Matthew 26:63 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Jesus remained silent. 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."

NIV: 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 Messiah, the Son of God."

NASB: But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, 'I place You under oath by the living God, to tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.'

CSB: But Jesus kept silent. The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God."

NLT: But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, 'I demand in the name of the living God — tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.'

KJV: But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.

NKJV: 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!”

Caiaphas, the high priest, seems to be getting agitated. He wants Jesus to say something in front of the council they can use to charge Him with blasphemy and sentence Him to death (Matthew 26:57–62). He has demanded Jesus answer a charge from two witnesses, who claimed Jesus said He would destroy the temple in Jerusalem and rebuild it in three days. The supposed blasphemy—and false quotation (John 2:19–21)—was not enough to condemn Jesus to death. Caiaphas needed more.

Jesus, though, would not even answer that charge. He knew they had misquoted Him and that He had been talking about His own future resurrection, not the destruction of the city temple. He also knew that to get to His resurrection, He would have to be sentenced to death by the men before whom He stood now. He would not try to defend Himself from false charges (Isaiah 53:7).

Whether in frustration, or a moment of cleverness, Caiaphas finally hits on the most controversial statements Jesus ever suggested in His teaching. The high priest asks Jesus directly, challenging Him to swear by the living God, whether He is the Christ, the Son of God. In other words, is Jesus truly the Messiah?

Caiaphas' strategy might have been purely procedural. If Jesus resists, they may be able to charge Him with refusing to answer a question backed by a legal oath from the high priest. If He answers that He is not the Messiah, the crowds will no longer be stirred to possible rebellion (John 11:48). If Jesus says He is the Son of God, the council will use that declaration to sentence Him to death.

Of course, that requires these men to refuse to believe Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah (John 5:39–40). As it turns out, Jesus will answer this challenge with absolute truth, leaving no room for doubt about what He means. That's enough for His enemies to declare this sham trial a success (Matthew 26:64–66).

Matthew 26:57–68 describes Jesus' sham trial before members of the Jewish ruling body. False witnesses accuse Jesus of crimes worthy of a death sentence; their attempts are so transparently false that the effort fails. Finally, the high priest challenges Jesus to state that He is the Messiah and the Son of God. Jesus agrees, and even adds to the declaration. The high priest and council agree Jesus is guilty of blasphemy and condemn Him to death. Mark 14:53–65, Luke 22:63–71, John 18:12–14, and John 18:19–24 explain different perspectives on the same events.

The Jewish religious leaders further their plots to arrest and kill Jesus, finding a willing traitor in Judas Iscariot. A woman anoints Christ with oil during a dinner at Bethany. Next, Jesus and the disciples hold the Passover meal in an upper room where Jesus predicts His arrests and introduces the sacrament of communion. Then Jesus prays in unimaginable agony in the garden of Gethsemane before being betrayed by Judas and captured. The disciples scatter. Before the high priest, Jesus explicitly claims to be divine. They convict Him of blasphemy and sentence Him to death. As this happens, Peter denies knowing Jesus and runs away in shame.

After a long series of teaching (Matthew 24—25), Matthew 26 begins with Jesus saying He will be delivered up for death. Christ is anointed at a dinner in Bethany and Judas agrees to turn Him over to the chief priests. Jesus holds a Passover meal with the disciples, predicts an act of treachery, and introduces the sacrament of communion. He tells the disciples they will run in fear and that Peter will deny Him, which happens just as prophesied. Christ prays in great sorrow in a garden and is then arrested and taken away and unfairly sentenced to death. After this, Jesus will be taken to the Roman governor, where Jewish leadership will press for Him to be executed as an insurgent.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.