Matthew 26:57-68 "Seeing the Truth"

Read Matthew 26:57-68.

"The high priest said to him, 'I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.'" NIV

Okay, first I have to laugh at his question. He wants Jesus to answer the question under oath to the "living God." The living God is standing right in front of him. So Jesus needs to answer under oath to Himself. What irony.

So I was wondering what I would be thinking if I was the high priest. Would I have been one of the leaders trying to find a way to kill Jesus? Would I have put Him on trial? Now these Jewish leaders had been raised studying the prophesies about the coming Messiah. They knew what was going to happen. So why when the Truth is standing in front of them, the fulfillment of all the prophesies they have learned, can they not see Him? What hinders us from seeing Jesus for who He is and believing?

Well, Jesus has already shown in previous chapters that the religious leaders had allowed sin into their lives through greed and corruption of power. They loved being in charge more than they loved the God they were supposed to be serving. When we displace the object of our love, we miss seeing the truth. We're back to focus and priorities again. In whom will we place our faith? The religious leaders had transferred their faith from the One True God and His Word to their man-made laws and selfish ambition . It didn't matter that Jesus was fulfilling the very prophesies they had heard all their lives. They couldn't see the Truth.

When we displace our love and can't see the Truth standing right in front of us, it can disorient us when circumstances become difficult. The Jews were very oppressed during this time by the Roman rule. Here they were in their promised land that God had vowed to them so many years before, but they were living under the iron fist of the Romans. They expected a Messiah to come riding in on a white horse ready to rally an army that could defeat the Romans. Instead they get a 33-year-old carpenter's son riding on a borrowed donkey. Not exactly the valiant warrior they were looking for. But because the focus of their love had been diverted, they couldn't see that Jesus could be the Messiah. Their vision was clouded by misdirection and circumstances.

If we keep our eyes focused on the Truth, surrendered to His ways, and not allow the circumstances around us to intercept His leading, we will stay on course.

Further Thoughts:

1. Is your love focused on Jesus Christ or do you focus on self first?
2. Have you surrendered your life to His lordship?
3. Are circumstances distracting you from from God's plan? Remember, He is an out-of-the-box thinker. Don't try to place Him in a box. The "logical" answer according to our human paradigm may not be the right answer. Be open to whatever and wherever He leads.