Good morning! Let's start our day with Jesus.
Here's your devotional text for Tuesday, December 19.

 

 

Eight days have passed, and we have covered four stories so far. But this last one is the most important one. Without this story, we wouldn’t be where we are today. It is the story of Calvary.

 

It was an early Friday morning. It was still dark outside. Jesus had been up all night, He had been at Gethsemane and suffered like never before in His life. Judas had betrayed him, and an angry mob had carried Him to the ex-high priest shortly after midnight. The Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus, but they didn’t know how.

They were not allowed to pronounce a death sentence on someone; only the Roman authorities could do that. So they tried to find “legal” reasons to murder this innocent Man.

 

First, they wanted to accuse Jesus of being a blasphemer (someone who puts himself in the place of God). They thought it might be enough to convince fellow Jews that Jesus was worthy of death. Then, they wanted the Romans to believe that Jesus attempted to start a rebellion and a new government. This would have been the perfect argument to kill Jesus, “the traitor.”

The preliminary trial with Annas, the ex-high priest, didn’t lead anywhere, so they brought Jesus to Caiaphas. Everyone assembled in the judgment hall. Judges were on each side, Roman soldiers positioned themselves just underneath them, and Jesus was on the ground in the middle, just at the foot of the throne. Everyone looked at Him. The excitement was intense. But the amazing thing was that out of all the people there, Jesus was the most peaceful one. It seemed like a holy atmosphere surrounded Him. When Caiaphas looked to Jesus, he was convicted that this man was similar to God Himself. He hated Jesus; he had been jealous and always thought of Him as a rival. The people kept looking at Jesus, and everyone saw this huge contrast. The priests were excessively wild and evil, and Jesus was extraordinarily calm and majestic.

 

Caiaphas wanted to get rid of his convictions; he wanted to speed up the trial. But he wasn’t sure how. Both the Sadducees and the Pharisees were part of this judging panel. They hated each other. Caiaphas knew that, so he avoided all discussions that would lead to accusing each other. Basically, he could not talk about the Sabbath or mention Jesus’ miracles or His violation of man-made traditions. It was difficult!

 

What did the Jewish leaders try to do? Was it successful? Why (not)?

 

Why did they decide to bring up this accusation? Was it true? When did Jesus say it? What did He mean? See also John 2:18-21.

 

Using the temple as a starting point was a cunning idea. Everyone was proud of the temple; even the Romans invested resources into it to keep it beautiful and majestic. But still, it wasn’t enough for someone to say, “Under Roman law, this man is worthy of death.”

 

Now, here’s the point. Jesus listened to all this without saying a single word (Mark 14:61). No comment. No attempt to defend Himself. The discussions continued, and the people became more and more angry — this trial wasn’t leading anywhere! Now, Caiaphas became desperate. He tried it one last time. He wanted to make Jesus condemn Himself, so he said: “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Matthew 26:63.

 

Why did Jesus say something now? What did He mean when He said these words?

 

Jesus had told His disciples in Matthew 10:32 that “whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.” Now, He was practically doing what He had told His disciples. He was put under oath. His relation to His heavenly Father was questioned. Caiaphas asked Him directly, and Jesus wanted to show respect for the law. Although He knew that His answer would most likely be His death sentence, He opened His mouth and said, “It is as you said.”

 

He had been silent during the entire trial. Hours had passed, and people had beaten Him, mocked Him, ridiculed Him, and screamed at Him. But this one time where He thought, “I need to say something,” was when He confessed that God is real, He Himself is the Messiah, and He came to save humanity.

 

When are you silent? When are you being treated unjustly? When are you being mocked and ridiculed? Does God call us to endure these things silently? Why (not)?

 

When do you speak up? There are times when God calls you to say something. You are being called to defend His cause, to reveal His true character, and to share His love. How do you practically do it? Do you remember situations where you should have said something, but you didn’t? Why didn’t you say anything?

 

Based on these questions, try to come up with personal takeaways.

 

If you have more time, study Matthew 26:65.

Why did Caiaphas react like this? Wasn’t his reaction way too exaggerated? (Remember: Caiaphas was a Saducee. What did they (not) believe? What solemn event was Jesus describing in verse 64? See also 1 Corinthians 4:5.)