Mateo 26:63

63 Mas Jesús callaba. Respondiendo el pontífice, le dijo: Te conjuro por el Dios viviente, que nos digas si eres tú el Cristo, 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 Que dijeron: Este dijo: Puedo derribar el templo de Dios, y en tres días reedificarlo.
62 Y levantándose el pontífice, le dijo: ¿No respondes nada? ¿qué testifican éstos contra ti?
63 Mas Jesús callaba. Respondiendo el pontífice, le dijo: Te conjuro por el Dios viviente, que nos digas si eres tú el Cristo, Hijo de Dios.
64 Jesús le dijo: Tú lo has dicho: y aun os digo, que desde ahora habéis de ver al Hijo de los hombres sentado á la diestra de la potencia de Dios, y que viene en las nubes del cielo.
65 Entonces el pontífice rasgó sus vestidos, diciendo: Blasfemado ha: ¿qué más necesidad tenemos de testigos? He aquí, ahora habéis oído su blasfemia.
The Reina-Valera Antigua (1602) is in the public domain.