Matthew 26:60-61
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The repeated phrase "found none" highlights the utter failure of the religious authorities to find any legitimate charge against Jesus, even with a deliberate search for false witnesses. This wasn't just a lack of evidence; it was a testament to Jesus' blameless life, which the law itself couldn't convict.
but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus has been arrested and brought before Caiaphas, the high priest, where the religious leaders have gathered. They are desperately seeking any charge that could legally justify putting Jesus to death, but even their hired false witnesses cannot agree on a consistent accusation. Finally, two come forward with a distorted claim about Jesus threatening to destroy and rebuild the temple.
Why did the religious leaders need two witnesses, and why did the testimony of many fall apart?
The Jewish legal system, as outlined in the Old Testament, required the testimony of at least two or three witnesses to establish a charge, especially a capital offense.
The 'Two Witnesses' Rule
God's Hand in the Disarray
The trial of Jesus was supposed to be a legal proceeding, but was it really about justice, or just finding an excuse?
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The religious leaders were not genuinely seeking the truth about Jesus; they had already decided His fate. Their actions reveal a deep-seated malice and a perversion of the legal process.
A Pre-Determined Verdict
Shifting the Ground of Accusation
Understand the original words
naos · Greek Noun
In the Old Testament, this refers to the physical structure in Jerusalem where God's presence dwelt; in the New Testament, it is used metaphorically for the body of Christ or the community of believers where God resides by His Spirit.
The desperate search for consistent false witnesses highlights the illegitimacy of Jesus' trial and the religious leaders' determination to condemn Him, even when their own laws could not be met.
c. AD 27-30
Jesus' Ministry and Growing Opposition
During this period, Jesus' teachings and miracles gain a wide following but also attract significant opposition from the religious leaders in Jerusalem.
c. AD 30, Nisan 13
Jesus Arrested in Gethsemane
Following the Last Supper, Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested by temple guards and Roman soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane.
c. AD 30, Nisan 14 (Night)— this verse
Jesus Brought Before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin
Jesus is taken to the house of the high priest Caiaphas, where the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court, convenes to try Him.
c. AD 30, Nisan 14 (Night)
Search for False Testimony
The Sanhedrin desperately seeks witnesses to testify against Jesus, as required by Jewish law, but many false testimonies are inconsistent and unreliable.
c. AD 30, Nisan 14 (Night)
Two Witnesses Testify
Finally, two witnesses come forward with testimony claiming Jesus said He could destroy and rebuild the temple in three days, which is a distortion of His words.
c. AD 30, Nisan 14 (Morning)
Jesus Condemned and Mocked
Based on this flawed testimony and His own confession, the Sanhedrin condemns Jesus to death, and He is subjected to further abuse and humiliation.
This passage establishes the Old Testament requirement for two or three witnesses to establish a fact, highlighting the legal inadequacy of the single testimonies brought against Jesus.
Psalm 35:11This Psalm speaks of enemies rising up with false accusations, mirroring the situation where false witnesses were sought to condemn Jesus.
Isaiah 53:7This prophecy describes the Suffering Servant being led like a lamb to the slaughter and opening not his mouth, which is powerfully fulfilled in Jesus' silence during much of his trial.
Mark 14:56This parallel account clarifies why the initial witnesses failed, stating that their testimonies did not agree, underscoring the desperate and chaotic nature of the prosecution's efforts.
John 18:30This verse shows the accusers' response when challenged about their accusations, stating 'If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee,' revealing their unwillingness to even engage with the legal process.
barnesMatthew 26:60: "But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,"
Found none - That is, they found none on whose testimony they could with any show of reason convict him. The reason was, as Mark says Mark 14:56 , that "their witnesses agreed not together." They differed about facts, times, and circumstances, as all false witnesses do. Two witnesses were required by their law, and they did not "dare" to condemn him without conformi…
henryMatthew 26:57-68: "And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled."
26:57-68 Jesus was hurried into Jerusalem. It looks ill, and bodes worse, when those who are willing to be Christ's disciples, are not willing to be known to be so. Here began Peter's denying him: for to follow Christ afar off, is to begin to go back from him. It is more our concern to prepare for the end, whatever it may be, than curiously to ask w…
The repeated phrase "found none" highlights the utter failure of the religious authorities to find any legitimate charge against Jesus, even with a deliberate search for false witnesses. This wasn't just a lack of evidence; it was a testament to Jesus' blameless life, which the law itself couldn't convict.
Jesus has been arrested and brought before Caiaphas, the high priest, where the religious leaders have gathered. They are desperately seeking any charge that could legally justify putting Jesus to death, but even their hired false witnesses cannot agree on a consistent accusation. Finally, two come forward with a distorted claim about Jesus threatening to destroy and rebuild the temple.
Jesus has been arrested and brought before Caiaphas, the high priest, where the religious leaders have gathered. They are desperately seeking any charge that could legally justify putting Jesus to death, but even their hired false witnesses cannot agree on a consistent accusation. Finally, two come forward with a distorted claim about Jesus threatening to destroy and rebuild the temple.
"but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’”" — The repeated phrase "found none" highlights the utter failure of the religious authorities to find any legitimate charge against Jesus, even with a deliberate search for false witnesses. This wasn't…
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Last reviewed October 2026
