Week 3 - Accusation
“Jesus Is Mocked
Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.
Jesus Before the Council
When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 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.”
Jesus Before Pilate
Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”
Jesus Before Herod
When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.
Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. I will therefore punish and release him.”
Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified
But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.”
March 1-7
Confusion. Dismay. Defensiveness. Fear. Anxiety. Panic.
There is a particular sting to being accused. To be caught doing something wrong is one thing, and it leads to remorse and shame. Accusation when we know we’re actually innocent, though, is maddening.
When we are accused of anything, even when it is a wrong accusation, there is a hanging reality that we are not perfectly innocent, that there is a dark room within our soul of which even we are scared to unlock the door. At least some of the anxiety, defensiveness, and dismay stems from fear of being found out. What if people knew exactly how much of a fraud we feel like at times? What if they expose something major, even if we can’t see what that might be? That fear will drive us to try to protect our reputations at all costs.
Accusation can also cause an internal spiral. We aren’t fully innocent, and we know it. When a friend stands against us it can drive us deep into the hills of introspection, determined to find the specter that now hangs over our hearts, and to achieve and prove our innocence.
Jesus stood accused. He was perfectly innocent and he knew every flaw and every thought of every one of his accusers. The people he created turned against him. The people he loved and had come to save had been stirred up to hate him. And yet, he did not get defensive. There was no attempt to prove his own innocence.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
— Isaiah 53:7
When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
— 1 Peter 2:23
How was Jesus able to stand silently in the face of ugly, wrongful accusation? He trusted God, his Father. Even faced with the highest of human courts, Jesus knew that Pilate wouldn’t have the final word. He knew that there was an ultimate judge, and Jesus trusted him.
When faced with wrongful accusation, the real question for the Christian is — Do you trust God, the ultimate judge, to judge justly? Can you rest in His perfect judgment?
Bill Riedel
Questions To Ponder:
1. Is there sin that you are hiding? What is stopping you from repenting and experiencing freedom in Christ?
2. When have you been wrongly accused? How did it feel? How did you respond?
3. Why is it hard to trust God with your reputation?