Judges Judged.

Judges can honest and judges can be crooked. At Jesus trial He pointed out the sinfulness of His judges by His very presence and demeanor.

Jesus Before the Jewish Leaders

In Mark chapter 14, beginning at verse 60, we read. 

“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?’ But he remained silent and made no answer. Again, the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ 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.’ … And they all condemned him as deserving death. 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.”

(Mark 14:60-62, 64-65)

Jesus Before the Sanhedrin

The full high court, the Sanhedrin, attack Jesus. The high priest asks,

“Are you the Christ, the son of the blessed?”

Mark 14:61

It is meant to trap Jesus on two sides: 1] Are you the Messiah? 2] Are you God? When Jesus says, “I AM” in answer to both questions, he then adds,

“And you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 

That statement throws a warning right back at them, because the Old Testament describes the Lord as their coming Judge. Of all the images he could choose for himself in this hostile situation, Jesus declares himself as the Judge, the Judge of those who sit to judge Him.

“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.”

(Mark 14:65).

A Trial Becomes a Riot

At this point the trial turns into a riot. A dignified supreme court goes berserk. But as they attempt to mock and punish Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah by spitting on him, they are actually fulfilling a prophecy about the Messiah. One verse from their scriptures puts them to shame:

“I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.’ 

(Isaiah 50:6) 

Jesus Was a Living Accusation of Their Sin

Why are they so angry? Jesus is a living accusation against their own sin. He has done this by what he said, what he did and who he was. By what he said: In his debates with the top religious leaders, Jesus sprung their own traps on them and demolished their arguments with their own sacred scriptures. By what he did: He marched into the temple and overturned the market of those who made a mockery of the holiness of God’s house. By who he was: His perfect holiness exposed their sin. This is how Jesus himself expresses it:

“If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.’”

(John 15:22-24)

It’s Hard to Face Sin

It is hard to face our sin. When an African chief saw her image in a mirror hanging from a tree she shouted, “Who is that horrible-looking person inside that tree?” A missionary said, “It is not in the tree. The glass is showing your own face.” She said, “I must have the glass.” After she got it from the missionary, she took the mirror and announced, “I will never have it making faces at me again,” and threw it down, breaking it to pieces.

This is exactly what the religious leaders are doing to Jesus. They want to smash this mirror of their souls! So, they nail him to a cross, only to find out that this simply magnifies the reflection of their own sin.  The Bible says God can cause even the wrath of men to praise him.  If you have knelt before the cross of Jesus, there’s a hallelujah for you.  If you have not believed in Jesus, there’s a warning for you. Believe or reject the Christ of the cross.  Hallelujah or warning – the choice is ours.

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