“We Have Heard It from His Own Lips”

a The Third Sunday of Lent a

Matthew 26:57-68

Should a defendant take the witness stand in a criminal court case? That’s one of the hardest questions that
lawyers and clients in criminal trials must struggle with. In the October 2007 edition of the Federal Criminal
Lawyer Blog, that question was the subject of debate. Should a defendant testify in their own criminal proceedings?
Consider this: If the prosecution presents a weak case, and their evidence against the defendant has gaping holes,
then the defendant’s testimony could actually fill in those holes and actually serve the purpose of the prosecuting
attorney, making it easier for a jury to put 2 and 2 together to render a guilty verdict. On the other hand, if the
prosecution has presented a solid case, perhaps the testimony of the defendant will created discrepancies, thus
making it more difficult for a jury to come to a guilty verdict beyond reasonable doubt. Should a criminal
defendant take the stand and testify in their own defend with their own words? Obviously, it depends on the case,
and it depends on the defendant...but whatever the case may be, the defendant’s attorney will do well to make sure
that their testimony does not become the basis for their conviction.
Jesus had no legal representation on the night that he was taken into custody and made to stand trial before
Caiaphas, the high priest, the elders and the teachers of the law. He had no attorney on his side to make clever legal
arguments for him. Jesus only had his own words, his own testimony, which, of course was self-convicting, and the
basis for his being handed over to Pilate. And yet, how ironic it is that on that same night, in that same courtroom
of injustice, the chief priests and teachers of the law, the Jewish leaders and the high priest offered a testimony of
unbelief that was truly self-convicting and eternally damning. Tonight, Jesus’ enemies preach this sermon, which
exposes the rejection of his own people and the darkness and rebellion of unbelief: “We have heard it from his own
lips!” And with that sermon of rejection before us, pray that we may always keep the undivided attention of our
hearts and minds upon every single Word that drips from the lips of our Savior. For in his own testimony is life,
truth and freedom for all people.
I read for you earlier the version of these events from the gospel of Matthew. Permit me to move over to the
gospel of Luke, which presents this same account, chapter 22:66-71: 66 At daybreak the council of the elders of the
people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. 67 “If you are the Christ,”
they said, “tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, 68 and if I asked you, you would not answer. 69
But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” 70 They all asked, “Are you then the
Son of God?” He replied, “You are right in saying I am.” 71 Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We
have heard it from his own lips.” 
Yes you did, Jewish officials, you heard it from his own lips! How clear and concise his testimony was,
making it known to everyone in that courtroom that he was the Christ of God who was sent into the world to be
the world’s redeemer, to be the Savior of all people. The testimony was undeniable. Jesus didn’t back down from
his accusers, he didn’t stutter. His reply to the key question came with a solid affirmative “Yes, I am the Christ,” a
testimony which, if it were simply a claim and not the truth, would be worthy of stoning. Leviticus 24:15-16 says
that: “15 Say to the Israelites: ‘If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; 16 anyone who blasphemes the name of
the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he
blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.” Jesus’ own testimony was self-convicting, and would also be self-
condemning – if it was untrue!
Now understand that the Jewish officials should have been able to determine the validity of Jesus’ testimony.
The high priest, Caiaphas, who had oversight of this kangaroo court, was supposed to be the man closest to God in
the whole world. He was the one who brought the blood of sacrifice into the Most Holy Place on the great Day of
Atonement, sprinkling it on the mercy seat, which pictured the work of the Savior, who would shed his blood to
cover sin and guilt forever. He was the overseer of all the sacrifices in the temple, which, in one way or another,
pictured the coming of the Savior, whose one great sacrifice would redeem the world. If anyone should have
known, it should have been Caiaphas, the high priest. He, of all people, should have been able to see who Jesus was.
Instead, the high priest, who was supposed to foreshadow the work of Jesus, arranged for and accepted all kinds of
false testimony which accused Jesus of being a fraud and of blaspheming the Name of the Almighty God. Shocking!
