Mark 14:53–65

53 And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. 54 And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire. 55 Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. 56 For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. 57 And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” 59 Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. 60 And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” 61 But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63 And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? 64 You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. 65 And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him with blows.

(ESV)

STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?

  • What is the writer saying?
  • How do I apply this to my life?

💡How to do your quiet time


Jesus was taken to a gathering of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council. They were gathered at night even though the Jewish legal system required trials to only happen during the day. They were rushing because it was Passover and they wanted to get Jesus in front of Pilate early and they probably wanted to get things done quickly before they faced any opposition to what they were doing. Peter had enough courage to remain close to Jesus and see what happened. The trial began with many witnesses trying to produce evidence against Jesus, but they could find none because none of the testimonies agreed with each other. Two witnesses did come forward to testify about Jesus’ claim to destroy the temple made with hands and build another not made with hands but even these witnesses did not have aligned testimonies. The high priest asked Jesus two questions in the hope of getting something to use against Jesus, but He remained silent. Finally, he asked Jesus, are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One. To this Jesus replied that He is the Messiah and that they, his earthly judges, would one day be judged by Him when He was exalted in heaven. The high priest reacted by tearing his clothes in horror at Jesus’ apparent blasphemy and declared that they needed no further witnesses. Then he called for a decision from the council and they all condemned Jesus to death. Then they spit on Him, hit Him, mocked Him, and handed Him over to the guards who beat Him.
The Jewish leaders’ foregone conclusion about Jesus led them to direct proceedings to the outcome they were looking for. If they had looked openly and honestly at the evidence, they would have seen that Jesus had done plenty to prove His claims to be the Messiah. Only one man can claim to be God and not be blaspheming and Jesus is that man. In what ways might you be blinded from God’s truth because of your own preconceived ideas?