 And so we're going to be looking today at chapter 14 here in Mark, verses 53 through 65, and I chose to entitle Jesus on trial. So beginning at verse 53, reading to verse 65, Mark writes, And they led Jesus away to the high priest, and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. But Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest, and he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and all the counsel sought testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but found none. For many bore false witness against him, but their testimonies did not agree. Then some rose up and 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 made without hands. But not even then did their testimony agree. And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, Do you answer nothing? What is it these men testify against you? But he kept silent and answered nothing. Again, the high priest asked him, saying to him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? Jesus said, I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming with the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think? They all condemned him to be deserving of death. Then some began to spit on him and to blindfold him and to beat him and to say to him, Apophasi and the officers struck him with the palms of their hands. We're looking at Jesus on trial as recorded by Mark. Now let me give you a background, remind you of what's been taking place and then bring you up to this portion. Jesus and the remaining eleven apostles had celebrated Passover together. Jesus spent his final night teaching them and then he went to a place called the Garden of Gethsemane. Now upon entering into that garden we have seen how he had left eight of his men at its entrance. He told them to remain where they were while he went off to pray. And so from there he had taken Peter, James and John and they went further into the garden to be with him. They could hear in his voice and see in his face that he was deeply troubled. And while he was there he prayed fervently that this hour might pass from him. He prayed, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. But in the end as we've seen he submitted to the will of his father. Now Matthew 26-44 says that three times he prayed and three times came back to sleeping men. So he rebuked them. He rebuked them for failing to pray. And as he was doing so Judas, the soldiers and the officers arrived. And Judas led them straight to Jesus Christ. They greeted him and then he kissed him. Now when Peter saw what was happening Bible tells us that he drew his sword and he resisted. He attacked a man by the name of Melchus who was the high priest servant and the scripture says he cut off his ear. Now when Peter attacked Melchus Jesus instantly responded to what he did. John 1811 says that Jesus said to Peter, put your sword into the sheath shall I not drink the cup which my father has given me. Now it's interesting to see that Peter once again resisted Jesus' mission. Remember all the way back in the time in Caesarea Philippi Jesus had said that he was going to lay down his life. Well in Matthew 16-22 after Jesus had said that Peter took him aside began to rebuke him saying far be it from you Lord this shall not happen to you. So Peter's mind was made up that Jesus was not to die. So he didn't want him to die and he rejected the thought that he would and therefore he began to defend him by using the sword. Now when he did this Jesus stopped him. Matthew 26-52 says that Jesus said to him put your sword in its place for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. I didn't say this last time I'll make mention of it at this point. Jesus was basically saying acts of violence to achieve personal ends is never to be rewarded. Violent protests over that which may be wrong is not God's way. Vigilante justice is not a proper way of remedying that which is wrong. Blowing up abortion clinics or violent protests isn't the way to bring God ordained change. In the end the civil authority will punish you for your violent actions. So Jesus was making it clear my kingdom is not modeled after this world. I have access to forces. I have access to forces that would annihilate an entire Roman army. He said in Matthew 26-52 and 53 basically he said if I needed help I could have 72,000 angels at my disposal. So I don't need your help. Well he said the scriptures must be fulfilled. These things must take place. In other words he was fulfilling what the Scripture declared. In Mark 13-31 Jesus said heaven and earth will pass away but my words will by no means pass away. Well as this is taking place as we saw they all forsook him. The word forsook means to abandon or desert. They all forsook him and fled. They didn't want to suffer. They didn't want to die. So they fled. Well they led Jesus away to the high priest and with him there were people assembled. So the temple police, the soldiers and the others have led Jesus away. Matthew, Mark and Luke all speak of him being taken to the high priest. But John makes it clear that they first took Jesus to Annas the former high priest. John 18-13 says they led him away to Annas first for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was high priest that year. So I'm going to share these things with you a little bit so that you can see this because again notice in verse 53 it says they led Jesus away to the high priest and with him were assembled all the chief priests, elders and the scribes. Well John