St Matthew Chapter XXVI : Verses 57-66
Contents
- Matt. xxvi. 57-66. Douay-Rheims text & Latin text (Vulgate).
- Notes on the text.
Matt. xxvi. 57-66
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| Jesus before Caiaphas. J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. |
At illi tenentes Jesum, duxerunt ad Caipham principem sacerdotum, ubi scribae et seniores convenerant.
58 And Peter followed him afar off, even to the court of the high priest. And going in, he sat with the servants, that he might see the end.
Petrus autem sequebatur eum a longe, usque in atrium principis sacerdotum. Et ingressus intro, sedebat cum ministris, ut videret finem.
59 And the chief priests and the whole council sought false witness against Jesus, that they might put him to death:
Principes autem sacerdotum, et omne concilium, quaerebant falsum testimonium contra Jesum, ut eum morti traderent :
60 And they found not, whereas many false witnesses had come in. And last of all there came two false witnesses:
et non invenerunt, cum multi falsi testes accessissent. Novissime autem venerunt duo falsi testes,
61 And they said: This man said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and after three days to rebuild it.
et dixerunt : Hic dixit : Possum destruere templum Dei, et post triduum reaedificare illud.
62 And the high priest rising up, said to him: Answerest thou nothing to the things which these witness against thee?
Et surgens princeps sacerdotum, ait illi : Nihil respondes ad ea, quae isti adversum te testificantur?
63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest said to him: I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us if thou be the Christ the Son of God.
Jesus autem tacebat. Et princeps sacerdotum ait illi : Adjuro te per Deum vivum, ut dicas nobis si tu es Christus Filius Dei.
64 Jesus saith to him: Thou hast said it. Nevertheless I say to you, hereafter you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of the power of God, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Dicit illi Jesus : Tu dixisti. Verumtamen dico vobis, amodo videbitis Filium hominis sedentem a dextris virtutis Dei, et venientem in nubibus cæli.
65 Then the high priest rent his garments, saying: He hath blasphemed; what further need have we of witnesses? Behold, now you have heard the blasphemy:
Tunc princeps sacerdotum scidit vestimenta sua, dicens : Blasphemavit : quid adhuc egemus testibus? ecce nunc audistis blasphemiam :
66 What think you? But they answering, said: He is guilty of death.
quid vobis videtur? At illi respondentes dixerunt : Reus est mortis.
Notes
57. led him to Caiphas. Jesus was bound by the soldiers in Gethsemani and was then led into the city by the same road that He had left it.
According to a local tradition, the house of Caiphas was situated quite close to the Cenaculum, therefore due south-west of Jerusalem, and about 400 feet north of it. The house of Annas adjoined that of Caiphas. Jesus was first taken to Annas the ex-highpriest (St John xviii. 13) ; he had great authority in Jerusalem, and appears to have chosen at least his two immediate successors. His son-in-law, his five sons, and his nephew held the office in turn after he retired from it. It has been suggested that both Annas and Caiphas employed the same palace as a common official residence. Jesus, as a teacher of false doctrine, was conducted to the high-priest, whose office it was to judge religious questions.
the scribes and the ancients were assembled. St Mark adds, and all the priests. This was an informal meeting of the Sanhedrin ; it was illegal for the council to meet during the night.
Some came from Gethsemani, others would be hastily summoned.
58. Peter followed him afar off. He seems to have repented of having deserted Christ, but was still anxious about his own personal safety, and at the same time time desirous to see the end.
Therefore St Peter followed Him to the palace of Caiphas. But Peter stood at the door without. The other disciple therefore, who was known to the high-priest, went out, and spoke to the portress, and brought in Peter (St John xviii. 16). The other disciple in question is generally supposed to have been St John, thus two of our Lord’s apostles were eye-witnesses of what took place on this occasion in the court. This was a large open space in front of the palace. The servants would be waiting there while the Sanhedrin questioned Jesus, as none but witnesses and the disciples of the Pharisees were allowed to be present when the Sanhedrin sat in judgment, and one witness was not allowed to hear the evidence of another.
sat with the servants, — i.e. the officials, not the slaves. Cf. He sat with the servants at the fire and warmed himself. The nights at the Paschal season were cold, and consequently the servants would have lighted the fire in the court. While St Peter was warming himself our Lord was being questioned by Annas. St John alone relates that Jesus was taken first to Annas.
59. the whole council sought, etc. At least the greater part, if not strictly all. Twenty-three Sanhedrists constituted a quorum. The full number with the president and vice-president was seventy-one.
that they might put him to death. The verdict was foregone. The spiritual leaders and judges of Israel were trying, not to find the truth about our Lord, but to obtain a pretext for condemning Him to death.
60. they found not. They found no grounds of condemnation.
many false witnesses had come in. But their evidence did not agree. By the law of Moses they were bound to have the testimony of at least two witnesses. By the mouth of two or three witnesses shall he die, that is to he slain. Let no man be put to death, when only one heareth witness against him (Deut. xvii. 6). The false witnesses who came forward brought different charges against Jesus. St Mark alone notes the disagreement in the evidence of these men.
61. This man said, I am able, etc. Compare our Lord's words with those of His accusers :—
St Matt. xxvi. 61.
This man said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and after three days to rebuild it.
St Mark xiv. 58.
I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another “not made with hands.”
St John ii. 19-21.
Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up .... he spoke of the temple of his body.
The texts quoted shew the additions made by false witnesses ; they also use the words “build” and “rebuild,” words which Christ did not employ. This charge brought against Chri.st was equivalent to —
(a) Blasphemy against the Temple, which was one of the charges brought against St Stephen (see Acts vi. 13).
(b) A claim to either divine or magical powers, since the Temple was not to be made with hands.
The witnesses were only able to bring this charge by —
(a) Misquoting Christ’s words.
(b) Misinterpreting them.
The prophetic words, which the witnesses professed to quote, alluded to His Resurrection, and they were uttered by Christ, at the Pasch which followed the first cleansing of the temple.
62. the high-priest rising up, etc. Jesus had kept silence while the witnesses contradicted one another. The discrepancies in the statements proved them to be false, and the high-priest could not condemn Christ on the evidence of men who did not agree in their accusations ; doubtless he wished Jesus to incriminate Himself.
St Mark alone mentions that Caiphas rose up in the midst, literally into the midst ; — i.e. he came forward. Evidently the high-priest was enraged at finding no matter of accusation. Wicked as these judges were, they wished to keep to the forms of justice, and dared not condemn Christ without, at least, having a pretext for so doing. The real cause of His condemnation was their hatred and jealousy, which they dared not bring forward. Some writers hold that the high-priest should not have stood up, since judges usually remain seated ; others think that he rose because he was speaking in his official capacity as a priest, and the priests in the synagogue ministered standing.
63. Jesus held his peace. There was no need for Him to speak when it was evident that the evidence was false. The prophecy of the Psalmist was fulfilled : I, as a deaf man, heard not ; and as a dumb man not opening his mouth (Ps. xxxvii. 14, 15).
I adjure thee by the living God. By these words the high-priest put our Lord on His oath. When thus addressed, Jesus answered Caiphas, since the high-priest publicly commanded Him to do so by the reverence due to God. The judge was allowed to put the accused on oath, as a means of arriving at the truth concerning him.
the Christ, the Son of God. The parallel passage reads : the Son of the blessed God. This was a title of the Messias, and Jesus so interpreted it. Caiphas so worded his question that Christ must either answer yes or no. Had He answered no, the Council would have condemned Him as an impostor ; as He replied in the affirmative, they accused Him of blasphemy.
64. Thou hast said it. This is equivalent to an affirmation, and agrees with the words given in St Mark. Jesus said to him: I am. Jesus gives a plain answer, and asserts that He is the Christ.
Thus this is the first time that we find our Lord owning publicly that He was the Messias, though all His public life was a proof of His divine mission, since He performed the miracles predicted of the Messias.
you shall see the son of man, etc. Jesus contrasts His present condition of humiliation with the pomp and glory of His second Advent.
of the power of God. In the majesty of God, and therefore as. God. These words were partly fulfilled —
(1) When Christ rose from the dead.
(2) When the Holy Ghost descended.
(3) When Christianity finally triumphed over Judaism.
coming in the clouds of heaven. The usual expression when Christ’s second coming is described. Behold he cometh with the clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also that pierced him, etc. (Apoc. i. 7). These words relate particularly to the day of judgment.
65. rent his garments. This was a sign of great grief and indignation. Here the high-priest rent bis garments on the assumption that Jesus had blasphemed.
He was allowed to do this in cases of blasphemy. And Eliacim the son of Helcias, who was over the house, and Sobna the seribe .... came to Ezechias with their garments rent, and told him the words of Rabsaces (4 Kings xviii. 37). It was forbidden to rend them as a sign of mourning. And Moses said to Aaron .... rend not your garments, lest perhaps you die, etc. (Lev. x. 6).
He would stand to rend his garments, and begin to rend at the top. St Mark used the plural garments, but the original Greek refers to the inner garment, while St Matthew speaks of the outer one. He who rent his garments was bound to rend all except the tunic (or shirt) ; the rent was to be made longitudinally for about the length of a span, and might never be repaired. It was forbidden to rend the priestly vestments, which were only worn in the Temple.
what further need have we of witnesses ? Caiplias here acts as witness and judge since he states the charge — He hath blasphemed.
66. What think you ? The inquiry refers, not to the guilt of our Lord, but to the punishment, as we see from the context, when all present condemned him to be guilty of death. The punishment for blasphemy was stoning to death ; this the Jews could not inflict, nor any other capital punishment. Hence, having declared the accused guilty of death, they needed to hand over their prisoner to the Romans. It was now about 3 o’clock a.m., and we may conclude, by studying the gospel narratives, that Jesus was given in charge of the soldiers of the guard, until it was time to conduct him to Pilate.
they answering said. St Mark adds, all condemned him. No formal vote seems to have been taken. Christ was acclaimed worthy of death.
guilty of death. An obsolete way of expressing a judgment. We now find the accused guilty of some crime, and deserving a certain punishment.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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