Friday, March 20, 2009


SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY #522

And they brought Jesus to the high priest. And all the priests and the scribes and the ancients assembled together. And Peter followed him afar off, even into the court of the high priest. And he sat with the servants at the fire and warmed himself. And the chief priests and all the council sought for evidence against Jesus, that they might put him to death: and found none. For many bore false witness against him: and their evidences were not agreeing. And some rising up, bore false witness against him, saying: "We heard him say, I Will destroy this temple made with hands and within three days I will build another not made with hands." And their witness did not agree. And the high priest rising up in the midst, asked Jesus, saying: "Answerest thou nothing to the things that are laid to thy charge by these men?" But he held his peace and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him and said to him: "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed God?" And Jesus said to him: "I am. And you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of the power of God and coming with the clouds of heaven." (Mark 14:53-62)

OUR BLESSED LORD'S OWN TESTIMONY TO HIS DIVINITY: In the face of death Jesus affirmed on oath that He was the promised Redeemer and the Son of God, and in the most solemn manner possible ascribed to Himself divine power and majesty! To the question put to Him on oath by the High Priest He replied, not as an accused man might address his judge, but as a ruler would address his subject, and threatened His hardened accusers with the divine judgments He would hold in His Hand when coming again in the clouds of heaven! Truly that was not the speech of a man, but of God! The members of the Sanhedrim quite understood that Jesus declared Himself to be God, for it was on this plea that they condemned Him to death for blasphemy. And later on, when they accused Him to Pilate, they said: "We have a law, and according to the law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God!" So it was on account of His own testimony that our Blessed Lord was condemned to death. As His enemies could prove nothing against Him, they turned His testimony that He was the Son of God into a crime, for which they put Him to death. He met His Death, therefore, for bearing testimony to His Divinity!

[From 'A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture' by Bishop Knecht, D.D.]

(1899 Douay-Rheims Bible)



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