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

 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.'"  But not even then did their testimony agree.  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

On Saturday, we read that immediately, while Jesus was still speaking to the disciples at Gethsemane, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.  Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely."  As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, "Rabbi, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.  Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him.  And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  Then Jesus said to them, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?  I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me.  But the Scriptures must be fulfilled."  Then they all forsook Him and fled.  Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body.  And the young men laid hold of him, and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.

 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.'"  But not even then did their testimony agree.  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 view the proceedings that are conducted outside the rules of the law, with false witnesses and conflicting testimonies. John's Gospel reports that Jesus has said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up," but that He was speaking of the temple of His body, referring to the Resurrection (see John 2:19).  Jesus refuses to answer those who give false testimony.

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.  When asked a direct question by the high priest, Jesus does answer.  In using the term I am (ego eimi in the Greek), Jesus refers to Himself sing the divine name of God.  This is a theophany, a revelation of God Himself.  My study bible says that the use of this Name by a mere man was considered blasphemy and was punishable by death (Leviticus 24:16; see John 8:58).  But because Jesus is fully God, His use of the Name is not blasphemy.  Rather, it reveals something essential about God, the Holy Trinity -- His unity with the Father and the Spirit.  Mark alone reports Christ's answer as so direct.  To sit at the right hand of the Power is to share authority with the Father.  My study bible says the statement was clearly understood by the high priest to be a claim of equality with God. 

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.  Once the condemnation of Jesus is pronounced, all fall on Him to express their contempt, following the lead of the high priest.   Even the officers, who earlier could not arrest Him for the stunningly authoritative way He spoke in the temple, follow suit (see John 7:46).

Order breaks down; even in a divinely-inspired system, human hearts and minds are fallible.  We are all susceptible to the weaknesses of the flesh, to our fears, to our desires.  This is what we see in the trial of Christ, which is no trial at all in terms of its standards, even by the laws of these men.  We read of false witnesses, and those whose testimonies contradict one another.  Jesus refuses to argue or defend Himself against these, and neither does the court -- contrary to its own law -- concern itself with the defense of Jesus.  In Luke's Gospel, Jesus says in answer to a general demand from the beginning of this night trial to answer as to whether or not He is the Christ, posed by the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes, "If I tell you, you will by no means believe.  And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go"  (see Luke 22:66-68).  Here in Mark, after hearing from many false witnesses, the high priest asks Him directly, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"   And Jesus answers directly with a revelation of divinity.  The high priest responds with a charge of blasphemy, and declares that no further witnesses are required.  It is an expedited conclusion to a trial full of errors and violations of the law these men are meant to uphold.  It would seem that, in the conviction of Jesus, everything that can go awry goes awry.  There are several procedures that are illegal here, and there will be more problems to come when He is brought before Pilate.  What we can understand is the breakdown of a system, of order, of rational codes, of honor, of reason.  It is as if every evil were brought to bear upon this moment.  And certainly, this is a way in which we are to see this time.  Christ has one ultimate enemy, the "prince of this world" from whom He's come to secure the liberation of those who need a Deliverer.  St. Paul recognized this and put it wisely in writing to the church at Ephesus:  "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  And this is truly the struggle in which we are engaged, in which Christ is engaged as the leader of a battle, as Deliverer and Redeemer to free us from bondage.  And indeed, He goes up against all that can go wrong, all the injustice the world can sometimes hand us, and the lies and the violence, the political pressures for an expedited result, and stands up for the inconvenience of truth.  Jesus brings into our world a sword, and it is a battle for the truth that liberates on the deepest levels of our being.  His is the truth that truly makes us free.  He shows us how to negotiate and navigate these murky waters of such times of betrayal and deception and of lies, because He not only goes first, but He pulls us along with Him, being raised up on the Cross, and sends us a Helper, a Defender, a Counselor, an Advocate for our own times of trial -- for this is the real meaning of the word He uses for the Holy Spirit, Paraclete/παράκλητος, the One who comes to our side when called (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7;  see also 1 John 2:1.)  Jesus gives us what was not provided for Him at this trial that violates all procedure.  When we are caught in a time when order breaks down, when short-cuts are taken, and only expediency counts, then we are in a place where we must rely on Him and the help that God provides us.  We must remember what the real enemy is:  the one that lies, the one that tells us that all these things, including the "right" result,  matter more than the truth does -- and spiritual truth the least of all.  Ultimately, it is faith that saves us when all else fails.  Into Him we put our trust.  And His answer we can truly believe.