Mark 14:63-65 Choosing Darkness Over Light
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: April 22, 2018, Mark 14:63-65
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him with blows.
(Understanding the Text) Caiaphas, the high priest, tore his clothes. Caiaphas had been the high priest for about 15 years at this time. He would be high priest for a few more years after this (A.D. 18 to A.D. 36). This was probably not the full council of 71 members since it was in the middle of the night. (info from F. F. Bruce commentary page 1177) The council condemned Jesus–the Son of God, the great I AM, the Savior of their people both past and present, the very Being that they claimed to serve–to death. In so doing, they ended their own nation’s status as the special people of God. They could have, as a nation, been at the forefront of those proclaiming the Messiah. They could have been the center of the world. Instead, they chose pride and self over God. They knew that Jesus was not deserving of death, but they had chosen to follow the politically expedient and power-hungry way of the world rather than follow the spiritual path that God had laid out for them. They were at a crossroads, and they chose the wrong road. Now, the Jewish nation would separate from the descendants of Abraham. Israel and Judah would simply be people like Edom and Moab had become when they separated from God. They were descendants of Abraham in the physical sense, but not in the spiritual sense.
Why go through the mechanics of this mock trial? If they killed Jesus directly without the form, they would have trouble with the people. If they killed Jesus at all, even with a trial, they would have trouble with the Romans, so they had to find a charge that they could give the Romans. The high priest figured that he could twist the admission of being the Messiah into a charge of rebellion against the Roman emperor. As Messiah, Jesus was claiming to be the King of the Jews; however, the ruler of the Jews at that time was Caesar. Thus, anyone being a ruler of the physical kingdom was in rebellion. Here, they showed that they had no understanding of who Messiah was.
Now, the physical abuse started in earnest. This physical abuse would escalate until it reached its pinnacle on the cross. Cambridge commentary says “It was now about three o’clock in the morning, and till further steps could be taken our Lord was left in charge of soldiers of the guard and the servants and apparitors of the high-priest.” “In those rough ages a prisoner under sentence of death was ever delivered over to the mockery of his guards. It was so now with the Holy One of God. Spitting was regarded by the Jews as an expression of the greatest contempt (Num_12:14; Deu_25:9). Seneca records that it was inflicted at Athens on Aristides the Just, but it was only with the utmost difficulty any one could be found willing to do it. But those who were excommunicated were specially liable to this expression of contempt (Isa_50:6).” “‘The hands they bound had healed the sick, and raised the dead; the lips they smote had calmed the winds and waves. One word and His smiters might have been laid low in death. But as He had begun and continued, He would end—as self-restrained in the use of His awful powers on His own behalf as if He had been the most helpless of men—Divine patience and infinite love knew no wearying.’” I love that last quote. It’s in quotation marks in the commentary, so I think that they are quoting from somewhere else. Satan was trying to use physical pain and humiliation to get Jesus to abandon His mission. Also, I think that Satan just could not resist inflicting pain on the One whom he hated so much.
(Revelation of God) FF Bruce’s commentary says that Jesus was quoting Psalm 110:1 when He answered Caiaphas. Here is the whole Psalm: “A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head” (Psalm 110:1-7). This is a Messianic prophecy about Jesus after His death. The council would have known the full psalm. It is about the judgment of the wicked. In condemning Jesus, they were choosing to be one of the corpses mentioned. Jesus had this psalm in mind at His trial. It was a promise written to Himself to remember that He would be able to lift up His head above all the horror that was now surrounding Him. He was remembering the promises of what was to come after this dark time. He was claiming the promises of scripture that there would be more after the darkness of the tomb even though He could not personally see it at that time.
(Revelation of God / Understanding the Text) FF Bruce says that Jesus was also quoting Daniel 7:13. “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14). Jesus had become sin and was separated from His Father (or was still in the process), so He was using scripture to have faith that He and His Father would be one again. Jesus was also warning the council that they should think beyond the politics of this world to see if He truly was the Messiah because if He was, there would come a time when the Father would give Him an everlasting kingdom and this council would have to answer to Him. However, all the council could see was a dirty humble man not a king. They had already given their belief in the power of God over to a belief in the might of Rome. They did not fear God; instead they feared the emperor and his soldiers. They did not care about the glory of the future. They only cared about keeping their tiny, insignificant present power. They had already chosen trash over treasure, so their answer that day was inevitable.
(Application) My application for myself is that when we stop believing that God is more powerful than the world, we become fearful of the world rather than remaining strong in the face of the seemingly more powerful forces around us. When we stop having faith in God’s promises and place our faith in the promises of government or family or friends, we will make the wrong decision. When we put self and self interest before God’s purpose in our lives, we will choose the self destructive path. In feeding our self, we destroy it. I should follow Jesus’ example and know the scriptures and when I am faced with trial, I should quote those scriptures to myself and place my trust in them even though I do not see past the darkness of the moment.
(Prayer) Help me to look beyond the darkness of the moment to Your shining promises and Your beautiful light. Teach me to depend on You for my strength and security and to never be fearful of the world. Give me hope and energy to overcome the depressing negativity of this world. Heal me from the wounds inflicted by the senseless cruelty and anger and desperation that I see all around me. Instead of letting the troubles of life defeat me, teach me to depend on Your word for my light and victory.