“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”

When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.

“If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. John 18:20-24

A sham trial. Jesus’ arrest is clearly a complete farce from start to finish.

No one who is engaging in a sham does so in broad daylight with a public audience. Everything is done in secret with backdoor deals – Judas – and ludicrous questioning that bears no resemblance to logic.

It’s the Sanhedrin at their worst, but it may as well be The Sopranos.

Jesus never pulls any punches. He calls them out at every point and tells them that should they actually have any charge against him; they should bring in witnesses to testify against him.

Of course, nobody is going to do that, because then their cloak of secrecy is destroyed.

Gutless. Totally gutless.

Most bullies are.

These bullies can’t answer Jesus’ logical and sensible questions, because to do so will expose their sin.

So they just tie him up.

I find one of the most humbling things about reading the passion recount is the fact that Jesus allowed himself to be subjected to such infantile, bullying behaviour. The humiliation as well as the physical pain of enduring such criminal stupidity would be outrageous when inflicted on anyone.

But this is the Messiah.

Like Graham Kendrick poetically wrote “Hands that flung stars into space, to cruel nails surrendered”.

Jesus was there when the universe was formed. As John states in his opening salvo: He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him.

No they didn’t. Which is why they treated him in such a barbaric fashion.

Why not pause a moment today to thank Jesus for enduring such suffering so that we could be free from sin. And why not also thank Jesus that he knows exactly what living in this world is like and can therefore sympathise with us in our suffering and comfort us with his love.

For “This is our God, the Servant King”.

Yours trying to follow him,

Alison