our way through Matthew's passion narrative for our Lord's Supper Meditation. Tonight, we begin the hearing before the Sanhedrin. We'll look at, God willing, verses 57 to 64 in Matthew chapter 26. But I'll begin reading in verse 47 that says, in the larger context.

And while he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now his betrayer had given them a sign, saying, Whomever I kiss, he is the one. Seize him. Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, Greetings, Rabbi, and kissed him.

But Jesus said to him, Friend, why have you come? Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took him. And suddenly one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. But Jesus said to him, Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

Or do you think that I cannot now pray to my Father that he will provide me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then can the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must happen thus? In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and gloves to take me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize me.

But all this was done that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled, that all the disciples forsook him and fled. And those who had lay hold of Jesus let him lay high at this, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed him at a distance to the high priest's courtyard. and he went in sacrifice service to Simeon. Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but found none.

Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, this fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days. And the high priest arose and said to him, you answer nothing? What is it these men testify against you?

But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to him, I put you under oath by the living God. Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said to him, it is as you said.

Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter, You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power, and coming on the clouds of heaven. In the high priest or his clothes, saying, He has spoken blasphemy. What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard his blasphemy.

What do you think? They answered and said, He is deserving of death. Then they spat in his face and beat him. Another struck him with the palms of their hands, saying, Prophesy to us, Christ, who is the one who struck you?

Amen. Let us pray. Our Father, as we come to this passage now, we will see the great lengths to which the Savior went to save us from our sin. for us sinners, for those dead in their trespasses and sins, those dead in Adab. Yet, Father, we see great love manifested here, we see great mercy and grace, we see the perfect work of the perfect Savior on behalf of the most imperfect men, women, boys and girls.

May you encourage and strengthen our hearts as we see the Savior's love in these pages. May you increase our faith, may you cause us to worship and to glorify and to live lives expressing gratitude and thankfulness and worship unto you, our great and living God, who has saved us from our sins. Fill us with the Spirit now. us from all sin and iniquity and everything that would darken our understanding. And we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen. Well,

Introduction and Outline

as we come to this particular section, we want to look first at the setting of the hearing. We see that in verses 57 and 58. Secondly, the testimony of the witnesses. in verses 59 to 61, and then finally the examination by the high priest in verses 62 to 64. There is that formal charge of blasphemy in verses 65 to 68.

I'm not sure we get to it tonight, so the Lord willing, next time we observe the supper, we'll look at that particular section. So

Setting of the Hearing

let's look first of all at the setting of the hearing in verses 57 and 58. But before we look at those two verses particularly,

The Sanhedrin: Authority and Goal

consider the broader context with reference to the Sanhedrin. This was the highest religious and political court in Israel at this particular time. It was made up of 70 persons and then the leader, the high priest, who was the one that was sort of overseeing the whole council. And so it was made up of those 71 to a preliminary hearing.

They did not possess the authority to execute the Lord Jesus Christ, and they knew that, so they had to concoct a way to at least try and attempt to present looking as if they were complying with the law. All the while, they were not. All the while, they were engaged in a violation of their own scripture. They were engaged in a violation of God's laws.

The highest authority in Israel They were the highest breakers of that particular law. In terms of the goal of the Sanhedrin, we've already seen that. Go back for just a moment to Chapter 26. In verse 3, it says, then the chief priest, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who is called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by a trickery and kill him.

But they said, not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people. Their minds are made up. They already have written opposition against the Lord Jesus. All the way back in Matthew chapter 12, the Pharisees were plotting how they could kill the Lord Jesus Christ.

And then with reference to this specific hearing, notice what verse 59 says. Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death. They had no desire whatsoever for an honest trial. They had no desire whatsoever to give Him a fair hearing.

But their intention, their specific purpose, their minds made up with reference to the execution of our Lord Jesus Christ. Calvin says, but they had previously resolved to put Christ to death, and now they only seek a pretense for oppressing him. So they couldn't just lay hands on him, take him outside the city, and cut his throat, leave him for dead. They couldn't do that.

Again, they were the highest religious. and political court in Israel, they had to maintain some semblance of decency and honorability. They had to maintain some appearance of doing that which was right, but in terms of their desired intention, it was to execute the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the obvious challenge is that they didn't possess this authority. Now there are two instances subsequent to the death of Jesus where even though they didn't possess the authority to execute, they nevertheless did.

They did with Stephen in Acts chapter 7. They killed that holy man. And then James, the pastor of the church in Jerusalem, a half-brother of our Lord Jesus, that James, the Jews, executed as well. So they did not have lawful authority.

In this instance, they helped do that, and thus they needed to employ the civil government of Rome so that that man, Pilate, would give the death order. Now, with reference to their particular design, they needed to build a case against Jesus so that Pilate could carry out the execution. They couldn't just bring Jesus to Pilate and say, we want you to kill this man. Now, with reference to blasphemy, Jesus is accused of that.

But the Romans wouldn't execute Jesus for blasphemy with reference to Jewish law. Later on in Luke's gospel, in chapter 23, they charge Jesus with not paying taxes. So tax evasion would certainly garner the ear of Pilate in this particular instance. But ultimately, they assert that Jesus is a threat to the Roman Empire.