gives us more insight into what's taking place. They led him away according to John 18-13 to Annas first, father-in-law of Caiaphas. So they took him to Annas because he was the high priest for four or five years or seven years and because of this Annas still had considerable influence. He controlled the temple money changers. He controlled those who sold the sacrifices and he made a profit from those things. So when Jesus came and had cleansed the temple it infuriated him. Mark 11-18 says that the chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him for they feared him because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. So he saw the influence that Christ had and Jesus had impacted his economy if you will and he had influence so they take him first to Annas. Now Annas wanted to interrogate Jesus because he wanted to formulate a capital charge against him and John gives us insight into what took place. If you take notes, it's John 18 and I'll begin reading at verse 19, I'll read to verse 24. John says, the high priest then asked Jesus about his disciples and his doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple where the Jews always meet and in secret I have said nothing. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard me and ask me, ask those who heard me what I said to them. Indeed, they know what I said and when he had said these things one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand saying, do you answer the high priest like that? Jesus answered him, if I've spoken evil bear witness of the evil but if well, why do you strike me? Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. So when Annas began to interrogate him, his interrogation followed two lines of questioning. He wanted to know about his disciples. He wanted to know the numbers of, the names of, the addresses and the families of the disciples. Well, Jesus ignored his question and what he did is he drew attention to himself and he began to respond. He used the personal pronoun I three times. So he says to him, I spoke openly. I always taught in synagogues and the temple. In secret, I have said nothing. So what he was doing is he was shielding his disciples, protecting them from harm. He had already said in John 10 verse 11, I'm the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. He said in John 15, 13, just that night, he said, greater love has no one than this than to lay down one's life for his friends. And so he spoke concerning the disciples by shielding them. But he also had asked them concerning his doctrine. And that's why Jesus said, I spoke openly. In other words, my teachings are a matter of public record. My doctrine is well known. And if you want testimony, ask those who heard me. Now under Jewish law, witnesses are required to establish the weight of a case. John 8, 17, it says it's written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. So what he was saying is, I want a fair trial. Well when he was saying this, one of the officers struck Jesus. You see, Jesus was challenging Anna, so he responded angrily. And as he did so, that was actually breaking the law. Because according to Deuteronomy 25, 1-3, you're not to do something like that. So he asked the man for proof of anything that he said that was illegal. Well after that, Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas, the high priest. Seeing that Jesus wouldn't give him information, he sent him away. If a legal charge is to be brought, it would come through the current high priest. So he was unsuccessful. He sent Jesus back to Caiaphas. And that's where we pick up our story. So again in verse 53, they led Jesus away to the high priest and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. Now all the disciples had forsaken Jesus and fled. Peter and John followed the group taking Jesus to Caiaphas palace. According to John 18, 15 through 16, Simon Peter followed Jesus and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door outside. And the other disciple who was known to the high priest went out and spoke to her who kept the door and brought Peter in. Now we're looking at the apostle Peter and then you have an unnamed disciple. The unnamed disciple is the way that John would refer to himself as the other disciple very often he'd say or the one that Jesus loved. So we know that the one who was with Peter accompanying him was John. We also know that John had a certain amount of, I'll use the word notoriety. People knew who he was because he also knew like Joseph of Arimathea who was in the Sanhedrin. He knew Nicodemus who was in the Sanhedrin. So it says he was known by the high priest which tells us that he had some kind of relationship with those who were in authority. Now verse 54, I'm only going to touch on this when we move further on next time or together I'm going to look at this more detail but in verse 54 it says Peter followed him at a distance right into the courtyard of the high priest and he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire. And so Peter is following him. Notice it says in verse 54 at a distance he goes into the courtyard. So he followed Jesus actually it's from a good distance, a great distance. He's watching him as Jesus is further on and following at a greater distance and it may appear. And what happens is he goes into the courtyard. Now the courtyard was a square shaped area that was surrounded by the buildings and so Peter is there. Notice with me that he sat with the servants so he could see and