Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; All the council sought false witness - What a prostitution of justice! - they first resolve to ruin him, and then seek the proper means of effecting it: they declare him criminal, and after that do all they can to fix some crime upon him, that they may appear to have some shadow of justice on their side when they put him to death. It seems to have been a common custom of this vile court to employ false witness, on any occasion, to answer their own ends. See this exemplified in the case of Stephen, Acts 6:11-13.
Related Commentaries of Matthew 26:59
Matthew 26:59
59 Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;