Now the chief priests and the entire Council were trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now the chief priests and the whole council sought witnesses against Jesus to put him to death, and found none.
- KJV And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.
- BSB Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but they did not find any.
- NKJV Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none.
- NLT Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find evidence against Jesus, so they could put him to death. But they couldn’t find any.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The council seeks testimony to put Jesus to death but finds none. Their predetermined verdict exposes the trial as a sham.
Overview
The leaders are not seeking truth but evidence to justify a conviction already decided. Their inability to find valid testimony testifies to Jesus' innocence. The injustice of the proceedings fulfills the pattern of the righteous sufferer condemned without cause.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Matt 26:59–60Now the chief priests, the elders, and the whole council sought false testimony against Jesus, that they might put him to death;
- 1 Pet 3:16–18having a good conscience; that, while you are spoken against as evildoers, they may be disappointed who curse your good way of life in Christ.
- Matt 5:22But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be in danger of the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.
- Acts 24:1–13After five days, the high priest, Ananias, came down with certain elders and an orator, one Tertullus. They informed the governor against Paul.
- Ps 35:11Unrighteous witnesses rise up. They ask me about things that I don’t know about.
- Acts 6:11–13Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”
- Ps 27:12Don’t deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen up against me, such as breathe out cruelty.
- Dan 6:4Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel as touching the kingdom; but they could find no occasion nor fault, because he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
- 1 Kgs 21:13The two men, the base fellows, came in and sat before him. The base fellows testified against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king!” Then they carried him out of the city and stoned him to death with stones.
- 1 Kgs 21:10Set two men, base fellows, before him, and let them testify against him, saying, ‘You cursed God and the king!’ Then carry him out, and stone him to death.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 14:55 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.