Our church has been walking through the final days of Jesus’ earthly life—those moments leading up to the crucifixion.

Recently, we looked at His betrayal. This week, we stepped into His first “trial,” His appearance before Caiaphas.

It’s a striking scene. The religious leaders are scrambling, trying to piece together accusations, looking for eyewitness testimony—anything that will stick. Eventually, they settle on this claim: that Jesus said He would destroy the temple and raise it again in three days.

But the moment really turns when the charge becomes blasphemy.

Caiaphas looks at Jesus and essentially says,
“Tell us plainly—are You the Messiah, the Son of God?”

In other words: Swear to God… are You God?
There’s almost a weighty irony in that moment—asking God to swear by God.

And it raises a question for us:

If you were there… what would you say?
If you were in that courtyard, called as a witness—how would you testify about Jesus?

Because here’s the reality: today, just like then, there are countless opinions about who Jesus is. But when it comes to Him, there really isn’t a safe, neutral middle ground.

A lot of people try to settle there.
“He was a good man.”
“A moral teacher.”
“A positive influence.”

But that option doesn’t hold up under His own words.

As C.S. Lewis put it in Mere Christianity, we’re left with what’s often called a trilemma:

• Liar — He knew He wasn’t God, but claimed to be
• Lunatic — He believed He was God, but was delusional
• Lord — He is exactly who He said He is

If He’s a liar, He’s not a good teacher.
If He’s a lunatic, He’s not someone to follow.
But if He is Lord… then there’s really only one right response.

Some will say, “Jesus never actually claimed to be God.”

But when you look at Scripture, that’s hard to maintain.

John 1:1 is technically not Jesus speaking of Himself says In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 4:25-26 says The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” ²⁶ Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” ⁵⁹ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. ^[3]

The Jews know what Jesus was claiming, deity.

The passage I mentioned earlier And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” ⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven^[4]

At least 7 times Jesus described Himself as I am…

The people around Him understood exactly what He was claiming. That’s why they called it blasphemy. That’s why they wanted Him dead.

Many people had claimed to be messiahs before.
But not like this.
Not with these claims.
Not with this authority.

So again, we’re brought back to the courtroom.

This is a trial. Witnesses are speaking.

If you were called to be a witness what would you say?

If you were on the jury… what would your verdict be?

Because this isn’t just a historical question—it’s deeply personal. It is the difference between life and death

Who do you say Jesus is?

And we’re not left guessing. We have the testimony of Scripture. We have His own words.

I would just gently caution you: don’t base your answer only on what others say about Jesus—whether positive or negative. Go to the source. Look at His life. Listen to His words.

After all, none of us would want people forming conclusions about us without ever hearing from us directly.

So why would we do that with Him?

Do we really want to stand before Jesus one day and say,
“I know what You said about Yourself… but I assumed You didn’t really mean it”?

Some argue the writers exaggerated His claims.
But then you have to ask—does that line up with what we actually see?

One time Jesus described Himself as “gentle and lowly in heart.” Come to me and I will give you rest.
Not weak—but humble.

And yet, look at what He endured.
Look at His strength under accusation, betrayal, and suffering.

So what’s really happening here?

Did His accusers get it right?
Was this a just execution?

Or… was something far deeper unfolding?

That the Lamb of God was taking away the sin of the world.
That He was stepping into death then resurrection… to bring us life.

There is a question we all have to answer, either as a witness or jury member is, There isn’t an in-between option. It is a yes or no question.

Either Jesus is who He said He is—and we submit to Him…
or He isn’t—and He should be ignored, even rejected.

But neutrality isn’t on the table.

It’s a courtroom.
There are only two verdicts: guilty or innocent.
No plea deals. No middle ground.

And this tension isn’t new.

In the ancient world, people were often fine with you believing in Jesus—
as long as you didn’t claim He was the only Lord.

You could add Him to your list of beliefs.
Just don’t make Him exclusive.

But Jesus didn’t leave that option open.

The message wasn’t “Jesus is a lord.”
It was—and is—Jesus is Lord.

Not Caesar.
Not Herod.
Not Abraham, Moses, David
Not Allah, Mohammed or Buddha

And throughout Scripture, God declares,
“I am the Lord, and there is no other. I will share My glory with no one.”

So we’re left with a decision.

Will we acknowledge His claim… or reject it?

But again—there is no middle ground.

And here’s the beauty of the gospel in all of this:

Has there ever been a god who willingly stepped down from glory…
to pursue people who wanted nothing to do with Him?

Who endured betrayal, rejection, and suffering…
not to condemn—but to save the betrayer, the one who spat on Him or mocked Him?

That’s what Jesus did.

The Son of God came to seek and save the lost.
To give His life as a ransom.

We may want a version of Jesus who is simply agreeable—
who affirms everything, overlooks everything, and lets everything slide. We wrongly call that loving.

But that’s not the Jesus we meet in Scripture.

Yes, He is love.
But love doesn’t ignore truth.

Real love tells us when we’re wrong.
Real love calls us to change—to repent.
Real love leads us to something better.

To green pastures.
To still waters.
To life with Him.

So once again, the question stands:

If you were in that courtroom… what would you say?

As a witness.

As the jury.

Because you are both. To testify of what you think or believe about Jesus, and what you think should be done with Jesus

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^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Jn 1:1). (2025). Crossway Bibles.

^[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Jn 4:25–26). (2025). Crossway Bibles.

^[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Jn 8:58–59). (2025). Crossway Bibles.

^[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Mt 26:63–64). (2025). Crossway Bibles.