Morning Bible Study: Matthew 26:57-68

Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin

57 Those who had arrested Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had convened. 

58 Peter was following him at a distance right to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and was sitting with the servants to see the outcome.

59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death, 

60 but they could not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. [Other manuscripts add they found none.] Finally, two [other mss add false witnesses] who came forward 

61 stated, “This man said, ‘I can destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

62 The high priest stood up and said to him, “Don’t you have an answer to what these men are testifying against you?” 

63 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.”

64 “You have said it,” Jesus told him. “But I tell you, in the future [literally you, from now] you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” [ Ps 110:1; Dn 7:13]

65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? See, now you’ve heard the blasphemy. 

66 What is your decision?”

They answered, “He deserves death!” 

67 Then they spat in his face and beat him; others slapped him 

68 and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah! Who was it that hit you?”

Psalm 110:1 This is the declaration of the Lord to my Lord:

“Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Daniel 7:13  I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him.

Commentary
(the following is from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary -- www.christianity.com) 

"Jesus was hurried into Jerusalem. It looks ill, and bodes worse, when those who are willing to be Christ's disciples, are not willing to be known to be so. Here began Peter's denying him: for to follow Christ afar off, is to begin to go back from him. It is more our concern to prepare for the end, whatever it may be, than curiously to ask what the end will be. The event is God's, but the duty is ours. 

Now the Scriptures were fulfilled, which said, False witnesses are risen up against me. Christ was accused, that we might not be condemned; and if at any time we suffer thus, let us remember we cannot expect to fare better than our Master. When Christ was made sin for us, he was silent, and left it to his blood to speak. Hitherto Jesus had seldom professed expressly to be the Christ, the Son of God; the tenor of his doctrine spoke it, and his miracles proved it; but now he would not omit to make an open confession of it. It would have looked like declining his sufferings. He thus confessed, as an example and encouragement to his followers, to confess him before men, whatever hazard they ran. Disdain, cruel mocking, and abhorrence, are the sure portion of the disciple as they were of the Master, from such as would buffet and deride the Lord of glory. These things were exactly foretold in the fiftieth chapter of Isaiah. Let us confess Christ's name, and bear the reproach, and he will confess us before his Father's throne."