Luke 22:70
Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.
Luke 22:70
In Luke 22:70, the question is brought to a culmination: “Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.” The Jewish leadership and the crowd have accused him; now they demand a clearer public claim. Jesus’ response is deliberately tacit—heAffirms in a way that leaves room for their own interpretive framework to fill in the claim. In the Gospels, Jesus often answers indirectly to provoke faith or exposure of disbelief. Here, his answer recognizes their declaration as a true, if dangerous, confession from their lips. The phrase “the Son of God” carried both royal messianic expectations and divine identification. By not denying, Jesus accepts the title’s significance, which the authorities will later weaponize in Pilate’s court as a charge of treason and blasphemy. The scene demonstrates the malfunctioning of religious leaders who claim to know God but misunderstand the very identity of God’s anointed.
This verse centers on Christology: who is Jesus? The crowd’s claim and Jesus’ acknowledgment reveal the mystery of the Incarnation. The Son of God is not merely a title for divinity but the one through whom humanity is reconciled to God. This moment also shows the fragile boundary between faith and rejection—acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah can lead to embracing him; denying him leads to moral and spiritual peril. Luke’s Gospel emphasizes the necessity of recognizing Jesus’ true identity in order to receive his salvation. The verse also foreshadows the kerygma of the church: confessing Jesus as the Son of God is the starting point for discipleship.
Today, this verse invites personal reflection: What do you say about Jesus when pressured by peers, culture, or fear? It challenges us to articulate a confident faith that recognizes Jesus as the Christ while living under his lordship. In practical terms, this affects how we prioritize time, money, and influence—do we live as though Jesus truly is the King, or do we dilute his lordship in our decisions? It also invites humility: we don’t always have to have perfect words, but we should be willing to acknowledge Jesus in workplaces, schools, and online spaces. The verse can spur faithful witness: when others claim “Who is Jesus?” we can point to his life, teachings, death, and resurrection as the fulcrum of history and hope.
Cross-References: Matthew 16:16; John 1:49; Romans 10:9-10; Hebrews 2:9; Colossians 1:15-18