THE EASTER STORY (3)

BY EVANGELINE UNITY ESAABA FOLSON

And they that had laid hold on Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. Now the chief priest, and elders, and all the council, sought fake witness against Jesus, to put Him to death.

And the high priest arose, and said unto Him, Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee?
Jesus saith unto him, then hast said: nevertheless, I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in clouds of heaven.

The verses quoted above give an account of what happened after His arrest in the garden of Gethsemane. They took Him to Caiaphas the high priest and his elders. The Scribes were also present. It was like placing Him before the jury of a High Court.

What can we learn from Jesus’s response to His accusers?
In times of trouble we must:

Remain calm and trust God to deliver us (Mathew 26:62, Psalm 46:10).

Try not to avenge ourselves (Roman 12:21, Psalm 12:19).

Find a way of sharing the gospel with our accusers (Mathew 26:64, 2 Timothy 4:2).

REMAIN CALM AND TRUST GOD TO DELIVER US
Mathew 26:62

And the high priest arose, and said unto him, answers thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee?

Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

When Jesus was put before the high priest, his accusers sought false witness against Him, to put Him to death. But they found none (Mathew 26:59-60).

The high priest was surprised that Jesus said nothing to defend Himself (Mathew 26:62). He knew He was there for a purpose and He was trusting God to see Him through His ordeal.

In the same way, God expects us to remain calm (Psalm 46:10) and trust Him to deliver us in times of trouble. All things will work together for our good once God is in control.

TRY NOT TO AVENGE OURSELVES
Romans 12:19

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay saith the Lord.

Romans 12:21
Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good.

It is very easy to feel like revenging or avenging yourself for the wrong or harm done to you. This is the natural human instinct but the bible directs us not to avenge ourselves but leave it to God. We should also not overcome evil with evil but overcome evil with good.

These things are naturally difficult for every human being but Philippians 4:13 says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Pray for grace and strength to control your anger and desire for revenge and leave God to settle everything on your behalf.

God loves and cares for you and He will bless you as you trust and rely on Him.

FIND A WAY OF SHARING THE GOSPEL WITH YOUR ACCUSERS

Mathew 6:64

Jesus saith unto him, thou hast said nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine whilst your accusers are working seriously on destroying you, seize any opportunity you get with them to preach the word. The bible says we should be ready to preach at all times, whether we have prepared specifically for the occasion or not.

You should be ready any time of the day to share your quiet time or what you learned during your morning devotion. Memorize a verse or two you can easily share each day.

Jesus took the opportunity of his confrontation with the high priest to tell all those present of what His death and resurrection would do.

Be ready at all times as a good soldier in the army of the Lord.

CONCLUSION

Always remember that you are God’s representative here on earth, therefore, you have to live to please Him at all times and share the good news of salvation with as many people as you can.

REFERENCES

King James Bible
Oxford English Mini dictionary
Google.com