December 9 - Luke 22:63-71

Luke 22:63-71 – Jesus and the Sanhedrin

When you read the passage about the guards who blindfolded Jesus, then mocked him telling him to prophesy about which of them hit him, playground bullies come to mind. They thought they had the power to humiliate and terrify Jesus.  These were not members of the Sanhedrin who were putting Jesus to some type of test to see if he really was the prophet or the Messiah, these were simply guards and servants of the members of the Sanhedrin. They held no power themselves. What they didn't realize was that they were there to fulfill prophecy as told by Isaiah: “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3). “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).

By daybreak, the Sanhedrin was together in full force.

The problem they had was that even though Jesus admitted to being the Christ – the Messiah, that was not necessarily a crime. There had been others who called themselves the Messiah. The Sanhedrin didn’t believe it of them, why would Jesus expect them to believe it of him, even though he had been proving over and over again to the world that was who he truly was.

But this morning, he finally set forth the claim that he was the Messiah, God’s son.

This was the affirmation they needed. His claims through his ministry that he was the Son of God were now made public in their hearing.

Notice that Jesus is the one who offered the Sanhedrin that which they needed. He gives them the words they were looking for. When they ask if he is the Son of God, he affirms the assertion. He stops the trial. There is no need for this to drag on. Jesus gave them permission to accuse him and to convict him.