Matt 26:57–75 — On Trial Before the Jewish Council

The Trial of Jesus

So just to briefly remind you of the outline of the Passion Narrative. The Passion Narrative is Matthew chapter 26 and 27. It divides into three acts. Act one is Jesus preparing for his death.

And we saw that in the institution of the Lord’s Supper when Jesus had the Passover, celebrated the Passover with his disciples. And he said that this cup is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. That is a key statement there of atonement theology. And it links back to an earlier statement of Jesus in Matthew 20, 28, when he said, the son of man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Notice that word many that is used in both verses. alluding back to Isaiah 53, which refers to the many for whom the suffering servant came to lay down his life.

Jesus celebrates the Passover with his disciples. He then goes into the Garden of Gethsemane and prays. He begins with his soul in turmoil, but then by the end, he is surrendered to the will of God. He says, my father, if this cup cannot pass, this cup of wrath that he must drink, if it cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done. And he submits to the will of his heavenly father.

All of this is taking place very late at night on Thursday night, Thursday of Holy Week, very late at night. By the time you get to the arrest and betrayal of Jesus in the next paragraph, beginning in verse 47, it is probably midnight at that point, Judas comes with a great crowd from the chief priests and the elders of the people armed with swords and clubs, and they arrest Jesus and take him into custody.

All this is taking place with the perfect foreknowledge of Christ. Nothing is happening by accident. He is not being attacked by a surprise attack. He is going to the cross deliberately. He is voluntarily laying down his life as a ransom for many. And he knows what is happening. He is prepared for it all. He even says that the disciples are going to flee and that Peter is going to deny him. He knows what is about to unfold, but he goes forward in obedience to the will of his Heavenly Father. And indeed that is what happens, the disciples left him and fled.

And now in the wee hours of Friday morning, good Friday, later on that day, Friday afternoon, he will be crucified and he will cry out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? But before we get to that point, in the wee hours of Friday morning, we are to think or to imagine in our minds that nobody’s getting any sleep here. Well, except for the disciples who fell asleep in the garden, but Jesus is not asleep. This is happening, you know, two or three o’clock in the morning on Friday morning. We know that because at the end of this trial before Caiaphas, the high priest, and the Jewish council, it says in Matthew 27, verse 1, we did not read it, we stopped just before that, but Matthew 27, verse 1 says, When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death, and they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate, the governor, the Gentile governor of Judea. So we are in the early morning hours of Friday, three, four o’clock in the morning.

The rooster crows? That is happening sometime in the early morning, just before sunrise. When Peter denied the Lord, it says immediately the rooster crowed, and he remembered the saying of Jesus, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly.

Now there is something interesting about this trial of Jesus in the early morning hours of Friday. It has two parts to it. Part one is his trial before the Jewish council. the high priest Caiaphas and the elders of the people who are gathered together in the council of the Jews that is also called the Sanhedrin. That is the first phase of this trial. But because the Jews did not have the power to execute capital punishment, they had to go to phase two. They had to try to convince the Gentile governor, Pilate, that this man is worthy of death. And so that leads to phase two of this second major act.

The second act of the Passion Narrative is the trial of Jesus. Part one, or part A of section two, is the Jewish trial, and part B, which we will look at next week, is the Gentile trial before the governor Pilate. But really it is one trial? It is really one trial because it has one result, which is that Jesus is condemned to death.

He is condemned as a criminal to death. And that second phase is there because the Jews did not have the power to execute capital punishment, and therefore they had to convince Pilate to do that part for them. They had to try to persuade him that he was indeed worthy of death. Of course, as we will see next week, Pilate is not really convinced that Jesus is worthy of death, but he gives in to the demand of the crowd, and he goes ahead and allows Jesus to be put to death because he saw that the crowd and the Jewish leadership were demanding it.

Act 3 of the Passion Narrative is after the trial of Jesus, after Pilate delivers Jesus over to be crucified, then we have Act 3, which is the actual crucifixion and death of Christ in the second half of Matthew, Chapter 27. So Act 1, Jesus is preparing for his death, and he gives all this amazing atonement theology. Act 2 is the trial of Jesus with its two phases, and then Act 3 is the actual death of Christ. We are in Act 2 now, with Jesus before Caiaphas, the high priest, and the Jewish council, as well as this important detail about Peter denying the Lord.

