Mat 26:63-65 | Barnes | STEP | Verse 63. (e) "But Jesus"

Matthew 26:63-65

(e) "But Jesus" Isa 53:7, Mt 27:12,14 Verse 64. Thou hast said. This is a form of assenting or affirming. Thou hast said the truth; or, as Lk 22:70 has it, "Ye say that I am." This was not, however, said immediately. Before Jesus acknowledged himself to be the Messiah, he said to them, Lk 22:67-69 "If I tell you, ye will not believe: and if I also ask you" --i.e., propose the proofs of my mission, and require you to give your opinion of them--" ye will not answer me, nor let me go."

Nevertheless. This word should have been translated moreover, or furthermore. What follows is designed to explain and give confirmation to what he had said.

Sitting on the right hand of power. That is, of God, called here the Power; equivalent to the Mighty, or the Almighty. It denotes dignity and majesty; for, to sit at the right hand of a prince was the chief place of honour. Mt 20:21.

Coming in the clouds of heaven. See Barnes Mt 24, Mt 25. The meaning of this is, You shall see the sign from heaven which you have so often demanded; even the Messiah returning himself as the sign, with great glory, to destroy your city, and to judge the world.

(f) "shall ye" Dan 7:13, Jn 1:51, 1Thes 4:16, Rev 1:7 (g) "hand of power" Ps 110:1, Acts 7:55 Verse 65. Then the High Priest rent his clothes. The Jews were accustomed to rend their clothes, as a token of grief. This was done often as a matter of form, and consisted in tearing a particular part of the garment reserved for this purpose. It was not lawful for the high priest to rend his clothes, Lev 10:6, 21:10. By that was probably intended the robes of his priestly office. The garment which he now rent was probably his ordinary garment, or the garments which he wore as president of the sanhedrim--not those in which he officiated as high priest in the things of religion. This was done on this occasion to denote the great grief of the high priest, that so great a sin as blasphemy had been committed in his presence.

He hath spoken blasphemy. That is, he has, under oath, arrogated to himself what belongs to God. In claiming to be the Messiah; in asserting that he was the Son of God, and therefore equal in dignity with the Father; and that he would yet sit at His right hand--he has claimed what belongs to no man, and what is therefore an invasion of the Divine prerogative. If he had not been the Messiah, the charge would have been true. But the question was, whether he had not given evidence that he was the Messiah, and that therefore his claims were just. This point, the only proper point of inquiry, they never examined. They assumed that he was an impostor; and that point being assumed, everything like a pretension to being the Messiah was, in their view, proof that he deserved to die.