WWUTT 2232 Jesus Confesses that He Is the Christ (Mark 14:53:65)

Jesus was asked, are you the Christ, the Son of God? And Jesus says, I am, ego I me, which was to say that he is God. And that's what the priest hated him for when we understand the text.

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Hey, once again, it's Pastor Gabe.

Thank you, Becky. In our study of the gospel of Mark, we continue on with chapter 14, reading yesterday about Jesus' betrayal and arrest. And today we see that sham trial that he's put through so that he might be falsely accused that he may be put to death.

Let's read here verses 53 to 65 out of the Legacy Standard Bible. Hear the word of the Lord. Then they led Jesus away to the high priest and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together.

And Peter followed him at a distance right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests in the whole Sanhedrin were seeking to obtain testimony against Jesus to put him to death.

And they were not finding any. For many were giving false testimony against him, but their testimony was not consistent. And some standing up were giving false testimony against him saying, we ourselves heard him say, I will destroy this sanctuary made with hands.

And in three days, I will build another made without hands. And not even in this way was their testimony consistent. And the high priest stood up in their midst and questioned Jesus saying, you answer nothing?

What are these men testifying against you? But he kept silent and did not answer. Again, the high priest was questioning him and said to him, are you the Christ, the son of the blessed one? And Jesus said, I am.

And you shall see the son of man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming with the clouds of heaven. And tearing his tunics, the high priest said, what further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy.

How does it seem to you? And they all condemned him to be deserving of death. And some began to spit at him and to blindfold him and to beat him with their fists and to say to him, prophesy. And the officers received him with slaps in the face.

Jesus’ Silence Before False Accusations

Now, it's quite fascinating that if Jesus had just remained silent, even through this despicable trial, he never would have been accused of anything, but then the scriptures would not have been fulfilled.

And so he speaks what is absolutely true, that he is the I am. And the way that Jesus answers that question is to call himself Yahweh, is to make himself equal with God, because of course he is God. That is exactly the way that the Jews heard him say it.

That's what they accused him of, claiming to be God. Let's come back to verse 53, as we examine this particular trial, the way that Mark records it. Then they led Jesus away to the high priest and all the chief priests and elders and the scribes gathered together.

Now, they're doing this in the cover of night. It is dark. It is late. People have even been awakened to come to this particular trial. This is not the usual hour that people are awake. But where does Peter go?

As you consider next in verse 54, Peter followed him at a distance right into the courtyard of the high priest and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself by the fire. So these officers, it could have been soldiers that were involved in arresting Jesus, though probably not.

It was most likely Roman soldiers. Because if it were those soldiers that were involved in arresting Jesus, they surely would have recognized Peter, especially since he had cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest.

Now we know from other accounts that Jesus healed his ear, but nonetheless, Peter was seen as hostile. Peter, no doubt, knows this, part of the reason why he's hiding. And he doesn't want to be arrested with Jesus.

He's seeing how this is going with Jesus. And though he previously had confidence that he would never betray him, previously he had confidence that this would not even be happening. Remember that when Jesus told his disciples that he would go into Jerusalem and he would be persecuted, arrested, and even put to death, Peter said, no, I would never let this happen to you.

And all the rest of the disciples agreed with him. But Jesus, of course, rebukes Peter saying, get behind me, Satan. You are a hindrance to me, for you are not thinking with the mind of God, but with the mind of a man.

Peter, nonetheless, he doesn't even comprehend that this is going to happen. We're not told in either Matthew's account or in Mark's account, what Peter's reaction was to being told, get behind me, Satan.

But we're not shown that the disciples were convinced about what Jesus said was going to happen. He tells them two more times. And in Mark's gospel, especially, the disciples are, they're afraid to answer him.

It doesn't say that in Matthew, but it does in Mark, that they're afraid to respond when Jesus continues to say to them that he is going to be persecuted and put to death, but he will rise again in three days.

