“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.” (Luke 22:63-65)
It is said that a terrorist blindfolds their victims for two reasons. We usually think of the first, which is to disorient the prisoner by keeping things hidden from them (The identities of their captors, their location…etc). The other reason is that it is easier to be cruel to someone that is anonymous. Psychologists say that it is hard to look into someones eyes and torture them. Being face to face with a person invites relationship. To be able to kill we must make it impersonal.
Caiaphas had heard enough. He tore his robe and accused Jesus of blasphemy. The silent gentleness of the Lamb of God angered the religious leader. This would be easier if Jesus would fight back. I would imagine that Caiaphas had a hard time looking Jesus in the eyes during his jealous rant. Can you imagine looking into the eyes of Jesus and knowing that He could see right through you and into your soul. The Scripture tells us that God gives us the “knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). Maybe Caiaphas ordered the guards to cover His face as they began the physical abuse that would continue through the night. So they blindfolded Jesus and started to beat Him. The other gospel accounts say the soldiers spit on Him and punched Him with their fists. “Who hit you?, they asked. Was Jesus tempted to say the name of each man that hit Him? He could have said their name and the names of their wives and children and described to them their deepest fears…He knew them…but they did not want to be known so they covered His face.
Can you blindfold the God of the Universe? Before this night would end the eyes of the Savior would be swollen shut from the beatings but He could still see every face that night. Jesus walked to the cross with His divine eyes wide open. He knew every person in the crowd and He knew their sin.
Are you ever tempted to try and cover the face of God? Do we attempt to cover God’s eyes and hope that He doesn’t know what we are doing? Or do we cover His His face so that we don’t have to look into the eyes of the God who made us and knows us better than we know ourselves? Psalm 139 tells us that we cannot hide from God. He saw you in your mother’s womb and has watched you since. The Apostle John says that one of the greatest blessings we will receive when we get to heaven is that we will “see His face” (Revelation 22:4).
Today, let us look into the eyes of Jesus and invite Him to look into ours. Don’t be afraid. In them you will find comfort, healing and encouragement.