Matthew 26:57-68

⁵⁷ And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. ⁵⁸ But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end. ⁵⁹ Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, ⁶⁰ but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward ⁶¹ and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ” ⁶² And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” ⁶³ But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” ⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” ⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! ⁶⁶ What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.” ⁶⁷ Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, ⁶⁸ saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?”

Commentary

Vs. 57-58 ⁵⁷ And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. ⁵⁸ But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.

In Johns Gospel we learn that before Jesus appeared to Caiaphas the high priest He briefly appeared before Annas, Caiaphas’ father-in-law to be interrogated by him (John 18:12-14, 19-24). Now Annas had been disposed by the Romans Procurator of Judea as being high priest in A.D. 15; and though he had been officially removed; he continued to be one of the most influential priests in the Sanhedrin council, with his sons and then his son-in-law Caiaphas succeeding him as high priest. And so though officially disposed, he still unofficially shared in the power and the authority of the high priesthood. Therefore, having first interrogated Jesus, Annas now sends Him to Caiaphas his son-in-law the official ruling high priest, and that is where Matthew’s Gospel picks up the account of Jesus’ interrogation and trial. Now with Caiaphas the high priest were the scribes and the ruling elders of the Jews. The scribes being there to render their judgment on matters of law and doctrine, and the elders to render their authority and judgment in support of the high priest’s decision to condemn Jesus to death; something which had already been pre-schemed and determined. And so, it is here at Caiaphas’ the high priest’s residence where the Sanhedrin council (along with the ruling elders) have assembled themselves to give the Lord Jesus Christ a “trial” to determine His “guilt” so that they will have “just” grounds before turning Him over to the Romans for a Crucifixion death sentence to be executed by them. Now as Jesus is being taken into Caiaphas house, Peter follows Jesus at a distance, going into the high priest’s courtyard where he sat with some servants, waiting to see the end.

Vs. 59-61 ⁵⁹ Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, ⁶⁰ but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward ⁶¹ and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ”

The chief priests desire to condemn Jesus is so strong that they even go so low as to seek a false testimony against Jesus, so that they can “lawfully” condemn Him to death; (something itself which was to be punished by death under the Law, see Deut.19:16-19). Nonetheless even though they sought a false testimony against Jesus to condemn Him to death (and many false witnesses came forward trying to do so) they found none whose stories they could collaborate (vs. 60), that is until two false witnesses came forward; two being the least amount required under the law to condemn a man to death (Deut. 17:6). Now these men said that they heard the Lord Jesus say, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ” Now in misquoting and recalling Jesus’ Words they only wrongly state that Jesus had threatened to destroy the temple, and then rebuild it in three days, something He never said or did. For Jesus never said He would destroy the temple, rather He said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” That is destroy this temple (that is the Temple of His body) and in three days He would raise it up. Therefore, Jesus Words were never about destroying the Temple, but were His foretelling His own death at their hands, with His Promising to Rise from the dead after they had done so (see John 2:19-21). Something which they were now going to do, and He was going to fulfill.

Vs. 62-64 ⁶² And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” ⁶³ But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” ⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

In an absolute mockery of justice, the high priest now rises and demands that the Lord Jesus Christ answer the false accusations being leveled against Him, however the Lord Jesus will by no means participate in their charade, and so He remains silent (vs. 62-63). The high priest then being infuriated by Jesus’ silence now puts Him under oath by the living God demanding that He tell them if He is the Christ, the Son of God (vs. 63). Now the reason for his doing so is not an inquiry on his part, rather it is to get the Jesus to “self-incriminate”, that is by honestly answering his question that He is the Christ the Son of the Living God they would have grounds to condemn Jesus to death for “blasphemy”. Now the Lord Jesus in answering him does not directly declare His Person to them rather He says to them, … “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” ^{vs. 64}

The Lord Jesus’ answer then is not denying His Person, but it is also not declaring Himself to be the Son of God, so that they can use that to condemn Him to death for telling Him who He truly is (consider John 5:18). Rather Jesus in answering the high priest uses the prophesy in Daniel 7:13 (gleaned from BBC). And thus, Jesus uses the designation the Son of Man, aka the prophecy, to declare to them that they will see Him sitting at the right hand of the Power (meaning God the Father in heaven), and coming on the clouds of heaven. In essence Jesus is telling them that when they see Him next, it will be just as they have said, as the Son of God in all His Glory and Power.

Vs. 65-68 ⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! ⁶⁶ What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.” ⁶⁷ Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, ⁶⁸ saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?”

The high priest then, in hearing Jesus’ reply, now in all the drama he can muster tears his clothes, and says, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! ⁶⁶ What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.” ^{vs. 65-66} Immediately then both the high priest Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin council condemn Jesus to death, and so their done with “witnesses”, and having then condemned Jesus to death, they spit in face and beat Him, while others surrounding Him begin to strike the Lord Jesus Christ with their hands, saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?” ^{vs. 68} This scene then, as cruel and evil and as unjust as it is, is only the beginning of His humiliation, for the Lord Jesus Christ having been condemned to death by the rulers of His own people must now face the Gentiles, and the Roman integration and trial, and ultimately His destiny with this worlds Cross.

Scripture Quotations: 

The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson