Mark 14:60-65 60And after standing up in the middle, the high priest asked Jesus saying, “Have you no answer to what these men testify about you?” 61But he was silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest questioned him and said to him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62And Jesus said, “I am, and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’” 63And the high priest after tearing his clothes said, “What need do we still have for witnesses? 64You have heard the blasphemy. How does it seem to you?” And they all condemned him to be guilty of death. 65And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him and to say to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him with slaps in the face.
As the trial continued and the frustration of the Sanhedrin mounted, finally the high priest intervened. The farce needed to end and the problem person disposed. Jesus’ silence only served to highlight the futility of the situation. Anything he said would be twisted by his accusers and used against him. He would not answer the false accusations but only speak the truth. His lack of response at this trial fulfilled Isaiah 53:7: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; as a lamb is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”
The high priest was perceptive enough to know that the core issue was about Jesus’ identity. His question gets right to the point: Are you the Messiah? The original Greek makes this more of a statement. The high priest made a confession that he did not believe. He knew that the Messiah would be called the Son of God because the Old Testament, the Scripture he was to uphold and teach, stated this. As a strict Jew, the high priest would not use God’s name but only the description the Blessed. Mark records the enemies of Jesus, those who put him to death, as revealing his identity: the high priest here, and the centurion in 15:39.
Jesus uses the opportunity to reveal himself before the highest leaders of the people. His answer is simple and clear: I am. These are the same words God used to reveal himself to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). The rest of Jesus’ response in verse 62 fulfills Daniel 7:13 and Psalm 110:1. The Sanhedrin had Bible scholars who would have made the connection between Jesus’ claim and the prophecies from their Scriptures.
Jesus had spoken a clear and obvious parable about his identity and how the leaders would respond to him back in chapter 12 and the parable of the rejected son. This was the same group, and no doubt they had not forgotten what he said. Their anger and rejection had been simmering all week and had now reached a boiling point, symbolized by the high priest tearing his robes. Tearing one’s clothes like this showed extreme anger and frustration (see 2 Samuel 1:11; 2 Kings 18:37). He turned to the rest of the council for a verdict.
Their rejection of their Messiah is both shocking and revealing. The whole Sanhedrin condemned Jesus to death. Their utter disrespect can be seen in their ridicule, beating, and mockery. Their taunt for him to prophesy is ironic because he had spoken the truth so many times already. Their hearts and minds were closed to any new revelation. When the obvious truth is denied, nothing can convince people of anything new. The minds of the Jews were already made up. Instead of Jesus being on trial, all the Jewish leaders were on trial and found guilty of not accepting their Messiah. There was enough evidence for them to believe, but their hearts were closed, much like many people today.
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