Mateo 26:63

63 Pero Jesús guardó silencio. Entonces el sumo sacerdote le dijo:
—Te exijo, en el nombre del Dios viviente, que nos digas si eres el Mesías, el Hijo de Dios.

Mateo 26:63 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 26:63

But Jesus held his peace
Knowing it would signify nothing, whatever he should say, they being set upon his death, the time of which was now come; and therefore he quietly submits, and says nothing in his own defence to prevent it. To be silent in a court of judicature, Apollonius Tyanaeus ^F3 says, is the fourth virtue; this Christ had, and all others:

and the high priest answered and said unto him;
though Christ had said nothing, a way of speaking very frequent among the Jews, and in the sacred writings:

I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be
the Christ, the Son of God;
the Christ; the anointed, that David speaks of in the second Psalm, and who is there said to be the Son of God, ( Psalms 2:2 Psalms 2:7 ) , to which the high priest seems to have respect; since there is no other passage, in which both these characters meet; and which was understood by the ancient Jews of the Messiah, as is owned by modern ones ^F4. Jesus was given out to be the Messiah, and his disciples believed him to be the Son of God, and he had affirmed himself to be so; wherefore the high priest, exerting his priestly power and authority, puts him upon his oath; or at least with an oath made by the living God, charges him to tell the truth, and which when ever any heard the voice of swearing, he was obliged to do, ( Leviticus 5:1 ) .

---

FOOTNOTES:

F3 Philostrat. Vita Apollouii, l. 8. c. 1.
F4 Jarchi & Aben Ezra in Psal. ii. 1. & Kimchi in ver. 12.

Mateo 26:63 In-Context

61 y declararon: «Este hombre dijo: “Puedo destruir el templo de Dios y reconstruirlo en tres días”».

62 Entonces el sumo sacerdote se puso de pie y le dijo a Jesús: «Bien, ¿no vas a responder a estos cargos? ¿Qué tienes que decir a tu favor?».

63 Pero Jesús guardó silencio. Entonces el sumo sacerdote le dijo:
—Te exijo, en el nombre del Dios viviente, que nos digas si eres el Mesías, el Hijo de Dios.

64 Jesús respondió:

65 Entonces el sumo sacerdote se rasgó las vestiduras en señal de horror y dijo: «¡Blasfemia! ¿Para qué necesitamos más testigos? Todos han oído la blasfemia que dijo.