God’s Image • Commandment 9: Do Not Bear False Witness
False testimony can sound convincing when it contains familiar words. Yet a change in who performs an action, what the words refer to, or the context surrounding them can change the account entirely.
The testimony brought against Jesus gives us a careful comparison.
Seeking Testimony toward an Outcome
Mark 14:55 describes the chief priests and the council seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death.
The intended outcome is stated before the following testimony is examined.
Many give false testimony, but their accounts do not agree. Some then claim to have heard Jesus say that he would destroy the sanctuary made with hands and build another without hands within three days. Mark identifies this as false testimony and again notes its inconsistency. Read Mark 14:55–59.
The presence of many witnesses has not made their accounts truthful.
Compare the Wording
John records Jesus saying:
“Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.”
— John 2:19, LSB
Compare the actions attributed to him.
In Mark’s account of the accusation, Jesus is presented as saying that he will destroy the sanctuary.
In John’s account, Jesus addresses others concerning its destruction and speaks of himself raising it.
Who destroys and who raises are details that must be preserved.
The accusations in Mark also include descriptions about construction with and without hands. Those descriptions do not appear in the statement John records. Compare Mark 14:58 with John 2:19.
What Sanctuary?
John also preserves the listeners’ response: they refer to the time taken to build the sanctuary.
Then the account explains that Jesus was speaking about his body. After his resurrection, the disciples remembered his words. Read John 2:20–22.
The explanation belongs with the statement.
If we retain the word sanctuary while disregarding what the account says it refers to, we can carry familiar wording into a different meaning.
Have We Preserved the Person’s Meaning?
This comparison gives us questions to ask before repeating someone’s words:
Have I changed who is doing the action?
Have I omitted an explanation that affects the meaning?
Am I presenting my conclusion as though it were the speaker’s statement?
Have I turned a question or comparison into an assertion?
Am I seeking an accurate account, or wording that supports a conclusion I already reached?
These questions matter when examining both Scripture and another person’s explanation of Scripture.
Correction Begins with Accuracy
We may identify an error and explain why we disagree. But the position we correct must be the position actually expressed.
If we change someone’s meaning and then rebuke that changed version, we have not faithfully addressed what they said.
The responsibility to speak truth includes preserving the words, the relationships between them, and the context that explains them.
Threads to Follow
Hearing before answering: Examine Proverbs 18:13, 17 alongside careful inquiry.
Accusations against teaching: Compare Acts 6:9–14 and the testimony brought against Stephen.
Truthful rebuke: Continue distinguishing correction of an actual error from condemnation based on a misrepresented claim.
The books were opened…
🌿Studies by Maria Emilia ~ 🗺️Continue exploring: Visit Bible Books to find studies organized by book of the Bible, along with related studies and links.
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