Devotional: Are You the Son of God?

So, give it to us straight, the Pharisees said to Jesus. Are you our Machiach, our Anointed one?

And He said to them, it doesn’t matter if I said yes. You wouldn’t believe me anyway. And it isn’t like you’re going to answer any of my questions, or let me go.

Are You then the Son of God? they asked.

You say that I am, He answered.

And I can just envision the scene—the whole place erupting. See? See? What else do we need to hear. We’ve heard it ourselves from His own mouth.

The audacity of this man, to claim He’s the Son of God!

More like, the audacity of them, to speak this way to One who stood bound before them, the God clothed in flesh, putting up with their dog-and-pony show with a resignation that only underscores how ludicrous it was for them to think they could do anything to Him without His permission.

Back in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus revealed His humanity to His disciples, but here, He’s the Creator in disguise. The One in whom we all live, and move, and have our being, standing there with barely leashed patience as these men questioned and accused him.

And then I think ... the audacity of myself, to question Him. To doubt Him. The God who did not spare His own Son, but offered Him up for us all. To accuse Him, in essence, of not really loving us, of not really having our best interests in mind, or sometimes even of not having a plan at all.

Yes, life spins out of control. Things don’t go the way I would choose. I feel God pressing a promise into my heart, and then everything around me seems to make a lie of that promise. But ... the Son of Man must die ... before the Resurrection can happen.

How dare He claim to be the Son of God?

No. How dare I, because it was my sins that sent Him down this road.

 ⁶⁶ As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, ⁶⁷ “If You are the Christ, tell us.”

But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will by no means believe. ⁶⁸ And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go. ⁶⁹ Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.”

⁷⁰ Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?”

So He said to them, “You rightly say that I am.”

⁷¹ And they said, “What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.” (Luke 22)

² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. ⁴ You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. (Hebrews 12, all NKJV)

This post first appeared March 6, 2014.