We can tell that that is an important part of this story because of the way the narrative prepares us for that. Go back to the beginning of our text, Matthew 26, verse 57. Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. So the scene that is set is that we are at the house of Caiaphas the high priest. He is a wealthy man, so think of his house as being a big estate. and all the scribes and the elders of the Jewish council are gathered there in order to try Jesus.

But then verse 58, prepares us for Peter’s denial by telling us, giving us this little marker, this little reminder that we are not just going to simply hear what is happening with Jesus in front of the high priest. There is also something else going on just outside the courtyard, verse 58, and Peter was following him at a distance as far as the courtyard. of the high priest. And going inside, he sat with the guards to see the end. Of course, that is Matthew, the narrator, giving us a little marker to say, okay, we are going to focus now for a moment upon the trial of Jesus before the high priest. Hang on, there is also something important happening just outside.

Peter is out there, and of course, we know already that he is going to deny the Lord. In fact, Jesus had predicted that? Back in Matthew 26 and verse 33, when Peter said, I will never fall away, Jesus said to Peter in verse 34, truly, I tell you this very night before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times. So we are going to focus on the trial of Jesus before the Jewish council, but let us also keep in the back of our mind this other interesting detail about Peter and his upcoming denial of Christ.

It is an important part of the story, and it is actually connected to the trial itself. And the key that connects it is one interesting word that you might be somewhat scratching your head to figure out what does this word mean. It is a word in verse 64 when Jesus, he is not saying very much in this whole trial, but what he does say is one important statement. He says, I tell you from now on you will see, that is the word I am focusing on, underlying that word see, you will see the Son of Man seated in at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. And you are probably scratching your head saying, well, when is the high priest going to see this glorious, exalted figure, the Son of Man?

Why Jesus Was Condemned

I will explain in a minute, but it ties into Peter’s denial. And at first you are somewhat wondering, how is that? It does not really make sense. But you will see as we go through the text. So Jesus here is on trial before the high priest. This of course is the culmination of the conflict between Jesus and the Jewish authorities. That conflict began all the way back in Matthew chapter nine. Do you remember that? Way back in Matthew nine. Matthew nine is the very first paragraph of Matthew nine is the story of Jesus healing the paralytic, the paralyzed man.

It says there that when Jesus said to the paralyzed man, take heart my son, your sins are forgiven, that some of the scribes were there and they muttered to themselves, this man is blasphemy. So this is interesting? Because in our text, what does the high priest say when Jesus says that he is the Son of Man, that he is the Christ? The high priest says he has uttered blasphemy and he tore his robes and was aghast at the blasphemous words of Jesus. Going back to Matthew 9, when the scribes said he is blaspheming, he was blaspheming in their eyes because only God has the power to forgive sins. And so Jesus is making a claim to be divine. He is claiming divine power and divine authority.

And we see this conflict then that begins in Matthew 9, and it continues all throughout the gospel narrative of this conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees, or between Jesus and the Jewish leadership. Sometimes it is focused on things like the fact that Jesus is seemingly disobeying the traditions of the elders, such as the tradition about washing of hands. So it may seem to not be so highly escalated to the level of blasphemy, but just simply a disagreement over the law. Another controversy is the Sabbath, how to keep the Sabbath. But all throughout, there is still this underlying Christological issue here?

Christological means Who is Jesus? Who is Christ? The fact that he can even say that these traditions are not to be kept and that you should follow God’s law and here is the true meaning of the law of God and the fact that he has lordship and authority over the Sabbath It is not just a rabbinical debate between different schools of rabbinical thought. It is ultimately because of his authority as the Christ, the Son of God.

And so it goes back to Christology ultimately. Who is this one who claims this authority? And so the conflict between Jesus and the Jewish authorities is ultimately Christological. Remember, we saw this again when Jesus enters in the triumphal entry, when he enters into Jerusalem, he cleanses the temple by overturning the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.

And he says to them, it is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers. Who has the authority to do something like that? Only someone who is the Christ, the Messiah. And even the Jewish authorities, they came to him and said, by what authority are you doing these things?

And then he told them several parables, the parable of the two sons, and also the parable of the tenants. And again and again, he is making these amazing Christological claims, at least by implication. So he is not coming out directly and saying, I am God, I am the son of God, but he is doing things, forgiving sins, cleansing the temple, teaching about the true interpretation of the law that imply something about him, that imply his status as the son of God. And now that whole controversy and its Christological point, the point of controversy over who is Christ, is coming to a head in the trial of Jesus.

