Matthew 26:57-68 records Jesus' trial before Caiaphas, the High Priest of Israel. In v. 63 Caiaphas abandoned legal procedure and placed the accused, Jesus, under oath:"I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."
In Jesus' response the curtain is drawn back and He reveals Himself to be, not a trouble making preacher who can be done away with, but the Judge of all the earth. His response is an unmistakable reference to Daniel 7:13-14.
Neither Caiaphas nor the Great Sanhedrin of Israel over which he now wields such powerful influence believe Jesus' claim; in fact they treat it as the conclusive evidence they have been looking for against Him. They condemn Him, little knowing they are acting according to the express plan and foreknowledge of God, who is giving His only Son as the sacrifice, to save His people from their sins. But by His glorious, earth-shaking resurrection on the third day, Jesus proved that He is who He told them He was.
So, in Matthew 28:18, we come to a mountain in Galilee. Jesus, as the Messiah, the only Savior and the rightful world Ruler, demands what is rightfully His – not only that all people everywhere be told about Him and called to believe in Him, but that they also be taught to obey Him. Jesus commands, desires, and deserves the obedience of all people everywhere to all He has commanded. |
