Matthew Poole and continuators on Matthew 26:63

63 But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered, and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tells us, whether thou be the Christ the Son of God.

Mark speaks to the same purpose, Ch. 14.60, 61. The High Priest, expected a long defence, and so to have had matter of Accusation against him out of his own Mouth. Christ disappointeth him, saying nothing at all, either out of Modesty, or not thinking what they said of any Moment, or worthy of any reply, or perhaps seeing that they could not agree in their Tale, so as what they said was of no force against him. The High Priest therefore comes at last to examine him, Ex officio. Mark saith Ch. 14.61. Again the High Priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ the Son of the Blessed. Luke to give us the Story of Peter, from his fir[illegible: 1 letter]t coming into the High Priests Hall to his going out, entire, interrupteth himself a little in his Relation of their dealings with Christ, and then relates some Indignities offered him, which the other Evangelists do not mention. Which seem to have been offered him, while the Souldiers and the Rabble had been before he appeared in the Council, Ch. 22.63, 64, 65, 66, 67. And the Men that held Iesus mocked him, and Smote him, and when they had Blindfolded him, they stroke him on the Face, and asked him, saying, Prophesie who is it, that smote thee? And many other things, Blasphemously they spake against him. And as soon as it was Day, the Elders of the Peop[illegible: 1 letter]e, and the Chief Priests, and the Scribes came together, and led him into their Council. Then he mentioneth nothing of what the Witnesses said, possibly because it was nothing of Moment, nothing upon which they proceeded against our Saviour [illegible: 1 letter]or his Life, but goes on—Saying, art thou the Christ, tell us. Matthew saith, art thou the Christ the Son of the Living God. Mark, the Son of the B[illegible: 1 letter]essed. It is plain both from this Text, and from Iohn 1.49. that the Jews did expect a Messiah, who should be the Son of the Ever-living and Blessed God, but whether they understood that he should be the Son of God by Nature and Eternal Generation, or only by a more special Adoption, than the whole Iewish Nation was (to whom the Apostle saith belonged the Adoption) I cannot say. I adjure thee to tell us, that is, as some say, I charge thee upon thy Oath to tell me (but it doth not appear that they had given any such Oath to him, the Guilty Person was not wont to be forced by an Oath to accuse himself, neither is it very probable, that our Saviour would have taken such an Oath. The Sense therefore seemeth to be rather I command, or require, or charge thee, as Solemnly as if thou hadst taken an Oath (as in the presence of God) to tell us. Or I charge thee with a terrible imprecation on thee, if thou speakest falsely, or wilt be silent to declare, if thou be the Christ the Son of the living God.

Marginal references: Isa. 53.7. Cha. 22.12.