So Peter, this whole situation is still taking him by surprise. This is still not what he expected. So he's trying to remain close, but at the same time, remain hidden, because he also doesn't want to be arrested and treated the way that he's seeing Jesus be treated.

So as he's warming himself by the fire with the guard, this is most likely the Roman guard. The Roman guard is still up late at night. They're still going to be keeping security around the city. There were still soldiers that were awake deep into these hours, but most everybody else is awake at an hour that they weren't typically awake because they're holding this trial in the cover of night in secret so that the people won't hear about it.

Remember that the scribes and the Pharisees did not arrest Jesus when they had the opportunity. Remember Jesus remarked to them in the garden, I taught in the temple, you didn't arrest me there. Why are you arresting me now?

Well, because they were afraid of the people. As Mark had said to us, they were afraid of those people that loved Jesus, loved his teaching, loved the miracles that he performed. He was very popular among many of the people, not everybody, but a lot of people loved him.

There was just a huge parade for him. At the start of the week, when Jesus comes into Jerusalem on a donkey's colt to shouts of Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. So they're holding this trial in secret at night because they don't want the people who love Jesus to be stirred against the scribes and the Pharisees.

This is all unjust, of course. This is not a fair trial. This is not according to the law of God. Everything that the Pharisees are doing here is according to their own tradition, the rules they just make up as they go.

None of this is according to how God's word has said that a trial or an accusation is to be made against a person. Now you see here that they brought forth witnesses, but those witnesses, according to the law, they had to agree by the evidence of two or three witnesses may a charge be established, but those witnesses can't agree with one another.

False Witnesses and the Charge of Blasphemy

So we go to the next section, verse 55. Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking to obtain testimony against Jesus to put him to death, and they were not finding any. Now we're not told a whole lot of different accusations that may have been hurled at Jesus.

Just this one example Mark gives us, verse 56. For many were giving false testimony against him, but their testimony was not consistent. And here's an example of that testimony. And some standing up were giving false testimony against him saying, we ourselves heard him say, I will destroy this sanctuary made with hands.

And in three days, I will build another made without hands. Now this is unique to Mark because Mark does not tell us exactly how this testimony disagreed. So we know that they didn't agree with one another, but Mark doesn't say how it disagreed because of course Jesus has said this.

I will tear down this temple. In three days, I will build it back up again. So one person is saying one thing, even in this short accusation, even in these few words, they still can't get their testimonies to line up.

They still don't recall it correctly. Whether or not one person thought it was four days or another person didn't remember it being a spiritual temple or a physical temple, we don't know what the differences were.

We just know that they did not agree. Perhaps they did not agree in the sense that they could not agree together that this was a capital crime. Maybe one thought, well, you know, I mean, he should be flogged for it.

And the other one thought, well, no, he should be put to death for it. They could not find in the testimony a reason to actually bring Jesus before Pilate and say, this man is guilty of something for which he needs to be killed.

That's the testimony they're looking for. And yet, even in God's law, they're not able to find in the law something that says that Jesus needed to be put to death for this. No one was able to find an actual accusation against him.

And this further testifies to the fact that Jesus was sinless, did nothing wrong. And in this trial, it could be seen even among these elders that Jesus was an innocent man. And perhaps Judas is convinced by this as well because we know it was later on, he tried to return the silver that he received to betray Jesus.

He tried to give it back and said, I have betrayed an innocent man. I have shed innocent blood. But of course the Pharisees would not take the money back because it was blood money. But here they're trying to find an accusation against him.

And even in this way, verse 59, their testimony was not consistent. So the high priest stood up in their midst and questioned Jesus saying, you answer nothing? What are these men testifying against you?

You'll notice this is the same kind of a question that Pilate will ask later on. Jesus remains quiet even before Pilate. And Pilate says, why won't you speak and defend yourself against what these people are saying?

Is what they're saying about you accurate? So the high priest takes a different tactic. Jesus kept silent. He did not answer. He was not gonna answer to these false charges and potentially incriminate himself based on these false accusations.

