As
soon as it was day, the assembly of the elders of the people was gathered together, both chief priests and scribes, and they led him away into their council, saying, “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you won’t believe, and if I ask, you will in no way answer me or let me go. From now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” They all said, “Are you then the Son of God?” He said to them, “You say it, because I am.” They said, “Why do we need any more witness? For we ourselves have heard from his own mouth!”
Luke 22:66-71
Luke 22 [63.] The men who held Jesus mocked him and beat him. Having blindfolded him, they struck him on the face and asked him, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck you?” They spoke many other things against him, insulting him.
Luke 22 [66.] As soon as it was day, the assembly of the elders of the people was gathered together, both chief priests and scribes, and they led him away into their council, saying, “If you are the Christ, tell us.”
But he said to them, “If I tell you, you won’t believe, and if I ask, you will in no way answer me or let me go. From now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”
Luke 22 [70.] They all said, “Are you then the Son of God?”
He said to them, “You say it, because I am.”
Luke 22 [71.] They said, “Why do we need any more witness? For we ourselves have heard from his own mouth!”
Luke 23 [1.] The whole company of them rose up and brought him before Pilate. They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting the nation, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”
Meaning:
After a night of denial and mockery (Luke 22:54-59; Luke 22:63-65), Jesus is brought before the Jewish council, the Sanhedrin, at daybreak. Mark and Matthew describe a night hearing with false witnesses who could not agree (Mark 14:57-59; Matthew 26:57-62). Luke focuses on the formal morning session, where the leaders seek a clear statement from Jesus’ own lips that they can take to Pilate (Luke 23:1-7).
- “If you are the Christ, tell us”
The council was made up of chief priests, elders and scribes, the highest Jewish authority under Rome. Their question is about Jesus’ identity: is he the Messiah, the anointed King promised to David’s line? They are not seeking the truth to believe it, but a charge to use against him. A claim to be king could be presented to the Roman governor as rebellion against Caesar.
- “If I tell you, you won’t believe”
Jesus knows their hearts. Earlier in the temple he had asked them questions they refused to answer, such as whether John’s baptism was from heaven (Luke 20:3-4). They had already decided against him. Honest answers would not change minds that were closed, and his questions would not receive honest replies. Still, he does not stay silent about who he is.
- “the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God”
Jesus joins two great Old Testament passages. Daniel saw “one like a son of man” brought before the Ancient of Days and given “dominion, and glory, and a kingdom” (Daniel 7:13-14). And in David’s psalm, Yahweh says to David’s Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet” (Psalm 110:1). “From now on” is striking. The men judging him think they have him in their power, yet from this very hour he is entering his place of authority beside God. Mark records the same claim with the addition of coming “with the clouds of the sky” (Mark 14:62; compare Luke 21:27). The prisoner is the true Judge.
- “Are you then the Son of God?”
The council understands what he means. To sit at God’s right hand is to share God’s throne. So they ask the deeper question. Luke’s readers already know the answer. The angel told Mary that her child would be called “Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32), and at his baptism the voice from heaven said, “You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).
- “You say it, because I am”
Jesus’ reply is a clear yes. The words mean, in effect, that what they have just said is true. In Mark he answers simply, “I am” (Mark 14:62). Jesus is condemned not for any crime, but for telling the truth about himself.
- “we ourselves have heard from his own mouth!”
The council needs no more witnesses. In their eyes Jesus has spoken blasphemy. Their verdict, however, rests on the very truth that will save the world. The one they condemn will rise and be exalted, just as he said.
The Significance of Luke 22:66-71
- Who is Jesus?
This scene places the central question of the Gospel before every reader. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of Man who reigns at God’s right hand, and the Son of God. Each person must decide how to respond to his claim.
- Truth spoken at great cost
Jesus could have avoided condemnation by staying silent or softening his words. Instead he told the truth. His example encourages believers to confess him honestly, even when it brings opposition.
- The hidden throne
At the moment of his deepest humiliation Jesus speaks of his exaltation. Believers facing suffering can remember that Christ already reigns, and that the outcome of history is in his hands.
Cross-References:
Mark 14:62: "I am. You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of the sky." Mark’s parallel.
Psalm 110:1: "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet." The exalted Lord.
Daniel 7:13-14: "one like a son of man" The vision behind Jesus’ title.
Luke 3:22: "You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased." The Father’s testimony.
Conclusion: At daybreak the council demanded to know whether Jesus was the Christ. He told them they would not believe, then declared that from now on the Son of Man would sit at the right hand of God’s power, and confirmed that he is the Son of God. The leaders took his words as grounds for condemnation, but they were the truth on which the Gospel rests: the condemned prisoner is the exalted Lord and Son of God.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible