Caiaphas believed he finally had what the witnesses could not give him. Jesus had owned, under oath, that He is the Christ, and had spoken of sitting at the right hand of power (Matthew 26:64). Barnes states the charge this way: "he has, under oath, arrogated to himself what belongs to God." The question was not looking for information. It announced that the search for witnesses was over, because the whole council had heard Jesus for themselves.

Caiaphas answered his own question in the same breath: "behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy" (Matthew 26:65). He then put the matter to the council, "What think ye?" and they answered, "He is guilty of death" (Matthew 26:66). Mark records the same question, "What need we any further witnesses?" (Mark 14:63). In Luke the council says, "we ourselves have heard of his own mouth" (Luke 22:71).

Tearing one's clothes was a sign of grief. Barnes writes, "The Jews were accustomed to rend their clothes, as a token of grief." The Law told the high priest not to "rend his clothes" (Leviticus 21:10), but Gill explains that this law concerned only the rending of garments at funerals, in mourning for the dead. Barnes reads it differently: the prohibition probably meant the robes of his priestly office, and the garment Caiaphas tore was probably his ordinary one. On hearing blasphemy, Gill says, everyone, the high priest included, "was obliged to rend his garments."

The Greek eblasphēmēsen means "he has blasphemed." Under the Law, the one who blasphemed the name of the LORD was to be stoned (Leviticus 24:16).

This question shows how the council judged Jesus. Matthew records no attempt to weigh whether His claim might be true. The moment He said who He was, the claim itself became the crime (Matthew 26:65). Gill says Caiaphas tore his clothes "to show his zeal for the honour and glory of God," yet he was condemning the very Son of God.

Jesus' words reached past that courtroom. The men sitting in judgment would one day "see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power" (Matthew 26:64). The One they called a blasphemer was telling them the truth about Himself.