Jesus was under arrest and the trial process had begun.  The religious rulers were hoping Jesus would condemn Himself to death.  Under Roman law the death sentence could not be passed for religious offences, only those which threatened civil order or the stability of the empire.  However, the religious council could only deal with matters of the Jewish law, not Roman law.  But what was the charge and where was the evidence?  

The trial process was laughable; having already decided that Jesus must die, the Council met to fabricate a crime and evidence which they could present to the Roman Governor, Pilate (Matthew 26:59-60).  The death sentence was in his hand, not theirs (John 18:31).  But the religious authorities had responsibility under the Law of Moses to establish guilt from the evidence of at least two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6).  So they tried to get Jesus to say something that was against their law.
 
In asking Jesus if He was the Christ (Messiah), Jesus was evasive.  There was certainly enough evidence in the miracles alone (John 14:11), although if His religious accusers admitted that, they would be compelled to follow Him.  But if He claimed to be the Messiah, the King of Israel, then He could be accused of treason against Caesar – as a potential rebel freedom fighter.  Instead, Jesus simply said that Father God had given Him authority over everything.  To Jewish ears, that was the ultimate blasphemy.  He was making Himself equal with God (John 5:18).
 
Sometimes people ask, ‘When did Jesus claim to be God?’  This passage is a good place to start.  The Old Testament Scriptures had prophesied who He was, many people believed in Him, and the miracles demonstrated His Divine authority.  The problem at Jesus' trial was that they had already decided that He must die, believing the lie that their best interests would be served by getting Jesus out of the way.  They were not interested in the truth for who Jesus is.  It is the same today.  Despite studying the Bible, some theologians cannot see who Jesus is; despite miraculous answers to prayer, many people will still not submit to Him.  So when friends and colleagues ask about your faith in Jesus, take them to the Bible and let God's Word speak for itself and let the real Jesus be seen!