Blasphemy

And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. But Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but found none. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimonies did not agree. Then some rose up and bore false witness against him, saying, "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.' "

And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, "Do you answer nothing? What is it these men testify against you?" But he kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, saying to him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?" And they all condemned him to be deserving of death. Then some began to spit on him, and to blindfold him, and to beat him, and to say to him, "Prophesy!" And the officers struck him with the palms of their hands.

Mark 14:53-65

Jesus' trial begins this night. We recall that the day "began" with the singing of hymns (Psalms) before withdrawing to the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane. Psalm 22, we will recall, is the Psalm we will hear from Jesus' lips during the Crucifixion, and the Psalm itself is a word portrait of the Crucifixion. Verse 22, as quoted from the Septuagint in Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews, reads "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to you." Tonight Jesus is in the midst of another assembly, and different testimonies.

And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. But Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but found none. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimonies did not agree. My study bible notes that "those who oppose Jesus and testify against Him cannot agree on their testimony. They stand in perpetual self-contradiction." We get into important notions and understanding of the nature of truth here. Jesus has, in fact, in the gospel of John, called himself "The Way, the Truth, and the Life." His Spirit he will call, "The Spirit of Truth." In this assembly of the Sanhedrin, where is the truth? Is not truth under attack? The manipulation of justice is always a manipulation of truth. The contradictory testimonies give us a picture of what it is when the truth means nothing, and when the nature of truth itself is disrespected. It is a multi-layered understanding of the nature of evil in our world, whose origin Jesus has referred to as, "the father of lies."

Then some rose up and bore false witness against him, saying, "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands." Another picture here of the nature of evil. Those who have heard his words are twisting them. Perhaps it is that they misunderstand his words, his intentions. Indeed, even the apostles did not understand to what he was referring when he made this statement. But the statement itself is not an accurate quotation; it is designed as a provocation to an injustice, a condemnation already decided. So the truth is missing on many levels, in the hearts of those who testify and those who hold this hearing, in the understanding of their hearts and minds, in the intentions of the trial and the witnesses.

And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, "Do you answer nothing? What is it these men testify against you?" But he kept silent and answered nothing. We note the provocation of the high priest, demanding that Jesus answer. But Jesus' initial response - and the one that will be characteristic of his own testimony here, as opposed to "the midst of the congregation" in the temple when he was teaching - is to remain silent. I believe also that this teaches us about the nature of truth and our response to it: where the desire for it is non-existent, testimony will not be received. Again the high priest asked him, saying to him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." Jesus' answer is to a direct question, another distinctive characteristic here. My study bible notes as follows: "Jesus' answer is a revelation of the mystery of His Person. I am is a direct answer given only in Mark. Power is a substitute for the name of God, which pious Jews would not pronounce. Jesus' bold declaration that He, the Son of Man coming in glory, will share the authority of God brings the charge of blasphemy and condemnation to death." It is interesting to note, again, the ways in which a perversion of truth works, with an intent against that of finding truth. A true answer brings condemnation.

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?" And they all condemned him to be deserving of death. My study bible notes, "By the symbolic act of tearing his mantle, the high priest shows his belief that Jesus is guilty of blasphemy. Thus, according to Jewish law (which, under Roman domination, the priests could not enforce), Jesus is sentenced to death (Lev. 24:16), though the charge of blasphemy will not be mentioned before Pilate." The intention of the trial is fulfilled. However, it's interesting to note that the charge before Pilate will not be one of blasphemy. That will be manipulated to create the desired effect and outcome. Again, I feel this trial is an example of perversion of justice, where there is no respect for truth. We can see it as an archetypal case of any event in which perversion of justice is the desire, the outcome foretold, respect for truth non-existent. The search for truth in the heart exists or it doesn't, we have two choices. The nature of evil is in its nature of foregone conclusion, disrespect for truth, manipulation and lying.

Then some began to spit on him, and to blindfold him, and to beat him, and to say to him, "Prophesy!" And the officers struck him with the palms of their hands. And finally we come to the true outcome of such a case and its foregone conclusion: humiliation, belittling, demeaning even of Christ's humanity, ridicule of the holiness which others respect in him and of the gifts of the Spirit in general. To command to "Prophesy!" is a belittling of spiritual heritage. The intent of the perversion of truth is complete on all levels: spiritual, mental, physical. All depends on our choices, what is in our hearts. We always have this choice, and the outcome is predictable depending upon what is in our hearts.

In reading the stories of the gospels, we are given so many archetypal events. We can see reflected in this trial so many events of injustice characteristic of life in our world when the search for truth is perverted by hearts and minds intent on a foregone conclusion. It's not just about Jesus in the sense of one unique event in all of history. But Jesus' very nature declares that this event is characteristic of the evil in our world. It renders the event archetypal. We can read into it an understanding of the nature of evil in its workings, in the things we see around us that cause injustice, hardship, the horrors of unfair imprisonment, abuse of power, and perversion of all the things we now hold to be "civilized." It starts with the perversion in the heart, the lack of consciousness that truth is important. Jesus is called "the Person who is Truth" and his Spirit is called "the Spirit of Truth." But as with so much that involves Christ, we are not speaking of one unique man only. The stories told by him and about him are archetypal; they define for us the nature of good and evil, of holiness and those who would abuse or blaspheme the Spirit itself. All around our world, we can watch and see the effects of hard-heartedness, and we can take a lesson from this life and this trial that applies to our lives and the events that we watch unfold around us. It is a lesson about truth and its nature, and evil and its nature, that "where our treasure is, there our heart shall be also." To truly love Christ is to love Truth, in all of its forms. Idolatry in every shape will always give us falsehood instead of this truth. To perceive holiness and righteousness demands of us a heart open to that truth. There are so many layers of what it is to deceive and manipulate. So many layers upon which lies can function. Even at the level of personal health, with problems such as addiction, therapeutic programs such as those that use the Twelve Steps emphasize the importance of the love and respect for truth as a key to recovery and sobriety. Indeed, the Twelve Steps themselves can even be read as a program or formula of repentance and reconciliation. In all forms, it is truth that heals our world; lies and self-deception are forms of idolatry that hurt it, prohibit recovery. Love is at the center of this desire for truth, at the heart of it all. Remember that hard-heartedness is synonymous in these spiritual texts for those who cannot receive truth, who prefer lies. "No man can serve two masters," Jesus has said. This is the same today as it was then, in all situations, we must choose what we love. We are none of us perfect, we must grow in our understanding and choices, but it starts with the heart, in the depths of ourselves, and where our heart is, what we treasure.