Because Jesus asserts that he is, in fact, a king. And if Jesus is a king, then he's a political revolutionary. And therefore, Pilate, you should put him down. You should execute him.

You should get rid of him. They eventually prevail upon Pilate with that statement in John 19, 12. If you let this man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.

So therefore, Biden, if you let him go, you, in essence, are siding with a man who speaks against Caesar. So they really forced Biden's hand, with reference to the execution order, with reference to our Lord Jesus Christ. Now

Order of Events in the Passion Trial

in terms of a proposed order of events, there's a lot going on in this passion narrative in terms of Jesus standing before the Sanhedrin and then before the Romans with reference to a trial. The best I can piece together, leaning on one of the commentators, is in the first place there was an informal examination before Annas. This occurs in John 18, verses 12-14, and then 19-23. So it was an informal examination.

We've got a problem with this particular fellow. This wasn't the first time. Back in John 11, they were already plotting, how are we going to get rid of him? This wasn't just overnight, hey, we hate Jesus, we're gonna kill him.

No, they plotted long and hard with reference to this particular affair. Second, we have the preliminary hearing before the Sanhedrin, which is where we're at. Here in Matthew 26, it's also in Mark 14, and then it's followed by a formal decision at God and deliverance of Jesus to Pilate. You see that in chapter 27, notice in verses 1 and 2.

When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put him to death. And when they had found him, they led him away and delivered him to Pontius Pilate, the governor. There was then the Roman trial that began with a first examination before Pilate in Matthew's gospel, that's in 27, 11 to 14. There is then that interrogation by Herod.

Remember, when Pilate finds out that Herod has jurisdiction, Pilate says, go visit Herod. Herod's intrigued by this Jesus. He wants him to talk. He wants to hear something from him.

But Jesus doesn't say a word before Herod. So Herod sends him back, and he makes a final appearance before Pilate. Here in Matthew's Gospel, it's in chapter 27, verses 15 to 31. And there the order is given that he shall die. he shall be crucified, he shall be executed as a criminal, as a revolutionary, as one who is challenging the Roman Empire, the Roman Emperor Propero.

Now in terms of the immediate setting,

The Assembly and Peter's Distance

notice the assembly in verse 57, and those who would lay hold of Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the High Priest were described in the Elder's Resemble. you would think that when you are dealing with religious men, you would think that when you are dealing with the High Lord of Israel, you're going to get a fair shake. Brethren, that is a false assumption. You can never assume you are dealing with honest men. You can never assume that you are dealing with upright men.

You can never assume that they have, as their goal, the upholding of God's glorious law, because that is precisely the opposite of what these men have in their minds. And then notice as well the reference to Peter in verse 58. There's some theology going on with reference to Peter that we should observe. Verse 58 says, Peter followed him at an instance to the high priest's courtyard, and he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.

So the contextual significance in verses 69 to 75, Peter is going to deny the Lord Jesus Christ. That's his trial. It's going to take place out in the courtyard. The theological significance is Peter's spiritual trajectory.

He affirms his fidelity to Christ. He affirms his willingness to die with Christ. Christ, however, says, you will deny me. And here we know that that's going to happen in the next section.

Notice what it says, Peter followed him at a distance. He follows, but at a distance. This is bad foreshadowing in terms of what's gonna happen with reference to Simon Peter. So that's the second, that's the Sanhedrin.

This is a preliminary hearing just to make sure they have their case, just to make sure that when they send them along to Pilate, Pilate will give the order that Jesus must die. Now Pilate himself doesn't do that immediately. Pilate, I think, understands what's happening in terms of these Jews. They deliver him up because of their envy.

They deliver him up because of their hatred and enmity of Jesus. The case is not good. The case is not solid. In fact, Pilate's wife has this dream and tells Pilate, have no dealings with this just man.

This isn't going to end well for you, Pilate, because this man is not what they say that he is. So it's basically a kangaroo court that was necessary to maintain, to try to give a semblance of some sort of law-abidingness on their part, but ultimately to deliver him up to Pilate, so that Pilate could say, he must die. And

Testimony of the Witnesses

notice, secondly, the testimony of the witnesses in verses 59 to 61.

The Frustrated Search for Testimony

We have a frustrated search. Verse 59 says the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put him to death. I should say that with reference to this particular section, the Sanhedrin doesn't look good. That has given no cause for concern on the part of the persons that read the Bible.

They see a latent anti-Semitism wired into the book. They say that the Jews are depicted as vicious and vile and horrific people. No, I think all men are depicted as vicious, vile, and horrific people. It just happened to be the Jews in this instance that were carrying out this activity against the Lord Jesus Christ.

But that statement in and of itself, in verse 59, the chief brings the elders and all the council, sought false testimony. They knew they didn't have the goods on this man. They knew that this was, in fact, a manual report. They understand that.

Nevertheless, they want to put him to death, and they know that they cannot proceed without witnesses. It was mandated. Deuteronomy 17, Deuteronomy 19, Numbers 36 demands witnesses in a capital case. The Sanhedrin couldn't just come before Pilate and say, execute this man.

There had to be witnesses, there had to be testimony, there had to be evidence that there was, in fact, one really on the part, or else the Romans wouldn't execute him. Again, the testimony was necessary to put him to death. France says the final clause, so that they could have him executed, indicates that this was not to be an impartial... Jesus knew that these witnesses were not honest men.

