Devotion by Pastor Scott
April , 2020
After Jesus' betrayal and arrest, he went to the home of Caiaphas the high priest during the night to await trial before him and the Sanhedrin (Matt 26:57) . (Time of day and days differed for Jews than they do for us in America. See the attached picture for those who want detail on this). Bottom line, Jesus most likely waited overnight in a cell while waiting for trial.
On our trip to Jerusalem, we had the chance to visit where Caiaphas house would have been and go to the likely place Jesus waited to be tried. The pictures are below. While in the sacred pit, we read Psalm 88. Take a couple minutes to read Psalm 88. It helps us understand how Jesus would have felt. "You have put me in the lowest pit" "I am confined and cannot escape." "You have taken me from my closest friends." The psalm ends with "Darkness is my closest friend." It doesn't end happy. It isn't resolved. Jesus is waiting. Yet the Psalm begins with "Lord, you are the God who saves me, day and night I cry out to you."
In our day, Psalm 88 should resonate with us. Many of us are feeling in a dark pit. We wonder how it will turn out. Let us be assured today that Jesus' has experienced being in a pit and still entrusted himself to God to save him. May God grant us this same faith and confidence.
