The Son of Man

Day 69: Mark 14:53-72

“But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ And Jesus said, ‘I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’” - Mark 14:61-62

The Jewish hierarchy had a difficult time (surprise, surprise) convicting a man as innocent as Jesus. He still owns the only flawless resume to ever come across heaven's desk (see Hebrews 4:15). Because of this, they resort to speaking directly to him, in case they could catch him on something he said. Lucky for them, Jesus was done being indirect and evasive when it came to his identity. The time was now for him to die for the sin of all humanity. He had not come to earth to abide by the Jewish religious leaders' rules and comfort levels. He had come to usher in the very Kingdom of God.

In his answer, Jesus took two strong Messianic Old Testament passages and skillfully stacked them for emphasis. Psalm 110:1: “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’” and Daniel 7:24: “'Before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.”

With these verses, Jesus wasn't only admitting to being the long-expected Christ (the Messiah) of Israel for the nations. He was also letting them know that he was in charge. No matter how much they would try to manipulate the next 72 hours, he would continue to be the Son of God.

No one was (or ever will be) more intelligent and intentional than Jesus. Again, in Him, we can place our trust.

"Jesus breaks his silence—not in an attempt to defend himself but with a statement that asserts his messianic identity and divine authority, a statement that must lead to the death sentence given the hostile intentions of the chief priests, elders and scribes."
- Schnabel, E. J. (2017). Mark: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 2, p. 384)