hear what was being said and also that he was trying to blend in. John tells us in John 18 verse 18, the servants and officers who had made a fire of colds stood there for it was cold and they warmed themselves and Peter stood with them and warmed himself. Mark says that he warmed himself at the fire. I want to give you some insight into that because when we read it well we think in terms of campfires. We've been at campfires most of us more than lightly. You've sat at the campfire and we sit at the campfire to warm ourselves and so the word fire there in a literal sense would mean that it was something that was ignited and was a flame. Well, the word fire here in the original language is not necessarily speaking of flame. The word fire here is speaking of radiance, a radiance. It's a source of light is what is being said and it makes it clear that Peter could be seen clearly because he's exposed by the light. That's how people are going to recognize him. It's not simply that he's warming himself, he's also being exposed by the light. So not only is Peter's outer appearance being exposed, we'll see. So is his heart. Not only is the fire exposing him in the way that fires will glow, but this is a word that helps us understand that there is something deeper going on. The light is radiating on him, he is being seen, not only is his body being seen, but we're going to see his heart is being exposed by the light also. In Ephesians 5.13 Paul said everything that is exposed to the light becomes visible. And so that's going to take place. We'll see that next summer together. Now Peter is revealing an incredible amount of courage. Nobody else other than John is with the Apostle Peter and to go into the enemy's camp in the way he's doing it is extremely courageous. And so once again, I wouldn't in any way say something that that isn't flattering about this man. This man loved Christ enough to follow, even if it's at a distance to come into a place where the enemy is to be there by the fire, hoping not to be identified, but wanting to be there. He had courage, but his courage wasn't enough. It says in verse 55, the chief priests and all the counsel noticed sought testimony against Jesus to put him to death but found none. You see the counsel cannot formulate a charge. It only rules on the charges that have been made. So they're seeking charges because what they're doing is actually acting as prosecutors and that was illegal. Now many came forth, they were willing to lie in order for him to be put to death. Matthew 26.59 says the chief priests, the elders and all the counsel sought false testimony against Jesus to put him to death. And so verse 56 says, many bore false witness against him, but their testimonies did not agree. You see for Jesus to receive capital punishment, at least two witnesses were necessary because that's what the law in the Old Testament said. In Deuteronomy 17 verse 6 it says on the testimony of two or three witnesses, a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. Well in verse 57, some rose up and 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 made without hands, but not even then did their testimony agree. And so Matthew 26 verse 60 tells us that there were two false witnesses who had made these charges. That would have made it legal to put them to death. But in order to make the charge, they misquoted something Christ had said. In John 2 19 through 21, I've referred to this before. Jesus was speaking and he was answering something that was said and he said destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days. Well the Jews replied it's taken 46 years to build this temple and you're going to raise it in three days, but the temple he had spoken of was his body. So Jesus was predicting his physical resurrection. Their words did not agree and they were misinterpreting what he had to say. Well as this goes on, seeing nothing is happening that is pleasing to the high priest in verse 60. The high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus saying, do you answer nothing? What is it these men testify against you? But he kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him saying to him, are you the Christ the Son of the Blessed? So the high priest verse 60 stood up. Caiaphas is frustrated. The testimonies are inconsistent. It's almost dawn. People will soon be in the streets. He wants to end this farce of a trial quickly. But notice how it says in verse 61, but he kept silent and answered nothing. So as Caiaphas questions him, Jesus is looking at him, unnerving him. Jesus is innocent. To answer false charges is unnecessary. I want to share something practical with you at this point here. I want to say, and all of you who have been around for a while know this is true, sometimes silence is the best method of dealing with lies. If you respond to what's being said, some think you are defending yourself because you must be guilty. So sometimes it's just better to not say anything, to trust the Lord, to allow God to take care of the business that's taking place at that time. I was sharing with the first service something that had occurred here when we had moved into this fellowship. We've been on this property for 30 years. And so early when we were here in the earlier sense, meaning almost 30 years ago, there was a problem that took place here in the fellowship. I can speak of it now. It's been almost 30 years. And there was somebody in our fellowship who was upset at me. They believed that I should