Matthew 26:64-68

Matthew 26:64-68

Jesus said to him, “You said it.  Nevertheless, I say to you all: from now on you will all see the Son of Man on the right hand of power and while coming upon the clouds of heaven.”  Then the chief priest tore his cloak while saying, “He blasphemed!  What need of a witness do we still have?  Behold, you all now heard His blasphemy.  What is thought by you all?”  And the ones who answered said, “He is guilty and deserving of death.”  At that time they spat into His face and beat Him with their fists.  And they struck him while saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ!  Who is the one who hit you?”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

When confronted with the oath and His own words, Jesus finally speaks.  He knows that what He is about to do will seal His fate.  Jesus takes two passages out of the Old Testament that were held to be references to God’s Messiah and applies them to Himself.  The first is a passage from Psalm 110:1.  God’s Messiah will sit at the right hand of the Father.  This is a passage not so much of power but of righteousness.  Clearly the one who is closest to God will be the righteous one in the end.  Jesus is lifting this passage up to identify Himself but also to indicate that in the end He will be proven right.  This is a statement of both identity and challenge.

Where has Jesus challenged you lately?  Where has Jesus tried to come against your walls and see if you are willing to submit to the Righteous One?

Second Thought:

The second passage that Jesus applies to Himself is from Daniel 7:13.  Once more Jesus is using this passage to make a claim of identifying Himself as the Messiah.  But this one also has more to it than that.  Here Jesus reminds the chief priests that the Messiah will return in power from heaven.  This is not so much a passage of challenge but a passage of warning.  When God’s Messiah comes, we will either be for Him or against Him.  When the Messiah comes in the clouds, reckoning day will be upon us.

How will reckoning day end for you?  When does your life ultimately lead?  How do you know?

Third Thought:

Nestled in this passage is a very neat undertone.  Everyone who truly comes face to face with Jesus must decide if they are to love Him or hate Him.  Everyone who meets Jesus falls down in humbleness or spits in His face.  We either acknowledge our sin and our need for Him or we see our greatness and deny our need for Him.  There is not middle ground.  We either choose Him or ourselves.  In this passage we see the chief priest and the religious elite rejecting Jesus.

Do you embrace or reject?  Do you acknowledge your need for Him or believe you can do it yourself?  How do you live this out?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 26:69-75