WHAT LAWS DID JESUS BREAK? (9)
(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. Court changes charge after trial
a) The court illegally switched the charges from an alleged threat that Jerusalem's temple would be destroyed to blasphemy:
i) "But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, "This fellow said, 'I AM ABLE TO DESTROY THE TEMPLE OF GOD AND TO BUILD IT IN THREE DAYS.'" " (Matthew 26:59-61)
ii) "Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, 'What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! . . .' " (Mark 14:62-63)
b) After the trial the Sanhedrin AGAIN changed the charges, this time from blasphemy to treason (Luke 23:1-3, John 19:12). Jesus' enemies conveniently switched the charges against him to treason, a Roman crime, so that they could improve their chances of having the Romans (and not them!) do the dirty job of murdering him! When the religious leaders, however, initially presented him to Pontius Pilate they offered NO evidence for their new charge. Although Pilate determined he was innocent and wanted to release him, his desire to gratify the crowd led him to release an innocent man to the soldiers for crucifixion (Mark 15:12-13, 15).
c) Pilate has the charge against Jesus written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin and put on his cross. While the exact words Pilate wrote are unclear from the gospels, it was likely a version of "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." This charge has nothing to do with his threatening to destroy the temple or blasphemy. It shows that his enemies were willing to do whatever it took, including changing the charges against him a few times, in order to have him DEAD. (Matthew 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19-22).
d) Jesus' arrest and conviction was a conspiracy by his enemies to subvert and pervert the entire legal process so that he could be put to death. What happened to him is the greatest travesty of justice the world will ever see.
i) "The pages of human history present no stronger case of judicial murder than the trial and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, for the simple reason that all forms of law were outraged and trampled under foot in the proceedings instituted against Him." (Walter M. Chandler, The Trial of Jesus from a Lawyer's Standpoint, p. 216.)
The End ...
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. Court changes charge after trial
a) The court illegally switched the charges from an alleged threat that Jerusalem's temple would be destroyed to blasphemy:
i) "But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, "This fellow said, 'I AM ABLE TO DESTROY THE TEMPLE OF GOD AND TO BUILD IT IN THREE DAYS.'" " (Matthew 26:59-61)
ii) "Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, 'What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! . . .' " (Mark 14:62-63)
b) After the trial the Sanhedrin AGAIN changed the charges, this time from blasphemy to treason (Luke 23:1-3, John 19:12). Jesus' enemies conveniently switched the charges against him to treason, a Roman crime, so that they could improve their chances of having the Romans (and not them!) do the dirty job of murdering him! When the religious leaders, however, initially presented him to Pontius Pilate they offered NO evidence for their new charge. Although Pilate determined he was innocent and wanted to release him, his desire to gratify the crowd led him to release an innocent man to the soldiers for crucifixion (Mark 15:12-13, 15).
c) Pilate has the charge against Jesus written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin and put on his cross. While the exact words Pilate wrote are unclear from the gospels, it was likely a version of "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." This charge has nothing to do with his threatening to destroy the temple or blasphemy. It shows that his enemies were willing to do whatever it took, including changing the charges against him a few times, in order to have him DEAD. (Matthew 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19-22).
d) Jesus' arrest and conviction was a conspiracy by his enemies to subvert and pervert the entire legal process so that he could be put to death. What happened to him is the greatest travesty of justice the world will ever see.
i) "The pages of human history present no stronger case of judicial murder than the trial and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, for the simple reason that all forms of law were outraged and trampled under foot in the proceedings instituted against Him." (Walter M. Chandler, The Trial of Jesus from a Lawyer's Standpoint, p. 216.)
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