Without apology, I return to a subject which I have preached many times. We should pray that I never stop returning to the subject of the deity of Christ. The crucifixion of Christ Jesus must never be separated from the fact that He is God. As well as being the Son of Man – Christ is the Son of God.
In November of 1964, I turned from my sin and put my love and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. I was 15-years-old – just an average kid from an average home with average friends. Soon after the Lord saved me, I began, very timidly, to tell others about what the Christ had done for me. But most my friends were simply not interested. They were too occupied with teenage things to consider eternal things. They were too occupied with common SIN to consider extraordinary righteousness. But there was one partial exception: Larry. At first, like most of the others, he shrugged off my witness. But then he found an atheistic book which he read and passed on to me. I can’t tell you if he was looking for something to bolster his own shaky unbelief, or if this book was an accidental discovery, or if he went looking for it in order to be saved FROM Christ. But he was sure that it would convince me that I was following a foolish path. Basically, it repeated the charge of this High Priest – to believe that Jesus is God is blasphemy. Even though I had been a child of God only a few months, I could see that the book’s arguments were untrue and pointless. And although I never convinced Larry, I was even more firmly convinced in my own heart that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. The rest, as they say, is history.
The High Priest of Israel, who should have recognized the Saviour more quickly than any other man, didn’t. As the spiritual leader of the nation, he should have been so immersed in the Word of God and so filled with the Holy Spirit that there should have been an immediate surrender to his Creator, but there wasn’t. That priest eventually asked Jesus point blank, “Are you the Son of God,” and he heard His reply, “Yes, sir, I am.” That may not be clear in Matthew, but it is in Mark – To that crooked priest Jesus replied, “I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” From that moment that unbeliever didn’t hear another word; he ripped his clothes and shouted, “That’s blasphemy!” The question and reaction of the High Priest proved, if nothing else, that Jesus considered Himself the Son of God. And in the eyes of corrupted Judaism that was worthy of death.
I remind you that the Lord Jesus was tried in two courts, upon two charges, and was convicted of both. We will come to the second trial in chapter 27, but I hope that you are somewhat familiar with it. Christ was guilty of no crime in either case, even though, ironically, both charges were basically true. Together, we see that both politically and religiously, Christ was being rejected – as God and as King. The whole world, with only a few isolated exceptions, renounced Him. To those people He had no form nor comeliness; there was no beauty in Him to desire. “He came unto his own and his own received him not, but as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God.” The charge before the Roman Governor was “treason – he claims to be a king.” That was true, but His kingdom was not of this world and posed to threat to political Rome at that time. In other words Christ Jesus was not a rebel or traitor; He was not out to overthrow the government, even though that was the charge that the Jews treacherously laid against Him. And the charge before the Jews was that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. When Jesus said, “I am,” those Jews went wild with rage. When they should have bowed in submission, they shouted “blasphemy, blasphemy.”
Before we get into the message I’d like you to consider just a couple of things: Even though I have and will continue to refer to the High Priest, please understand that it was nearly the entire leadership of Israel who condemned Christ. First, He was taken from Gethsemane to Annas, the former High Priest and father-in-law to Caiaphas. I can’t tell you exactly why this was done, but it makes me think that the former High Priest was the actual ring-leader of this travesty. Most of Jesus’ ministry came during Annas’ tenure, and that man’s hatred was probably explosive. He was removed from his office by the Romans, but he was still considered to be the religious leader of the nation. From there I think that word was sent, during the middle of the night, to the rest of the ruling priests, and to the governing body – the Sanhedrin – with orders to gather at Caiaphas’ house. Notice that verse 57 says, “And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.“
Mark clearly says that “ALL the chief priests and the elders and the scribes” were present. Caiaphas was in charge, but with him were all the chief priests, and enough of the elders to make a Sanhedrin quorum, and then these were augmented by many of the scribes. And remember that the chief priests were primarily of the liberal Sadducee sect, but the scribes were primarily Pharisees. So at this illegal “trial,” being carried out in the middle of the night, there were representatives of every facet of Jewish leadership – religious and secular, Sadducean and Pharisaical. Truly, Christ Jesus came unto His own, and His own, as an entire group, received Him not.
The second preliminary that I need you to understand, since this message is entitled, “Jesus Blasphemy,” is that “blasphemy” has both broad and narrow meanings. By definition “blasphemy” means “to speak evil” of something or someone. Paul was personally blasphemed by the Jews in Antioch in Acts 13 and at Corinth in Acts 18. They called Paul a liar, a deceiver, a false prophet and a blasphemer, which were all untrue and therefore blasphemous in themselves. But usually when we hear the word, we automatically put it into the context of speaking evil against God. This was the meaning and intention of the High Priest that night. But just as there is no blasphemy if I say that “I am A son of God through the new birth and adoption,” there was no blasphemy when Christ Jesus said that “He was THE Son of God.” There is no blasphemy because both statements are absolutely true. And actually, it is blasphemy to say Jesus is not the Christ, He is not the Son of God – because He is.
