Jesus Christ His arrest and Trials Jesus Christ arrest John 18:1 says, ''When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.'' John 18:2-3 ''And judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples. v3 ''Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh (comes) thither with lanterns and torches. John 18:12, ''Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him, v13, And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year.'' So Judas who betrayed Jesus came with men, and officers from the Sanhedrin (Jewish governning body) and took Jesus to Annas the high priest. Jesus Christ was now in front of the Sanhedrin facing religious trial which is closed and shot case. Before even the trial begun, to the religious leaders Jesus Christ is guilty as charge. His trial only took several hours before they send Jesus to the civil authority to be tried again. We have to understand that stoning by death was outlawed by the Roman authority, therefore, religiously or legally the Jewish governing body could not put Jesus to death. The only way they could put Jesus to death legally was through the channel of the Roman authority. From Caiaphas Jesus was led to the judgment hall into Pilate, and he asked, ''What accusation bring ye against this man? They answered, ''If he were not a malefactor (criminal), we would not have deliverd him up unto thee.'' Pilate said, ''take ye him, and judge him according to your law.'' The Jews answered, ''It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.'' Now under the Levitical law, any person who claimed to be God it is punishable by death by stoning, but in this case their hands were tied, they could not do it under the Roman Regime. They need someone to be the fall guy who can put Jesus to death legally. Actually, the original accusation against Jesus was that, He claimed to be God when he said, ''Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.'' (John 8:58 kjv). (V59), ''Then took they up stones to cast at him''. Now remember that God Himself talked to Abraham and promised him a seed, then came Isaac, then came Jacob which later became Israel. Now it will become more complex, because, Jesus Christ would come and claimed the Throne Himself as the promised seed. But before he could claimed the Throne of King David, he must be the Lamb of God first. These two pieces of Theology somehow, the Jewish Religious authority did not understand. The Jewish people need to be saved and the entire world first, before Jesus Christ would come as the king. Just imagine, if Jesus Christ came as the King of kings, we don't exist today. The rigteousness of Jesus Christ would incenerate the entire population, no one would have survived the glaring glory of God. Jesus Christ must come as the Lamb of God, be put to death, then, we can have his righteousness be placed in our account. Actually, whether, the Jewish religious leaders, and the Roman Empire know what was happening, they are actually fulfilling the prophetic events written in the Old Testament concerning Jesus as the Messiah. God had used them as an instrument to fulfill the Salvation he planed before the foundation of the earth was laid. No one had put Jesus to death, it was an prophetic event that must be fulfilled by God concerning the salvation of Adam and his children. Thank God for his unthinkable grace for humanity.
Your window of opportunity is here and now. Be right with God today, accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior today. (Again all we can do is to preach, teach, and evangelize: you decide.) |


