Why Do You Strike Me?

[전승훈2]

Summary:

The high priest questions Jesus about His disciples and teachings. Jesus responds that He always taught openly and nothing was secret. When He challenges why they are questioning Him instead of witnesses, an officer strikes Him. Jesus asks why He was struck if He spoke the truth. Then, Annas sends Him bound to Caiaphas, the high priest.

Teaching:

One of the officers hit Jesus because of the way He answered the question. That is essentially the same as the high priest, who serves God, striking Jesus. Many people in the church today oppose pastors, elders, teachers, and church workers, and speak badly of them behind their backs. It was the same then as it is now — until Jesus returns, the world will remain the world. Since the church exists within the world, worldly behaviors are also found within the church. Therefore, even within the church, there is a division between those who belong to the world and those who belong to Jesus.

“If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?”

The high priest is someone who should discern what God desires and what He does not - between good and evil - and offer sacrifices that please God. Jesus is asking whether He has said anything that is not right in God's eyes. He’s also asking whether the high priest, of all people, should be able to distinguish between right and wrong words. Jesus is saying, "If nothing I said was wrong, why do you strike Me?"

The high priest has no answer to this. Likewise, when the church and its members are persecuted, there often is no clear or justifiable reason. All we can do is follow the path that Jesus walked.

Excerpt from the sermon by Pastor Lee, May 20, 2025.
John 18:19-24
(D-100)