Mark 14:62, commentary and pictures

The saying was spoken during the midnight seizure, when Jesus was hurried bound and closely guarded over the brook Kedron through the sleeping city to Annas the ex-high priest and then to Caiaphas for a preliminary examination before the formal trial before the Sanhedrim and the court of Caiaphas. Under Roman rule the Sanhedrim could not execute death, so the charges had to condemn Him before Jews as blasphemy and before Romans as sedition. He had taught openly in synagogue and temple with no secret doctrines and no secret bond with His disciples, and His captors violated the law that holds a man innocent until proved guilty.

In the verse Jesus calmly and openly and under solemn oath affirms that He is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God and the Son of man, with the divine authority of the Son. He declares that He will be enthroned and sit at God's right hand clothed with power as supreme Judge, and come in heaven's clouds with power and glory, escorted by angels. Though He stands as a condemned prisoner before an earthly court and judgment seat in humble clothing, He is the heavenly ruler who reigns in heaven, once crowned and attended by holy angels, and His trial does not diminish His divine dignity.

The positions of judge and accused will be reversed: the condemned prisoner will be revealed as the Lord of life and glory, and when He comes His mockers and the whole world will stand before Him while He pronounces judgment on His enemies. His claim leads the court to condemn Him, and His words about sitting at God's right hand and coming in the clouds of heaven were later repeated mockingly by the crowd while He was held in the guard-room, abused and denied protection. Through insult, striking, mockery and abuse from the beings He created He remained sinless, patient and gentle with no retaliation, refusing by word or look to flash forth divine power to compel confession of His supremacy or to lay His tormentors in dust. Enduring in humanity every taunt as Sin-bearer pledged from the foundation of the world, He left the only hope of humanity in that submission.