66 When it was day, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their council chamber, saying, 67 “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe; 68 and if I ask a question, you will not answer. 69 “But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 70 And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “Yes, I am.” 71 Then they said, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.” Luke 22:66-71

Jesus had been led from the house of Annas to Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, to their chambers. Much has been written about the illegalities of the legal process applied to Jesus, and it’s worth noting that if it could happen to him, it could happen to us.

In many a courtroom drama you’ll hear the interrogator demand, “Answer the question!”

Similarly here, the Lord is put upon by members of the Sanhedrin to tell them if he was the Messiah. At first, he predicted that if he did, they wouldn’t believe him. He was correct. But Luke records he answered their follow-up question directly, “Yes, I am.”

“No further questions, your honor.” They heard all they needed to hear. But what they let go in one ear and out the other was this statement, “But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” This is a reference to Psalm 110:1, that doesn’t seem to include “Son of Man.”

I delved into the Lord’s frequent use of the term, “Son of Man,” for curiosity’s sake, which first turns up in reference to Jesus in Daniel 7:13. I found this interesting explanation in a trusted commentary.

This title especially suited Jesus’ total mission. It was free of political connotations, thus preventing false expectations. Yet it was sufficiently ambiguous (like a parable) to preserve the balance between concealment and disclosure in Jesus’ life and mission. It combined the elements of suffering and glory in a way no other designation could. It served to define His unique role as Messiah.

Just as he taught disbelieving audiences in parables, even now he resorted to a thinly veiled linguistic disguise. He was convinced that even with his definitive answer, they couldn’t handle the truth, and they proved him right.