Matthew 26:64
Jesus
remains silent before the nonsensical accusations. Mark tells us that even
these last two witnesses could not get their stories straight [Mark 14:59]. As
we saw in our last study, Jesus is simply following the wisdom literature of
the Old Testament [Prov. 26:4] in remaining silent. However, the high priest,
holding a God-ordained office, demands a response from Jesus in the name of
“the living God.” Jesus is, therefore, obligated to answer the question. Heretofore,
the scam of justice has deserved silence, but now the end must come.
The
response here by our Lord is not short or painless. His response is more
complex than Matthew records. Matthew reports the part of the response that
irritated the high priest the most: “You said it!” Mark tells us that Jesus
also said: “I am.” However, He does not stop there. He goes on to quote from
the Old Testament that not only is He Who He is, but His accusers shall witness
His kingdom coming on the clouds in its glory. This takes Caiaphas beyond
his tolerance level.
The
plan up to this point was to incite Jesus to demonstrate intemperance in
response to all of the false accusations. However, true to the prophet’s
predictions, Jesus “opened not His mouth [Isa. 53:7]. Instead of Jesus losing
control, the high priest does. The pursuit of false witnesses is immediately
abandoned, and a physical display of horror is displayed with the intent to
arouse the crowd.
The
plastic prosecutor is not taken aback by the silence, but rather by the quote
from the Old Testament. Next week, our study will take us to the subject of
blasphemy. Today, we shall pause and look more closely at what and from where
Jesus is quoting. Perhaps, it is what Jesus leaves unsaid that speaks the
loudest.
Far
more important in our lives than what we say is what we do, and who we are.
Every word will eventually be judged against the backdrop of conduct. Works
alone cannot save us. In fact, our
works can have no bearing on our salvation at all. It is only the work of
Christ that can save. However, while our works cannot save us, our salvation
cannot leave our works alone. Salvation can only come through faith. But as
James reminds us, works that are genuine wear shoes. It is impossible for God
to touch the heart and not move the hand.
In our Lord’s response, He not
only admits Who He is, but He also reveals His accuser as an outside observer
of the kingdom. This lopping off of Caiaphas as a “have not” in the division of
the “haves” and the “have-nots” is more than the religious showman can handle.
With this, the end is nudged closer, and the kangaroo court is adjourned as
footsteps turn toward the Praetorium.