The triune God: The Son XI

Of all events ever, none counted more
Than the trial that night of the Son of God;
Never was justice misapplied so sore,
Nor false evidence from witnesses prod!
Had the world known, it would have paused tp pray,
When the high priest asked, "Are you Yahweh's son?"
Bold came Christ's answer, "It is as you say."
With those words His farce of a trial was done!
Now was salvation offered free to all,
The old covenant supplanted by new;
Accepting Christ Lord atones for man's fall
And redeems both the Gentile and the Jew!
Jesus died that day, as He came to do;
When He returns, He will convert the Jew*!

*As used here, "Jew" means descendants of Jacob.

"The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus, so that they could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared, 'This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.' Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, 'Are you going to answer? What is the testimony that these men are bringing against you?' But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, 'I charge you under oath to the living God: Tell me if you are the Christ [Messiah], the son of God.' 'Yes, it is as you say.' Jesus replied. 'But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.' Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, 'He has spoken blasphemy." (Matthew 26:59-65) [ Brackets added]

On the Thursday night that Jesus was arrested, He was convicted of blasphemy by the Sanhedrin, the religious/political group that supervised Israel under the Roman occupiers. Conviction of blasphemy incurred the penalty of death in the Mosaic Law. He was found guilty falsely, because the two witnesses twisted His words; He was speaking of His body as the temple of God, telling His followers that if He was slain, He would be resurrected within three days; and He was.

The significant point of the trial came when the high priest asked Him point blank if He was the Son of God. Jesus answered in the affirmative, boldly asserting that He was. It was not blasphemy, because He was telling the truth; these leaders of Israel were spiritually dulled to the truth (See Isaiah 6:9-10). Their Bible, the Old Testment, contained 340 prophecies about the coming Messiah, and Jesus fulfilled every one of them. They had no excuse for failing to recognize Him. Jesus called Himself the "Son of Man" deliberately, because in Daniel 7:33 that title was used for the Messiah.

This trial and its verdict signify the cancellation of the old covenant between God and Israel and the installation of the new covenant between God and all people. Salvation is offered free to all the world, including Israel, by belief in Jesus as the Christ. Jesus promised the Jews that when He returns to earth, He will remove the dulled insight, and it is prophesied that the remnant of Jews left at that time will be converted to Him.