have done a certain thing that I didn't do, and because I didn't do what they wanted me to do, they got upset. And they began to spread things about me. It was very serious. There were things being said that were very serious. And I was innocent of the charges. But I knew that if I were to stand up and begin to try and defend myself, that it would just wasn't a good thing. And over the course of three months, and this went on for two years, but in the course of three months, no less than 500 people left our fellowship. No less than 500. But over the course of two years, we saw multiple hundreds of people who had been involved for a long time who were being approached because people knew this person and he was going to people and he was telling things. He was writing letters to me at my house. He was saying things about me that were untrue and not only untrue, but were very painful. They were very hurtful. And that went on for a couple of years. And I never said anything. I never said anything. I just went on with ministry. And then finally, after almost two years, my wife, Marie, and I were at the mall. I call the mall purgatory. But we were at the mall. And while we were at the mall, this person came walking up to me and began to speak to me and said to me, Pastor David, let me ask you a question. Or actually, they said, Pastor David, I want to ask for your forgiveness. And I said, for what? Because I didn't recognize them. What did I do? For what? They said, because when I was approached and told what you allegedly had done, I believed and I left the church. I believed them. And I said, you believed what was said? They said, yes. And I want to ask for your forgiveness. I said instantly, you're forgiven, of course. But let me ask you a question. And she said, what? I said, may I ask you why you believed that? Why did you believe that? I said, do you think that I could stand up and speak the way that I do, Sunday after Sunday, encouraging people to serve the Lord? Did you believe that I'm a hypocrite, that I could do that? Why? Why did you believe that? And her answer is simple. She says, I knew him and I didn't know you. And that's the way it is, isn't it? There are people who will believe things of you that you never did. And because they will not walk up to you and ask you, did you do this? They will take what they believe, share it with others. And before you know it, infects entire groups of people. In this church, we saw well over 1,000-plus people leave because of the false testimonies. Leadership in my church were asked to leave. Dave Bustamante, who's been with us for years, was told things to try and get him to leave. That happened. And that happens. How do you handle that? When somebody says something of you, do you stand up to defend yourself? Let me tell you something. The moment you do that, people think you must be guilty. I had somebody who said to me, you can't possibly love your wife as much as you say you do. You must be doing something and you're guilty. That's what that is. People want to believe things just because they want to believe. So what are you supposed to do? Are you supposed to always argue and fight and say, how can you say? No, you leave it in the hands of the Lord. And so I'm 18, 1, and 2, I love you, Lord. You are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my protection, my savior. My God is my rock. I can run to Him for safety. He is my shield, my saving strength, my defender. And see, yeah, I don't expect the emotion to come up. I'll be honest with you, this is almost 30 years. But talking about it reminds me of the pain that my wife and I went through for two years where this person was doing what they could to destroy. And they did it. And I never stood up and I still to this day won't mention who it was. But some who were here, they know who it was because he did that. And you want to know something? Jesus is standing before this man, false accusations, and yet he opened not his mouth. He's there looking into the eyes of Caiaphas. Now, Jesus, in looking into Caiaphas' eyes, it would be one of those moments that Caiaphas feels stripped. He feels like he's naked in front of this one. Righteousness is looking into the eyes of the unrighteous. It would have made him feel uneasy because Jesus was looking into his heart. In Job 3421, his eyes are on the ways of man. He sees all his steps. Psalm 90 verse 8, you have said our iniquities before you are secret sins in the light of your countenance. So Jesus remains silent. In doing so, he's fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy. Isaiah writing over seven centuries before Christ. In Isaiah 53 verse 7, speaking of Messiah, said he was oppressed, he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his shearers is silent. So he opened not his mouth. Well, in verse 61, he kept silent, answered nothing. Again, the high priest asked him, saying to him, are you the Christ, the son of the blessed? When he says, are you the son of the blessed or the blessed one, that's another way of referring to God. Are you God's son? Once again, Matthew gives greater insight. Matthew 2663, Jesus kept silent. The high priest answered and said to him, I put you under oath by the living God. Tell us if you are the Christ, the son of God. So when he said, I put you under oath, swearing an oath in God's name is binding. That question was illegal. Jesus was not obligated to respond. That's called self-incrimination. But Jesus responds anyway. In verse 62, he