October 27, 2025
Leading verses 61-62: “Then the high priest asked him again and said to him: Are you the Christ, the Son of the Most Praised One? But Jesus said, ‘It is I; and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’”
We experience many iniquities and sins in the world. That's why we easily become angry, desperate or depressed. How can we properly solve such problems?
By experiencing and becoming grateful for God's grace and love in Christ Jesus.
Jesus' birth by the Virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit teaches us that Jesus is God's Son. This Jesus died on the cross as an atonement for our sin.
Today we want to recharge our batteries with God's grace through Jesus' capture and interrogation.
1. Jesus' Capture (43-52)
Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Now Jesus said to his disciples, „Arise, let us go! Behold, he who betrays me is at hand“. Then came Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a company of temple guards with swords and poles; these were sent by the chief priests and elders.
The traitor had arranged a sign with the temple guards: “Whoever I will kiss, it is he who will seize and lead him away safely.”
When Jesus went to meet Judas, he came to Jesus and said “Rabbi!” and kissed him. The temple guards laid hands on Jesus and seized him. But one of the disciples drew his sword and struck after the watchman of the temple and cut off his ear.
According to the account of the Gospel of John, the disciple who drew his sword and cut off the temple soldier's ear was Peter, and the temple soldier's name was Malchus (John. 18:10). But Jesus touched Malchus' ear with his hand and healed it (Lk. 22:51).
According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said to his disciples, “Put your sword on its scabbard! For whoever takes up the sword will perish by the sword. Or don't you think I couldn't ask my father to send me more than twelve legions of angels (i.e. 72,000 angels) immediately?” (Mt. 26:52-53).
Jesus said to the temple guards, “You went out as against a robber with swords and poles to catch me. I have been with you daily in the temple and taught, and you have not seized me. But this is how Scripture must be fulfilled.”
Then his disciples said to themselves: “Save yourself if you can!” and they all fled. Markus himself, who wrote this book, fled naked when his coat was grabbed.
But because Jesus wanted to voluntarily obey the Father's will, he surrendered to arrest. He wanted to die voluntarily for your sins and mine so that we could receive forgiveness and eternal life. So he died voluntarily out of love for us.
2. Jesus before the High Council (53-65)
1) Peter denies Jesus (53-54)
Jesus was led to the chief priests after the capture. The Gospel of John gives the names of the chief priests: Jesus was first led to Hannas, the ex-high priest, and then to the reigning high priest named Caiaphas, Hannas' son-in-law (John 18:13).
All the ex-high priests, elders, and scribes gathered with the high priest. The High Council was the supreme council of the Jews after the Babylonian captivity. He was formed from 71 men from the ranks of the most distinguished priests, the leading scribes, that is, the theologians of Judaism, and the most distinguished elders of the Jews. The incumbent high priest was the presiding officer. Actually, the office of high priest was life imprisonment. But the Romans deposed him and installed another. Hanna was the deposed and Caiaphas the incumbent. Hannas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas and exercised his influence heavily.
How did Peter behave, who had previously sworn, “Even if I had to die with you, I will not deny you”?
Verse 54 tells us, “But Peter followed him from afar, even into the palace of the high priest, and sat there with the servants and warmed himself by the fire.”
He gathered all his courage and followed Jesus, even though all the other disciples had run away. Unfortunately, he followed Jesus at a distance because he was afraid of arrest and death. When a maid said to him: “You are definitely one of Jesus' disciples!” he denied that. So he denied his identity. If you don't want to deny Jesus, you shouldn't follow at a distance.
2) You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power (55-65)
Let us now watch Jesus' interrogation before the High Council. Verses 55 and 56 say, “But the chief priests and all the council sought witness against Jesus, that they would kill him, and found nothing. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree.”
The chief priests and the high council had already decided to kill Jesus. But they couldn't find a proper reason for the death sentence.
