Following the betrayal and arrest in Gethsemane, the Bible reports six interrogations that our Lord Jesus underwent that night.
In the courtyard of the high priest, the main interrogation took place before the chief priests, scribes, and elders—the spiritual leadership class of the Jews. This interrogation revealed the blind hatred of these men, who did not even shrink from twisting the applicable rules of due process in the most reprehensible way. Indeed: “In the place of justice there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness” —this is how Ecclesiastes 3:16 describes it.
In the absence of evidence, “false testimony was sought” in order to find, at least in form, a basis for an accusation. The Holy Spirit’s terse statement is: “And they did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward” (Matthew 26:60).
To these false accusations, the Lord Jesus answered nothing. Often enough, He had silenced the Pharisees or Sadducees, exposed their malicious intentions, and placed them themselves in the light of God. But now the Savior was silent. He did not defend himself, He did not contradict, He did not accuse as Elijah once did—quietly, he endured this trial. When it was a matter of defending Himself, the Lord Jesus was silent and thus fulfilled the prophet’s prediction: He “did not open His mouth, like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers” (Isaiah 53:7). He perfectly matched what Psalms 38:13–16 describes: “Those who seek my life set snares for me; and those who seek to harm me speak of destruction and devise deception all day long. … But I, like a person who does not hear, and who has no rebukes in his mouth. For I wait for You, LORD; You will answer, Lord my God.” Indeed, the Lord Jesus “kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23).
This interrogation exposed the Jews’ malicious intentions and, at the same time, revealed the dignity and majesty of the Lord Jesus. But then the moment did come when the Lord spoke (Matthew 26:63–64): at the high priest’s adjuration formula, an accused person was compelled to answer. But what an answer He gave! Admirably, the Lord Jesus bears witness to
- His glory as the Son of God (according to Psalms 2:2, 7; Luke 1:35; John 11:27; Romans 9:5),
- His majesty as the Son of Man.
With these two titles, two wonderful glories and dignities of our Lord are linked: He is the Christ, the Anointed One of God, “God blessed forever” (Romans 9:5), and at the same time true Man—and that for eternity!
But the Lord Jesus is not only the Son of God because He was conceived by God, the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35), but also the eternal Son of God, the only begotten from the Father, incomparable and unique. And He is the Son of Man who sits at the “right hand of Power” and who will come in great power and glory. His coming means righteous judgment and justice for all enemies, and at the same time, immeasurable blessings for His earthly people and the nations. What a tremendous outlook!
And the response of the spiritual leadership? “But they answered and said, ‘He deserves death!’ Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him” (Matthew 26:66–67). It is an expression of the utmost contempt when someone is spat on in front of a person, to show complete rejection. But here they did not spit in front of the Savior; no, they spit straight into His face. What a shameless treatment! In this situation, the words of the prophet Isaiah were fulfilled: “I did not hide My face from humiliation and spitting” (Isaiah 50:6).
Was it the mob (rabble) of the people that degenerated in this way? No, it was the spiritual leaders of the Jewish people who treated the Lord Jesus like this. Luke describes this scene as follows: “Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, ‘Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?’ And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming” (Luke 22:63–65). Obviously,y a cloth had been thrown over the head of the Lord Jesus, taking away His sight. Thus, the blows rained into the face of our Savior. And then the mocking demand: “Prophesy …” —as if it would not have been possible for the Lord Jesus to identify the attackers.
What might the face of the Lord Jesus have looked like after this treatment? The prophet Isaiah conveys an impression in chapter 52:14: “Just as many were appalled at you, My servant’s appearance was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.”
How many blows the Lord Jesus must have had to take over the course of this night: punches, blows to the face, blows to the crown of thorns, blows to the back during the scourging, blows on the nails that bored through His hands and feet!
With what humility and willingness to suffer, He endured all this. How this treatment must have pained Him—physically and emotionally. But He went on this hard path unflinchingly all the way to Golgotha—in fulfillment of the will of God and for our eternal salvation.
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