said, I am. And you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming with the clouds of heaven. I am. I am the son of God. But I am also the judge and the king of earth. He's saying to him, you sit here and judge me now. But I will judge you later. In John 527, it speaks that God gave Jesus authority to execute judgment because he is the son of man. In Matthew 2531 and 32, when the son of man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him. He will separate them, one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. Are you the son of man? He is the son of man. The son of man is a title for Messiah. When it speaks of being at the right hand of the power, that's another way of saying being at the right hand of God. In the Old Testament book of Daniel, in chapters 7, 13, and 14, in my vision at night, I looked. And there before me was one like the son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the ancient of days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power. All peoples, nations, and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away. His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. So when the Lord says, I am, and speaks in that way, verse 63, the high priest tore his clothes and said, what further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think they all condemned him to be deserving of death? You have heard the blasphemy. Blasphemy is a word that is lost in American vocabulary by and large today. There is no such thing in the mind of many Americans as the sin of blasphemy. You can use the name of God in vain in a movie or on television. If you watch TV at all, and I know we do, you may be watching something. And God's name will be in vain. You can use God's name in vain. People don't have a problem saying that at all. They said very easily. But you better not say somebody in a misgendered way. You better not call somebody a name who's a homosexual. You better not say that. Better not speak about a woman in that any way that demeans her. But you can use God's name. We don't even know what blasphemy is anymore. Blasphemy is what is called defiant irreverence of God. And blasphemy in the Old Testament, as well as the new in the time of Christ, was a capital offense. You actually could be put to death for blasphemy. In Leviticus, in the Old Testament, chapter 24, verse 16, whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger, as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the Lord, he shall be put to death. It was a capital offense. So he regards Christ as blasphemous because he was declaring himself to be the son of God. Now he had already done this more than once. In John chapter 5, verse 18, it speaks of how the Jews had sought to kill him because he not only broke the Sabbath in their eyes, but also said that God was his father making himself equal with God. That was a capital offense. If Jesus Christ was not equal with God, then he's blaspheming. And so they're looking for a way to put him to death. So they now say, because of what he had just said, are you the Christ, the son of the blessed? He said, I am. And in doing so, they said, this is the sin of blasphemy. You have made yourself equal to God. But he was speaking truthfully. He was the son of God. But they refused to believe him. And so he asked for a verdict. And the answer, unanimous, he deserves to die. Well, in verse 65, some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, to beat him, to say to him, prophesy. The officers struck him with the palms of their hands. People will say, well, human beings are good. Human beings are in their core. They're good. I've heard that so many times. When I was in college, I took several classes in behavioral science. And oh, I took a lot of classes in those things. And I can tell you that modern psychology, even back then when I was in school, pointed to the human being as being at its core. At our core, many would say that we're good. We're a blank tablet or whatever you want. But our nature is good. And that's not true. There's never been a good person on the face of the earth outside of Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ was killed. The only good person that we know of was Jesus. He didn't sin. And yet they put him to death. There's none righteous the scripture says, no, not one. We are all born with a sin nature. And so this gives us an opportunity to see how people will treat goodness. And what they did with goodness is they put him to death. They began to spit on him. They began to beat him. They blindfolded him, prophesied, they said. They struck him with the palms of their hands. Now spitting on someone's face, then as it is today, is the worst insult. To spit in somebody's face is a sign of utter contempt. It is intended to be the greatest insult. They spit in his face. In Job, in chapter 30, verse 10, we read, they abhor me. They keep far from me. They do not hesitate to spit in my face. So they're spitting in the face of Jesus. And they're striking him. He had said this would happen. He tried to warn his men. He prepared them. In Mark 10, 33, and 34, he said, the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes. And they will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles. They will mock him and spit on him, scourge him, and kill him. And three days later, he will rise again, struck him in the face, spit on him, insulted him. When I read these things, it always moves me. It always does. It always does. Somebody