The Hour Had Come

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
66 At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. 67 “If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.”

Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, 68 and if I asked you, you would not answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”

70 They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”

He replied, “You say that I am.”

71 Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”

23:1 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. (Luke 22:66-23:1, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
Hide in the back corner as the assembly meets and, if you dare, watch and listen to the most extraordinary exchange.

They are meeting, let's remind ourselves, because over the course of the previous few days—and, before that, over the previous year or two—Jesus had been doing and saying things that were, frankly, outrageous in terms of the worldviews and hopes of those in power in Jerusalem.

All of that had come to a head when he had entered the city riding on a donkey and had challenged their power-base by going to the Temple and throwing out the traders and money-changers (Luke 19:45-46). The best explanation for that is that—like Jeremiah or one of the prophets of old—Jesus was acting out a powerful symbol, which he had then explained to his followers. The Temple was under God's judgment. All of its meaning and history, particularly its significance as the place where God met with his people, was now being drawn to a different place. To a person.

But there's only one person, other than the high priest, who has rights over the Temple. As you hide in the corner and watch the scene, you realize how the connection has been made. It is the king who builds the Temple (think of Solomon), or who has the right to declare its future. And the king means the Messiah, the Anointed One. And the Messiah, according to the Scriptures, will be "Son of God." That's what Psalm 2 had said.

To the religious rulers and authorities in Jerusalem, Jesus' words and actions meant one thing and one thing alone—rebellion. He was not only acting in rebellion to their authority, he was usurping their authority. Claiming he possessed the real authority as God's Son, the king of the of the Jews and the ruler of the whole world.

These connections would be obvious to the religious leaders, though we in our modern Western mindset have to think through them to catch their full force. But it all adds up to an explosive cocktail of accusations.

And Jesus does nothing to deflect the accusations being lobbed his way. Indeed, he makes matters worse. He alludes to the famous Old Testament passage (in Daniel 7) where "one like a son of man" is brought to sit at the right hand of God himself. In other words, is given authority, under God, over the whole world.

This is the coming of the kingdom of God.

As Jesus said, he wouldn't be drinking with his friends again until God's kingdom came (Luke 22:18). This is how he believed it had to happen.

In the Daniel 7 scene, four mythological monsters come up out of the sea to attack God's people. The last one is the most arrogant. Then God acts, snatching up the "one like a son of man" and vindicating him, setting him in authority.

Jesus had hinted darkly, several times before and in various ways, that all this would come true in his own life story. Now the hour had come.


POINT OF PONDER:
Pause to ponder the trial of Jesus. Read the passage one more time, slowly and prayerfully. Try to imagine the scene playing out in your mind. Contemplate the many unjust features of this trial. Listen to the many accusations thrown at him. Stand amazed at the way that Jesus does absolutely nothing to defend himself. Personally, I cannot read this passage without being deeply affected by the way that Jesus simply stands quietly in the face of the injustice of it all. Spend some time expressing your appreciation to Christ.

On a separate but related note, many of our Christian brothers and sisters in the world today face unfair courts with state prosecutors whose sole concern is to catch them out and discredit them. Pray for them, and for God's justice to flourish throughout the world.


PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, in your person you experienced an unjust imprisonment and trial, torture, and death. You were beaten and flogged and sentenced to an agonizing death, though you had done no wrong. Be now with your brothers and sisters who are imprisoned throughout the world. Be with them in their fear and loneliness, in the agony of physical and mental torture and in the face of execution and death. Stretch out your hands in power to break their chains. Be merciful to the oppressor and torturer and place a new heart within them. Forgive all injustices in our lives and transform us to be instruments of your peace, for by your wounds we are healed.


WHO AM I?
I am Tres Sansom, and we had a great time dedicating our newly adopted children to the Lord this past Sunday. We so appreciate the church's commitment to pray for and support us as we seek to parent our two beautiful children. We'll need all of your prayers! As you can tell by the little wild man in my lap, we've got our hands full with these two.