Matthew 26:64 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.”

NIV: You have said so,' Jesus replied. 'But I say to all of you: 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.'

NASB: Jesus *said to him, 'You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.'

CSB: "You have said it," Jesus told him. "But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."

NLT: Jesus replied, 'You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.'

KJV: Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

NKJV: 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.”

Caiaphas, the high priest, wants to sentence Jesus to death for blasphemy (Matthew 26:57–59). After several failed attempts, he finally challenges Jesus to answer whether He is the Christ—the Messiah—and the Son of God. These terms had created enormous controversy when Jesus used them in His ministry (John 5:18). Where Jesus ignored obviously false accusations thus far (Isaiah 53:7), He not only confirms this "accusation," He multiplies it with an absolute claim of divine power. This response gives the high priest and the council all they need to condemn Him.

Mark quotes Jesus as saying it more directly in the form of "I am." Matthew's quote, though, carries the same weight. Jesus is not being elusive. He is saying, in essence, "what you have said is so," or "that's exactly right."

Jesus doesn't stop there. He is more than just a human Messiah sent by God to set up an earthly kingdom. In fact, Jesus declares they will see Him, as the Son of Man, seated on God's right hand and coming back to earth on the clouds of heaven in judgment. The phrase "from now on" may mean "when you see me again in the future" or it may mean that Jesus is claiming to hold that position in their eyes, right in front of them, from now on. He stands before them not only as the future king, but the rightful king right now who will one day take the throne.

Jesus' words make direct reference to Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13. They would have left no doubt in the minds of Caiaphas or those on the council: Jesus of Nazareth is claiming to be the eternal Messiah and Son of God. Their reaction corresponds to the enormous nature of Jesus' claims (Matthew 26:65).

From his perspective, Caiaphas could not have asked for a better answer. In his own mind, Caiaphas likely thinks he has baited Jesus into making an arrogant, exaggerated claim. He wanted to put Jesus to death (John 11:48–53), and this is a statement the council sees as blasphemous. At the same time, the high priest and the council would now be held responsible for rejecting the Son of God when He revealed Himself to them, face to face, for who He truly was (John 5:39–40).

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.