Jesus Condemned to Death - Mark 14:64

Mark wrote how those who captured Jesus led Him to the “high priest” and “religious leaders” where they attempted to find “witnesses” against Him. When they could find none who agreed, “the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answer you nothing? what is it which these witness against you? But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, and said, What need we any further witnesses?”, and in chapter fourteen and verse sixty-four of his book, Mark shared how the “high priest” and “religious leaders” “all condemned him” where we read:

You have heard the blasphemy: what think you? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.

The verse reads, “You have heard the blasphemy: what think you?”. Mark began with the words, “You have heard” which means “the religious leaders were given the faculty for hearing, perceived, noticed and discerned” “the blasphemy” or “the slander, detraction and impious, reproachful and injurious speech to divine majesty”: “what think you” which means “what do the religious leaders have in mind, seem to be right and evident”? Mark shared how the “high priests” asked the other “religious leaders” what they thought was the proper response to what they heard Jesus say.

The verse goes on to say, “And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.” Mark continued with the words, “and they all” which means “and each, every, the whole and everyone of the religious leaders” “condemned him” or “gave judgment against and rendered Jesus” “to be guilty” which means “as bound, under obligation, subject to and liable” “of death” or “of the separation of the soul and body by which life on earth is ended”. Mark shared how every one of the “religious leaders” declared Jesus to be “bound and liable” to die.

When we think through Mark's words in this verse, we see how the “high priest” presented a question to the other “religious leaders” that he knew in advance what their answer would be. They all wanted Jesus dead, and because Jesus declared He was the “Christ” and the “Son of God”, they all deemed His answer to be “blasphemy” which was a “capital” offense. They did not understand they were convicting “God's Son” to “death” when they passed down their judgment, however, they would discover their error when they stood before Him some day. God sent His Son Jesus to the world to save people from their “sins”, and those who recognize Him for who He is and believe and trust in Him shall be forgiven of their sins and granted everlasting life with God.

Next time Mark shares how, “some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".