At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. “If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied, “You say that I am.” Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.” (Luke 22:66-71)
In the U.S. Judicial system defendants are not required to testify against themselves. It is expected that the defendant will remain silent. Up to this point Jesus had remained silent by calling himself the Son of Man instead of the Son of God because it was not His time to be arrested.
Jesus wanted us to know the Jewish leaders had no interest in the truth. If Jesus were the King of the Jews, they would have to relinquish their power to Him. On the other hand, they witnessed Jesus perform miracles and raise two men from death, so when asked, they wouldn’t deny Jesus was the Son of God. They had been saying that He was the Son of God to trick Him into agreeing.
The only purpose in Jesus affirming He was the Messiah was so the Jews could crucify him. That was God’s will. He knew the Jewish leaders would charge Him with blasphemy based on his indirect answer. They had been planning to kill Him for months.
Dearest Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus’ teachings of truth and wisdom. In this New Year, help me relinquish all authority to You. Let me crave you; not food, addictive substances, possessions, a perfect body, money, gambling, power, or control over others. Help me love without ceasing to show others Your love and surrender my negative traits. Give me the power of Your Holy Spirit to accomplish these things and the dreams you’ve placed in my heart. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Daily Devotional Luke 22:66-71 – Why did Jesus reply, “You say that I am,” when asked, “Are you the Son of God?” – Online Bible Study – Commentary in easy English – Day 398
We are getting closer and closer to the cross. I can not imagine what Jesus is feeling right now. He knows exactly what his fate is and the torture he is going to endure. Jesus, thank you for doing this to save our souls.
When dad was dying and in pain he said, “It’s okay, I’m not suffering as much as Jesus did.” Few of us will ever experience as much suffering as Jesus did. Yes, Jesus, thank you!
I am going through all the picture albums and putting a reduced amount of pictures in photo boxes. I went through the pictures I took of Dad’s funeral yesterday. I was thinking of a lot of the things he said while he was dying. I loved the pictures of the cousins being together.
I hope we’re all together in heaven some day.