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From Heaven With Love
taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always
resort; and in secret have I said nothing.”
The Saviour contrasted His manner of work with the methods of
His accusers. They had hunted Him, to bring Him before a secret
tribunal, where they might obtain by perjury what it was impossible
to gain by fair means. The midnight seizure by a mob, the mockery
and abuse before He was even accused, was their manner of work,
not His. Their action was in violation of the law. Their own rules
declared that every man should be treated as innocent until proved
guilty.
Turning upon His questioner, Jesus said, “Why askest thou Me?”
Had not spies been present at every gathering of the people and
carried to the priests information of all His sayings and doings?
“Ask them which heard Me, what I have said unto them; behold,
they know what I said.”
Annas was silenced. One of his officers, filled with wrath, struck
Jesus on the face, saying, “Answerest Thou the high priest so?”
Christ calmly replied, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil:
but if well, why smitest thou Me?” His calm answer came from a
heart sinless, patient, and gentle, that would not be provoked.
At the hands of the beings for whom He was making an infi-
nite sacrifice, Christ received every indignity. And He suffered in
proportion to His holiness and hatred of sin. His trial by men who
acted as fiends was to Him a perpetual sacrifice. To be surrounded
by human beings under the control of Satan was revolting. And He
knew that by flashing forth His divine power, He could lay His cruel
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tormentors in the dust. This made the trial harder to bear.
The Jews expected a Messiah, by one flash of overmastering
will, to change the current of men’s thoughts and force an acknowl-
edgment of His supremacy. Thus when Christ was treated with
contempt, there came to Him a strong temptation to manifest His
divine character, to compel His persecutors to confess that He was
Lord above kings and rulers, priests and temple. It was difficult to
keep the position He had chosen as one with humanity.