Mark 14:53-65
Jesus Taken Before the Sanhedrin, Who Had Him Arrested
53 They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together. 54 Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.
55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. 56 Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.
57 Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’” 59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree.
60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
63 The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”
They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65 Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the first century to His Mother Mary who was impregnated with the Holy Spirit of God, and a man named Joseph, who was a normal earthly man...Mother Mary was a virgin...He was called by different names...One is Immanuel, which means God with us...Not much is written of Him after His birth (except for a few verses about the the Wise Men visiting Him and how He was teaching in the Temple of God at the age of Twelve) as He was a boy and growing up in Nazareth... But He would become a Great Central Figure in religion at the age of thirty, when He started His ministry...He chose Twelve Disciples and traveled from village to village to testify to the Truth, about God, and Himself, so others could learn about Him and God, who He called His Father...When He started preaching He became controversial, shocking in what He said (especially in His relationship with God), radical in His Teachings, a very Complex Man, a Multifaceted Man (if it is fair to even call Him a Man), and always Teaching about God and God's Kingdom...People watched Him do miracles, heal the sick, raising the dead, walk on water, turning water into wine, feeding five thousand people with just a few small fish, and calming raging storms...
He is and called Himself the Son of God....He is and called Himself the Messiah, the Savior of the world...He is the Bread of Life...He said He is the Light of the world...He said He is the Good Shepherd...He said He is the resurrection and the life...He is the way, the truth, and the life and told His Disciples that He was the Only Way to God...He said if we follow Him, His Truth will set us free...He spoke only the Truth, and said that He came to earth to testify to the Truth...No deceit ever left His mouth, and He committed no sins...His morals are the same as God's Morals and He always does God's Will...He and His Father are One...If One has seen Jesus, then they have also seen God...
Jesus went commonly around not only Teaching, but more surprising forgiving others, feeding the hungry, and helping the poor...He always helping the needy...He teaches that we need to repent from sin, and tells us that He came to earth, not for the righteous, but for sinners...He wants us to learn about more about mercy and less about sacrifice...He wants us to love our enemies and pray for them...He wants us to love God and to love all of our neighbors...He was and is the Messiah to come...He fulfilled the Old Testament Scriptures...He is a Divine One who was a Servant for man and for women...
Jesus also commonly went off by Himself to solitary places to pray to God...
Jesus wants us to think and reflect on who who He is...One day He asked His Disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"...They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."..."But what about you?" He asked..."Who do you say I AM?"...His Disciple Peter said "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."...So let us ask ourselves, who do we think He is?...
And in a related teaching, Jesus said to the listening crowd, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you...Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day...For My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink...Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in them...Just as the Living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me...This is the bread that came down from heaven...Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”...He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum...On hearing it, many of His disciples and followers said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”...Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?...Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before!...The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing...The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life...Yet there are some of you who do not believe.”...For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him...He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has enabled them.”...From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him...“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve Disciples...Simon Peter answered Him, “LORD, to whom shall we go?...You have the words of Eternal Life...We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”...
These are very Interesting Words by Jesus...So we too must ask where else can we go to find the Words of Eternal Life...And in these Words we give thanks to Jesus, when we eat and drink so we may remain physically healthy and strong, as well as Spiritual healthy and strong...The bread and food we eat and the wine and our drink are in remembrance of Jesus...As we eat and drink daily, we can believe that the Real Presence of Jesus in our meals and drinks...Christians believe that in our eating and drinking daily we keep the faith in Jesus and remain in Him...He provides us our daily food and drink, which we should give thanks to Him...Our eating and drinking keep the faith and Jesus alive in our Spirit...When we eat and drink, we are not only being nourished physically, but also spiritually and strengthened in our faith...Our daily food and drink are a part of our daily basic daily bread and our needs, and are a sign of unity among all followers of Jesus...When we eat and gather together in fellowship, we are coming together as one body in Jesus...We are also remembering the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross...Eating together and giving thanks together gives us a foretaste of the heavenly banquet...When we eat and drink to sustain ourselves, we are receiving His Body and Blood, which are the food and drink of Eternal Life...Whenever two or more are gathered in His Name, there is love...In His Words we shall live forever...
Jesus challenged us to love our enemies and pray for them and to be Perfect like His Father...He wants us to go the extra mile for every man...If anyone wants to sue us and take our shirt, hand over your coat as well, He said...If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles...Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you...
Jesus is also described as having many other attributes, such as love, forgiveness, patience, faithfulness, self-control, gentleness, compassion, mercy, justice, and holiness...Jesus is the Perfect Example for mankind...He shows what the potential of man is...He is the Perfect Example of what it means to be human...He always followed God's Will...He is One to follow and One to model your life after...He gives mankind hope...Hope was born on Christmas Day...
Eventually a conflict with the religious leaders and teachers of the law came to Him...He had done nothing wrong, but the religious leaders of His time did not recognize Him and see Him as the Son of the Blessed One...After Jesus raised His friend Lazarus from his death, the Pharisees plotted to kill Him...One of His own disciples would betray Him and sell out for thirty pieces of silver...The Sanhedrin all condemned Him as worthy of death...Then some of the Sanhedrin began to spit at Him; they blindfolded Him, struck Him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!”...And the guards took Him and beat Him...
He once told these officials that before Abraham existed hundreds of years ago, I AM...Abraham, He said welcomed Him...I AM is the name of God...So He was and does compare Himself to God...The name "I AM" is the name that God revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush...I AM is a name that speaks to God's self-existence and His Eternal Life...
Jesus was put on trial because these religious officials said He committed blasphemy for forgiving people (who needed forgiven), and saying He was the Son of God...And He called Himself Son of the Blessed One...Jesus was arrested and taken by Roman soldiers to Pilate and given a mock trial, and was convicted, and crucified on the cross...And on the cross, He suffered, and died a tortuous death...He forgave those who hung Him from the cross...
After Jesus death on the cross, God rose Him from His death three days later...So God has proven to all people who Jesus was and is...With Jesus being raised from the dead God now has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed...He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead...
Jesus' life, His Teachings, His Great Commission, His death, and His resurrection have had a profound impact on the world...Jesus is Christianity, and His Teachings have inspired and guided millions of people throughout history...A non-violent Man who is Master and Divine Teacher of the World and Universe...