“Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Mark 14:61-62

Jesus was bound and taken to the house of the high priest. There he was interrogated by the high priest, chief priests, elders and scribes. This was likely a hastily called meeting of the Sanhedrin. They brought in false witnesses who twisted his past words, trying to get him to incriminate himself. He remained silent. Increasingly agitated, the high priest cut to the chase with above question, This was finally a question Jesus would choose to answer. And all of hell broke loose.

Here the Jews were waiting for the Messiah and he comes.  He’s standing right in front of them. They ask the question if he is the one, and he says, quoting scripture about himself, yes. Then they spit on him, pound him with their fists, scorn him and slap him.

If Jesus could call down 12 legions of angels in the garden, it would seem he had the upper hand here, but he allowed them to have their way. They had his blood on their hands now, and their fate would be sealed within hours.

Peter later said this about what they had done. “This Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.” Acts 2:23

We often shake our heads and cluck our tongues at the evil we witness in this world, but it’s par for the course. It knows no bounds, as witnessed here. And now this evil in all of its manifestations is directed full bore toward us, his people. “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37

And “what then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” Romans 8:31-32