The Son of God on Trial
Matthew 26:57-68
From the very beginning of Matthew’s Gospel, the narrative has been moving toward a necessary climax at the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. But in these last few chapters, we are rushing toward the cross. Events are happening quickly, and Matthew describes both the wicked injustice of those seeking Jesus’ death and the humble majesty of our Lord in willingly submitting to it. We come today to the first of Jesus’ trials that led to His condemnation and execution.
Drawing from all four Gospel accounts, we see that in the span of just a few hours on Thursday night and Friday morning, Jesus endured two trials, each having three phases. First is the religious trial conducted by the chief priest and the council of the Jewish leaders. This trial had three parts: an informal examination by the former High Priest Annas (John 18:12-14, 19-24); a hearing before Caiaphas (Matt. 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65); and a formal judgment by the Sanhedrin at dawn (Matt. 27:1; Luke 22:66-71).
They then took Jesus to stand trial under the Roman authorities (Matt. 27:2). The three phases of this trial were: first, Pilate examined Jesus (Matt. 27:11-14; John 18:28–38a); second, Herod interrogated Him (Luke 23:6–12); finally, Pilate condemned Jesus to be crucified (Matt 27:15–31; Luke 23:13-25; John 19:1-16). All this will take place before nine o’clock in the morning when Jesus was nailed to the cross (Mark 15:25).
These trials contrast Jesus’ innocence and their guilt, His righteousness and their wickedness, His humility and their arrogance, His majesty and their vulgarity, His courage and their cowardice, His love and their hate. As Jesus patiently endured the events of this dark night, His glory shone all the more brightly.
Walk with me as we see the Son of God on trial. First, we see …
1. The Setting of the Trial (Matt. 26:57-58)
Matthew 26:57 says, “And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.” The groups of people represented here suggest that this is at least a quorum of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council (Matt. 26:59). These men had opposed Jesus since early in His ministry and had been plotting to destroy Him for a long time (Matt. 12:14). We remember that in Matthew 26:4, they “plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.” The fact that they met at night in the palace of Caiaphas rather than during the day in the temple suggests the seriousness of the case in their minds, as well as their need for secrecy and haste in dealing with Jesus.
Many scholars and historians have written about the injustice of the Lord’s trial, violating all established norms of the court. But even for those of us who are unfamiliar with the Jewish and Roman laws, it is clear that these trials were unjust. The Jewish trial was held at night in relative secrecy, not in the daytime when the public could be aware of it. They arrested Jesus and tried Him before they had even levied any charges against Him. They decided the outcome before they even heard the witnesses. This proceeding was a predetermined guilty verdict in search of an indictment. When they couldn’t find charges that would stick, the High Priest sought to get Jesus to incriminate Himself. They declared Him guilty of blasphemy for telling the truth about who He is. They mocked and abused Him.
The next part of the setting shows that Peter’s story of denial is intertwined with the story of Jesus’ trial. Matthew 26:58 says, “But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.” It seems that although Peter had fled like all the rest of the disciples (Matt. 26:56), he was determined to see the outcome. Peter, who had shortly before boasted that he would defend Jesus to the death, watched helplessly from the shadows while Jesus faced His accusers alone. Next time, we will look at Peter’s denials in Matthew 26:69-75.
Next, we see that His accusers were …
2. The False Witnesses (Matt. 26:59-63a)
Matthew 26:59 says, “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.” (Matt. 26:59-60).
Obviously, the council would not have called it “false testimony,” but that’s what it was. In fact, they “sought” out this false testimony. From the start, this trial wasn’t about truth or justice. Their only goal was to find a semi-valid reason to put Jesus to death. Matthew indicates that they brought forward witness after witness, but “they found none”—no evidence that would convict Him. They found no one who had a consistent, corroborated testimony against Jesus. Not one charge against Him would stick.
They sought but could not find evidence against Jesus because He was innocent. He was no lawbreaker, no insurrectionist. He was the spotless lamb of God, the righteous Son of God. Jesus stood before this wicked council to prove He was innocent. In John 8:46, Jesus had said to the Jewish leaders, “Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?” And because He bore no guilt of His own, He was able to bear the guilt of our sin for us. Paul writes, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21). Peter writes in his first epistle, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,” (1 Pet. 3:18).
So how would they convict Jesus if He was innocent? False witnesses. Look at what Matthew writes, “… 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.’ “” (Matt. 26:60b-61). It was important that there be two witnesses because the law of Moses said, “Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness.” (Deut. 17:6; also Deut. 19:16). Now finally, the council had two men who agreed on what Jesus said and did.
These men’s testimony recalled something like what Jesus had said. In John 2, early in Jesus’ ministry, He had cleansed those who were buying and selling out of the temple, much like He had just done earlier this last week (Matt. 21:12-13). At that earlier cleansing, the Jews demanded from Jesus, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” (John 2:18). Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19).
Now, did you notice the difference between what Jesus actually said and what these false witnesses testified? Jesus never said He would destroy the temple. He said they would destroy it. And John makes it clear that Jesus was not talking about the stone temple He had just cleansed. John writes, “But He was speaking of the temple of His body.” (John 2:21). Jesus was really giving them a prophecy about His death and resurrection. But these men brought “false” testimony, because they misquoted Jesus, and misrepresented His words.
Now, you might expect a man who was on trial for his life to object to this testimony and make an effort to defend himself. But Jesus didn’t try to defend Himself. In Matthew 26:62, it says, “And the high priest arose and said to Him, ‘Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?’” Jesus’ silence clearly visibly irritated and frustrated the high priest. Can’t you just hear him raising the volume and tone of his voice as he berates Jesus for His silence?
Matthew simply reports, “But Jesus kept silent” (Matt. 26:63a). Jesus did not defend Himself against these baseless charges because He had already surrendered to the Father’s will and to the authority of the scriptures. As Isaiah 53:7 explains, “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.” The apostle Peter writes that we should follow in the steps of Jesus, “‘Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth’; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;” (1 Pet. 2:22-23).
Jesus silently stood trial that dark night to prove His innocence and to demonstrate His surrender to the will of the Father.
Next we see …
3. The Confession of Jesus (Matt. 26:63-64)
Here is the turning point in the trial. Having been frustrated by the inconsistency of the false witnesses and the silence of Jesus, the high priest was forced to address the crucial issue. So, in desperation, the high priest demanded a confession from Jesus, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” (Matt. 26:63). This was the strongest, most sacred oath that the high priest could utter. By the authority and power of God, he ordered Jesus to answer this one question directly.
And Jesus did not disappoint him this time. 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.” (Matt. 26:64).
Now, the answer that Jesus gave may seem ambiguous to you and me. Matthew records Jesus’ response to be literally, “You yourself said” (Greek, Σὺ εἶπας), a Jewish idiom that confirms what the speaker said, indicting the high priest. Mark makes the meaning even clearer for his Roman readers when he quotes Jesus answering, “I am” (Greek, Ἐγώ εἰμι, egō eimi, Mark 14:62). At this point, Jesus did not stay silent in order to save Himself. Jesus made the “good confession” (1 Tim. 6:13) both here and before Pilate. With unmistakable clarity, Jesus confessed to who He was.
With His confession, Jesus knew that His fate would be sealed. And so, He gives one last statement confirming His identity. It’s a statement that will come back to haunt these Jewish leaders someday. He 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” (Matt. 26:64).
His quotation combines two Old Testament allusions to the Messiah. Psalm 110 pictures the Messiah as the Lord, both King and priest, seated at the right hand of God in power and authority. Daniel 7 pictures the anointed Son of Man returning to claim His everlasting kingdom. There may also be an allusion to Zechariah 12:10 where the inhabitants of Jerusalem look on, or see, the Lord whom they had pierced and mourn for Him. There was no doubt as to what Jesus was saying. Jesus could not have made a bolder claim to His own majesty as the Son of Man than that! It was clear that He was claiming to be the Messiah and the Son of God.
4. The Charge of Blasphemy (Matt. 26:65-66)
Notice that Jesus’ answer was not the least bit ambiguous to the council. They knew what He claimed, and they detested it. Look at their response: “Then the high priest tore 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’” (Matt. 26:65-66). The high priest tore his clothes to show his great sorrow and indignation at the supposed blasphemy of Jesus. The sad thing is that he wasn’t sorrowful. Surely, he was rejoicing inside! They had finally captured Jesus and got Him to confess what they saw as blasphemy worthy of death. What hypocrisy!
So, for what crime did Jesus die? He died for being the Messiah! He died for confessing the truth. The issue is not that the Jewish council didn’t know who Jesus was. They knew it. They just refused to believe it (John 10:24-25). No one there seriously considered whether Jesus was speaking the truth. To them, Jesus could not and must not be the Messiah. They had their own idea of who the Messiah would be, and Jesus did not fit the profile. Instead of rewarding these self-righteous men for their devotion to God, Jesus had denounced them for their wicked hypocrisy. So, they rejected Him and charged Him with blasphemy.
At this trial Jesus was convicted for speaking the truth about Himself being the Messiah, the Son of God. Finally at this trial we see …
5. The Derision of the Lord (Matt. 26:67-68)
With the official charge against Jesus now established, His guilty verdict was assured. Now look at the shocking conclusion to this evil, unjust trial:
67 Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?” (Matt. 26:67-68).
Since Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, they attempted to demonstrate what a ridiculous claim it was and how He was lying. So they mocked Him and abused Him. Yet, through all of it, what did Jesus do? He did nothing. Greg Allen comments,
But look at His meekness! He who gave sight to the blind doesn’t strike any of them blind. He who healed the lepers doesn’t make them leprous. He who raised the dead doesn’t strike any of them dead. He took the blows from men meekly—and then went out and died for the sins of mankind.[i]
He took the punishment upon His own body. Why? For our sins. Here was the only innocent man ever to walk on earth, being condemned and abused at an unjust and illegal trial. But, praise be to God, for His sacrifice means that we go free! As Calvin comments, they disfigured the face of Him who, by this abuse, would restore the image of God in us that had been disfigured by the Fall.[ii]
What Jesus suffered that night, He suffered for you! He went through this so you might be saved from sin, death, and Hell. Here is the question you must answer: Since the Bible says Jesus died for your sins and He is the only way to God, have you repented and believed in Jesus? Have you been born again? If you have never been saved, don’t wait another day.
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[i] Greg Allen, The Son of God on Trial, https://bethanybible.net/index.php/2009/04/26/the-son-of-god-on-trial/ accessed 01/24/2026.
[ii] John Calvin, as quoted by John Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew (The New International Greek Testament Commentary | NIGTC 2005) Eerdmans, p. 1135.
Nolland, John • Eerdmans • 2005
