The Quiet Onez

Jesus Is Mocked

⁶³ Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. ⁶⁴ They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” ⁶⁵ And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.

Jesus Before the Council

⁶⁶ When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, ⁶⁷ “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, ⁶⁸ and if I ask you, you will not answer. ⁶⁹ But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” ⁷⁰ So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” ⁷¹ Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.”

Jesus Before Pilate

23 Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. ² And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” ³ And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” ⁴ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” ⁵ But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”

Jesus Before Herod

⁶ When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. ⁷ And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. ⁸ When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. ⁹ So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. ¹⁰ The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. ¹¹ And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. ¹² And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.

Luke 22:63-23:12 (ESV)

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Every year around this time I reflect on the cruxifiction of Jesus. Easter is the most important day for Christians. Without what occurred during this week of Easter, we would not have Christianity.

However, equally important, in line with reflecting on our sin, is defining our role in all of this. The thing is, we are those guards. We are those Pharisees, and we are Herold and Pilate.

As Jesus endures this persecution from those around him, he remains steadfast. He remained humble and the only thing I could imagine him thinking about was his love for humanity and a desire to set them free.

I imagine my own daughter betraying me. It pains me already to think about something like this, but I believe it’s an accurate depiction of what Jesus went through for us. Jesus sat through immense suffering, not once defending himself for our sake. He was silent and humble the entire time.

Jesus knew that he was dying for the people surrounding him. Just like we would suffer for our own children for the sake of their well being and livlihood.

He never tried to prove himself to Herod’s request to perform miracles, but his desire was for even his enemies to know him beyond “power” and awe.

This is the God who came down to die for us. We were the people who rejected him on this earth. We still do. We hate him in our own way when we reject God’s authority. Yet, Jesus came down to tell us even though we’ve made mistakes, we are no longer God’s enemies.

What is Christianity?

Jesus embodies the definition of Christianity. A sacrificial lamb to the slaughter for the sins of humanity.

Why do we need a sacrifice?

We need to be held accountable for our sins. Someone needs to pay the price for the wrongs we’ve done to a holy God.

That price was paid in Jesus.