Jesus was accused of blasphemy during that midnight trial, and condemned to die because of it. But it was the High Priest and his cohorts who were the blasphemers, and they were already condemned to die for their sin before the Almighty God. “He that believeth on (Christ Jesus) is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
The verses which we have just read from Matthew 26 witness to the truth that …
Jesus Christ really is the Son of God.
The trial itself affirmed what it hoped to disprove. Why was it demanded, “Tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God”? Was it because the priest who asked the question believed that it was true? Absolutely not! Was it because there had been witnesses for Christ which had declared it to be true? Was it because Jesus Himself was screaming it throughout the city or the court-room? Was it because Jesus had been preaching it around the country for three years? Not exactly. No, the question was asked, because the whole nation was asking it and demanding an answer. The hearts of the High Priest and the elders were asking that question, and they were deathly afraid that it might possibly be true. This question was the summation of all that the incarnate Christ ever said or did. It was the summation of the still small voice which was whispering in the hearts of the entire nation. It was the culmination of three years of miracles, sermons, lessons and conversions. But the human heart is so wretched and depraved that it is thoroughly predisposed to reject God. The only way that any sinner will come to God by faith is for the Lord to give him a new heart first.
It is an important part of American jurisprudence that a man is to be considered innocent until proven guilty. It is often abused, but it is supposed to be presumed that anyone charged with a crime is blameless. The burden is laid upon the prosecutor to convince the judge and the jury that the accused is guilty. Israel had a similar legal philosophy. In the cannons of the Sanhedrin, chapter 4, section 1, if a plaintiff was suing someone for financial damages, then the accused was considered guilty and had to prove that he wasn’t. However in the case of capital crimes, the accused was always to be approached as innocent and the judges were to seek first for absolution rather than guilt. It was required that there be at least two, preferably more, credible witnesses to prove a man guilty. But in the case of this illegal trial of Jesus – carried out in secrecy at the High Priest’s house rather than the usual Council chambers, in the middle of the night contrary to the laws of the land, the jury had already prejudged Jesus, and they went out looking only for witnesses which supported their sinful imaginations.
And yet throughout His life, the Lord Jesus went about doing nothing but good and glorifying His Father. First there were miracles – like healing the sick, raising the dead, and feeding the starving. The things which Jesus did proved that He was no ordinary man. He had to have been either of God or of the Devil to heal the sick and cast out demons. But beyond that, not even Satan can raise the dead; he can only appear to restore life once it’s gone. And when it came to exorcisms, the evidence was that Jesus really was the Christ. His unequaled success gave that testimony. And so did the testimony of the demons who were cast out.
Then there was the way in which the Lord Jesus taught the Word of God. First, it was with an authority and knowledge that had never before been seen in Israel. If Jesus had spent two or three decades in Rabbinical schools, He might have become bold and even obnoxious in His teaching – like so many other rabbis. But He was considered to have been untaught, having only attended the common synagogue schools. And yet never man spake as this man, and never had anyone spoken with the same authority. Never had any man such a thorough knowledge of the Word of God. Christ Jesus was an amazing teacher.
And then there were the things that He taught. Never had any rabbi ever spoken ABOUT Jehovah the way that Jesus did, and never had any spoken TO Jehovah as the Lord Jesus did. And Christ used the scriptures to attack the corrupted Rabbinical laws. Things like their abuse of the sabbath, their incessant ceremonial washings and their egotistical prayers. Christ even broke the rules of the Sabbath by curing people and commanding those cured to do things that were considered to be “work” on the Jewish day of rest. And when He was confronted with these crimes, the Lord had perfectly reasonable and Biblical answers. For example, the Jews said, “This man has broken the Sabbath, stone him.” Jesus’ answer was worse than the first offense: “My Father works on the sabbath, and so do I.” The Jews knew that in those words, the Lord Jesus claimed equality with God the Father.
Then in John 10, Jesus added insult to injury: He said, “My sheep are as safe with me as they are with my Father in Heaven.” He said in effect, God the Father and God the Son have equal power to keep and to bless those who come to them in faith. Then to justify that statement, he said, “I and my Father are one.” The charge rang out again, “Blasphemy, blasphemy, this man claims equality with God.” And the charge was absolutely correct.
There was a constant flow of proof that Jesus of Nazareth was no mere man. Demons were cast out of those possessed of them. Bread was multiplied; the dead found it impossible to stay dead. The wind shut its mouth, fig tree’s withered and died in mere hours, water became walkable. Blind people could see; deaf people could hear and dumb people could speak.
But there was something else: Even agnostics sometimes speak about Jesus’ sweetness, wisdom and morality. Yet the thing that set Him apart, was His continual adamant assertion of His own importance. Ordinarily, things like this disprove sweetness, wisdom and common morality. Jesus said things like: “Without me ye can do nothing.” “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” “I am the resurrection and the life.” “I am the bread of life;” “I am the water of life.” “No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.” “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
The book that my friend, Larry, gave me, said that it was Jesus’ disciples who forced His claim of deity. It said that Christ made no such claims Himself. But I say unto you that we have no need of further witnesses – the facts are evident. No reasonable person can read the Bible without seeing that Christ Himself claimed to be deity. And the conclusive proof of this is that His enemies made the charge against Him. When the nails pierced His hands the cry was, “If thou be the Son of God come down.” When the trial began we heard, “He claims to be the Son of God.” Why were those words uttered? Because the hearts of those who said these things feared that they were true, and yet they hoped that they weren’t. Jesus died, because He CLAIMED to be the Son of God, and He rose from the dead because He IS the Son of God.
In the words of Christ, He agreed with the charges.
Politically, Jesus was tried as a KING, a rival to Caesar, which was true – and yet not true. It is a strange thing that Jesus offered no defense of Himself against this charge. When he was standing before Pilate, only at the very end did He reply at all.
Then religiously, Jesus was tried as a BLASPHEMER, because He claimed to be the Son of God. The Jews knew that to claim to be the SON of God was to claim DEITY. And again, throughout most of the trial Jesus’ lips were sealed. Why? Because the charge was true. What needed to be said, because every charge laid against Jesus was true. If they had been false, wouldn’t the Lord have corrected it?
Let me take you back to Capernaum, in Galilee, about the year 31 A.D. Jesus was teaching a packed house. Four men peeled back some ceiling tile and proceeded to lower a sick friend into the presence of Christ. Immediately He perceived their faith and sovereignly said, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” From the moment the words left Jesus’ mouth there was an on-going battle. The Jews reasoned, “No man can say that. Only God can forgive sin.” It’s a natural and proper thing for a man to forgive something that has been done against him. If someone cheated me out of $50.00, I have the right to forgive him if I choose to do so. But what if someone cheated YOU out of $50.00 and I said, “That’s okay, I forgive the man?” All sin is against God, yet Jesus said, “I forgive this man for his sins against God.” The Jews had every right to be concerned about what Christ said and did. And just as it was at His trial later, Jesus said, “I agree with your conclusion, yes, I am God.” And as proof that He has power to forgive sins, He turned to the sick man, healed him, and said, “Sir, take up your bed and go home, because I am also giving you the ability to walk.” Then that sinner-forgiven, that sick-man-healed, did as the Son of God commanded. Jesus made sure that the Jews knew exactly Who He was. But where were the witnesses from Capernaum when Jesus was being tried in Jerusalem?
When Christ stood before the priests do you think that He would permit them to deceive themselves? They thought that Christ claimed to be God. If he didn’t make that claim, He would have told them so. Christ wasn’t a deceiver, nor could He permit others to be deceived.
Not only that, but His life was at stake, and yet He made no defense in order to save it. At the house of Cornelius, Peter was almost worshiped as God, but he rebuked the very thought. At Lystra, Paul and Barnabas were charged with being god’s, but they denied it, and it nearly cost Paul his life. But Jesus willingly accepted such charges even though it meant certain death. And when Peter said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of God,” Christ replied, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”
Either Christ was greedy for the adoration and adulation due only to Jehovah, which is sin and blasphemy, or truly He is God, willing to go to a human grave rather than lie and live.
And this witness drives us toward some logical, spiritual conclusions:
Jesus was charged with blasphemy, not because He ATTACKED deity, but because CLAIMED deity. If this is not true; if he was not the Son of the most High God, then we are forced to question either His sanity or His honesty. In either case, everything that Jesus ever said and did has been destroyed. If Christ claimed to be deity and He was not, then don’t talk about His morality or His example – they are worthless. If Jesus of Nazareth is not God, then His value to the 21st century is non-existent. The one who said, “Love your neighbour,” also said “I and the father are one.” If one of those statements is a lie, then the other is not worth hearing. Christ must be either a lunatic, liar or the living God.
And how can the Larrys of agnosticism know which is the truth? First, don’t be guilty of prejudging Christ the way that those priests did. Second, don’t stop with only half of the evidence, take the Word of God and study it out. Start with the New Testament, but you don’t have to confine yourself to it. And listen to the testimony of the demons, the cured, the resurrected and the converted. Then third, lay proper stress on the capstone of all the proof. If Christ was either a liar or lunatic, His body should have rotted away in a Judean grave. But the fact is, God, the Father, raised Christ’s physical body from that tomb. That tomb was borrowed from a friend and returned to him unoccupied and essentially unused. Then Christ walked among men for many days after His well-proven death and burial. And finally, before the eyes of many, He ascended into the clouds above the earth. Jesus Christ lives today. He is God, high and lifted up.
And either we receive these facts, humbling ourselves before the Lord in repentance and faith… Or we will face Him as did those Christ-rejecting priests and elders. Jesus Christ lives today with the titles “Creator,” “Lord,” “Saviour,” and many more. And these are true no matter what man’s opinion might be.