Read today’s passage, Matthew 26:57-68.
57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. 58 But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.
59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.
Finally two came forward 61 and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’ ”
62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent.
The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
64 “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?”
“He is worthy of death,” they answered.
67 Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him 68 and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?”
Finally, the showdown we’ve all been waiting for. The main event. The high priest, Caiaphas, and the teachers of law and elders finally have Jesus. He’s outsmarted all their questions, he’s won over the crowds, he’s stepped on their turf and indicted them, but now, they got him. His band of followers has deserted him; well except for that sneaky Peter, but he’ll fall soon enough. It was even one of these followers that handed him over anyway. He’s all theirs.
So naturally it must have been frustrating to Caiaphas when his late night trial wasn’t going as planned, especially since a trial like this was probably illegal on multiple fronts. For all that Jesus had said and done, for all the anger he had caused Caiaphas and the leadership, they were certain he’d done something deserving death. The only problem was that despite their false witnesses, they couldn’t find anything worthy of death. He’s all theirs, but it still seems like he’s winning.
Then finally, two witnesses (as the Law required) came up with something, something that Jesus never exactly said, but didn’t sound completely unlike him because in John 2:19 he had said that when they destroyed the temple, he would rebuild it, though he was talking of his body. Caiaphas was probably thrilled but Jesus’ lack of response once again shows that he’s not playing their game by their rules, just like he did when he didn’t fight back when they arrested him and he won’t when they crucify him.
Caiaphas had enough, so he just blurted it out: “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” This was what it was all about all along. After all, if Jesus was the Christ, then he was a threat to Caiaphas and everything he knew. Christ means “anointed one” and as high priest, Caiaphas was anointed. Jesus has already made authoritative claims on the temple and if he was the Christ, these are only verified, possibly leaving Caiaphas out of a job. This is a clash of power, the showdown that’s been coming for years. How does Jesus respond? He basically said, “If you say so.” In an ironic twist, Jesus puts this powerful confession in the mouth of his opposition. He’s all theirs, but it still seems like he’s winning.
Then Jesus makes it abundantly clear that he is, in fact, winning. When Jesus resisted Satan in Gethsemane and accepted the cup of the Father’s will, he embraced the way of suffering. But it is through this suffering that God will work out his vindication. So when Jesus says, “In the future (more literally: From now on) you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven,” he wasn’t making a crazy statement about his second coming. No, he was saying that through his death, resurrection, ascension, and exaltation, God was vindicating him as the True Israel, as the embodiment of the people of the Most High (Daniel 7:13-14). He was saying that God was going to make him ruler and seat him at his right hand (Psalm 110:1). He was saying that he is the true leader of God’s people, not them. He may be all theirs this night, but he will win.
Immediately Caiaphas gets it and screams the charge of blasphemy. Finally they had what they were looking for. With that, they pronounce the judgment out loud that they had long held in their hearts: “He is worthy of death.”
Our journey through Matthew is still gloomy and full of darkness. At times, it may not even seem like he’s going to win, like when they start punching him and slapping him in verses 67-68. But we will see that there is hope and promise that the words of Jesus in this trial are true.
Your journey through life may be dark and gloomy right now. Cling to this along the way: Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One. And no matter what happens, he wins.
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