As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will by no means believe. And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go. Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.” Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?” So He said to them, “You rightly say that I am.” And they said, “What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth” (Luke 22:66-71).
Christ begins His journey to the cross in earnest. Jesus is troubled; He prays that the Father would remove the bitter cup from Him if possible. He knows what is coming: gruesome torture and agonizing physical death. He also knows that He is to become sin.[1] He will be forsaken on the cross by the Father for the sake of His enemies. He will be separated from God the Father. Being in agony, He prayed all the more earnestly; His sweat became as great drops of blood. Then comes the mob. This group of people is not coming for healing, or bread, or sermons. They come to seize Jesus. Betrayal, arrest, and interrogation. Mockery and beatings. At daybreak, a trial.
The High Priest asks Jesus if He is the Christ. Jesus doesn’t answer this question. He says, “Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.” When the High Priest asks Jesus if Jesus is the Son of God, He says yes. There is now no mistake or misunderstanding. Jesus is not a political Christ. He is not here to establish an earthly kingdom; His kingdom is not of this world.[2] His work is spiritual. He has come to save the world from sin, death, and the devil. To do that, he must go to the cross.
By His use of the phrase “Son of Man” Jesus communicates this to the High Priest. Jesus’ words call to mind the words of the prophet Daniel, and his vision of the Ancient of Days. The scene recounted by Daniel[3] is the Day of Judgment. The Ancient of Days is God the Father. Ten thousand times ten thousand attend to Him; they stand before Him awaiting the destruction of the beast and the establishment of the kingdom. Daniel writes: “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. 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.[4]” Hearing Jesus’ claim of divinity, the High Priest ended the trial. They wouldn’t need to proceed any further. They would not investigate the evidence that Jesus was the Christ. Jesus, assumed the High Priest, had committed blasphemy by making Himself equal to God.
Scripture teaches us that Jesus is indeed the Son of Man, God in human flesh. He was appointed heir of all things by God the Father. He is the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person. He upholds all things by the word of His power; when He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.[5] Jesus is our real and perfect High Priest, seated at the right hand of God.[6] The earthly temple, the sacrifices, the priesthood and the High Priest were shadows of Jesus, intended to point us all to Him. He is the High Priest who does not need to offer daily sacrifice to cover sin. Jesus offered the perfect sacrifice one time for the sin of all people on the cross.
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