Old Testament prophecy fulfilled by Jesus.
He would be accused by false witnesses.
David was no stranger to betrayal and back stabbing. In two different Psalms, David wrote about false witnesses against him. Although I believe King David wrote about his own life, they were also prophetic psalms that would be fulfilled by Jesus, the “Son of David” hundreds of years later.
“ . . . For false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe violence.” Psalm 27:12
“Malicious witnesses rise up . . . .“ Psalm 35:11
On the night Jesus was arrested, the Sanhedrin and the chief priests were determined to have Jesus put to death. But they needed witnesses to testify against Jesus in order to give them grounds to have Him killed.
“Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death; and they were not finding any. For many were giving false testimony against Him, and yet their testimony was not consistent.” Mark 14:55-56
“Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, in order that they might put Him to death; and they did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later two witnesses came forward.” Matthew 26:59-60
After they had Jesus in custody, His enemies needed two or three witnesses to give the same evidence of wrongdoing. In Deuteronomy 19:15, the law said that one witness was not enough. An accusation from two or three witnesses must confirm that a sin was committed.
The enemies of Jesus encouraged someone, anyone, to give false testimony in order to accuse Jesus of wrongdoing. Many came forward to give false testimony about Jesus. But there was a problem. None of their testimonies matched. They needed at least two different people to give the same testimony.
Finally, two witnesses told similar stories. They didn’t tell the exact same story but it was close enough for the enemies of Jesus.
To find out what these two FALSE witnesses testified-and how they differed, see Matthew 26:61 and Mark 14:58.
To find out what Jesus actually said, see John 2:19-21.
Carla Killough McClafferty