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HERE IS THE MAN!
EPISODE 4 STATION 3: JUDGED JESUS
Probably He had the impression that it was the longest night ever;
it's hard to imagine
how they could take Him repeatedly to court.
It took all night and the morning to try Him.
They took Him from one court to another.
From Annas to Caiaphas, from Herod to Pilate
as if everyone was afraid of giving a verdict
and at the same time very willing to do so.
The worst court for Him was the one He was familiar with,
it is before Annas and Caiaphas.
The fact that Herod was not able to understand - it's clear;
that Pilate completely stayed apart - it's also understandable,
but it must have been a really difficult experience for Him
that people believing in God were not able to understand.
I think it lasted all night
because God knew it is typical in the whole world
that we continually judge ourselves,
constantly suspect each other for something.
Jesus wanted to live the whole long night
in order to take responsibility for this guilt
avoiding a situation
when some guilty slip through His fingers.
He wanted all these lies,
all these accusations and false evidence completeley absorb.
That's why He was standing all the time,
and let them take Him to all these courts.
Today, in this station, let's meet Lord Jesus who is under a trial.
In this scene of Lord Jesus being under the trial,
particularly the one at Annas and Caiaphas,
there are two elements which makes me terrified.
Firstly, when Jesus is standing before the Council,
when He is standing before Caiaphas under judgment for all night,
when the witnesses come to give a false testimony against Him
in the whole room there was no one who would support Him,
and there were hundreds of people in total.
The Gospel suggests He was absolutely lonely.
It's a strange situation as the court was open for everybody.
Every Jew could take part in this event,
and could defend the accused.
It may be explained that it was at night
and Caiaphas informed only a handful of people
so that not everyone was aware it takes place this day.
However, there is no disciple in this crowd
and there is no one who followed Jesus,
there is no healed by Jesus no revived back to life,
no one who ever experienced His mercy;
and we know there were thousands of such people.
It's hard to imagine what Jesus had in His heart and mind
when He was aware that all these around Him
are His enemies;
that there is no friend in here; that everyone whom He once helped has gone
when it came to the critical situation.
This is the absolute loneliness.
And that's the first important scene in here.
The second scene is when Jesus was taken to Annas
just after He was taken captive in the garden.
There is a conversation between Lord Jesus and a high priest
which seems to be innocent.
Annas asks Lord Jesus about His teaching.
He doesn't really want to answer but says He was always speaking publically
so that Annas may ask all those who were listening because they know His teaching.
And then one of the guards approches Him
and slaps Him.
Jesus' answer is very diplomatic:
"If I have said anything wrong, tell what it was.
But if I'm right, why do you hit me?"
He is very calm.
This slap has not impressed Him much.
This scene always makes me feel anxious
because it is very similar to a situation
when somebody tries to crawl to their superior.
Probably this guard was looking at Annas
and saw his raising anger when Lord Jesus was answering;
he wanted to show that he serves well his superior,
and that he will always defend him and express his anger.
This is why he gave a slap to Jesus.
It is an attitude towards a superior
when somebody wants to win an applause, wants to be acclaimed
but at other's expense.
These two scenes,
Jesus' loneliness before Caiaphas and the guard at Annas,
are what we need to focus on.
I would like you to see yourself from the perspective of these two events.
Firstly, try to notice all these situations
when you seem to be servile
in your relations with others,
mainly with those who have control over you;
try to see all these situations
when you put aside all your convictions, beliefs and thoughts
in order to make a favour to somebody.
We need to ask this question in particular regarding clerical people.
The trial of Lord Jesus took place in Sanhedrin
which is among clergy.
This trait is one of the most disgusting thing among clergy.
Namely, when they crawl to superiors,
to those who have power over them
when they fear to defend somebody not to be exposed to risk
It applies also to other fields of our lives:
in every workplace, in every dependent relation,
where we seem to be attentive or even extremely servile.
This is a way of behaviour to be thrown out,
to forget about it.
Jesus, being under a trial, doesn't try to pretend anyone nor do a favour;
He doesn't try to convince the people judging Him;
doesn't try to put aside His beliefs,
and His truth about Him, in order to gain something.
Be like Him.
Look at Him and learn from Him.
The second thing I would like you to be aware of
is the relation between you and Lord Jesus
when you are lonely, and especially when you are lonely under a trial.
Every time you think that everyone is looking at you
whatever you do, wherever you are,
and however you appear publically,
that they frown on you or say bad things about you
that they misunderstand your intention,
try to look at Jesus who stays silent,
who doesn't try to deny nor explain all this,
who is not making any excuse, who doesn't say they are wrong
but keeps calm and accepts the judgment.
It's not that you should understand it thoroughly
but just look at Him, and stay with Him.
And you will see God is extremely close to you
and so similar in all those situations
when everybody is frowning on you.
When you realize it, you will see there's nothing to be afraid of;
that somewhere inside God is looking at you.
And He sees the whole truth.
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Produced by stacja7.pl Recorded and edited by Marcin Jończyk