It says that they already knew they wanted to put him to death, and now they are just trying to find an argument. They are trying to find a case to make it legal in their mind. Verse 59, now the high priest, the chief priest, and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death. They are looking for testimony that would convict him of a crime that is worthy of death. But they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last, two came forward and said, this man said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.”

So that goes back to the cleansing of the temple and the fact that he has this implicit Christological claim. Who but the Messiah, who is the Son of God, who has authority over the temple, could do that? And so this issue of the temple is brought up, not simply because it would be blasphemous for someone to claim that they have authority over the temple, but because it leads to this deeper question of, by what authority? How could somebody claim that they have this authority over the temple?

And so it implies that he is the son of God. So this charge here, when he said, when the two witnesses came forward and said, this man said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days, is ultimately a charge, not of blasphemy against the temple, but of blasphemy because it implies his Christological identity as the Messiah. Remember in the Old Testament, who was responsible for not only building the temple, King Solomon, but also in subsequent generations, restoring the temple when it fell into disrepair or when it was occupied by idolatry. It was the king? King Josiah, for example, had this amazing reform where he cleansed the temple. And so the fact that Jesus is cleansing the temple and the fact that he is claiming to have authority over the temple, is a Christological claim. It implies that he is the son of David, that he is the Messiah, that he is the true king of Israel.

And the high priest, after hearing this accusation, he understands that. He understands the Christological implications of that claim. Verse 62, the high priest stood up and said, have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you? The high priest is somewhat picking up on something and saying, oh, this is important. There is an important nugget here.

And Jesus remained silent. And then the high priest says to him, I adjure you by the living God, tell us. He does not say, tell us if you said I am able to destroy the temple. He says, no, he goes right to the Christology. He understands the Christological implication of that claim. I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the son of God. So the high priest is theologically astute, and he understands that there is something deep going on here. There is a Christological claim. And so what does Jesus say in response? Verse 64. Verse 64 is the nub of this whole trial, okay? Verse 64 is, this is the pinnacle of this trial. Jesus has been silent throughout. As it says in the prophecy of Isaiah, he goes like a sheep before a shearer who is silent? He is silent.

But he says one thing, and the one thing he does say is this amazing claim. He says, you have said so, but I tell you, from now on, you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Now just think about the amazing claim that is being made here. And contrast this with everything that we have seen Jesus say up until this point in the Gospel of Matthew.

Up until this point in the Gospel of Matthew, and this is true for the other Gospels as well, up until this point Jesus has been very reticent to come out and claim that he is the Messiah. He is implied it. He is done things that only a Messiah could do.

But he does not come out and say, I am the Messiah, the Son of God. He will receive that acclamation from various people in the story, such as Peter, who confesses him to be the Messiah at Caesarea Philippi. Or when the demons cry out and say, we know who you are, you are the Son of the Most High God. But even then, he tries to like tamp it down and say, now do not go spreading this around. He’ll tell the person that was healed, you know, do not go and spread around that I am the Messiah. He is very secretive about his messianic claims, even though he is strongly implying it by his actions. by casting out demons, healing the sick, and cleansing the temple. He is claiming to be the Messiah, but he is also concealing it.

And the reason for that is that if he had come out publicly and said, I am the Messiah, how would the Jews have interpreted that? They would have interpreted that in a very earthly, crass sense of, oh, he is the one that is going to be the one to deliver us from the Roman occupiers. He is going to raise an army, and he is going to restore us to our national glory that we have been longing for all these years. That is not the somewhat Messiah he is. He is the Messiah, but he is not that somewhat an earthly, nationalistic Messiah that the Jews were hoping for.

And so that is why Jesus is always curtailing this claim, making it somewhat secret. It is called the messianic secret in biblical scholarship. The messianic secret, that is, he is keeping it close to the vest. Yes, the disciples are beginning to get it, but even the disciples do not fully get it?

As soon as Peter confesses that you are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God in Matthew 16, Jesus says, yeah, but what somewhat Messiah? The Son of Man is going to go to the cross. He is going to be betrayed. He is going to be rejected. He is going to be killed, and the third day he is going to be raised from the dead, and Peter is like, no, no, Lord, no, no, that is not what I had in mind for you. And Jesus has to say to Peter, get behind me, Satan, because you are setting your mind on the things of man, and not on the things of God.

But here, finally, in our text, Jesus comes out and says it. Plainly, clearly, with absolute power and authority, with no question that He is indeed the Son of God, that He is the Son of Man, seated at the right hand of power, coming in the clouds of heaven. But notice when he says it, and notice the circumstances in which he says it.

When he is at his most vulnerable, when he is at his most helpless state, when he is under the authority of the Jewish leadership, who are scheming to put him to death, and who have already arrested him. and have already put him on the track that is going to lead to the cross in a few hours later that day, Friday afternoon. It is only then when it is clear that he is at his lowest point of suffering and rejection and humiliation that he comes out with it and publicly says that he is indeed the Messiah.

And not just any ordinary Messiah, not just a merely human son of David that the Jews were looking forward to. They were looking forward to a merely human son of David who would be like King David or King Josiah, one of these great kings, but just a man, maybe enabled by the Spirit to do great things, but just a man.

And Jesus is saying, no, he is not just a man. He is the Messiah who is the Son of God. That is what the high priest says. The high priest seems to understand that his messianic identity is something greater than just a mere man. He is the son of God. And then Jesus, he picks up from two key Old Testament passages. Psalm 110 verse 1, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand. until I make your enemies your footstool.” And Daniel 7 verses 13 and 14, where Daniel saw a vision of one like the Son of Man coming before the throne of God Almighty to receive all dominion and power and authority over all of creation. Jesus says, that is the somewhat Messiah I am. I am not just a human Messiah. I am this royal, exalted, glorious, divine, all-authoritative, all-powerful Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.

Even though it does not look like it right now, right now he is totally helpless. Right now he is rejected, he is suffering, he is about to go to the cross and die. Yet even in the midst of his suffering, his true identity as the divine Son of God, as the God-Man, is revealed and made clear. And now he comes out with it. He comes out with it for everyone to see. From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.

The Rejected and Vindicated Son of Man

The key point here is that he is being rejected, not only by the high priests and the Jewish leadership, but even by Peter and the disciples. He is being denied and rejected even by them. But even though he is being rejected and denied, he will be vindicated.

And remember that we saw this already in those three passion predictions that go back to the first one right after Peter’s confession in Matthew 16. It is repeated again after the transfiguration in Matthew 17, and then again in Matthew 20. In each of those three passion predictions, what does Jesus say? He says, the Son of Man, he uses that key phrase, the Son of Man, which links back to Daniel 7, is about to be betrayed, is about to be crucified and killed and rejected by the elders and the chief priests. That is specifically mentioned in Matthew 16, 21 and Matthew 20, verse 18.

He is going to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests Which, is exactly what our text is talking about? Because who is it that he is standing before? He is standing before the elders of the people, verse 57, and the high priest Caiaphas.

So in those passion predictions that Jesus made, he was not only predicting that he was about to die and about to suffer, he was also predicting that he would also be vindicated. Because after each of those three ones, he says, and on the third day, he will be raised.

That is, he will be vindicated. That is mentioned in 1621, 1723, and 2019. The passion predictions contain the same theme of the Son of Man being rejected but also vindicated. And so we see that fulfillment right here in our text, where Jesus is being rejected. And at the very moment of his being rejected, he says, I am about to be vindicated. You will see from now on. In just a little while, you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Now, when is that going to be? Everyone wants to know. Is that referring to the resurrection of Jesus in three days? Or is it referring to the ascension of Jesus 40 days later? Or is it referring to Jesus’ so-called coming in judgment in AD 70 to destroy Jerusalem?

Or is it referring to the ultimate coming of Christ at the end, the parousia, when Christ comes with the clouds of heaven? Jesus himself had already mentioned that in Matthew 24, and verse 30, then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. So you might think it is referring to that, but I do not think it is referring to that because of the fact that Jesus says, from now on, in the very near future, The next thing you are going to see is the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. I think it is referring to the near events of Christ’s resurrection and then a few weeks later his ascension into heaven. Ultimately it is referring to his ascension into heaven.

Now, how do we know this? How do we know that that is what Jesus is talking about? Well, if we look at the parallel to this verse in the Gospel of Luke, in Luke chapter 22, verse 69, Luke clarifies the meaning of Christ’s words by leaving out the part about the clouds of heaven, and just simply says, from now on, the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.

That is clearly quoting from Psalm 110 verse 1. And we know that that is fulfilled at the ascension of Christ, when he ascended into heaven and sat at the right hand of God. Psalm 110 verse 1 is the most frequently quoted Old Testament passage in the New Testament. The New Testament writers allude to it or quote it dozens of times. And in every case, it is always applied to and fulfilled in the ascension of Christ. Yes, there is a public manifestation of that at the second coming. But before that, we have the fulfillment of Psalm 110, verse 1, at the ascension of Christ. And Luke’s parallel account makes that clear.

Peter and the Vindication of Christ

From now on, the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God. So that raises the question then about this verb see. How and when did the high priest and the Jewish authorities see it? When did they see Jesus sitting at the right hand of power? The answer is they saw it when they witnessed the apostolic preaching of the resurrected Christ in the opening chapters of the book of Acts.

It is very interesting to notice, for example, in Acts chapter 4, maybe go ahead and turn there. In Acts chapter 4, this is, remember in Acts 2, you have the day of Pentecost. Peter says that Christ has been made, has been exalted to the right hand of God.

Then in Acts 3, you have the healing of the lame beggar in Solomon’s portico. That healing caused a stir and a controversy. And in Acts chapter 4, which is continuing the same story of the healing of the lame man, it says, The priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

And verse five, on the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas, that is the same Caiaphas that Jesus was before, in Matthew 26, and John and Alexander, all of whom were of the high priestly family, and what happens?

There is another Jewish council, this time with the apostles. In this case, it is Peter and John, mentioned in verse 13. Peter and John, who are standing before the same Jewish council and the same high priest named Caiaphas, although it does mention some of his relatives like Annas and so on. But it is the same group of people, and what are they annoyed about?

They are annoyed about the fact that Peter and John are proclaiming that Christ has been raised, that Christ has been vindicated. And we are told later on in Acts 4 verse 33, and with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, with great power. And so when Jesus says then, back in our text in verse 64, I tell you from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. He is referring not only to his own resurrection and ascension into heaven, but he is referring to the power of that as it is expressed in his disciples, in their testimony to his resurrection.

And that is why the denial of Peter in our text is so significant. Because at this stage in the story, Peter is not yet ready to do that. Peter is not yet ready and commissioned to proclaim with great power the resurrection of Christ. Peter denies his Lord. But we are told in the story that although he denied the Lord, he repented.

He says he went out bitterly in verse 75. He repented and he was restored in Matthew chapter 28 when Jesus met with the disciples. Matthew 28 verse 16 and following. He met with the 11 disciples in Galilee to the mountain in which he had directed them. And Jesus said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. That again ties back to what Jesus said when he said, from now on, you will see the son of man seated at the right hand of power. All authority has been given to me. In other words, Psalm 110 verse one and Daniel seven, verse 13 and 14 have been fulfilled.

And therefore, even though Peter denied the Lord, he repented and he was restored and commissioned to go and preach Christ. And he did so boldly, as we saw in Acts chapter 4, before the very same Jewish authorities that condemned Christ. Peter’s denial then, in our text, is temporary and will be reversed. And what Jesus is saying is that even though right now you do not see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power, Because here he is, the Son of Man, rejected, suffering, about to die, and even Peter himself denying the Lord. Even though you do not see it now, yet it is going to be reversed, and I will be vindicated. And you will see, from now on, you will see the Son of Man.

Christology and Ecclesiology

This text is so interesting because, as with the entire Gospel of Matthew, The Gospel of Matthew and this text itself is so concerned with the intertwined interconnection between Christology and Ecclesiology. Ecclesiology, I am not referring to like church government and, you know, Episcopal versus Presbyterian. I am not talking about Ecclesiology in that sense, but just the doctrine of the church. Christology, who is Christ, he is the son of God, he is the rejected but vindicated son of man, and ecclesiology, that is the church of Christ, are so interconnected and intertwined.

We saw that back in Matthew 16. As soon as Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, what does Jesus say? And you are Peter, and on this rock that is Peter’s confession of Christ, I will build my church. Same thing here in our text. The text is saying, I tell you, from now on, in the very near future, in a few days from now, you will see the Son of Man exalted and vindicated. How will you see it? You will see it in the church who confesses Christ.

The vindication of Christ is His resurrection and exaltation, to be sure, but Even that is somewhat hidden? I mean, unbelievers, even the Jewish council, did not actually see the resurrection. They were not there when he bodily ascended into heaven. It is still somewhat hidden to the eyes of the world.

Ultimately, the vindication of Christ is in his church, in the body of those who confess him. who, unlike Peter, who denied the Lord, are boldly confessing Christ as Lord. Ultimately, the power of Christ is made visible to the world in and through the disciples of Christ, that is, in and through the church.

As Jesus said, it is on this confession, the fact that you confessed me to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, on this confession, I will build my church, the new temple. You know, ecclesiology is not mentioned by word, the word church is not mentioned here in the text, but it is all implied all around? The fact that the two false witnesses brought up this issue, that he said, I will destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days, which we know is referring to the church? The fact that Jesus says, right now, you do not think that I am the Messiah, but in a few days from now, you will see it.

You will see it in my body, in my church. The fact that there is a strong emphasis on Peter’s denial, but that denial is going to be reversed. And even though he says, I do not know the man, I do not know the man twice, yet later in Acts, he says just the opposite. And it was so clear.

In Acts 4, there is an interesting verse where it says that when they were boldly proclaiming Christ before the Jewish council, the Jewish council recognized that although they were uneducated men, They recognized that they had been with Jesus. They recognized that they were disciples of Christ, that they knew Christ, that Christ was in them, that they were like, they were the body of Christ. They were the extension of Christ on earth. They were the vindication of Christ before the world. The bold proclamation of the risen Christ by Peter and the apostles in Acts is the fulfillment of Jesus’s words here in Acts in verse 64.

And this ties back also to another key point, which is how is this confession of Christ taking place? It is taking place in the midst of suffering. It is taking place in the midst of the shadow of the cross. It is taking place in the midst of weakness. And so the same thing will be true of the church? The bold proclamation of Peter and John and the other apostles in the book of Acts is taking place in the very midst of their being opposed. They have no political power. They are not in charge of the mainstream culture. They are being persecuted by the Jewish authorities.

And they counted it all joy that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name, to suffer for Christ. And so just like Paul said in Philippians chapter 3, that he desires to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings. And there is this beautiful blend of glory and suffering, like even in the midst of the suffering, even in the darkest hour, even the place of persecution and tribulation, the truth of Christ’s divine authority shines through just as it did here when Jesus was before the Jewish council, and just as it will be after the resurrection when the apostles are suffering for the name of Christ. And just as it is for us as believers here in this present evil age as we deal with suffering and opposition and difficulty.

Confessing Christ Before the World

We have no power in this world. We are not in charge of all the levers of power and cultural influence. We have nothing. But we do have what? We confess our faith in Christ in the midst of this world. The church’s act of confessing Christ before the world is so beautiful. It is so important. It seems like nothing. I mean, what are you saying except, I believe in Jesus? I mean, you are not saying a whole lot. You are just confessing Christ.

And yet, it is so beautiful and so powerful and so important. It is Christ’s own vindication. It is the building of that new temple. It is the entire goal of the Messiah’s work that he would have a people for his own possession who would proclaim the excellencies of Christ.

Outwardly, we seem quite weak. Outwardly, we seem like we have no power. We seem persecuted. We seem culturally marginalized. I mean, those apostles in the first century, they had zero power. Everybody was against them. The Jewish authorities were against them. The Roman government was against them. They had zero power.

All they had was the ability to confess Christ before men. And what does it mean to confess Christ? Well, I think we can see it by way of opposition from our text. Just take Peter’s false confession, his denial of Christ, which he uses the same phrase twice in verse 72 and 74. I do not know the man and just flip it around. That is what it means to confess Christ. I do know the man.

This is my Lord. This is my Savior. And that is what the Lord is calling us to, even in the midst of our suffering. How wonderful that is. There is a wonderful phrase in the Psalms. It is in Psalm 22, incidentally, which is, of course, the Psalm that Jesus quotes, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? But right in the middle of that, it is at the beginning of that Psalm, in Psalm 22, verse three, it says that God is enthroned on the praises of Israel.

God is glorified. God is exalted. He is enthroned on the praises of his people. That is the whole point of salvation, is to form a people that will praise him and confess his name. And the Lord Jesus here, as he stands before the Jewish council, says that very thing, that he will be enthroned on the praises of his people as they confess him before the world.