The Great I Am - Pt. 5

 

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.” (Luke 22:66-71 ESV).

 

I am always amazed at the skill Jesus shows us in His personal relationships. In our reading today we see Jesus dealing with His enemies. These are the men who have plotted to kill Him for years. The time has now come to confront them with the truth. Speaking truth to power is dangerous. Yet it is something we are often called on to do. You may lose your job, be publicly humiliated, and have your family disgraced. You may even lose your life. That’s the way of the world, and, sadly, it is sometimes also the way of God’s people. Jesus suffered humiliation and death at the hands of religious leaders who had closed their minds to the truth of God.

 

The problem was that Jesus had agreed with them. Jesus had said, “’The Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” And they asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” And he said, “You say that I am.” This is a play on words in the original language. Jesus is saying, “I Am Who I Am.” It is a declaration of God Himself.

 

These self-righteous authorities had wanted Jesus himself to say: “Yes, I am the Son of God.” But Jesus used his enemies’ words against them. In effect, he had them declare in the highest religious court that he was the Son of God. They’d fallen into the pit they had tried to dig for Jesus. But they still had political power and could try to spin things their own way. So, the officials twisted Jesus’ words to fit their purposes, and they condemned him to death. But a word once spoken cannot be recovered. The truth was out. Jesus’ opponents are forever remembered as declaring that he had the authority he claimed. And with that authority he proceeded to the cross—to pay for sin once for all.

 

As we come to a close of the year, perhaps we need to reconsider our willingness to speak the truth into our world with the same kind of grace that Jesus did!