And what about the other Jewish officials in the courtroom? Even if Caiaphas was utterly corrupt beyond
belief, surely they, the so-called “experts” of the law, should have been able to see Jesus for who he really was. After
all, these men memorized gargantuan sections of the Old Testament. They knew the Hebrew Scriptures backwards
and forewords. It isn’t like today where Scripture memorization has really fallen off, as the majority of Christians
have only a few key passages in their hearts and minds. These men KNEW the Old Testament and knew it well.
They knew Psalm 22, the psalm that pictures the Messiah in his greatest physical suffering. They knew Psalm 23,
the Good Shepherd psalm. They knew the suffering servant portion of Isaiah. They had Moses and the prophets,
they had the Scriptures. For centuries they heard the Scriptures read and expounded. And now, right in front of
them, in that hall of injustice, was the Word in flesh, making a public confession for their benefit, so that they
would have no question at all who this Jesus of Nazareth really was. And yet listen at the sharp, terse rejection,
“Aha! He said he was the Christ of God! We have heard it from his own lips...”
You certainly have, Jewish officials! So, what’s your excuse? What’s your excuse going to be when you face
the Almighty God in his justice hall? Can you claim you never heard of him? Can you claim you never saw him
coming? Can you claim ignorance or stupidity or peer pressure? What’s your excuse? What excuse can you offer,
Jewish officials, which will excuse you from eternal responsibility for rejecting your own? What excuse can you cite
so that the Almighty Judge of all Creation will show even a shred of leniency?
Answer: None! How ironic those words are, “We have heard it from his own lips!” What self-condemning
testimony! Yes, Jewish officials, you hardened your hearts to the Messianic prophecies of old that you could recite
by heart, and you hardened yourselves to all the evidence that clearly pointed to Jesus as that promised Messiah.
Yes, you did hear it, over and over again, through the testimony of Scripture, the testimony of the Holy Spirit
through Scripture and in the words of the witness himself. So, what’s your excuse? What excuse will there be when
you approach the gates of heaven and the Son whom you rejected as Messiah in turn says to you, “Away from me
you evildoers! I never knew you”? You heard his testimony from his own lips and you didn’t believe! There are no
excuses!
Let us not make the same mistake, dear friends. For we have heard the truth of the Messiah as well through
the lips of God the Holy Spirit. What a treasure the Holy Scriptures are to us, because in them and through them
the Messiah is revealed to us in absolute clarity. A portion of St. John’s gospel, which we use regularly as part of our
liturgy tells us that very truth, John 20:31: “These words are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God and that by believing, you may have life in his name!”
 Every chapter, every verse, every pen=stroke of the Holy Spirit leads us to Jesus. Every page of Holy
Scripture points to the cross, the humble altar upon which the sacrifice for sin was made, once for all people, for all
time. Every bit of God’s divine revelation was given to us so that we can find in Jesus Christ forgiveness for all of
our sins, comfort for our afflictions and hope for the life to come, for only in him and through him do we have life
and salvation.
Yes, we have heard it too! We have heard the voice of the gospel. And as it was with the Jewish officials,
there are no excuses. What excuse will we be able to give the great Judge that will stay an eternal death sentence for
unbelief? That we didn’t know Jesus? That we didn’t recognize his importance in our lives? That we were too busy
for him? That we were led away from him by a false teacher? That we didn’t understand what he was telling us in
his Word? No, there are no excuses! We have heard the truth of salvation from his very lips over and over and over
and over again. We have the Old Testament, we have the New Testament, we have the Lord’s very body and blood
together with the bread and the wine of the sacrament. We have all the means through which God reveals himself
to us as our Savior, and works salvation in us by his Spirit. There are no acceptable excuses.
“We have heard it from his own lips!” That sermon from Jesus’ enemies on the night that he was arrested
and tried were indeed a self-condemning testimony of the Jewish officials, revealing their dark and hardened hearts
towards the Word made flesh. Let those same words be part of our confident confession and trust in the Word
made flesh. We have heard it from his lips. He is the Christ of God. He is the salvation of souls. He is the Lamb
of God who takes away the sins of the world. We have heard it from his own lips! Never stop hearing that saving
truth! Amen.