"THE TWO & THE MANY FALSE WITNESSES" (Mt 26:60)

April 1, 2009

Prayer meeting devotion.

Int. A false witness is one that will lie on the witness stand.

1. "There is no Christian, but sooner or later, shall have cause to say with David, "False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not." (Psi. 35:11). They charged me with things whereof I was both innocent and ignorant It was the saying of one, that there was nothing so intolerable as accusation, because there was no punishment ordained by law for accusers, as there was for thieves, as they stole friendship from men, which is among the goodliest riches men can have.

Well, Christians! Seeing it has been the lot of the dearest saints to be falsely accused, and to have their names and reputations reproached, do you hold your peace, seeing it is no worse with you than it was with them, of whom this world was not worthy."

2. (Psa 27:12) "Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty."

3. (Psa 35:11) "False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not."

4. (Acts 6:10-14) "And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. {11} Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him (Stephen) speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. {12} And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, {13} And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: {14} For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us."

A. Suborned = Greek means to: "introduce by collusion"

5. The High Priest was party to this false witnessing.

A. Mark 14:63) "Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?" (Two lying witnessess will do)

B. (Mark 14:55) "And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none."

C. Pulpit Commentary: "Found none. Repeated, showing the earnestness of their pursuit and the absolute failure of their attempt."

D. Robertson’s Greek New Testament: "They found false witnesses in plenty, but not the false witness that would stand any sort of test."

6. Pulpit Commentary: "At the last came two false witnesses. When the case seemed hopeless and on the point of breaking down, some of the Sanhedrists’ own creatures came forward with a distorted account of Christ’s words spoken long before. They brought no accusation founded on any of his late utterances in the temple, or when he was charged with blasphemy and threatened with stoning (John 10:33); they remembered keenly how he had discomfited them on such occasions, and they feared to elicit one of his crushing replies or unanswerable questions. They were glad to fall back upon something else, which especially concerned Annas and Caiaphas, and their gainful trading in the sacred courts."

A. (Mark 14:59) "But neither so did their witness agree together."

B. (Deu 17:6) "At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death."

C. (Deu 19:15) "One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established."

D. (John 8:17) "It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true."

E. (Heb 10:28) "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:"

1. He that, in capital cases, despised (presumptuously transgressed) the law of Moses died without mercy — Without any delay or mitigation of his punishment.

A. Today, the Judge says: "And may God have mercy upon your soul."

2. (Mat 18:16) "But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established."

3. (2 Cor 13:1) "This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established."

4. (1 Tim 5:19) "Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses."

5. (Heb 10:28) "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under

6. (Deu 17:6) "At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death."

6. Adam Clark's Commentary: "...They could not find two consistent testimonies, without which the Jewish law did not permit any person to be put to death. However, the hand of God was in this business: for the credit of Jesus, and the honor of the Christian religion, he would not permit him to be condemned on a false accusation; and, therefore, at last they were obliged to change their ground, and, to the eternal confusion of the unrighteous council, he is condemned on the very evidence of his own innocence, purity, and truth!"

7. Notice that the High Priest rent his clothes.. (Mt 26:65)

a. The high priest rent his clothes—

b. This rending of the high priest’s garments was expressly contrary to the law, (Lev 10:6: 21:10).

1. (Lev 10:6) "And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled."

2. (Lev 21:10) "And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes;"

c. But it was a common method of expressing violent grief, (Gen 37:29, 34); (Job 1:20),

1. (Gen 37:29) "And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes."

2. (Gen 37:34) "And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days."

d. It was a common method of expressing horror at what was deemed blasphemous or impious. (2 Kings 18:37; 19:1; Acts 14:14).

1. (2 Ki 18:37) "Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh."

2. (2 Ki 19:1) "And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD."

3. (Acts 14:14) "Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,"

d. All that heard a blasphemous speech were obliged to rend their clothes, and never to sew them up again.

1 (Job 1:20) "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,"

8. Consider their title of disrespect. (Vr. 61) "This Fellow"

a. They completely misquote Jesus and change the meaning of what he said:

1. (John 2:19) "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

a. (John 2:21-22) "But he spake of the temple of his body. {22} When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said."

2. (Mat 26:61) "And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days."

b. We must not forget that Christ had twice interfered with the traffic in the temple, which was carried on to the great profit of the avaricious family of Annas, and that the malice of the high priests was on this account greatly embittered."

1. (John 2:13-16) "And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, {14} And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: {15} And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; {16} And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise."

a. Pulpit Commentary: "Jesus went into the temple of God. It was a fulfilment of the great prophecy of Malachi, "The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple."

b. We read not that Christ ever exercised force but once, and that was to drive profane ones out of his temple, and not to force them in!

2. (Mat 21:12-13) "And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, {13} And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."

a. William Cowper:

"Seest thou yon harlot, wooing all she meets;

The worn out nuisance of the public streets;

Herself from morn to night, from night to morn,

Her own abhorrence, and as much your scorn?

The gracious shower, unlimited and free,

Shall fall on her when Heaven denies it thee."

3. (Mark 11:15) "And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;"

CONCLUSION: How many of our churches today have become houses of merchandise.

1. How many "False Witnesses" we have in the Pulpit and classrooms of our churches today.

2. This crowd of greedy men today would crucify our Lord as quickly as the Pharisees and Sadducees did of old.