March 20 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Matthew 26:57-68:

⁵⁷And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
⁵⁸But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.
⁵⁹Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
⁶⁰But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,
⁶¹And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
⁶²And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
⁶³But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
⁶⁴Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
⁶⁵Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
⁶⁶What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.
⁶⁷Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,
⁶⁸Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?

Devotional

Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin, the ecclesiastical court. "They that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled .... Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; but found none: Yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At last came two false witnesses, and said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days." But this testimony, too, was false.

Jesus had spoken of the temple of his body. The high priest then said to Jesus, "Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But Jesus held his peace." At last the high priest put him under oath. He said to him, "I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God." Jesus gave an affirmative answer, and they declared him guilty of blasphemy and worthy of death.

Shall we condemn the Jewish council? Are not the sins of the council our sins? Have we not often borne false witness against Christ in word and deed? Do not men maintain that they are the sons of God and yet deny the eternal Son of God? Jesus bore all these injustices so that our sins for his sake might be forgiven, and that we should nevermore come into condemnation.

Prayer

O Lord, help us always to love the truth, to speak the truth in love, and to bear testimony to the truth. Grant us wisdom from on high that we may know when to speak, and what to say; but also when it is best to keep silence. May our whole life be a testimony to the truth of Thy Word. May we remember: a false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish; and also: lying lips are an abomination to the Lord; but they that deal truly are his delight. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Matt. 26:57-61, John 2:21; Matt. 26:6.

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