Daily Devotion

During the night, Jesus had been brought before the High Priest. That was a private and unofficial examination. Its purpose was for the authorities to gloat over him and, if possible, to trip Him up in cross-examination so that a charge could be formulated against Him. After that, He was handed over to the Temple police for safe-keeping, and they play the cruel jests upon Him. When the morning came, He was taken before the Sanhedrin.

 

The Sanhedrin was the supreme court of the Jews. In particular, it had complete jurisdiction over all religious and theological matters. Scribes, Rabbis, Pharisees, priests, Sadducees, and elders were all represented on it. It could not meet during the hours of darkness. That is why they held Jesus until the morning before they brought Him before it. The High Priest was its president.

The rules of procedure of the Sanhedrin have been found. Perhaps they are only the ideal which was never fully carried out; at least they allow us to see what the Jews, at their best, conceived that the Sanhedrin should be and how far their actions fell short on their own ideals in the trial of Jesus. The whole procedure was designed for mercy; and, even from Luke's summary account, it is clear that the Sanhedrin, when it tried Jesus, was far from keeping its own rules and regulations.

 

It is to be very carefully noted that the charge the Sanhedrin finally produced against Jesus was one of blasphemy. To claim to be the Son of God was an insult to God's majesty, therefore, blasphemy, and punishable by death.

It is a tragic fact that when Jesus asked for the love He did not even receive simple Justice. When Jesus had gone through a night of questions, being mocked and buffeted, still had the confidence that He would sit at the right hand of God, and that His triumph was sure. His faith defied the facts. He never believed that men, in the end, could defeat the purposes of God.

 

Life Application: To survive in life, you need the kind of confidence Jesus had. You never know what someone might accuse you of doing. The Jesus-kind of faith will defy the devil-kind of facts.

 

Praise/Prayer: Hallelujah! Jesus knew what was right, but He also knew what to expect from the devil. My Dear Father, I know that You know all that the devil is likely to do to Your children, and Your grace is enough for each of the devil's attempts. You are my shield and protector. I can trust You even when I feel that the devil is stirring the waters. What a wonderful Father, God You are. Amen!