Mark 14:60-65

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60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 63 The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”  They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65 Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, "Prophesy!" And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands." ~ Mark 14:60-65

Today, we return to our study of Mark 14 where the Lord Jesus was on trial before the religious leaders of Israel. In fact, the Lord Jesus endured six separate trials before He went to His death on the cross. The first three trials were held by the religious leaders of Israel which were all illegal because they happened in the cloak of darkness. The last three trials were before the Roman governor Pilate and Herod Antipas, the governor who beheaded John the Baptist. 

The first trial the Lord Jesus endured was before Annas the high priest. The second was before Caiaphas the son-in-law of Annas, the acting high priest in that year. The third was early the next morning before all the religious leaders of Israel. It was then they passed the verdict that the Lord Jesus should be put to death for blasphemy. But, they had a problem; the religious leaders of Israel didn't have the right to put the Lord Jesus to death. The right of capital punishment was the exclusive right of the Romans. 

So, the religious leaders of Israel got Pilate involved. Pilate tried his best to wash his hands clean of the Lord Jesus. In fact, he tried to give it to Herod Antipas, but Herod didn't want to have anything to do with the Lord Jesus also. So, Herod sent the Lord Jesus back to Pilate. In the end, Pilate finally gave in to the will of the religious leaders to have the Lord Jesus put to death. 

The stage for all of this had been earlier set in the garden of Gethsemane when the Lord Jesus sought the face of His Heavenly Father. As a result, the Lord Jesus agreed to be the Savior of all who would believe in Him. Most think the will of God is an itinerary we must discover, including where God wants us to go, and what He wants us to do. Not so, the will of God is for us to know Him. Once we know Him, everything else falls into its place. When it comes to spirituality, it is best realized through raising our sails rather than rowing our boats.

In v.60-61 of today's passage we read, 60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

Among the over three hundred prophecies the Lord Jesus fulfilled, one is found in Isaiah 53:7, which reads "As a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth." The silence of the Lord Jesus invited the will of God which led Him to pursue His awaiting death on the cross. 

In v.62 of today's passage we read, “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

In this verse the Lord Jesus claimed to be God by saying "I AM" which was the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew YHWH. Twenty-three times in the gospel of John the Lord Jesus said, "I AM." And, He knew this response to the religious leaders would definitely lead Him to His death.

In v.62 of today's passage, the Lord Jesus quoted Psalm 110 & Daniel 7 when He said to the religious leaders, "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

There are those critics who insist that at no time did the Lord Jesus ever claim to be the Messiah or the Son of God. They tell us that these claims were made about Him by His disciples. If you ever hear anyone say that, just turn to this passage where it is made clear that He said He was the Messiah and the Son of God.

In v.63 of today's passage we read, "The high priest tore his clothes. 'Why do we need any more witnesses?' he asked."

According to Leviticus 21, a High Priest would tear his clothes only if God was blasphemed. Of course, the Lord Jesus could not blaspheme God for He was God.

In v.64 of today's passage we read, "You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”  They all condemned him as worthy of death."

The high priest declared the Lord Jesus to be worthy of death. By saying those words, Caiaphas had no idea what he was truly saying. The Lord Jesus was the only One who could be declared worthy of the death that He died because no one could ever pay the penalty that was created by mankind's deliberate rebellion against God except God Himself. 

In v.65 of today's passage we read, "Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, 'Prophesy!' And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands."

After the passing of the verdict, the forces of restraint that had been upon these religious leaders seemed to be lifted, and they committed another illegal act. They began to vent their hatred upon the Lord Jesus by spitting on Him which was the ultimate form of insult. In addition, they beat Him and they covered His face with a garment, and while His face was hidden, they hit Him, and they demanded that He tell them who hit Him. Thus they mocked, scorned, and, insulted Him. 

Seven hundred and fifty years before this, Isaiah had prophesied of this moment when he wrote: "I gave my back to the smiter and my cheeks to those who plucked out the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting."