Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Matthew: Chapter 26]
26:61 {I am able to destroy the temple of God} (\dunamai
katalusai ton naon tou theou\). What he had said (Joh 2:19)
referred to the temple of his body which they were to destroy
(and did) and which he would raise again in three days as he did.
It was a pitiful perversion of what Jesus had said and even so
the two witnesses disagreed in their misrepresentation (Mr
14:59).
26:63 {Held his peace} (\esi•pa\). Kept silent, imperfect tense.
Jesus refused to answer the bluster of Caiaphas. {I adjure thee
by the living God} (\exorkiz• se kata tou theou tou z•ntos\). So
Caiaphas put Jesus on oath in order to make him incriminate
himself, a thing unlawful in Jewish jurisprudence. He had failed
to secure any accusation against Jesus that would stand at all.
But Jesus did not refuse to answer under solemn oath, clearly
showing that he was not thinking of oaths in courts of justice
when he prohibited profanity. The charge that Caiaphas makes is
that Jesus claims to be the Messiah, the Son of God. To refuse to
answer would be tantamount to a denial. So Jesus answered knowing
full well the use that would be made of his confession and claim.
26:64 {Thou hast said} (\su eipas\). This is a Greek affirmative
reply. Mark (Mr 14:62) has it plainly, "I am" (\eimi\). But
this is not all that Jesus said to Caiaphas. He claims that the
day will come when Jesus will be the Judge and Caiaphas the
culprit using the prophetic language in Da 7:13 and Ps 109:1.
It was all that Caiaphas wanted.
26:65 {He hath spoken blasphemy} (\eblasph•m•sen\). There was no
need of witnesses now, for Jesus had incriminated himself by
claiming under oath to be the Messiah, the Son of God. Now it
would not be blasphemy for the real Messiah to make such a claim,
but it was intolerable to admit that Jesus could be the Messiah
of Jewish hope. At the beginning of Christ's ministry he
occasionally used the word Messiah of himself, but he soon
ceased, for it was plain that it would create trouble. The people
would take it in the sense of a political revolutionist who would
throw off the Roman yoke. If he declined that role, the Pharisees
would have none of him for that was the kind of a Messiah that
they desired. But the hour has now come. At the Triumphal Entry
Jesus let the Galilean crowds hail him as Messiah, knowing what
the effect would be. Now the hour has struck. He has made his
claim and has defied the High Priest.
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/MT26.RWP.html (13 of 16) [28/08/2004 09:03:28 a.m.]