” And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?” (Mark 14:60-64 KJV)
Evidently Jesus consider the court’s case so weak that it required no responses from him. But then the High Priest asked a clear-cut question directly to Jesus, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus replied simply, “I am.”
The silence that follows is deafening. All of heaven is attentive to what the court will say. It is clear that this is the testimony Jesus wanted to give about himself. The Jewish leaders of this court understood him clearly and his claim to his being God.
In the face of this evidence, it is difficult to see how Christian opposition can even suggest that Jesus never claimed to be God. Even if we didn’t have this record, Jesus of Nazareth always acted and spoke in ways that were completely consistent with his being God.
Once faced with the overwhelming evidence that the baby born in a manger so long ago is in fact the incarnated Son of God, we are cornered with a decision. We can no longer rely on our own comfortable ramblings about him. A great teacher? Yes, but his teaching includes the assertion that he is God. A great moral leader? Yes, but his moral example and teaching include the assertion that he is the Holy One himself.
Our intellect my be troubled but that does not erase the fact of his being the Son of God. Our faith may be challenged but that does not override the truth that he is God. Our lifestyle may require changes but that simply means he is our Lord and Savior . . . the King of Kings. Nothing can adequately support his sacrifice at Calvary except his deity. Nothing can adequately support Christian thought except his deity. No one can honestly ignore him since he is God.
This is an “in for a penny in for a pound” issue. Christianity is no mere philosophy from which we can pick and choose what we like and don’t like. We are either in all the way or not at all. If we believe in God, we must accept and receive God as his Son has shown him to us. The High Priest was correct, there is no need for further evidence.
Dear Father, thank you for revealing yourself to us through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Grant to us the fortitude of faith that we may confidently persevere to the end. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be courageous today in your faith,