Living above reproach
Mark 14:53-56
53 And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. 54 And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire. 55 Now the chief priests and the whole council[f] were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. 56 For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree.
Everything has gone wrong. Jesus is in court before the religious elite, the disciples have scattered (except for Peter who waits outside). But the high priest and his crew have one major problem, they have no evidence. They don’t have recordings of Jesus’ speeches, or security footage of him committing a crime. They desperately need eye witness testimony to give them a reason to convict Jesus, but they can’t find anyone to make an accusation.
That is crazy, if you really think about it. They can’t find one person that Jesus hurt, or that saw Him do something wrong?
If it was anyone reading this (or in my case writing this), the same couldn’t be said of us. They could find someone to testify that we did something wrong, AT LEAST a sin we’ve committed if not something against the law in our country (speeding anyone?)
But they can’t find ANYONE to testify against Jesus. Of course you and I know that’s because Jesus never did anything sinful or against God’s Law or even Roman Law. But at the same time, we are called to do our best to emulate and follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This is what it means to live in a way that is “above reproach”. Even should we be accused of something, or someone is out to get us, they can’t find anyone to testify against us honestly. Though we will never be perfected this side of Heaven, and we will continue to battle with sin, it should still be our goal to live in a way that is “above reproach”.
That doesn’t mean we get better at hiding our sin or acting right in public. It means we hold ourselves accountable to God for how we act in all moments. Alone, with our spouse, kids, friends, at home, at work. It is at times an uncomfortable truth, but that is one part of Jesus’ call on our lives, so we must strive to do our best to follow our King’s example.
