Easter ReflectionsSample

Drama ensued when Jesus got arrested. Armed soldiers showed up, drew swords, and dragged him to Caiaphas' home for immediate trial (Matthew 26:57-68). The whole Jewish council, the whos and whos of Judaism, were present, seeking reasons to put Jesus to death. Their hatred towards him had grown over time, and now they had the opportunity to eliminate Christ permanently. Which should leave us wondering, Why didn't they just have the armed soldiers kill him in the Garden of Gethsemane?

If they had, the Jewish council would have likely lost some respect over not giving a man a 'fair trial'. But, it was better to stage a trial, however flawed, for the sake of keeping the stature they so cherished. So, they brought in many false witnesses to testify against Jesus. Matthew put this in his gospel account to underline that Jesus was sinless, righteous, innocent, and undeserving of death. The fact that Jesus was innocent is such good news because, if he hadn't been, he wouldn't have qualified to save us.

Matthew says that "Jesus remained silent" (Matthew 26:63) amidst hostile men who sought his life. Why didn't he defend himself or use his divine power to stop the trial altogether? Instead, Jesus willed to die for the sins of all who would believe in him. Even though he was unjustly accused, he freely gave his life for all of his sheep (John 10:15, 17-18).

Caiaphas asked Jesus if he was the Christ, to which he responded, "You have said so." That's another way of saying, "Those are your words." Jesus did not deny his claim to Messiahship. If anything, he's quoting from Daniel 7:13-14 and interpreting it as speaking about him was as blatant a claim to Messiahship as could ever be. Caiaphas, in response, ripped his clothing, convinced that Jesus had committed blasphemy. And in unison, the council passed judgment: "He deserves death."

The Lord forbid that Easter should pass by without you giving serious thought to Jesus's sacrificial love for you. He could have defended himself or, even better yet, saved his life, but he didn't. Instead, willingly, he laid it all down to redeem you from sin and God's wrath.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for willingly laying down your life for my sins. Thank you for remaining quiet until it was time to answer a serious question about your identity, which ultimately led to your death, that bought my salvation. Amen.