The Importance of Testimony
Have you ever wondered how there are people who regularly go to church and claim to be Christians can still spout off nonsense about the Bible? How can someone who regularly states that they study the Bible often take the Scriptures out of context or force it to fit what they want? Mark 14:55-59 offers some insight into this topic.
“The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. 56 Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree. 57 Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him:58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’”59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree.”
This passage occurs after Jesus had been betrayed but before He was taken to Pilate. Many came forward and offered their “testimony” regarding Jesus Christ and yet the testimonies were not consistent. If you have ever spent even a small amount of time in the current legal field or even watching legal based television shows; you would understand how important a testimony is to a trial. Testimony of the events are the turning point in almost every court case resulting in a decision being made for the individuals involved. The scriptures also offer how important a testimony is. Consider Deuteronomy 19:15, “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.” Or 1 Timothy 5:19, “Do not accept an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.”
Now that we have established that the Scriptures clearly state how important it is for testimony to be consistent, I want to point out something from the passage in Mark 14. Look again at verses 57-58, 57 Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him:58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’” Here we have individuals who stood up and stated that they heard Christ state that He will destroy the temple and build another without hands in three days. The prophecy that they are discussing can be found in John 2:18-19, 18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” Now of course we know that Christ wasn’t talking about a physical temple. Instead, He was discussing the fact that His body would be crucified and that He would rise in three days after it occurred.
So then these individuals were there when Christ stated that the temple (His body) would be destroyed and then raised again in three days (the resurrection). They heard it first hand and yet they not only missed the point that Jesus was stating; but they also added to what they claimed He said, that the temple would be built again but not by the work of man. They were physically around Jesus Christ and yet they twisted His words to fit their own narrative.
I wish I could say that this is something that we no longer see, but that is simply not the truth. There are many who claim to walk with Christ, to be around Him, and yet they twist and add to what His word says. When this is done, the result is the same as we see here; they claim to know what God says and yet they truly never understood. This is dangerous because it can lead many astray. The good news is, we have God’s word to fact check what is brought forth, the sad news is many fail to do this. So today, I want to ask you that whenever someone presents scripture to you; I ask that you fact check it to ensure that you understand the context and are not being misled by someone who claims to walk with Christ but does not really hear Him.
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex