head the
anointing oil has been poured and who has been consecrated to wear the
garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes.” This is just another breaking of their laws
that God had given to the nation of Israel.
The
high priest then asked the council “What is the need for further witnesses? This surely was a rhetorical question as he
knew the answer. Then with that he asked
for an immediate verdict: “Look, you’ve
heard the blasphemy — 66 what’s your verdict now?" The high priest did not bother to have the
members polled individually and the results tabulated by scribes, as judicial
protocol was required, but not in a sham trial.
So
with one voice “they replied, "He deserves to die.’” So the decision was unanimous as “they all
condemned Him to be deserving of death” (Mark 14:64). MacArthur explains: “The unanimous vote to convict would have given
Jesus His freedom automatically, because the necessary element of mercy was
lacking. But by this time the Sanhedrin
had relinquished even the semblance of legality and justice. Because we know that Joseph of Arimathea was
a member of the Council but did not consent to Jesus’ condemnation (Luke
23:50-51), he obviously had left the proceedings before this final judicial farce
transpired.
“The
verdict of guilty and the sentence of death were not based on careful consideration
of full and impartial evidence and testimony.
It was a senseless mob reaction, much like the one which, a few hours
later, these same leaders would instigate and orchestrate regarding the release
of Barabbas and the crucifixion of Jesus (Matt. 27:20-21).”
6/28/2024 10:40 AM
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