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By John | October 2, 2008
From the Word : Answering one question ( from Mark 14:53-65)
”The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, ‘Do you not answer? What is it that these men are testifiying against You?’ But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’ And 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.’ ” (Mark 14:60-62 NASB)
Interesting here, Mark records that Jesus answered only one question. All the other questions and accusations He did not respond to; He let His accusers argue and debate among themselves. But when this one question was asked, “Are You the Christ…?”, He answered clearly, straightforwardly and with confidence. Of course, His answer did not work to His personal advantage; it came across as blasphemy, and for that the case against Him was sealed. Just thinking back to His recent prayer in the Garden (Mark 14:36), asking the Father to remove the cup, this would have been His chance to respond to the earlier accusations and talk His way out of it (like He did with everything else - cf. Mark 12:34). But He did not do that, and gave the one answer which sealed the verdict against Him. They thought they were in control; but Jesus, by His silence and His one answer, determined the final outcome.
O that I may follow Your example here, Lord, and realize that both what I say as well as what I don’t say or respond to determines the direction and the outcome of many situations. May my words be with grace and truth, and may they be apples of gold in settings of silver. I regret, Lord, the thoughtless comment I made yesterday at the stop sign about who is more stubborn: utterances of the flesh. Forgive me, Lord. May Your example be at the forefront of my thinking before I speak and provide guidance for what I should do and how I should answer. Amen.
Please pray with us:
This weekend is an evangelistic crusade at the Wachovia Center (where professional basketball and hockey is played) here in Philadelphia. Check out www.philly.harvest.org. At a planning session for the crusade back in the spring, I heard one of the organizers comment that he noted a lack of a spirit of unity and cooperation among the local churches here in the Philadelphia area compared to other cities which have hosted the crusade. This is a concern that does not show up on the posted prayer items on the crusade website, yet in the long run, in order for the gospel to advance in this region, the local expressions of the body of Christ need to be pulling together rather than functioning independently or in separate groups. Please pray with us that the crusade will foster an ongoing spirit of cooperation among the churches and ministries which are participating in this event. (For other prayer items for the crusade see the published prayer guide at http://www.harvest.org/get_pdf.php/765.pdf ).
Topics: In the Word and Prayer |