Jesus knew that the Sanhedrin was not honest men. But notice what Jesus does not do. He doesn't say, I'm being framed. What's an innocent man like me doing suffering in a situation like this?

It shows the lengths to which he went to rescue us from sin, from damnation, from the devil himself. It is a glorious display of the grace of Almighty God and the resolve of Jesus Christ to carry out the mission given to Him. You shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins. How does He do that?

He goes through this mockery. He goes through this sham. He goes through this false witness testimony in order to be condemned by a Roman magistrate and hung on a cross to die for us in order to save us from our sins. that he did this displays the great love of God for his people. Now notice they find two witnesses.

Look at verses 60B and 61, but found none. And I think this next section is very sad, even though many false witnesses came forward. What a horrible indictment upon our race. I don't mean Jews or Gentiles, I mean men.

There were many that came forward. There were many that wanted to be involved. There were many that said, oh yeah, I'll pony up testimony if it helps the Sanhedrin put this innocent man to death. What a horrific thing!

An abuse of due process, an abuse of the legal system, an abuse of jurisprudence, an abuse of everything that is good and right and that makes men civilized, they're ready to cast out and throw away and have nothing to do with. So they found none, even though many false witnesses came forward.

The Temple Charge

Notice, but at last, two false witnesses came forward and said, this fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days. Now the gravity of the charge is large. Remember, Paul, in Acts 21, they thought, or they suspected, or they concluded, that Paul had brought Trophimus into the temple. Had Paul done that, Trophimus would have been executed.

And most likely Paul would have been executed, well he would have, for having brought him into that place. Certainly somebody who attacked a temple, somebody who tried to destroy a temple, would be executed by the Roman magistrate. That just stands to follow. So this is a very serious charge that they offer up and one that will play well in the hands of Pilate.

If Christ is this kind of a revolutionary, and that's the word that he uses back in verse 55, have you come out as against a robber? That word robber there doesn't mean he stands in the bushes and he prevails upon men and punches them and takes their goods. The word robber there doesn't mean he wanders into Walmart and fills his pockets with whatever it is that he can find. The word robber there is revolutionary.

It is insurrectionist. It is terrorist. It certainly means thief in the general sense, but it also has that connotation of an insurrectionist, an actual threat to the political order. So with these false witnesses testifying that he says, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days, now they are interested.

Now they can work with this. Now they have something that is a capital offense. It is intriguing because this is what Jeremiah the prophet had been charged with as well. Jeremiah prophesied the Babylonian captivity.

Jeremiah prophesied that Nebuchadnezzar would lead the Babylonians into Judah and destroy the temple and destroy the city. So, Jeremiah was brought up on charges of sedition, as if he himself was actually fomenting some sort of insurrection against the temple. It was because of the prophet Micah, about a hundred years prior, saying the same thing, and yet not being charged as a heretic or as a criminal, that they let Jeremiah go. This is the same charge that is ponied up against Stephen.

Remember, he speaks ill against this place, against the holy temple. And in Acts 21, that's what they say about Paul. The temple was the badge of national identity for both religiosity and politics with reference to Israel. The temple was everything for them.

And so anybody that was perceived to be a threat against the temple was somebody that we need to get rid of. Now with reference to Christ, in Matthew chapter 12, he says that something greater than the temple is here. He's talking about himself. You need to understand that the temple pointed to Christ.

Now that Christ is here, the temple as structure or as building is emptied of its religious significance. And then in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 23 at the end, and in the beginning of Matthew 24, and throughout Matthew 24, Jesus prophesies or predicts the fall of Jerusalem, specifically the collapse or destruction of the temple. And so with reference to these false witnesses, Christ had spoken things about the temple. But

Misquotation and Misinterpretation

when we further investigate these witnesses' claims, we'll see how bankrupt they really are. Notice in the first place, they misquote Jesus. Verse 61, this fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days. Turn to John 2 for a moment.

John 2 is absolutely crucial for us in our understanding of this temple stuff. John chapter 2 in verse 13. Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand and Jesus went up to Jerusalem and he found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves and the money changers doing business. When he had made a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple with the sheep and the oxen and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.

And he said to those who sold doves, take these things away, do not make my father's house a house of merchandise. Then his disciples remembered that it was written, zeal for your house has eaten me up. So the Jews answered and said to him, what sign do you show to us since you do these things? Jesus answered and said to them, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.

He didn't say, I'm going to destroy this temple. In fact, in this particular context, he's not talking about the structure. He's not talking about that badge of Israel's identity. Notice how John the theologian interprets this.

So on the heels of this statement, the Jews say in verse 20, it has taken 40 years or 46 years to build this temple. And will you raise it up in three days? But he was speaking of the temple of his body. Therefore, when he had risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this to them.

And they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had said. They misquote Jesus. Jesus didn't say, I'm going to destroy the physical structure. I'm going to take C4.

I'm going to go walk in there and I'm going to go see on the other side. I'm going to put charges all around the building complex. I'm going to go in and wire it. and I'm going to send it to kingdom come." That's not what he said. He's talking about destruction of himself, the one that the temple pointed to, and in three days I will raise it up.

