Jesus' Suffering, Death and ResurrectionSampel

The Son of God must die

“So they all said, ‘Are you the Son of God, then?’ And he said to them, ‘You say that I am.’ Then they said, ‘What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.’” (Luke 22:70-71)

It was clear to all present that Jesus was no ordinary person. His teaching radiated authority. The miracles He performed showed His supernatural power over diseases, demons, and nature. However, the religious leaders could not accept the possibility that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God. After all, that would be the final blow to their own position of power! Jesus did not fit into the worldview they had constructed for themselves. He was disrupting the familiar order, and they wanted to prevent that at all costs. They even went so far as to attribute His power to the devil.

So when He was captured, the interrogation turned to the question of Jesus' identity. Now Jesus was no longer silent. He had not responded to all kinds of unjustified accusations but did affirm that He was the “Son of Man” who is given eternal dominion over all nations (Daniel 7:13-14).

This was going too far in the eyes of the Jewish Council. They had all heard Jesus claim to be God's Son and considered it blasphemy. The possibility that His claim could be true didn’t even occur to them at this point.

Are there any truths in your life that you find so uncomfortable that you deny or ignore them against your better judgment?