Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, "Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?

 And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.  But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest's courtyard.  And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.  Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none.  Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none.  But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.'"  And the high priest arose and said to Him, "Do You answer nothing?  What is it these men testify against You?"  But Jesus kept silent.  And the high priest answered and said to Him, "I put You under oath by the living God:  Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  Jesus said to him, "It is as you said.  Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."  Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, "He has spoken blasphemy!  What further need do we have of witnesses?  Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!  What do you think?"  They answered and said, "He is deserving of death."  Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, "Prophesy to us, Christ!  Who is the one who struck You?"

- Matthew 26:57-68

Yesterday we read that while Jesus was still speaking to His disciples in the garden of Gethsemane, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.  Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him."  Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you come?"  Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.  And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.  Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?  How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"  In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?  I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me.  But all this was done so that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."  Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

 And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.  But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest's courtyard.  And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.  Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none.  Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none.  But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.'"  And the high priest arose and said to Him, "Do You answer nothing?  What is it these men testify against You?"  But Jesus kept silent.  We note Peter's native courage; he at least followed Him at a distance to the high priest's courtyard.  My study bible comments that the people misunderstand Christ's words as reported in John 2:19-21.  There were some Jews who believed that the temple would be destroyed and a new one built by the Messiah.  What is indicated by Jesus' silence?  Most likely He understands the closed minds and hardened hearts of this court and these witnesses; none are interested in His truth.

And the high priest answered and said to Him, "I put You under oath by the living God:  Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  Jesus said to him, "It is as you said.  Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."  Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, "He has spoken blasphemy!  What further need do we have of witnesses?  Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!  What do you think?"  They answered and said, "He is deserving of death."  Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, "Prophesy to us, Christ!  Who is the one who struck You?"  Jesus responds to the command of the high priest, putting Him under oath by the living God.  Although He knows these men do not act in good faith, His respect for the institution of the high priest has always been consistent.  He quotes from Psalm 110 and Daniel 7:13, and confesses that He is the Messiah;  that is, He is both fully Man and fully God.  Only a divine One could sit at the right hand of the Power, and share authority with the Father.  My study bible says that this statement was clearly understood by the high priest to be a claim of equality with God the Father.   For a mere human being to claim this was punishable by death (Leviticus 24:16).  Christ, however, is both human and divine, and therefore this declaration of equality is not blasphemy.  Let us note the deterioration of propriety in this court, against their own Law, set first by the example of the high priest.  According to Leviticus 21:10 it is a violation of the Law for a high priest to tear his clothing (a common response to blasphemy against God).  It's an indication in the text of the open rage at work here, and the lack of honor for the office.  The mocking of gifts of prophesy and deliberate humiliation and abuse of Jesus tells us all we need to know about this court's (and their officers') respect for the things of God.

I'm always struck by the humiliating and abusive behavior in the court, and in particular toward Jesus after sentencing.  It seems somehow exceptionally blasphemous in and of itself.  Even if there were sincerity in the pronunciation of the verdict of blasphemy, to ridicule by using terms of prophesy seems particularly odious for members or officers of a court established through Mosaic Law to preserve a spiritual heritage based in prophesy.  St. Chrysostom has an extensive comment on the inclusion of these particular acts of humiliation against Jesus.  He comments with admiration on the self-restraint (in contrast to the high priest) of the disciples who carefully preserved every detail in the Gospel, and says that it clearly shows their disposition to love the truth.  He writes, "They relate with all truthfulness the things that seem to be opprobrious. They disguise nothing. They are not ashamed of anything. Rather, they account it as a very great glory, as indeed it was, that the Lord of the universe should endure to suffer such things for us. This shows both his unutterable tenderness and the inexcusable wickedness of those men who had the heart to do such things to Him that was so mild and meek."  What this does for us is several things, among which is a teaching about injustice and bullying.  If, as His followers, we are to see in Him in the face of others, then how do we see any such circumstance, in which a "mild and meek" person is treated brutally?  What do we observe if the holy things, such as prophesy, are used or abused in the service of such behavior, even to denounce one who is supposedly blasphemous?  What are we to see where forms of brutality and violence rule, even supposedly in the nominal service to what is holy?  Christ goes there for us and asks us to watch; His disciples shy away from reporting none of the humiliating details of what He voluntarily endured.  The great and transcendent truth here is that the world, regardless of its harsh treatment, cannot be the judge of our worth.  That judgment belongs only to the One who underwent this humiliation, who stands in our place and takes on all the worst that the world can offer.  Injustice is illuminated here, the doors are thrown wide open for us to observe and understand what sin really is, what giving full vent to rage and envy and selfishness can mean.  Our Lord has taken on this part to show us the truth.  Let us have the courage to follow His lead and see for ourselves this reality, living as He asks us to live and not turning a blind eye to His love that teaches us to do so.  For this is how we live the Kingdom even in this world.