Jesus Confession that he is the Christ, the Son of God.
Mat 26:57 But the officers who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the High Priest, at whose house the Scribes and the Elders had assembled.
Mat 26:58 And Peter kept following Him at a distance, till he came even to the court of the High Priest's palace, where he entered and sat down among the officers to see the issue.
Mat 26:59 Meanwhile the High Priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death;
Mat 26:60 but they could find none, although many false witnesses came forward. At length there came two
Mat 26:61 who testified, "This man said, 'I am able to pull down the Sanctuary of God and three days afterwards to build a new one.'"
Mat 26:62 Then the High Priest stood up and asked Him, "Have you no answer to make? What is it these men are saying in evidence against you?"
Mat 26:63 Jesus however remained silent. Again the High Priest addressed Him. "In the name of the ever-living God," he said, "I now put you on your oath. Tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God."
Mat 26:64 "I am He," replied Jesus. "But I tell you that, later on, you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND of Omnipotence, AND COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY."
Mat 26:65 Then the High Priest tore his robes and exclaimed, "Impious language! What further need have we of witnesses! See, you have now heard the impiety.
Mat 26:66 What is your verdict?" "He deserves to die," they replied.
Mat 26:67 Then they spat in His face, and struck Him--some with the fist, some with the open hand--
Mat 26:68 while they taunted Him, saying, "Christ, prove yourself a Prophet by telling us who it was that struck you."
Introduction
In entering into a proper apprehension (understanding) of this subject, always preserving in view and never losing sight of the voluntary sufferings of Jesus; let us first attend to what is said of Christ, under the spirit; of prophecy. Jesus complains, of the bulls of Basan compassing him around; and the dogs and assembly of wicked men inclosing him; by which we plainly understand, that Jesus, as the hind of the morning was to be hunted, until he was brought into the dust of death. Ps 22 title of the Psalm, and Psa_22:12-15 verses. Hawker.
Mat 26:57 But the officers who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the High Priest, at whose house the Scribes and the Elders had assembled.
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| Jesus before Caiaphas |
Notes.
They - led him away to Caiaphas - John says, Joh_18:13, that they led him first to Annas; but this appears to have been done merely to do him honor as the father-in-law of Caiaphas, and his colleague in the high priesthood. But as the Sanhedrin was assembled at the house of Caiaphas, it was there he must be brought to undergo his mock trial: but see on Joh_18:13 (note).A.C.
Sanhedrim
More correctly Sanhedrin (Gr. synedrion), meaning “a sitting together,” or a “council.” This word (rendered “council,” A.V.) is frequently used in the New Testament (Mat_5:22; Mat_26:59; Mar_15:1, etc.) to denote the supreme judicial and administrative council of the Jews, which, it is said, was first instituted by Moses, and was composed of seventy men (Num_11:16, Num_11:17). But that seems to have been only a temporary arrangement which Moses made. This council is with greater probability supposed to have originated among the Jews when they were under the domination of the Syrian kings in the time of the Maccabees. The name is first employed by the Jewish historian Josephus. Eatons Bible Dictionary
Mat 26:58 And Peter kept following Him at a distance, till he came even to the court of the High Priest's palace, where he entered and sat down among the officers to see the issue.
Notes
... Peter kept following Him at a distance,...
All the disciples had fled the scene when Jesus was arrested in the garden. But Peter followed at a Distance. Probably he felt that he should watch his p’s and q’’s. i.e be very careful where he was at a given time and that he was following protocol.(mind his manners)
where he entered and sat down among the officers to see the issue.
And sat with the servants, to see the end - When a man is weak in faith, and can as yet only follow Christ at a distance, he should avoid all dangerous places, and the company of those who are most likely to prove a snare to him. Had not Peter got to the high priest’s palace, and sat down with the servants, he would not thus have denied his Lord and Master. Servants-officers, υπηρετων. Such as we term sergeants, constables, etc.
I think that Peter was brave even to have ventured into the High Priest’s Palace. The others seem to have disappeared.
Mat 26:59 Meanwhile the High Priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death;
Notes
They were trying to trump up charges against the Lord. Many Liars came forward but the High Priest did not think their charges were legitimate or serious enough to put Jesus to death.
Mat 26:60 but they could find none, although many false witnesses came forward. At length there came two
Mat 26:61 who testified, "This man said, 'I am able to pull down the Sanctuary of God and three days afterwards to build a new one.'"
Notes
I am able to destroy the temple of God -
1st. These words were not fairly quoted. Jesus had said, Joh_2:19, Destroy this temple, and I will build it again in three days.
2ndly. The innuendo which they produce, applying these words to a pretended design to destroy the temple at Jerusalem, was utterly unfair; for these words he spoke of the temple of his body.
It is very easy, by means of a few small alterations, to render the most holy things and innocent persons odious to the world, and even to take away the life of the innocent.
Mat 26:62 Then the High Priest stood up and asked Him, "Have you no answer to make? What is it these men are saying in evidence against you?"
Notes
This was a kangaroo court.
[A kangaroo court is a judicial tribunal or assembly that blatantly disregards recognized standards of law or justice, and often carries little or no official standing in the territory within which it resides.] Wikipedia.com
Mat 26:63 Jesus however remained silent. Again the High Priest addressed Him. "In the name of the ever-living God," he said, "I now put you on your oath. Tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God."
Notes
Jesus however remained silent.
