The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” And they said many other insulting things to him.
At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them.

–Parallel verses:
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭4‬-‭6
Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

One of my brothers sent me a funny video recently that reminded me of how life sometimes is as a parent. It was of a farmer who succeeded in getting his sheep unstuck from an irrigation ditch. The little sheep promptly started running. It ran in a half-circle and two seconds later was back in the ditch again. It reminded me of the times I have helped my kids out of tough spots, given them advice, only to see them ignore it and end up back in a ditch in life again.

Honestly, that is how it is with me and God sometimes. I can be as dense as a sheep.

In this passage, Jesus was letting the weight of the world fall on his shoulders; he was beginning to take on the punishment for our sins. He took the mocking and insulting and the false accusations. This scene with the Jewish leaders reminds me of a Mock Trial competition I was involved with in high school. It was a contest. The lawyers, the charges, the witnesses, it was all made up. In the case of my school, we knew the trial was pretend. In the case of Jesus, the trial was real, but it was rigged from the beginning against him. He was being led like a criminal, though he had committed no crime. He was treated falsely by those he had blessed and healed.

Oh, Lord, I am unworthy of you. You were so deliberate in saving us; nothing would stop you from the sacrifice of your life for us. Give me resolve and confidence to face persecution with a steely resolve. May I trust you and proclaim your truth!