Judging Jesus
Matthew 26:57–68
He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? Matthew 26:65
Jesus’s claims matched what the Old Testament taught about the Messiah.
1. The Messiah was to have been born in Bethlehem, as Jesus was (Micah 5:2; Luke 2:1–7).
2. The Messiah was to be virgin born, as Jesus was born of Mary, who was a virgin at the time (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:24–25; Luke 1:26–30).
3. The Messiah was to be of David’s line, and Jesus was descended from King David (2 Sam. 7:12, 16; Isa. 11:1–2; Matt. 1:1–16; Luke 3:23–37).
4. The Messiah was to be preceded by a figure like Elijah, and John the Baptist filled that role (Mal. 3:1; 4:5; Matt. 17:12–13; John 1:19–23).
5. The Messiah was to do many great works, and Jesus had performed the works that had been prophesied (Isa. 61:1–2; Matt. 11:1–6; Luke 4:16–21).
6. The Messiah was to make a public entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, as Jesus had done (Zech. 9:9; Matt. 21:1–11).
7. The Messiah was to be betrayed by a close friend, and Jesus was so betrayed (Ps. 41:9; Matt. 26:14–15; 27:3–8).
8. The Messiah was to be despised and rejected by his people and to be familiar with suffering, and Jesus was (Isa. 53:2–3).
What about Jesus’s claim to be God’s Son?
1. There are scriptural references precisely to the kind of unique Son of God Jesus claimed to be (Ps. 2:7; Isa. 9:6).
2. The Old Testament speaks of God becoming flesh (Isa. 7:14).
3. There are passages in which Jehovah is said to have appeared among men (Gen. 16:13; 18:13, 17, 26; Dan. 3:25).
These passages contain references to the appearance of God on earth in human form and suggest that Jesus was the one. Their absence from the trial exposes the closed minds and jealous hearts of those who were Christ’s judges. These leaders were not substantially different from millions of careless people in our day. Christ is proclaimed as God’s unique Son, but millions reject that claim and turn their backs on the defense. There is a defense. It is presented regularly in countless Christian churches, on radio and television, in books, magazines, and other forms of communication. But they will not hear it. They will not go to church. They will not read Christian books.
Yet the important thing is not what they are doing; it is what you are doing. Have you considered Christ’s claims? Have you pondered his defense? If not, I challenge you to do so now. In the last analysis, it is not Jesus who is on trial. That is past; it is over. You are the one who is on trial, and the question before you is, What will you do with Jesus?
Taken from Come to the Waters by James Boice ISBN 9798887790954 used with permission from P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg NJ 08865
Scripture quotations are from the ESV (the Holy Bible English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.