Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
The Gospel of Mark does not include Jesus’ appearance before Annas (John 18:12-14, 19-23) but moves quickly to Jesus’ trial before Calaphas (the son-in-law of Anna) and the Sanhedrin, the ruling council in Israel: “And they led Jesus away to the high priest [Caiaphas]: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elder and the scribes. And 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” (Mark 14:53-55). This trial was illegal throughout. The Sanhedrin, made up of around seventy leaders (not all of whom were present – Luke 23:51), could not initiate legal proceedings, but it breaks its own rules immediately. Furthermore, it could not try a capital crime at night, as it does here. Moreover, it could meet at the Temple only, in a public session. “There is no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9c), not even so-called lawfare. Mankind’s sinful heart is ever in view; the Sanhedrin’s settled hatred of Jesus is a compelling example of this sad truth. The contrast between the Sanhedrin and the Savior reminds us that there is no spiritual middle ground: we either stand with Jesus or follow the forces of wickedness.