WHAT LAWS DID JESUS BREAK? (7)
(Message by Tanny Keng)
0. Introduction
a) What happened to Jesus, the Savior of mankind, is without precedent. Christ was condemned to death even AFTER he was declared innocent by the ruling authority (Pontius Pilate)!
b) Few people realize that Jesus actually had TWO trials. The first one, at the High Priest's palace, was right after his arrest and began around 2 a.m. Although this trial was held only with judges who were his enemies, enough of them were at the trial to officially arrive at a verdict and declare a sentence. Many of the details of this proceeding were recorded by the gospel authors. Because Jewish law demanded two sessions of the Sanhedrin hear and try a defendant, a second trial was held around 5 a.m. Very little is written about this proceeding, which was likely nothing more than a "rubber stamp" or automatic approval of the first trial. He was bound and sent to the Roman authorities around 6 a.m.
c) Below is the reason(s) why what happened to Christ after his last Passover, centering around what occurred during his first trial, was contrary to Biblical principles of justice or Jewish / Hebrew law.
1. Self-incrimination
a) Jesus did not defend himself against the charges made by the false witnesses. The High Priest, frustrated that he will not say anything in his own defense, calls upon GOD to witness the answer given to a very self-incriminating question (Matthew 26:62-65). According to Jewish law a person could NOT be condemned based on their own testimony (self-incrimination).
i) "We have it as a fundamental principle of our jurisprudence that no one can bring an accusation against himself." (Maimonides, Sanhedrin, 4:2, see also Mendelsohn)
b) Additionally, the indictment used to justify the death penalty was ILLEGAL because the judges themselves originated the charges. Based on the Bible, a charge against someone was to be brought up by at least two or three witnesses of the alleged crime:
i) "One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of TWO or THREE witnesses the matter shall be established." (Deuteronomy 19:15)
c) The Sanhedrin, according to Jewish law, could NOT originate charges. Alfred Edersheim in his Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (book 3, chapter 2) states:
i) "The Sanhedrin did not, and could not, originate charges. It only investigated those brought before it."
The End ...
0. Introduction
a) What happened to Jesus, the Savior of mankind, is without precedent. Christ was condemned to death even AFTER he was declared innocent by the ruling authority (Pontius Pilate)!
b) Few people realize that Jesus actually had TWO trials. The first one, at the High Priest's palace, was right after his arrest and began around 2 a.m. Although this trial was held only with judges who were his enemies, enough of them were at the trial to officially arrive at a verdict and declare a sentence. Many of the details of this proceeding were recorded by the gospel authors. Because Jewish law demanded two sessions of the Sanhedrin hear and try a defendant, a second trial was held around 5 a.m. Very little is written about this proceeding, which was likely nothing more than a "rubber stamp" or automatic approval of the first trial. He was bound and sent to the Roman authorities around 6 a.m.
c) Below is the reason(s) why what happened to Christ after his last Passover, centering around what occurred during his first trial, was contrary to Biblical principles of justice or Jewish / Hebrew law.
1. Self-incrimination
a) Jesus did not defend himself against the charges made by the false witnesses. The High Priest, frustrated that he will not say anything in his own defense, calls upon GOD to witness the answer given to a very self-incriminating question (Matthew 26:62-65). According to Jewish law a person could NOT be condemned based on their own testimony (self-incrimination).
i) "We have it as a fundamental principle of our jurisprudence that no one can bring an accusation against himself." (Maimonides, Sanhedrin, 4:2, see also Mendelsohn)
b) Additionally, the indictment used to justify the death penalty was ILLEGAL because the judges themselves originated the charges. Based on the Bible, a charge against someone was to be brought up by at least two or three witnesses of the alleged crime:
i) "One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of TWO or THREE witnesses the matter shall be established." (Deuteronomy 19:15)
c) The Sanhedrin, according to Jewish law, could NOT originate charges. Alfred Edersheim in his Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (book 3, chapter 2) states:
i) "The Sanhedrin did not, and could not, originate charges. It only investigated those brought before it."
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