wrote, this face was a face that used to break into a smile at the approach of a child. It had been in the habit of beaming graciously upon publicans who became penitents. It could glow with righteous indignation when the father's house was being desecrated. Above all, it was a face that mirrored the heart of the Heavenly Father in all his holiness, displeasure with sin. And last but not least, love and tenderness, it was into this face that these men were spitting. It was this face that they slapped when the Lord blessed my wife and me with babies. And some of you who are parents might remember something similar, but when that baby was handed to us and you look into the face of this, this ugly thing. It's called your baby. But when you look into the face of this baby and you watch that baby as she or he begins to grow, you always remember the first time you looked at him. I always remember the first time when my daughter, Corinne, had our Josiah. I didn't know she did this, but when she handed me my grandson, I brought him to my face and I kissed him on his little forehead. And she happened to catch that picture. I have a picture of the first kiss his papa ever gave him. And I look at that baby and I've watched him. I've watched my children. I've watched them as they have grown. And I've seen the beauty of their little face as the smiles and sometimes I've thought of the tears and it always hurts me even to this day to hear a child cry because I don't like to hear that because when my kids were born, when my Corinne was born, my first born, I said I just don't want to ever hear her cry. And yet I did and sometimes it was because of me. And so it hurt. It hurt me. That beautiful little face. That beautiful little smile, little gums and then they have teeth and then they lose their teeth and they have teeth again, that little face. I'm sure Mary, the mother of Jesus, had memories like that within her. This one who was born to her, this child of God, that was her responsibility to bear and to help to raise. And the smile, when he would smile, the sun would come out. When he said it was like clouds would form in the sky. This one who would see you coming and would give you a smile of welcome when he would look at you. And these men that were, his men had seen it many times when he would look in their direction. And you know, we don't get a full picture of Christ. It's not always described to us, but you can assume. And I think rightly so that because they spent so much time with him, they saw his face in different ways. They'd see the anger that he could have at the self-righteous Pharisees who'd want to argue with him. But they also would see the warmth of his face when they handed him a baby to bless. They saw these things. His smile, the Bible doesn't say that he laughed. Nowhere does it say he laughed, but I'm certain he did. And it was that face. It was that face that they hit with the palm. It was that face that they spit on. It was to his face that they said such things to him. And like a sheep that was led to the slaughter, he opened not his mouth. He didn't defend himself. He declared himself for who he is. These men were bent on killing him. They were bent on turning the light of the world, turning it off. For Jesus had said, I am the light of the world, but they wanted to extinguish that light. They wanted that light out. Why? Because the light exposed their evil. Because the light, Jesus, his words, what he did exposed them for what they were. Not only by what he said, but in comparison to what he was. And they didn't want that. Nobody wanted that conviction. Nobody wanted that one person to rule over them. What do we do with that one who calls himself the Christ? What do we crucify him? Kill him. Put him to death. Let's put out. Let's extinguish the light. Let's kill him. And they're bent on it. They're bent on it. And Jesus, like a sheep, is silent before its shearers opened not his mouth. He didn't defend himself. He just answered truthfully. Are you the Christ the Son of the Blessed? I am. Answered honestly. And so what further need do we have of witnesses? You heard the blasphemy. What do you think put him to death? They spit on him. They hit him. If he wanted, he could have called 72,000 angels, but he didn't. Why? Because it was for that purpose he had come. Christianity is not just rules and regulations. Doing the right kind of ritual, saying the right kind of thing, or trying to do the right kind of act. Christianity is a personal relationship and knowledge of a God who loved the world so much that he gave his only perfect son that we might believe in him and have everlasting life. I'm not a religious man. I'm a man in relationship with my God through Jesus Christ. It's through faith that I've been saved, not by works of righteousness. It's because of what he did for me and how my heart bleeds when I see these things reveals to me that I know, that I know, that I know him because I know he did that, not only factually and historically, but I also know why he did that. He did that so that I, those who believe in him might be with him in eternity, never have any more pain, never have any more sorrow, never have any more tears, never have any more loss, never have any more fear, never have any more need. It's all swallowed up in our relationship with Jesus Christ. So how can I help but love this one who did that for me? It isn't a religion. It's knowing God, a God who loved the world so much that he gave his son. He did that for us.