The journey to Mount Calvary almost stalled in the session with the Sanhedrin. They had the sentence-death. But they had great difficulty finding the evidence. As Mark reports, many testified against Him, but none of them agreed. They gave false testimony against Jesus that He said He would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. Even that did not work as they could not agree.
Jesus remained silent through it all. He knew it would be foolish to engage in debate with them. His silence irritated Caiaphas very much. He asked the question Jesus would answer: "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" (Mark 14:61b). Jesus reply? "I Am" (Mark 14:62a). He is indeed the great "I AM!" That is how God answered Moses from the burning bush: "This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you" (Exodus 3:14b).
Jesus' answer is true. Perhaps even Caiaphas knew it was true. But Caiaphas tore his robe, a sign that what he had heard was blasphemy. The whole Sanhedrin agreed. For such blasphemy-Jesus calling Himself the Son of God-He must die. The physical abuse begins, first by members of the Sanhedrin, and then by the guards. Circumstances stall no longer; the journey to Mount Calvary presses on.
How many times have we stalled when the evidence does not support our conclusions? And yet in our stubbornness, ignorance, and arrogance, we move on anyway.
THE PRAYER: Forgive us, Lord, when we act on our defenseless conclusions. Amen.
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