John the theologian tells us he is speaking about his resurrection. So we go back to Matthew 26. This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days. So they misquote him, but as well they misinterpret him.

John gives us the proper interpretation. He's talking about the temple of his body. John Gill says, and so they perverted his sense as well as misrecited his words. So you just don't grab scripture and fit it in to whatever it is you want to make it say.

That is simply unacceptable. These witnesses were in fact false. Now, this particular charge persists. Notice in Matthew 27 at verse 39, and those who pass by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, you who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself.

If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. It persists into the book of Acts when Stephen is charged with being anti-temple. It persists into the book of Acts when Paul is being perceived as anti-temple. Those men weren't anti-temple.

Those men understood temple theology. They realized that the temple stood to point people to Jesus, and now that Jesus had come, the temple had lost its luster. The temple had lost its significance. It was no longer the theological rallying point for the children of Israel.

Christ is that. God and sinners meet in our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the tabernacle of God. He is the temple.

He is the dwelling place. And so these men are lying. These men are ponying up false witness, false testimony.

Examination by the High Priest

That brings us thirdly to the examination by the high priest in verses 62 to 64. I think it's important, brethren, that we as God's people know what's happening in these pages. Because there's a lot of controversy concerning the gospel narratives at this point. And so we need to know it well.

We talked about this this morning in the first hour with reference to the confession. The people of God need to be able to defend the word of God. Contending earnestly for the faith, which was once for all delivered to the saints. And a sloppy approach to the passion narrative has opened the doors for the God-haters to try to rip the Bible to shreds.

But there isn't sloppiness. There is great harmony between Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The sloppiness is on the part of the interpreter or on the part of the student. We need to be diligent.

We need to have our ducks in line when it comes to this grand event relative to our salvation. So now notice, with reference to the examination by the high priest, the question posed by the high priest in verses 62 and 63. The high priest arose and said to him, do you answer nothing? What is it these men testify against you?

That is intrinsic to the narrative and the reading that we had at the outset.

Christ's Silence: Isaiah 53

Christ's silence is to be interpreted in light of Isaiah the prophet, chapter 53 and verse 7. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. He's not like us.

Brethren, if it would have been me, I would have said, those guys are liars. I never said I was going to destroy the temple. Those guys are liars. I never said I was going to rebuild the temple.

Those guys are false. He doesn't do that. He's quiet for us men and for our salvation. He's quiet in accordance with the prophet Isaiah, the suffering servant of Yahweh, going to the end or going to these lengths in order to save us from our sin.

And then

The Oath and the Question

notice the high priest now moves and imposes an oath upon our Lord. In verse 63, Jesus kept silent and the high priest answered and said, I put you under oath by the living God. Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God. Now, the high priest is probably exasperated at this point due to the aloofness of Jesus.

I mean, typically, if it were any other person, we would be whining, we would be grumbling, we would be crying, we would be sniveling, we would be saying, oh, these are false witnesses, this is a kangaroo court, but not Jesus. So the high priest is frustrated at the silence of Jesus, so he imposes this oath upon Jesus to try to force his hand and to try to get him to talk. Now with reference to the question, it is a legitimate question that the high priest asks. When He says, I put you under oath by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.

Now, with reference to this question, it makes sense. The Messiah, the one that would come, the champion of Israel, the Savior of His people, would be the temple builder. 2 Samuel chapter 7, the Davidic covenant reports or rehearses that this Davidic man, the Lord Jesus Christ, would build the temple. He would build a house for Yahweh. Matthew chapter 16, Christ says that very thing.

Jesus says, who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? The disciples say, oh, they say this, and they say this, and they say that. And then Jesus says, who do you say that I am? And Simon Peter says, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

On the heels of that, Jesus says, on this rock, I will build my church. Brethren, you're supposed to hear 2 Samuel 7 there. You have a son of God building a house for God, and that comes to fruition in Matthew 16. Peter confesses that Jesus is the son of God.

Jesus declares that he's going to build the house of God, i.e. the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. So it's a legit question based on 2 Samuel 7, but as well in Zechariah the prophet at chapter 6. The Messiah was to be a temple builder. And so if it is the case Now the high priest is assuming that the false witnesses are accurate.

If it is the case that this Jesus has said, I'm going to destroy this temple and then I'm going to build the temple, again the question of Jesus' identity follows necessarily. In fact, R.T. France makes the observation. The question of the high priest in verse 63 is not a non sequitur.

That means it's not something that doesn't follow. What he's saying is that it does follow, but rather a follow-up to the theological implications of Jesus' alleged intention to replace the existing Jerusalem temple. So when he puts him under oath and he adjures him to say or to tell us, if you are the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus now answers. Jesus answers him because silence would betray who he is in fact.

And so Jesus at this point, and then one other time in 27, does he actually say anything? Now with reference to the affirmation, look at what Jesus says in verse 64. It is as you said. If you look back for just a moment at chapter 26, this is not typically the way we answer questions, but it is the way they answered questions.

Look at 26, 25. Then Judas, who was betraying him, answered and said, Rabbi, is it I? He said to him, you have said it. Same convention here in verse 64.