How easy it is to try and defend oneself in face of blatant lies and misrepresentations. But Jesus remained silent.
Isa 53:7 He was oppressed, and He was afflicted; yet He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before its shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.
Yet he opened not his mouth - This means that he was perfectly quiet, meek, submissive, patient, He did not open his mouth to complain of God on account of the great sorrows which he had appointed to him; nor to God on account of his being ill-treated by man. He did not use the language of reviling when he was reviled, nor return upon people the evils which they were inflicting on him (compare Psa_39:9). How strikingly and literally was this fulfilled in the life of the Lord Jesus! It would seem almost as if it had been written after he lived, and was history rather than prophecy. In no other instance was there ever so striking an example of perfect patience; no other person ever so entirely accorded with the description of the prophet.
…. Tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God."
Notes
I adjure thee by the living God - I put thee upon thy oath before God. This was the usual form of putting an oath among the Jews. It implies calling God to witness the truth of what was said. The law respecting witnesses also made it a violation of an oath to conceal any part of the truth; and though our Saviour might have felt that such a question, put in such a manner, was very improper or was unlawful, yet he also knew that to be silent would be construed into a denial of his being the Christ. The question was probably put in auger. They had utterly failed in their proof. They had no way left to accomplish their purpose of condemning him but to draw it from his own lips. This cunning question was therefore proposed. The difficulty of the question consisted in this: If he confessed that he was the Son of God, they stood ready to condemn him for “blasphemy;” if he denied it, they were prepared to condemn him for being an impostor, and for deluding the people under the pretence of being the Messiah.
The living God - Yahweh is called the living God in opposition to idols, which were without life.
The Christ - The Messiah, the Anointed. See the notes at Mat_1:1.
The Son of God - The Jews uniformly expected that the Messiah would be the Son of God. In their view it denoted, also, that he would be “divine,” or equal to the Father, Joh_10:31-36. To claim that title was therefore, in their view, “blasphemy;” and as they had determined beforehand in their own minds that he was not the Messiah, they were ready at once to accuse him of blasphemy.
Mat 26:64 "I am He," replied Jesus. "But I tell you that, later on, you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND of Omnipotence, AND COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY."
Notes
"I am He," replied Jesus. Meaning “Yes, I am Messiah, the Son of God.”
G.W. Mat 26:64 Jesus answered him, "Yes, I am. But I can guarantee that from now on you will see the Son of Man in the highest position in heaven. He will be coming on the clouds of heaven."
Notes
Sitting on the right hand of power - That is, of God, called here the Power - equivalent to “the Mighty, or the Almighty.” It denotes dignity and majesty; for to sit at the right hand of a prince was the chief place of honor. See the notes at Mat_20:21.
Coming in the clouds of heaven - See the notes at Matt. 24; 25. The meaning of this is, You shall see “the sign from heaven” which you have so often demanded; even the Messiah returning himself “as the sign,” with great glory, to destroy your city and to judge the world.
Mat 26:65 Then the High Priest tore his robes and exclaimed, "Impious language! What further need have we of witnesses! See, you have now heard the impiety.
Notes
Then the High Priest tore his robes and exclaimed,....
He was so incensed that he tore his High priestly robes. This must have been a very serious accusation.
He hath spoken blasphemy - That is, he has, under oath, arrogated to himself what belongs to God. In asserting that he is the Son of God, and therefore equal in dignity with the Father, and that he would yet sit at his right hand, he has claimed what belongs to no man, and what is therefore an invasion of the divine prerogative. If he had not been the Messiah, the charge would have been true; but the question was whether he had not given evidence that he was the Messiah, and that therefore his claims were just. This point - the only proper point of inquiry - they never examined. They assumed that he was an impostor, and that point being assumed, everything like a pretension to being the Messiah was, in their view, proof that he deserved to die.
Mat 26:66 What is your verdict?" "He deserves to die," they replied.
Notes
What think ye? - What is your opinion? What sentence do you pronounce? As President of the Sanhedrin he demanded their judgment.
He is guilty of death - This was the form which was used when a criminal was condemned to die. The meaning is, he is guilty of a crime to which the law annexes death. This sentence was used before the Jews became subject to the Romans, when they had the power of inflicting death. After they were subject to the Romans, though the power of inflicting capital punishment” was taken away, yet they retained the form when they expressed their opinion of the guilt of an offender. The law under which they condemned him was that recorded in Lev_24:10-16, which sentenced him that was guilty of blasphemy to death by stoning.
Mat 26:67 Then they spat in His face, and struck Him--some with the fist, some with the open hand--
Notes
Then did they spit in his face - This, among the Jews, as among us, was significant of the highest contempt and insult, Num_12:14; Isa_50:6; Job_30:10.
And buffeted him - That is, they struck him with their hands closed, or with the fist.
Others smote him with the palms of their hands - The word used in the original here means literally to strike with rods. It also means to strike the mouth with the open hand, as if to prevent a person’s speaking, or to evince abhorrence of what he had spoken.
Mat 26:68 while they taunted Him, saying, "Christ, prove yourself a Prophet by telling us who it was that struck you."
Notes
Prophesy unto us, thou Christ - Their conduct toward him now was expressly prophesied of, by a man whose Divine mission they did not pretend to deny; see Isa_50:6. It appears that, before they buffeted him, they bound up his eyes, See Mar_14:65.
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