Matthew 26:59 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death,

NIV: The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death.

NASB: Now the chief priests and the entire Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death.

CSB: The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death,

NLT: Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death.

KJV: Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;

NKJV: Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death,

The Jewish ruling body was known as the Sanhedrin. It included the high priest, along with 70 men made up of priests, teachers of the law, and laymen known as elders. It's likely not all 70 were gathered at this hasty late-night trial conducted in Caiaphas' mansion. Only 23 would have been needed to make any decisions official.

Matthew makes it clear this is only a "trial" by appearances. The chief priests and the council had already decided the verdict and the sentence: they wanted to put Jesus to death. They just needed evidence they can use to justify their prejudice. This leads them to seek false testimony about Jesus that would allow them to condemn Him. This is not only unethical, but punishable, in this case by death, under Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 19:18).

These ruling religious leaders hated Jesus for what He had said about them (Matthew 23:1–7). They rejected and despised what He said about Himself (John 15:18). They did not want to disrupt the status quo with the Romans (John 11:48), to the point of rejecting their own long-promised Messiah (John 5:39–40). Given His popularity (Mark 12:12) and invincibility in public debate (Luke 20:40), Jesus had to die if they were going to continue in their positions of power and influence over the people.

Matthew 26:57–68 describes Jesus' sham trial before members of the Jewish ruling body. False witnesses accuse Jesus of crimes worthy of a death sentence; their attempts are so transparently false that the effort fails. Finally, the high priest challenges Jesus to state that He is the Messiah and the Son of God. Jesus agrees, and even adds to the declaration. The high priest and council agree Jesus is guilty of blasphemy and condemn Him to death. Mark 14:53–65, Luke 22:63–71, John 18:12–14, and John 18:19–24 explain different perspectives on the same events.

The Jewish religious leaders further their plots to arrest and kill Jesus, finding a willing traitor in Judas Iscariot. A woman anoints Christ with oil during a dinner at Bethany. Next, Jesus and the disciples hold the Passover meal in an upper room where Jesus predicts His arrests and introduces the sacrament of communion. Then Jesus prays in unimaginable agony in the garden of Gethsemane before being betrayed by Judas and captured. The disciples scatter. Before the high priest, Jesus explicitly claims to be divine. They convict Him of blasphemy and sentence Him to death. As this happens, Peter denies knowing Jesus and runs away in shame.

After a long series of teaching (Matthew 24—25), Matthew 26 begins with Jesus saying He will be delivered up for death. Christ is anointed at a dinner in Bethany and Judas agrees to turn Him over to the chief priests. Jesus holds a Passover meal with the disciples, predicts an act of treachery, and introduces the sacrament of communion. He tells the disciples they will run in fear and that Peter will deny Him, which happens just as prophesied. Christ prays in great sorrow in a garden and is then arrested and taken away and unfairly sentenced to death. After this, Jesus will be taken to the Roman governor, where Jewish leadership will press for Him to be executed as an insurgent.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.