What is the context?
At daybreak the elders, chief priests and scribes gather and bring Jesus before their council. They ask Him to say whether He is the Christ. He answers that they will not believe His answer or respond to His question.
Jesus then declares that the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of God’s power. That moves the scene beyond the authority of the people questioning Him: the captive standing before them speaks of the place He will hold beside God.
They ask whether He is therefore the Son of God. He replies that they say He is, and they treat His own words as sufficient testimony. Luke closes the chapter with their response; the next chapter follows them taking Him to Pilate.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Christian traditions commonly read Jesus’ words about God’s right hand as a claim to heavenly honor and authority, fulfilled in His exaltation. The Catholic Catechism connects that place with the Son’s divine glory and the Messiah’s kingdom; the Westminster Confession likewise describes the risen Jesus ascending to the Father’s right hand. Those documents share this central reading, without settling every question about the kingdom’s timing in the same way. (Catechism §§663–664; Westminster Confession 8.4)
Where does this fit in God's plan?
The place at God’s right hand points to Psalm 110, where David’s Lord is invited to sit beside God until His enemies are subdued. The title Son of Man also recalls Daniel’s vision of One who approaches the Ancient of Days and receives an everlasting kingdom embracing every people and language. These passages explain the authority claimed by the One standing before the council. (Psalm 110:1–2; Daniel 7:13–14)
Acts makes the first connection explicit. Peter applies Psalm 110 to the risen and exalted Jesus, and Stephen later sees the Son of Man at God’s right hand. Luke’s account of Jesus’ hearing thus looks ahead to the witness His followers will bear after His resurrection. (Acts 2:32–36; Acts 7:54–60)
Hebrews joins that exaltation to His saving work: after providing cleansing for sins, the Son sits at the right hand of God’s majesty. The leaders’ rejection is therefore held within the larger story of the Son who brings cleansing and reigns in honor beside the Father. (Hebrews 1:1–4)
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.