Luke 22:67 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "If you are the Christ, tell us." But he said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe,

NIV: "If you are the Messiah," they said, "tell us." Jesus answered, "If I tell you, you will not believe me,

NASB: If You are the Christ, tell us.' But He said to them, 'If I tell you, you will not believe;

CSB: They said, "If you are the Messiah, tell us." But he said to them, "If I do tell you, you will not believe.

NLT: and they said, 'Tell us, are you the Messiah?' But he replied, 'If I tell you, you won’t believe me.

KJV: Art thou the Christ tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe:

NKJV: “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will by no means believe.

Jesus' enemies have held two illegal trials since His nighttime arrest in the garden of Gethsemane. The question they pose and the answer Jesus gives shows they are at cross-purposes. The Sanhedrin is trying to get Jesus to admit that He is a political threat to Rome's hold on Israel. If He will admit He is the Christ, they have a chance.

When Jesus claimed to fulfill the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, He quoted Isaiah 61:1–2 about how He will "proclaim good news to the poor" and "liberty to the captives," and heal the blind (Luke 4:18–19). He also claims that His betrayal by Judas and consequent arrest fulfills Scripture (Luke 22:37; John 13:18). More subtly, throughout His entire ministry, He has referred to Himself as the "Son of Man." That term is what God calls Ezekiel as a kind of representative of humanity (Ezekiel 2:1). But it's also the name of the prophetic figure to whom the Ancient of Days will give dominion (Daniel 7:13–14).

The Sanhedrin wants Him to admit to being the king of Isaiah 9:6–7. That is the kind of Messiah which Rome would see as a threat. Jesus is considering a different angle. He is the Messiah of the men gathered here and they are rejecting Him. They are the religious and political leaders of the Jews. The nation of Israel, such as it is, will follow where they lead.

He can tell these leaders He's the Messiah. Tragically, they will not believe, nor will they lead the Jews to salvation through their God. They are completely missing the point. But to ensure the path to the cross goes forward, Jesus does admit to being the Son of God (Luke 22:70).

There appears to be a discrepancy between this passage and the other two Synoptic Gospels. Matthew says, "And the high priest said to him, 'I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.' Jesus said to him, 'You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven'" (Matthew 26:63–64).

The difference seems to be that Matthew's account as well as Mark 14:61–62 occurred at one of the previous illegal trials during the night; Luke 22:63–65 hurried over that trial without detailing what was said. Or, that Mark and Matthew summarize the two events by explaining their basic components. This is the official trial before the Sanhedrin. They need Jesus to speak now so they can have a legal charge for Pilate. Only Luke records this interchange.

Luke 22:66–71 records Jesus' third and only legal trial before the Jewish leaders. Whatever Jesus said in the first two trials doesn't matter. In this third trial, before the Sanhedrin, they make an official charge: Jesus formally claims to be the Son of God. His claim, they think, blasphemes God and the Roman emperor—a capital offense. Matthew 27:1–2 and Mark 15:1 only say that at this trial the Sanhedrin agree to take Jesus to Pilate (Luke 23:1–5). After Pilate sees Jesus, he'll send Him to Herod Antipas (Luke 23:6–12) before the Sanhedrin convinces Pilate to crucify Jesus (Luke 23:13–25).

Luke 22 is a long chapter which records events leading to Jesus' political trials and crucifixion. He has successfully taught crowds at the temple and proved His authority over the religious leaders (Luke 19:47—20). Meanwhile the leaders have spent the week planning to arrest Jesus and have Him killed (Luke 19:47–48). This chapter records the Last Supper, the arrest on the Mount of Olives, and the trials before the Jewish religious leaders. Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 18 cover much of the same information.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.