ASH
WEDNESDAY
February
14, 2024
Pastor
Timothy J. Spaude
Text:
Matthew 26:57-64
GOD ON TRIAL
“ACCUSATIONS!”
“From there He will come to judge the
living and the dead.” How many times do you think you personally have confessed
that truth the concludes what we call the 2nd Article of the
Apostles Creed? If you are in worship weekly it’s about 28 times a year if you
want to try doing the math. Those words have us looking forward to the end of
the world, Judgment Day. And the right order of things is this. All people will
stand before Jesus. They will be on trial. He will serve as Judge and pronounce
the verdict. That’s the right order of things. Our Lenten worship series this
year focus our attention on a time when the order was reversed, when God was
put on trial by people. During this journey we will find faith to forgive and to
love even our enemies. We will find strength to endure trial and to testify faithfully.
God is on trial and it starts with accusations.
Matthew 26:57-64 (EHV) “Those
who had arrested Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the
experts in the law and the elders were assembled. 58 Peter
was following him at a distance and went as far as the courtyard of the high
priest. He went inside and sat down with the guards to see how it would turn
out. 59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were
looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to
death. 60 They found none, even though many false
witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward 61 and
said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it
in three days.’” 62 The high priest stood up and said to
him, “Have you no answer? What is this that these men are testifying against
you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high
priest said to him, “I place you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you
are the Christ, the Son of God!” 64 Jesus said to him,
“It is as you have said. But I tell you, soon you will see the Son of Man
sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
We are joining Jesus after His arrest
in the Garden of Gethsemane. He is put on trial. Caiaphas, the High Priest, the
chief priests and experts in the law, the Jewish ruling council known as the
Sanhedrin will stand in judgment over Jesus. They need some evidence to convict
Jesus. Witnesses are procured. They accused Jesus falsely. Now we all know the
power of an accusation. Have you ever been accused of something you did not do?
It hurts. It’s not fair. Accusations have such power that, even if they aren’t true,
they can ruin reputations, and irreparably damage relationships. How many
people have lost jobs, or had to step down from positions of leadership simply
because they were falsely accused? It’s bad enough when people do that to other
people. Here they did it to God! “The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin
were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to
death. 60 They found none, even though many false
witnesses came forward.”
We can’t help but get righteously
angry with them. And with ourselves. We too have falsely accused God. We have
done so in so many different ways. Why are you letting this happen to me God?
Accusation: You don’t love me. I know you said you won’t give us more than we
can bear, Lord, but this too? Accusation: you don’t really know what you are
doing. Lord, what did he do to deserve this? He’s such a good man. Accusation:
Lord, you are not fair. Lord your grand idea of grace stinks. Some of us
deserve better than others. We put God on trial. Now I want you to think of the
last time you were falsely accused? How did you feel? How did you respond?
How about Jesus? Silence. He takes no
umbrage. There is no complaining that this is not fair. No vigorous defense and
exposure of the false accusations. Finally though a true accusation. Then
the high priest said to him, “I place you under oath by the living God: Tell us
if you are the Christ, the Son of God!” Now remember what is going on here.
This is a kangaroo court, a sham trial with one purpose, to publicly get to
what has already been decided privately. Jesus must die! False witnesses who
can’t agree won’t get you to a verdict deserving of death. Even though we and
they knew that when Jesus talked about destroying the temple and raising it
again in three days, He was talking about His body, that wouldn’t cut it
either. What was needed was a provable charge of blasphemy, claiming to be God
or taking the glory of God for oneself. Out came the accusation. Are you the
Christ, the Son of God? “Jesus said to him, “It is as you have said. But I
tell you, soon you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power
and coming on the clouds of heaven.” There you have it. As far as Caiaphas,
the chief priests, the experts in the law and the Sanhedrin were concerned they
had a confessed crime worthy of death. Blasphemy. Claiming to be the Son of God
and Savior of the world. One problem. It’s true. Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God. It’s as though you would say to me, “Are you Tim Spaude, pastor at St.
Jacobi? And I said Yes. What Jesus confessed to is absolutely true. He is the
Son of God, the world’s Savior, so that means our Savior.
And that is what will make the
difference when the right trial is held, when Jesus comes back to judge the
living and the dead, when He comes back at the right hand of power coming on
the clouds of heaven. At that time all kinds of accusations will be made—by
Satan. In fact, that is what that name for him means, Accuser. Can you imagine
what it would be like to have to stand before God and all other people while
Satan starts going down the list of all the sins he and his fellow demons have seen
you commit? What do you do when he lists the words you said about other people
and how you really feel after you were so nice to their face? What if he brings
up all those things you did in secret because you knew they were wrong? Then as
you stand before the Lord, the Judge of all, all the times you put God second,
or third, or never thought about Him at all, until you were in trouble. Oh the
shame and embarrassment we will never feel! Because Jesus went on trial instead
of you and instead of me. Because when Jesus was falsely accused He kept silent
so the sham trial would continue. Because Jesus made sure to own the true
accusation that He is the Christ, the Son of God, so that the ones putting Him
on trial would become convinced that He must die.
Because that is exactly what Jesus came to do. And He did it so that when He comes to judge the living and the dead He will shut Satan the Accuser down and so for you and me and every believer in Him the only evidence brought will be the blood of the Lamb cleansing us from every sin and the good deeds which are evidence of our faith in Him. No shame. No embarrassment. Just the absolute joy of belonging to Jesus. Today we have begun another Lenten journey. We will follow Jesus as He walks to the cross. Often the tone of our worship will be somber. The tunes of our worship will be sad. It’s the right response because we know Jesus is on trial instead of me. But never forget, this is something He wanted to do. Lent’s message is better than any valentine because it shows Jesus’ great love for you. Amen.
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