Jesus now stands before the religious leaders for a “trial.”
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.
Genesis 50:20ab
Sure it’s really a mockery of one, but even the leaders know they need to go through the paces to get things taken care of. If a mockery of justice will do it, so be it!
In fact, since it is a mockery, mocking this Jesus is given the green light. The guards, even before the trial begins beat and mock. When in the trial, the leaders ask questions with no intention of listening to the answers; so they can ask in mockery. “Are You the Son of God, then?” They weren’t really asking. They weren’t interested in any response Jesus was going to give; so long as they could turn it around and get to the conviction they had already decided to impose.
Jesus knows this and isn’t interested in helping them in this mockery. But He does say something interesting here: “From now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”
This time of evil and darkness will be over soon, true; but is there more to this? Is He giving them the ammunition they need to get it over with; to get the Plan moving forward?
Perhaps.
Or maybe He was also giving them an out: a reminder of who He is and a chance to crawl out of their willful, blind ignorance and into the Light; into Him?
Perhaps some of both.
But we mustn’t fall into the trap of thinking that we would act differently than these soldiers and leaders. We would act godly! We would stand up for righteousness and the Righteous One!
These people likely felt they were fulfilling ‘justice’ – maybe just more efficiently.
This man was guilty; anyone could see it! They were doing their job; their godly job!
They were blind-fully ignorant!
But we are blessed now because the Holy Spirit has given us sight into His Will and cured our ignorance of His Plan! We are called to act, no longer in the blind ignorance of unbelief, but in the gracious way of salvation through Jesus!
The Holy Spirit has removed our blinders and lets us see Jesus, the Son of Man, seated at the right hand of the power of God!
All by His grace. All by His mercy. All by His spirit.
There but for the grace and Spirit of God would we go!
“Thank You, Lord Jesus, for enduring mockery for our sake and for the Holy Spirit who has removed our blind ignorance in Faith!”
Scriptures
- Luke 22:63—23:1
