“Who is he that smote thee?”
The full verse · Matthew 26:68 · KJV
, unto , thou , is that ?
Asked by
Guards: the men that held Jesus at the high priest's house, who blindfolded, struck, and mocked Him (Luke 22:63-64; Mark 14:65)
Asked to
Jesus: the Son of God and promised Messiah, just condemned by the council, now spat upon, struck, and mocked (Matthew 26:66-67)
The Scene
After the council declares Jesus "guilty of death," those around Him spit in His face and strike Him with fists and open hands, and, as Mark records, cover His face (Matthew 26:66-67; Mark 14:65).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThe question was mockery, not inquiry. They called Him "thou Christ" because He had just owned that He is the Christ (Matthew 26:63-64). Gill says plainly, "Not that they owned him to be the Messiah." Mark says they covered His face first (Mark 14:65), and Barnes explains the point: "Having prevented his seeing, they ridiculed his pretensions of being the Messiah." If He was really from God, let Him name the one who hit Him.
The Response
What Scripture recordsMatthew records no answer from Jesus. Luke adds that "many other things blasphemously spake they against him" (Luke 22:65). Matthew moves straight to Peter, sitting "without in the palace," who denies three times that he knows Jesus (Matthew 26:69-74). The mockers demanded a prophecy, and that same night one of Jesus' own words came true: "Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice" (Matthew 26:75).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsSpitting in someone's face was a deep insult. Barnes says it was "significant of the highest contempt and insult." The KJV describes two kinds of blows. "Buffeted" means, in Barnes' words, "they struck him with their hands closed, or with the fist." To smite "with the palms of their hands" means to slap with the open hand. The word for "smote" in the question is paisas, "having struck."
Matthew does not name the mockers. Gill says they were "Not the judges, the members of the sanhedrim, but the servants of the high priest, and the officers that had Jesus in hold." Mark mentions "the servants" (Mark 14:65), and Luke "the men that held Jesus" (Luke 22:63).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThis question mocks the very things that were true. They called Him "Christ" in scorn, and He is the Christ. They demanded a prophecy, and His word about Peter was fulfilled that same night (Matthew 26:75). Gill says they "made him their sport and diversion, as the Philistines did Samson."
Matthew Henry notes, "These things were exactly foretold in the fiftieth chapter of Isaiah." There the Servant says, "I hid not my face from shame and spitting," and then, "For the Lord GOD will help me... therefore have I set my face like a flint" (Isaiah 50:6-7). Jesus' silence was not weakness. He endured the shame trusting the Father to help Him.
Look Closer
Why did the mockers call Jesus "thou Christ"?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord Jesus, You did not hide Your face from shame and spitting; how do You want me to walk with You when people mock what I believe?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- When someone mocks your faith, what do you most want to do in response, and what does that reveal about what you are protecting?
- Who has shown you what it looks like to stay steady under ridicule? What did you learn from them?
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Mockery aimed at Jesus often comes dressed as a challenge: prove it. You do not have to perform on demand for people who have already made up their minds. Jesus did not.
Peter, who failed that same night, later wrote that when Christ "was reviled, reviled not again," but "committed himself to him that judgeth righteously," leaving "us an example, that ye should follow his steps" (1 Peter 2:21, 23).
This doesn't mean silence is always right. Jesus spoke clearly when the question was who He is (Matthew 26:63-64). The difference is between protecting your pride and bearing witness to the truth.
Scripture's own application: 1 Peter 2:21-23
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?”
“Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee?”
“What further need have we of witnesses?”
“Art thou the Christ?”