Jesus said to him, it is as you said. So

Christ's Affirmation of Identity

what does Jesus affirm? Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the temple builder.

Jesus is the one promised in the Old Testament, law and prophets. Jesus is the champion of Israel. Jesus is the savior of his people. Jesus is the one that they had been taught to look for.

So when the high priest puts him under oath, Jesus doesn't say, well, oaths are no longer valid under this new covenant era because I'm a pacifist. No, Jesus takes the oath and Jesus affirms who he is. It is as you said. And now he amplifies this.

He says, nevertheless I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven.

Daniel 7 and the Son of Man

He uses this language of the Son of Man, and that suggests Daniel the prophet. Daniel speaks of a Son of Man. In fact, turn to Daniel chapter 7 to see what's in the mind of Jesus. At least to see what could have been in the mind of Jesus, this is the text that I think is the backdrop.

Daniel chapter 7. You have all these beautiful images concerning the Lord Jesus in the Old Testament. And in Daniel 7, notice what verses 13 and 14 tell us. I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven.

It's very intriguing, brethren, when you go through the gospel narratives, When you see the phrase, Son of Man applied to Jesus, typically we utilize that to maintain the true humanity of Jesus. It's just the opposite. The Son of Man title underscores the true divinity of Jesus. Typically, when the New Testament calls Jesus, or the narratives call Him the Son of God, that usually underscores His true humanity.

But the Son of Man identifier is more an ascription of His divinity, or His deity, or His royalty, than of His humanity. Not to say that He's not human, but if you look at this passage, and you see what is true of the Son of Man, and then you understand that Jesus is saying this before the High Priest of Israel. We may not be familiar with Daniel 7, 13, and 14, but that high priest of Israel was, that Sanhedrin was, they understood all too well the implications of Jesus referring to himself as the Son of Man. So notice in Daniel 7, 13, I was watching in the night visions and behold, one like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven.

He came to the ancient of days and they brought him near before him. Now there are some people that for whatever reason teach this as a Jesus coming to earth passage. But that's not what the passage says. The Son of Man comes to the ancient of days.

The Son of Man appears before the Ancient of Days. The Ancient of Days is the Father. The Son of Man is the Son, the second person of the Trinity. This is an ascension text.

After His death, after His resurrection, Christ ascends on high. He appears before the ancient of days. And then notice what happens then in verse 14. Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed. I mentioned this morning, we're not waiting for Jesus to take his throne. Christ took the throne at His ascension. He comes to the Ancient of Days.

He's granted access or seat right at the right hand of the Father. Then this kingdom is turned over to Him such that He's able to say, all authority in heaven and in earth has been given unto me. Christ is the Son of Man spoken of by Daniel in Daniel 7, 13, and 14. So go back now to our text in Matthew 26.

When you understand the implications, the response of the high priest is at least explainable. It's wicked, it's reprobate, it's degenerate, it's vile, and it's lawlessness, but it is explainable because what Jesus is asserting is that he's Daniel's son of man. So back to verse 64, it is as you said, nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter or from now on, might be a good way to translate this connecting word, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Now, I have preached at length that this means that it's Christ who is over the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

If we had a lot of time, and I'm glad we don't for your sakes, we could make that particular case. But that's what he is referring to. And the theological significance, I think, is explained well by R.T. Frantz.

He says the implication of the phrase you, it's a plural, it's not just the high priest, you Sanhedrin, you the children of Israel, you the people of the covenant, you will see is that the tables will be turned and that he who is now being judged by the Sanhedrin will soon be recognized as himself their judge. That's the implication that we should conclude. It is, as you said, nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter or from now on, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven. So Christ affirms that He is the Son of God.

Christ affirms that He is the one the prophet Daniel spoke of in Daniel 7, 13 and 14. Christ affirms that He is the one to whom the temple pointed. Christ affirms in Psalm that He is the Christ, the Messiah of God, the champion of Israel, the Savior of His people. And so on the heels of that, the high priest flips out.

The high priest rips his clothes, charges him with blasphemy, and then they lay their dirty, filthy hands upon the face of our beloved Savior. God willing, we'll take that up next time.

Application

In conclusion, just a few thoughts before we transition into the supper. In the first place, we ought to see here something of the sinfulness of man. the sinfulness of man, on the one hand, that which necessitated this kind of conduct received by our Savior. But in a specific way, look at how vicious and vile human beings can actually be. I think it is imperative that we understand that. that we recognize that, not just so we see how bad everybody else is out there, but so that we can get a decent appreciation for what goes on in the human heart, to see what it is we are potentially capable of.

Again, we often say, but for the grace of God, there go I. We say it almost as if it's a bumper sticker. We say it almost as if it's a fridge magnet. We don't say it as if our lives depended upon it, and I suggest we should.

But for the grace of God, there go I. Man can be this bad. Man can be this despicable. Man can be this lawless and this rebellious.

And we need to understand that. Again, not just for the men out there, but for the men that we are, the women that we are, and to have this appreciation for the grace of God in our lives. With reference to this particular account, first, their sinfulness is seen in their already agreed-upon verdict even prior to the hearing. Now, I think that most people, some people, a fraction of people are interested in due process or court or, you know, civil proceedings or criminal sorts of things.