If Jesus was going to be accused and tried and put to death for anything, it was going to be the truth because the scribes and the Pharisees and the elders hated the truth. And so here is the question that the high priest asks.

We wanna get Jesus on a capital crime? We wanna find something to put him to death? Let's see if he'll answer to the charge of blasphemy. So he says, are you the Christ, the son of the blessed one? Now this question is, are you the Messiah?

So Christ is Messiah. They are the same word. Are you the one that is promised by God through whom God is gonna fulfill the law and the prophets? Are you the son of the blessed one? Now in Matthew's gospel and in Luke's gospel, it says, are you the son of God?

It's put point blank in just that way. The blessed one is God. Are you the son of God? It's the same question. It is the same title. It's just worded differently. Also to call him the Messiah would mean that he would be the anointed one.

You are the one specifically that God has anointed to fulfill all of these things that were spoken about in the prophets concerning the Messiah. You are the one in the line of David. You are the one on whose throne God will establish his kingdom forever.

You are the son of man, the son of God as prophesied about in the book of Daniel. Is that you? And Jesus' answer is, Mark 14, 62, ego, I'm me. Which in Greek is, I am. And by the way, in Greek, that title is synonymous with Yahweh.

It is synonymous with the Tetragrammaton, the covenant name for God as given to Moses as given to the people of Israel. It is that word that is capitalized in most English translations, L-O-R-D, capital L-O-R-D.

And whenever you will see that in the Old Testament, that is the Tetragrammaton that has been translated into English in this way, because that's the way it was translated in the Greek Septuagint. And that became the Christian tradition then from that point on, from the Septuagint on.

So even in the time of Jesus, even when Jesus was teaching in his day, he would use the language of the Septuagint, of the Greek translation of the Old Testament. And so where the Tetragrammaton was translated Lord or ego, I'm me, that's the phrasing that Jesus would use.

And all those I am statements that we find in John, ego I'm me, that is Jesus claiming to be I am. That's why when he would make those statements, it would make the crowd so angry because he's equating himself with God.

He is claiming to be God by taking that title used in the Greek Septuagint for God, ego I'm me, and applying it to himself. Now, as I said, that becomes the Christian tradition then from that point forward, from the years even before Christ at the translation of the Greek Septuagint, and then on through the time of Christ and on through up through the present day to understand Jesus as Lord translated from ego I'm me.

That has therefore been the Christian tradition. The understanding of calling him Yahweh is actually a relatively new concept. Yahweh, that phrasing or that pronunciation of the word in that way doesn't occur until the 19th century.

So Jehovah is actually a pronunciation that's older than Yahweh. We don't really know what the correct pronunciation of Yahweh is. We just take that Y-H-W-H and that's the way we pronounce it even though it may not have been the way that it was actually said.

But the Christian tradition has been Lord or to understand I am being equal with Yahweh as it would appear in the Hebrew Old Testament. And so Jesus here making this statement, I am, ego I'm me, is to say that he is God.

That's exactly the way that they receive it because that is the reaction of the high priest and all the people who are there at this trial. Jesus says, I am and you shall see the son of man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming with the clouds of heaven.

Daniel 7 and the Son of Man at God’s Right Hand

Now he's quoting Daniel. This is from Daniel chapter seven. We read in verses 13 and 14. I kept looking in the night visions and behold with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man was coming and he came up to the ancient of days and came near before him.

And to him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom that all the peoples, nations and men of every tongue might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not be taken away and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.

This is the son of man. This is the son of the blessed one. This is exactly the question that the high priest has asked of Jesus. Are you this guy that had been prophesied about by the prophet Daniel?

And Jesus says, I am. And then so that there would not be any confusion, he actually quotes Daniel and says, that's about me. And then verse 63, tearing his tunics. The high priest said, what further need do we have of witnesses?

