“Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the LORD, and whose deeds are done in a dark place, and they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?” You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, that what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”; or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has understanding”? Isaiah 29:15-16.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? Isaiah 53:1. Who would believe that mankind would put their Messiah, Lord, My Son, and God Himself on trial and condemn Him to death? Their very Maker and the only One who loved them beyond love and would care for them forever. And He bore it all to justify you before Me. And He did it for love of Me and love of you. For it was not My Son that was condemned but the sin He had willingly accepted for all men from the beginning to the end of time. Sin killed Him in condemnation, but My Spirit raised Him in justification. The debt was paid.
My Son, when He accepted all your sins into His eternal sinless flesh, entered into the hour of darkness where evil seemed to have its sway—the amazing trial of your Maker when the real party in interest on trial was YOU. The innocent Lamb was sacrificed, and the murderer and insurrectionist was released. Yes, I am speaking of Barabbas, whose name in Hebrew means son of the Father, son of Abba, this should tell you so much of what was going on in the Spirit realm on that day. Jesus died for you, the murderers and insurrectionists from Adam’s line (he murdered the eternal life in him for all and led the human rebellion against My Word), so that you could be released from punishment and become My sons and daughters, Barabbas.
We left off yesterday with Jesus being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, betrayed by Judas, and deserted by all. And if you recall, when Judas betrayed him, Jesus called Judas, “friend.” Why? Jesus had told the disciples no greater love had a man than to lay down His life for a friend, and He called those who had followed Him, “friends.” He was letting Judas know that Jesus Himself would die for his sin and Judas could come back to Him as a friend. But Judas was too proud and too hardened in his heart to embrace this.
Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land. Lovingkindness and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth springs from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. Psalm 85:9-11.
Those who had seized and bound Jesus led Him away first to Annas and then to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. If you recall, Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people. He did not mean it prophetically but as High Priest he spoke it as such.
Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was John. Now John was known to the high priest and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, but Peter was standing at the door outside. So John went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in. Then the slave-girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” John 18:17-18 Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself.
Already you see that Peter is standing among nonbelievers and scoffers and he was afraid to reply with whose He was and who He served.
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38.
Suddenly Peter could face arrest and punishment. And Jesus had forbidden him to use the sword. He had fear of man and lost his fear of God, for if you have fear of losing your relationship with Me because it is so dear to you, you have no fear of men. You have joy (eternal life with Me, which begins now) which no man can take from you and cannot get you to give up no matter what they threaten you with—even throwing you in a fiery furnace, a den of hungry lions, or exiling you to a deserted island, which have all happened and those who believed in My love for them and My mighty power, came out untouched. When you really know Me and My love nothing puts you into fear. Perfect love casts out all fear.
A little later, another saw Peter and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” But he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this man you are talking about!” Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. Jesus turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
Peter was not yet perfect in love. He was deeply ashamed of himself and drew back into darkness. He was not at the cross the next day but John was. When I raised Jesus from the dead, He gave a special mention to Peter, and He appeared to him privately to strengthen and comfort him. And over the coming years, Peter became perfect in love. He had the joy that never left him again when he saw My Son again risen from the dead and received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
And so the trial began before the Jewish priests, scribes and elders for Jesus was now in their hands and no people who were convinced Jesus was the Messiah were around at that hour not far after midnight in the darkness to counter their attack. But the chief priests and the whole Council wanted to do this “legally” according to the Law, and yet the One before them they were trying to condemn by the Law was the only one who had ever kept the Law perfectly and was the very Word of truth they thought they knew so well.
They kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus so that they might put Him to death, for that was their goal out of jealousy and failing to understand My Words and My power, but they did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. Jesus had no fault in Him they could find. He did everything well and kept all My commandments perfectly. He abided in My love. Jesus would ask Me to forgive them because they did not know what they were doing. And the reason they did not know was because they did not love Me or their neighbor. Without love, you are nothing and can do nothing of eternal value.
But I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. John 5:42.
But later on two came forward, and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’” Which was pretty close to the truth, for His body was My temple, indwelt by My Spirit, filled with all My fullness, and His flesh would be destroyed but I would raise Him up glorious (the latter glory of the house being more magnificent than the former) in three days.
Caiaphas, the high priest, then stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” He was frustrated because Jesus was not intimidated by his threats and never had been. Jesus kept silent. There comes a point where no amount of wisdom or good counsel, lovingkindness, or the truth will pull you out of sin and deliver you to walk in truth and love. That is when, like Judas, you have chosen to depart from Me and go your own way, which has nothing to do with the Way, the truth, and the life I offer you. And that is a dangerous place to be for you have left My light and are on the territory of the prince of darkness and there he can attack you and take you captive to do his will. You have stepped out of perfect protection and chosen to open yourself to evil. And that is a place where if you refuse to leave that place, you will be destroyed. Not by Me but by the evil one. Do not open you heart to him as Judas finally did.
Jesus’ silence in front of reviling and offensive remarks was strength and the High Priest wanted to break that. So the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Jesus had to answer that command of the High priest spoken in My name. Jesus told the truth for He is the truth. Jesus said, “I AM; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Here He spoke of the vision of Daniel concerning the Messiah, that is, the ascension of the Son of Man to My right hand in glory, which the scribes and priests would know well.
I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14.
Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.
The robe of the High Priest was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom and it was not to be torn. If it was torn it signified a change in priesthood, as when Aaron died and Moses stripped him of his robe and put it on his son Eleazar and the new High Priest in office.
“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. There shall be an opening at its top in the middle of it; around its opening there shall be a binding of woven work, like the opening of a coat of mail, so that it will not be torn. Exodus 28:31-32.
The priest who is the highest among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes. Leviticus 21:10.
So Moses did just as the LORD had commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. After Moses had stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on the mountain top. Numbers 20:27-28.
And as the High Priest tore his robe, he stood before the new and eternal great High Priest clothed in a seamless robe that later the soldiers found so valuable they drew lots to see who would get it fulfilling the great prophetic utterance of David.
A band of evildoers has encompassed Me, they pierced My hands and My feet. I can count all My bones. They look, they stare at Me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. Psalm 22:16-18.
Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”; this was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” Therefore the soldiers did these things. John 19:23-25.
Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “Prophesy to us, You Messiah; who is the one who hit You?” And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.
All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? Isaiah 53:6-8.
I am only giving you a glimpse of all that was taking place at this trial before the Jewish religious leaders of My Son. If you could see His heart as I did you would see the grief and pain this rejection by His own people, His own holy priesthood, brought Him. They never knew the One who was their very life. They held him in no esteem and murdered Him while justifying themselves by the very Law He had given them. And yet His love for them was constant and strong throughout it all.
You will never be able to reach the end of love. It is unfathomable, it is always deeper and higher and broader and longer than all you can ask or imagine. Love is the greatest of all. And I am love.
I love you. Jesus was so meek, so kind, but so strong. His face was set like flint that no matter what abuse hit Him He remained intent on His mission of salvation for it is My Will that all people be saved and come to know the truth—that all may know Me and be with Me now and forever enjoying the glory. And though treated as a criminal by men and judged by Me because of your sins He is the King of kings and Lord of lords to whom every knee must bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to My glory!