I mean, there's some sort of an allure to us. I mean, the TV shows or Internet or whatever, movies, whatever. There's this appeal that the courtroom and the drama and lawyers and judges and all that sort of thing. But when it is done like this, it is reprehensible.

It is vicious and vile. It's a horrific attack upon innocent people. Christ was holy, harmless, and undefiled. They already had the verdict in their minds.

They already knew that they wanted to kill him. So they're going to massage the testimony. They're going to massage the whole court case to produce the result. That's wickedness.

Secondly, their sinfulness is seen in the willingness of the Sanhedrin to violate their own law. Again, brethren, you'd like to think that the chief priests, the elders, the scribes, the higher-ups, the makedimachs in Israel would be men committed to Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. They would be committed to the ninth commandment, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. But they don't care about that.

Not one bit. They don't even pay lip service to that. They have their verdict. They now need to find witnesses in order to seal the deal.

Thirdly, their sinfulness is seen in the united effort of both Jews and Gentiles in the crucifixion of the Son of God. It's not just the Jews. That's why the allegation that the New Testament, and specifically John, John gets heaped up with abuse that he's anti-Semitic. Strange, John was a Jew.

I mean, that's just an odd sort of logic in my mind. He's just reporting the facts. Again, if it were the Gentiles, if it were any other group of people, I don't think we would have received him happily and said, oh Jesus, we just love you and we want you with us. But with reference to this consolidated effort, it is intriguing that Pilate and Herod, prior to their sort of overlapping with reference to Jesus, were at odds with each other.

But this account with reference to Jesus as being their common target brought consolidation between those two men. So Jews and Gentiles are consolidated in their evil activity in trying to rid the world of the Son of God. And then the sinfulness is seen in the willingness of many men to perjure themselves in a capital case. Do you ever just kind of wonder how is it the way it is?

Because of sin, because of wickedness, because of our in-Adam-ness, men act wickedly as a result of their connection covenantally to Adam. In Adam, all die. And as a result, they engage in this sort of lawlessness, that there were many witnesses ready to come forward to see Jesus executed as a terrible testimony on our race.

The Glorious Person and Work of Christ

Secondly, in sharp contrast, And this is where hopefully we get encouraged. I feel like it's not been too encouraging along the way. But the glorious person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Consider, he is Christ, the son of the living God.

That is most blessed and most wonderful. He is the temple builder in accordance with the Davidic covenant. The specific text in 2 Samuel 7, 13 and 14, he shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father and he shall be my son.

That is realized by and in and through our Lord Jesus. Certainly there is a succession of Davidic kings, the kings of Judah, ultimately terminating in the coming of Shiloh, the Lord Christ, who would indeed be that Son of God who would build a house for God. The function of temples is just to illustrate God and people dwelling together. That's realized in Jesus.

The temple isn't the end. That's why a dispensational mindset that sees in the future a rebuilt temple in the city of Jerusalem with animal sacrifices is to go exactly backward in redemptive history. It is to say, thank you, Lord, for the fulfillment of all the promises of God. Yay and amen in Jesus.

We're going to go back to the temple now and we're going to bring our bulls and our goats and we're going to offer them up. That is not the trajectory you find in Scripture. Tabernacle and temple pointed to Jesus. They were types.

They were shadows. They foresignified. Now that the substance has come, there is no more significance to the earthly temple. So, this idea that dispensationalists have of a rebuilt temple in a rebuilt Jerusalem with a revived Roman Empire, older forms of dispensationalism actually taught a revived Roman Empire because they're literalists, is absolutely backward thinking. when it comes to the trajectory of Scripture.

Christ has come. He is the yea and amen of Almighty God, and we rejoice in that. No more animal sacrifices. We have the supper of our Lord to remember the redemptive act of Christ on our behalf.

Animal sacrifices are not in the future for God's people. We have the once-for-all sacrifice in our Lord Jesus Christ. The affirmation of Christ's mission, I already told you in Matthew 16, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. You're right, Peter.

And on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. That intricate link between Son of God and house builder, that is 2 Samuel 7. And then the fulfillment ultimately of the temple motif, the death and resurrection of Christ, John 2. He wasn't talking about the physical structure that took 46 years to build.

He was talking about his body. He was talking about his resurrection from the dead. After they put him to death, in three days he will be raised up again. But the ultimate fulfillment is found in Revelation 21-22, when that new Jerusalem descends out of heaven, adorned as a bride for her husband.

It's a beautiful and glorious thing. You know what John's describing? He's describing temple. And not temple in terms of structure, temple in terms of concept.

Temple in terms of theology. Temple in terms of dwelling. And this is what John specifically says in Revelation 21, 22. But I saw no temple in it, in terms of physical structure, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb or its temple.

That's the forward movement of the church, not a physical structure in geographic Jerusalem with animal sacrifice. But it's the consummation of the age. It is the dwelling with God Almighty. It is that time when He wipes away every tear from our eyes, when there's no more sorrow, there's no more pain, there's no more hunger, there's no more thirst, there's no more death, because death is the final enemy that is eradicated by our blessed Lord according to 1 Corinthians 15.

