Matthew 26:57-68is about "WITNESS and TESTIMONY".
There are two kinds of witness and testimony as follows:
Matthew 26:63-66
26:63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
26:64 Jesus said to him, “It is asyou said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
26:65 Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!
26:66 What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.”
Jesus gave the example to become the true witness although He had to face persecution and death.
Jesus kept bearing witness as:
Galatians 4:13-16,19-20
4:13 You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first.
4:14 And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, evenas Christ Jesus.
4:15 What then was the blessing you enjoyed?For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me.
4:16 Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?
4:19 My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,
4:20 I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.
Paul the apostle preached about truth and he became their enemy.
Jesus kept bearing witness as King of kings. We must also bear witness that Jesus is King of kings, whatever the risk we have to face.
The practice of bearing witness that Jesus is King of kings is we become kings.
The requirements to become king spiritually are as follows:
Thus the King will stretch out His hands to us, and the results are as follows:
There are two kinds of witness and testimony as follows:
- The false witness in verse 59-63a.
- The true witness in verse 63b-66.
Matthew 26:63-66
26:63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
26:64 Jesus said to him, “It is asyou said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
26:65 Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!
26:66 What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.”
Jesus gave the example to become the true witness although He had to face persecution and death.
Jesus kept bearing witness as:
- Christ, the Son of living God. It equals to testifying about the cross.
- Jesus who will come on the clouds of heaven. Jesus who will come back as King of kings and Heavenly bridegroom in glory.
- High Priest.
Galatians 4:13-16,19-20
4:13 You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first.
4:14 And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, evenas Christ Jesus.
4:15 What then was the blessing you enjoyed?For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me.
4:16 Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?
4:19 My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,
4:20 I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.
Paul the apostle preached about truth and he became their enemy.
Jesus kept bearing witness as King of kings. We must also bear witness that Jesus is King of kings, whatever the risk we have to face.
The practice of bearing witness that Jesus is King of kings is we become kings.
The requirements to become king spiritually are as follows:
- An Israelite, not a foreigner. It equals to the son of God, the descendant of Abraham.
Deuteronomy 17:14-15
17:14 “When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that arearound me,’
17:15you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; onefrom among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who isnot your brother.
Galatians 3:26-29
3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
3:29 And if you areChrist’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
The process of being the son of God is as follows:- Having faith, believing Jesus through hearing the Word of God.
- Repenting, stop sinning and to come back to God.
- Water baptism and Holy Spirit baptism. They equal to being newly born from God.
If we only see from physical birth, the Gentiles will not be able to become the son of God, since the Gentiles are not the descendants of Abraham.
If we live in righteousness, the blessing of Abraham will be poured. If we do not live in righteousness, curse will come. - Having faith, believing Jesus through hearing the Word of God.
- King shall not multiply horses for himself.
Deuteronomy 17:16
17:16 But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’
Horse in negative definition is the power of flesh (richness, smartness, etc.) that will bring us back to Egypt, that is slavery, misery, up to perdition.
Multiplying horses means as follows:- Only relying on smartness, richness, having high position, etc., in doing the ministry.
- Using this world’s ways, justifying all the ways which are not according to the Word of God in doing the ministry.
- Still preserving sins in our life or our ministry.
Our life must not rely on the things from this world.
The truth is our life needs white horse, that is the strength of Holy Spirit.
Revelation 6:1-2
6:1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.”
6:2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
Revelation 19:11
19:11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him wascalled Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
White horse denotes the revival of Holy Spirit in the last rain, the revival of building perfect body of Christ.
The practices are as follows:- We serve in the anointing of Holy Spirit, such that we live in holiness, minister in holiness.
- We serve according to the gifts of Holy Spirit and the ministry until we finish the race.
- We serve in faithfulness and truth, faithfulness and being fervent in spirituntil we finish the race, until we become the bride.
- Only relying on smartness, richness, having high position, etc., in doing the ministry.
- King shall not multiply wives for himself.
Deuteronomy 17:17
17:17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.
Multiplying wives denotes unclean sins, which will lead us to eating-drinking sins (smoking, getting drunk, consuming drugs) and marrying and being given in marriage sins (sexuality sin with all its variety, up to wrong marriage).
Thus, a king must be honest within the marriage.
Silver and gold denote the evil spirit, that is the bond of money (wealth), which make us become stingy and greedy.
Stinginess means cannot give. Greediness means robbing the others’ right.
Thus, a king must be honest in financial matters.
A king must be honest in marriage and financial matters, and there will be hope to be honest in everything.
Hebrews 13:4-5
13:4 Marriage ishonorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
13:5 Let yourconduct bewithout covetousness; becontent with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
If we are honest in marriage and financial matters, God will never leave us. - One who copies, reads, listens to the Word, until obeys the Word whatever the risks.
Deuteronomy 17:18-20
17:18 “Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copyof this law in a book, from the onebefore the priests, the Levites.
17:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes,
17:20 that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment tothe right hand or tothe left, and that he may prolong hisdays in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.
Do not become as Saul who did not write a copy of the Word. Saul had followed the Word for 7 days, but at the end he followed the people and burned sacrifice that was not according to his ministry, not according to the Word. Saul was burning a sacrifice, which seemed as a good thing, but it was not according to the Word, since it should be done by Samuel. The consequence was his kingdom was ended.
Thus the King will stretch out His hands to us, and the results are as follows:
- We experience helping power from the King.
Psalm 5:1-2
5:1 Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my meditation.
5:2 Give heed to the voice of my cry, My Kingand my God, For to You I will pray.
This helping power is to help us who have no power, to care our life according to our needs.
Matthew 25:34-36
25:34 Then the Kingwill say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
25:35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
25:36 I wasnaked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
Six main human needs are food, drink, house, cloth, health, and freedom. All of them are the King’s responsibility.
But after we are helped, we should not forget the others. Abundant care must be flown to the others. If it is not flown, the consequences are as follows:- Being dry spiritually, and that care will be stopped.
- Being egoistic, as goat.
- Being dry spiritually, and that care will be stopped.
- We experience purification power.
Isaiah 6:5-8
6:5 So I said:“Woe isme, for I am undone! Because I ama man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”
6:6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal whichhe had taken with the tongs from the altar.
6:7 And he touched my mouth with it,and said:“Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.”
6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?”Then I said, “Here amI! Send me.”
The King purifies our mouth and lips. This is the peak of our spiritual weakness until we cannot pray.
If mouth and lips are purified, our whole life will be purified, and we will be used by God in the building body of Christ.
Isaiah 6:9
6:9 And He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
We will be sent by God to serve up to the people who do not want to be served, who do not want to be shepherded. - We experience recovery power.
Luke 23:40-43
23:40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?
23:41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”
23:42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
23:43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
The King is able to recover our life that has no more hope. Starting from renewal of life, that is being tender, confessing that I am the wrong one, and not repeating the sins. Thus, we will be recovered. Physical and spiritual miracles will happen, from perdition ambience to Paradise ambience. Until Jesus’ second coming on the glorious clouds, we will be with the King forever.