And by the way, the tunics of the high priest were very well made. These weren't cheap tunics. Like Peter could probably have torn his tunic pretty easy. It's not easy to tear the tunic of a high priest.

He wore expensive garments. This was a man who was chosen from among the Sanhedrin. They were like the upper echelon from the Jews. And he is wearing ornamented garments even, something that would be unique to the high priest, not just everyday clothes.

And he tears them, just kind of further elaborates on his anxiety that he stresses at this particular moment. He is so incensed by what Jesus has said that man, he works at that thing. He rips and rips and rips.

It was not just grabbing it at one point and going, you know, like Hulkamania, like Hulk Hogan does when he rips his shirt. It wasn't just one swoop. He was tugging and tugging and tugging in anger and shouting and gritting his teeth at the people around him who were putting Jesus on trial so that they would share his anger and want to put Jesus to death just as this high priest did.

And so he tears, he tears, he tears at his tunics. And the high priest said, what further need do we have of witnesses? We don't need to continue. We don't even need these witnesses testimony to line up anymore.

You've heard it from his mouth. He's committed blasphemy, at least in their ears, because they don't believe him to be the son of God. Verse 64, you have heard the blasphemy. How does it seem to you? And they all condemned him to be deserving of death.

Finally, they had the thing that they could accuse him of. And by the way, this very thing, they could get the crowds on their side for. Yeah, they were ready to believe that he was going to be some earthly king, but they're not ready to proclaim that he's God.

Some people do believe that, but not everybody. So maybe we can get the people on our side now, when we put him before them and he'll say the same thing again, as he said to us, he's not going to deny it.

We'll get the people on our side. We'll put him before Pilate. Pilate will hear him say it. And Pilate will hear him proclaim himself to be above Caesar. Well, then you know the Romans have got to go along with us and put him to death.

The Mocking and Beating of the Son of God

Verse 65, and some began to spit at him and to blindfold him and to beat him with their fists and to say to him, prophesy. And the officers received him with slaps in the face. This is the way that they treated the son of God.

Not because they loved God's word and wanted to uphold it, but because they actually hated it. They actually hated God. And that's why they hated Jesus. They loved their own religion. They loved their traditions.

They loved their rules and commandments. They didn't love God's. And so here, the son of God is given to them. They don't listen to him, except when he proclaims himself to be God. And then what they hear is blasphemy and decide to put him to death.

And my friends, any one of us, if we would exalt our own ethics, morality, religious beliefs, philosophy, ideology, whatever else, politics, we want to elevate those things above Christ and his word, then we would regard him the same way that the Pharisees did.

Do you worship Christ? Do you know that he is the son of God? Do you know that in him only is the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life? Do you truly believe Christ is King, that he reigns over all, that he is sovereign, that he is coming back to judge the living and the dead, and only those who believe in him will be saved and have everlasting life?

Then if we believe that, if we have committed to that in our hearts and confess that Christ is Lord, then we will demonstrate it in our lives. We not only believe who he is, but because we believe what he has said, and we will follow that word and keep it, even if it may cost us our lives.

Because as Jesus said to his disciples, remember when they hate you, they hated me first. If you were of the world, they would love you as its own, but they hate you because you're not of the world, but you're of Christ.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for what we have read here, and I pray that these things would indeed be applied to us, that we would live according to this, that it would be in our lives we exalt Christ is Lord.

And with everything that we are, we desire to serve him and please him. Whatever sinful way there might be in us, convict us of this, that we may put it off, confess it before God, go and sin no more, and desire to live in the righteousness of Christ that we have been clothed in.

May it be with courage and boldness that we would proclaim the testimony of Jesus Christ to the world so that others will also see him as Lord, put their faith in him, worship him, and live with him. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Thank you for listening to When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. If you'd like to support this ministry, visit our website, www .wutt .com, and click on the Give tab in the top right corner of the page.

Join us again tomorrow as we continue our Bible study When We Understand the Text.