So, to move backward in redemptive history is dispensationalism. To move forward is covenant theology and to appreciate what God Most High has for His people. It's not a physical structure in physical Jerusalem, but it's the glorious reality of God dwelling with His people. God says, I will be your God, and you will be my people.

That's where we're moving. That's what's in our future, and that's what the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ our Lord rejoice in. We see as well, he is the exalted king-priest. He is Daniel's son of man.

He is the suffering servant. That theology is in the passage. In verse 60, verse 60, Then they spat in his face and beat him. That comes from another servant song in Isaiah chapter 50.

So all through this brief section, Christ affirms who he is. The high priest understands that and the high priest loses his mind. But we as God's people understanding that are not to lose our minds. We're to be impressed.

We're to be amazed and we are to be melted with love and affection and adoration and worship to our blessed Christ who went through this for us men and for our salvation.

Closing Prayer

Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for the reality that Christ went through these things to save us from our sins. We often only think of the actual act on the cross, the blood shedding, but it's all these events. It's everything that he went through from birth, to death, to resurrection.

It was not because of his sin, because of his crime, because of his insurrection, but it was our sin. It was our criminal activity. It was our insurrection against the true and living God. So Christ lives in obedience to that law.

Christ dies as a sacrifice and a substitute. Christ is risen the third day, and now he sits enthroned at the right hand of the Father where he ever lives to make intercession for us. And we look forward to that day when He comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead. We thank You that we are clothed in His righteousness.

We thank You that we are forgiven of our sins. And we thank You that we will be brought in by Your grace and for Your glory. And God, our hearts go out to those who still do not know You. We pray that you would do that work in the hearts of men, women, boys and girls, that you would convict of sin, that you would show the lawlessness.

Perhaps they're not as bad as the high priest and these false witnesses, but they certainly are bad, because all of us have sinned against a holy God. All of us have fallen short of the glory of God. So, Lord, show that to sinners here and elsewhere, wherever the gospel is preached, and set forth Christ in all of His offices, Christ in all of His work, Christ in all of His beauty, so that sinners by grace can believe and be saved. And we ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen. We'll look back to chapter 26 in terms of our transition to the Lord's Supper. We'll look at verses 26 to 30, just a couple of reminders with reference to the ordinance of the supper. In the first place, it's for believers only.

It's an in-house sort of a thing. It's for those who have been saved. Some in the history of the church have taught that it is a converting ordinance. We give the supper to people. so that they can get saved.

But that's not what we see in Scripture. Rather, it is an ordinance for the people of God. It is a sacrament for the believer. It is for those who have been washed in the precious blood and who have received the imputed righteousness of Christ, received by faith alone.

So if you're not a believer tonight, please do not take, but I would heartily encourage you to believe. While you may not get to eat the bread and drink the cup, you can certainly look unto the Lord Jesus Christ and receive the forgiveness of sins. Secondly, the ordinance of the supper is for believers who are dealing with their sin according to God's Word. When we look at a parallel passage in 1 Corinthians 11, the Apostle Paul is reproving the church at Corinth, because in the church at Corinth, they had the Lord's Supper in conjunction with a meal.

They'd have a feast together, and at that particular feast, the people who had a lot were eating and drinking to the point of gluttony and drunkenness, while the people who had nothing were starving. They had nothing at all. And so the idea is that the rich or the well-off should share with the poor. They weren't doing that, so Paul reproves that.

And Paul then indicates the importance of self-examination, not examination to determine whether you're absolutely spotless, whether you're absolutely holy, whether you're absolutely perfect. That is an examination that is futile. Trust me, you will never yield those results in your examination. But an examination as to whether or not we are seeking faithfully to deal with our sin, both with God and with men.

If we are harboring sin in our hearts, we're holding on to it, we're cleaving it, we're enjoying it, we're having truck with it, we're living at odds with God or with men, then we're not to take or we're going to reap judgment upon our own heads. As well, the elements of the supper remain bread and wine. They are consecrated, taken from ordinary use into special use in terms of a church service, but they don't become something other. The bread remains bread, the wine and the juice remain wine and juice.

They are not transubstantiated vis-a-vis the Church of Rome. The Church of Rome says that the priest has the power to change the bread and to change the wine into the actual body and blood of Jesus. Once the priest does that, he offers a prayer of consecration, and then he sacrifices afresh the Lord Jesus. They call it an unbloody atonement.

They call it a sacrifice of atonement, which is an abomination. It runs roughshod against the statements in Hebrews over and over again concerning Christ's sacrifice. It was once for all. It's not to be duplicated.

It's not to be replicated. It's not to be engaged in consistently. Rather, we have a memorial and a means of grace because as we're remembering the blessed Lord, the blessed Lord by the Spirit is present with his people, encouraging, strengthening, and confirming his beloved people. And then ultimately, the focus of the supper is on Christ.

It's not wrong to reflect upon ourselves and say, wow, I'm a sinner. God, forgive me for my sins. But then look unto Jesus. Sometimes we get so preoccupied with ourselves that we forget Christ.

That's pretty easy to do on a basic level. But when it comes to the supper, introspection to discover sin and confess sin is what we're after. But it's preoccupation with Jesus and not self that is in view. And then practically the juice is in the outer ring and the wine is in the middle.

