Mark 14:61-62

“61But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer, and the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Jesus is on the road to the cross. He stands alone before the mob. Mocking questions are hurled at Jesus, but he remains silent. Then the high priest sets forth the definitive question, “Are you the Christ?”

Notice that Jesus’ response is both the truth present and the truth yet to come. The focus of Jesus is to the cross and beyond.

How often do we face trials, even to a far lesser magnitude, and yet our focus is always on our problems and trials. We rarely see past our present struggles. Yet, we are exhorted to live by faith and not by sight.

What is faith? “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

To be a people of hope, we must believe that God is sufficient for all our needs in the present and confident that God is faithful in all his promises for the future.

In Christ our life does not end at the cross, but it continues into the very presence of “the Son of the Blessed One.”

Man of Sorrows! What a name,
For the Son of God, Who came,
Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

 – Phil­ip P. Bliss – 1875

 – Written by Edward Bradley, June 23rd 2006