Mark 14:56

56 Plenty of people were willing to bring in false charges, but nothing added up, and they ended up canceling each other out.

Mark 14:56 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 14:56

For many bare false witness against him
The word "false", is not expressed in the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions: which only signify, that they bore witness against him, accused him of, and laid many things to his charge:

but their witness agreed not together;
which showed it to be false, and so not to be admitted; for witnesses were to be as one in their testimony, or not to be received: the, rules concerning them with the Jews, are these F12;

``the tradition is, for ever let not their testimony be joined together, unless they both see, (dxak) , "as one": says R. Joshua ben Korcha, even one after another; and their testimony is not ratified in the council, until they both witness "as one".''

Though this is not much the sense of the passage here; it was not the falsehood of their testimony, which this council was unconcerned about, or the contradiction that was in it, which does not appear; but their testimonies were not, (isai) , "equal", or answerable to the wishes of the council; they were not sufficient to prove a capital crime upon him, in order to, put him to death, which was what they wanted: they only respected some light and trivial matters, and did not amount to a charge of blasphemy, or sedition.


FOOTNOTES:

F12 T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 30. 1. Maimon. Hilch. Eduth, c. 4. sect. 1.

Mark 14:56 In-Context

54 Peter followed at a safe distance until they got to the Chief Priest's courtyard, where he mingled with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.
55 The high priests conspiring with the Jewish Council looked high and low for evidence against Jesus by which they could sentence him to death. They found nothing.
56 Plenty of people were willing to bring in false charges, but nothing added up, and they ended up canceling each other out.
57 Then a few of them stood up and lied:
58 "We heard him say, 'I am going to tear down this Temple, built by hard labor, and in three days build another without lifting a hand.'"
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.