So if the brothers could come, and pass out the bread. We will sing 336 while they do that, and then we'll read the section appropriate to the bread, pray, and take the bread together. So that hymn was 336, and you can remain seated. ♪ Let our hope appear in green and shade without ♪ ♪ As our goal is surrounded with hearts unopened proud ♪ ♪ And love is my tender glory, my joy to holy mind ♪ ♪ How now my Lord has spurned her, what no more sinners did ♪ ♪ I'll find a heavenly place ♪ ♪ Oh, here I know my Savior ♪ ♪ It's my eternal place ♪ ♪ Look on me with high favor ♪ ♪ I'll stay to thee ♪ ♪ What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest Friend, for this life? ♪ ♪ Life is without end ♪ ♪ Oh, may we lie forever ♪ ♪ And should I be king ♪ ♪ Lord, let me never, never ♪ ♪ Outlive my country ♪ In Matthew 26, at verse 26, we read, And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat, this is my body. Well, let us pray.

Our God, as we consider the death of our Lord Jesus and the events leading there, we thank you again for his love. We thank you for his identification with humanity and the reality that he obeyed the law in our stead and that he died in our place. He received the punishment, men certainly, but the punishment, the wrath and fury of God Almighty. So we rejoice in this transaction, we are humbled by it, and we hopefully are drawn out with great love, considering all that the Savior went through on our behalf.

We give you praise and glory and thanksgiving for that wonderful event, and we ask now that you would bless and strengthen us, confirm us in our faith, cause us to grow in our appreciation for the gospel itself, and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. We'll take together. Will please turn to 342. Again, remain seated as the brothers pass out the wine and the juice.

The juice is in the outer ring. We'll sing three, four, two. ♪ And ever with Him stand I in love with Thee ♪ ♪ It's the Christ I have rejected ♪ ♪ As my soul is He deceived ♪ ♪ It's the love that's kept me from Him ♪ ♪ In His love and in His glory ♪ ♪ Every word ♪ ♪ Tell me, did the earth appear in the morning ♪ ♪ Was there ever a meal like this ♪ ♪ Friends would fear it was this morning ♪ ♪ Those exulting in its success ♪ ♪ Many as were the Christian world near ♪ ♪ By the deep and strong that is him ♪ ♪ Was the strong and just his name ♪ ♪ He who made us in our hiding ♪ ♪ Was a worthy old man, here he is now ♪ ♪ Still with us today ♪ ♪ Our blessed friend was appointed ♪ ♪ Savior and King of all ♪ ♪ Tis the word the Lord has appointed ♪ ♪ Son of man and Son of God ♪ ♪ When we have our foundation laid ♪ ♪ The cross of nation is the name of which we boast ♪ ♪ And the blood of sinners through Him ♪ ♪ Sacrificed in death's long building ♪ ♪ But shall ever be crowned as new ♪ In verse 27 we read, Then he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Let us pray. Our Father, we know and suspect that people outside the church think it's odd to rejoice in and to celebrate the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. But we know the old covenant was ratified with blood, the blood of bulls and goats, and the new covenant is ratified by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. And as the apostle says, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission for sin.

And so we thank you for the provision of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We give praise to you for this sacrifice. We give praise to you for the substitutionary atoning work that Christ wrought out on our behalf. And certainly we know the power of the blood of the Lord Jesus to wash to cleanse and to purify us from all sin.

So we rejoice now and we pray again that you would strengthen us, that you would encourage us, and that you would cause us to respond with worship and praise and adoration to Father, Son, and Spirit for so great a salvation. And we pray in Jesus' name, amen. We'll take together. Well, you can turn to 352. 352, and we'll stand as we sing Man of Sorrows. in my Hallelujah!

What a Savior! Built deep, high, when helpless, free, Swampless, when our God was near, Full of joy, we're glad in Him. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Was he to die? In his finish was his pride. Now in heaven is all denied. Alleluia!

What a Savior! ♪ When he comes our glorious King ♪ ♪ All his ransomed home to bring ♪ ♪ Then a new day's song we'll sing ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, what a Savior ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. God, may this be true for each of us.

May you bless us. May you watch over us. May you grant us the help and the grace that we need to persevere in this world. Grant us the grace as well to be faithful unto our God and look with favor upon those in our midst that are sick, that are afflicted, those who are suffering.

We just commit each one to you. and to the word of your grace. And we thank you for a blessed and a wonderful Sabbath day. We thank you for the ministry of the church, the blessing of the church, the privilege of gathering together as the people of God to worship the true and living God on the day appointed by God. Go with us now, we pray, in Jesus' holy name, amen.

Well, please be seated for a brief time of meditation.

Scripture References

• Numbers 35
• Deuteronomy 5; 17; 19
• 2 Samuel 7; 7:13-14
• Isaiah 50; 53:7
• Daniel 7; 7:13-14
• Zechariah 6
• Matthew 12:14; 16:13-18; 23; 24; 26:3; 26:25; 26:47; 26:55; 26:57-68; 26:69-75; 27:1-2; 27:11-14; 27:15-31; 27:39
• Mark 14
• Luke 23
• John 2:13-22; 18:12-14; 19:12
• Acts 7; 21
• 1 Corinthians 11; 15
• Revelation 21-22; 21:22