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15. Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:57-68)
MATTHEW 26:63-64
63 But Jesus held his peace. The high priest answered him, “I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said it. Nevertheless, I tell you, after this you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of the sky.” (Psalm 110:1, Daniel 7:13, Matthew 16:27, John 10:24)
When the interrogation of the witnesses was finished and Jesus was found innocent, Caiaphas tried something else. He intended to make Christ say something that was considered by the Jewish law to be blasphemy. He put Jesus under oath to declare who He was and answer the decisive question: Was He the expected Messiah, the Son of the living God?
At the highest point of this trial, Jesus broke His silence and spoke a judgment against His judge. Addressing Caiaphas, He responded to his question by saying basically, “It is as you said. You know the truth and said it, but you do not believe in My divinity. Because of this, you will perish unless you repent.”
Christ addressed His words also to those Jewish leaders, who were listening attentively. He declared Himself to be the Son of Man who would sit at the right hand of the only power in the world. He would come again in the clouds of glory to judge the living and the dead, including the judges who were present before Him.
Jesus quoted David’s prophecy in Psalm 110:1 to reveal His essence, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool’.” By applying this prophecy to Himself, Jesus identified Himself with the covenant Lord, a Ruler in complete union with Him. He considered the elders who sat before Him to be the enemies whom God will place under His feet. As Jesus finished His divine testimony and condemnation against His judges, He testified that He was the Son of Man mentioned in the Book of Daniel (7:13-14). He is the One who will come in the clouds of heaven, authorized by His heavenly Father, and crowned with glory to judge all nations and individuals. Jesus did not give up any of His rights. He declared Himself to be the eternal Judge and judged His judges with His striking testimony.
PRAYER: Our righteous Lord Jesus Christ, You confessed Yourself clearly before the leaders of Your nation. You did not deny Your divinity but declared by a binding oath the promises of the Old Testament that You are the Son of God in the body of the Son of Man. You challenged Your judges to believe in You and worship You, for You are the promised Christ and the Lord Himself. We glorify You because in one sentence You called the leaders of Your nation to repent and commit themselves to You, otherwise Your final judgment will fall on them. We glorify You because You revealed Your authority to Your hearers by Your testimony in accordance with their understanding, so they became responsible for their personal decisions.
QUESTION:
- What is the significance of Jesus’ unique testimony before the Sanhedrin?