That's why they wanted to twist Jesus' words and sentence him to death. To do so, they set up some false witnesses:
„And some arose and bore false witness against him, saying, <We have heard that he said, I will break down this temple made with hands, and I will build another in three days, not made with hands is.>“
Apostle John tells us in his Gospel about the meaning of the word as follows: „Break down this temple, and in three days I will raise it up“ (John 2:19). With this word, Jesus meant that he would be resurrected on the third day. So by the temple he meant his body. But the false witnesses twisted Jesus' words.
The high priest asked Jesus, „Do you not answer what they testify against you?“
But Jesus was silent and didn’t answere.
Then Jesus answered, „It is I; and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.“
With this answer, Jesus made it clear that he is God's Son and the Christ. He also announced to everyone that after his resurrection he would go from the dead to heaven, sit at the right hand of God, and then return with the clouds of heaven.
Here we can mention three important points about Jesus:
First: Jesus wanted to die as a sacrificial lamb for people's sin.
Jesus knew full well that if Jesus confessed to himself as Christ and the Son of God, the High Priest would condemn him to death. But he knew that God would claim his innocent death as an atonement for the salvation of all people. Jesus loved God very much and therefore wanted to obey God's will. Jesus also loved us so much that he was eager to sacrifice his life for our salvation from the power of sin and death. Out of obedience to trust in God and out of love for us, he wanted to die as a sacrificial lamb for our salvation. That's why it says in John 3:16:
„For so God loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that all who believe in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
Second: Jesus wanted to give everyone present, including the high priest, the opportunity to repent for their unbelief and believe in him.
Jesus knew full well that his confession would cost him his life. But he didn't think about himself, but about others; He wanted to lead as many of those present as possible to believe in him so that they could be saved from the wrath of God and have eternal life. He loved her even though they wanted to kill him. Out of love for them, he confessed that he is the Christ and the Son of God. With his confession he said something like, „I am the Christ and Son of God, I love you very much and want to save you. Believe in me as Christ and the Son of God. Then you will be saved!“
Third: Jesus wanted to let everyone know that he is the true ruler and judge and that all people must stand before his judgment seat. Therefore he said, Everyone will see that he will sit at the right hand of God and that he will come with the clouds of heaven. His return means the hour of salvation for the believers, but the hour of judgment for the unbelievers.
Jesus is the true judge who returns and will judge both the living and the dead. The High Priest opined that he is the judge But Jesus Christ is the true judge. He judges both the dead and the living. At the judgment of Christ, every man must answer for all his bad speeches, evil thoughts, sinful deeds, and unbelief and receive the just punishment for them. The just punishment for sin is eternal damnation to hell. But those who have already repented for their sin and received forgiveness through faith in the blood of Jesus will not be judged but will be declared innocent because of the blood of Jesus and will be immediately accepted into the kingdom of heaven (John 5:24).
Fourth: Jesus will come again to gather all the children of God and lead them into the kingdom of heaven. He had already said in 13:26,27, „Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then he will see the angels and gather his chosen ones from the four winds from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.“
The return of Jesus is the hour of judgment for the unbelievers and the hour of perfect salvation for the believers. That's why Apostle Paul said in 2 Tim. 4:7,8,
“I have fought the good fight, I have completed the course, I have kept faith; henceforth there is ready for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, not only to me, but also to all who love his appearance.” Hallelujah, Amen!
When the high priest heard Jesus' testimony, he tore his clothes and said, “What else do we need witnesses for? You have heard the blasphemy. What is your verdict?”
Then they all condemned him for being guilty of death (63, 64).
Then some began to spit on him and cover his face and beat him with their fists and say to him: “Prophesy to us!” And the servants smote him in the face.
This is how the prophecy of the prophet Jesus about the Messiah was fulfilled,
“He was the most despised and unworthy, full of pain and illness. He was so despised that his face was hidden from him; therefore we have not respected him for anything. Indeed, he bore our illness and took on our pain. But we considered him to be the one who was afflicted and beaten and martyred by God. But he is wounded for our iniquity, and crushed for our sin. The punishment is upon him that we may have peace, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Because Jesus was punished for our sin, we have forgiveness and salvation! I thank God for the sacrificial death of Jesus!