On Easter Sunday...the Jews, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection
By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots on American Political Radio
Today
is both Easter Sunday and the second day of Passover...two holy days
forever linked together for this is the time when the Christian faithful
celebrate the Resurrection and the Jewish faithful celebrate Moses
leading their ancestors out of bondage in Egypt so many years ago. But
sadly, it is also the time when some
of the Christian faith will once again bring up the old hatreds that the
Jewish
people killed Jesus, when nothing could be further from the truth.Before you discount my words, please read what I have to say.
Six simple words...the Jews did not kill Jesus...says it all for it
was the Romans alone that had Jesus crucified thus causing his mortal death. Remember, Pope
Benedict XVI "affirmed that the Jewish people bear no collective guilt for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ"
and publicly apologized for the Catholic Church wrongly accusing the
Jewish people of causing the death of Jesus Christ. And know that most
contemporary
Christian theologians rightfully acknowledge that the Jews...who were
mostly slaves of the Romans at the time of the crucifixion...could not,
given their low societal status, possibly have
influenced the all-powerful Romans to do what they did.
In fact, the Pope in his discourse placed blame on two specific groups
for the death of Jesus. First his Holiness placed blame on the so-called "Temple aristocracy" who were "anxious" to
forestall a Roman crackdown on the Jewish people and second, he blamed
the crowd that gathered in support of Barabbas, a crowd who shouted for
the convicted man's
life not Jesus' release. Pope Benedict also stated in his discourse that
the ultimate culpability for Jesus' death
lay upon the sins of mankind, but if the tangible truth be told the Jews
of Judea had no direct part in the death of Jesus for he was put to
death under the direct orders of Pontius
Pilate, and it was Pontius Pilate alone who could have stopped the
crucifixion but willingly and of his own "free will" chose not to.
Remember, the Jews were entirely at the mercy of the Romans, and to even think that the Jewish people pressured the Romans to kill Jesus, as some erroneously contend, is just not fact. So while the Romans did view Jesus as a threat because they considered him to be a political rebel and an "enemy of the state," the truth remains that Pontius Pilot did not need to take orders from the Jews or from the Pharisees in regards to whom should or should not be put to death.
But to be honest, some of Jesus' accusers were indeed Jews but so many
others were not, and it’s foolish to say or even to imply that the Jews
of
Judea were the sole accusers of Jesus or that the Jews alone demanded
his death. And these words spoken against the Jews echoed as much then
as throughout the centuries...words sadly still believed by some today.
Always forgotten by the naysayers is that many Jews followed and
believed in Jesus and some it was said even witnessed "miracles" during the years in which he preached (Matthew 15:29-31). And some Jews were believed to have been "healed" of their ills by the touch of Jesus' hand, while it is believed that some once dead lived again.
Remember, the Jews were entirely at the mercy of the Romans, and to even think that the Jewish people pressured the Romans to kill Jesus, as some erroneously contend, is just not fact. So while the Romans did view Jesus as a threat because they considered him to be a political rebel and an "enemy of the state," the truth remains that Pontius Pilot did not need to take orders from the Jews or from the Pharisees in regards to whom should or should not be put to death.
Simply, many Jews who knew of Jesus felt gratitude, devotion, and love towards the rabbinical preacher from Nazareth, but many of the High Priests...the Pharisees...feared Jesus because of his accusations and condemnations of them, and according to the Gospels, "the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.wished to get rid of Him in any way they could" (Matthew 12:14). For example, Jesus, on several occasions, called the Pharisees "hypocrites, serpents, and a brood of vipers," describing the Pharisees as "untrustworthy leaders" in front of huge crowds (Matthew 23).
But know that Jesus was but one of many young Jewish rabbi's preaching in Judea at that time. Jesus taught basic fundamental Judaism...he wanted to improve...to update if you will...Judaism not start a new religion. In fact, it should be known that even Jesus' tenet of "love thy neighbor" first appeared in the Torah thousands of years before his birth. Remember, too, that Jesus the man was born and died a Jew, that he was circumcised on the 7th day in the Temple according to Jewish law, and thought of and believed himself to be a Jew for he knew nothing of Christianity that was to come. And what the Pharisees chose to ignore was that because Judaism has always allowed for debate and discussion of Jewish law, Jesus was actually no threat to either them or to Judaism as a whole.
And while the Pharisees did hold some very limited sway with the Romans, the Jews as a whole remained a despised minority, hence they had no power to request, let alone demand, any man's death. So simply put, it was and remains Pontius Pilate alone who sentenced, ordered, and had carried out the sentence of killing...of crucifying Jesus the man...facts that speak for themselves.
Now as for the
possible spiritual aspect of Jesus' death. In ancient times, God's word
called
for a sacrificial system meant to emphasize the seriousness of sin and
its demand for payment. Capital sins, especially those related to
disobeying the Ten Commandments (the law given by God to the Jew Moses
to give to the Jewish people...His chosen people...while they wandered
the desert before reaching their Promised Land), could not be paid for
by any
mere sacrifice, so the penalty was always death. In fact, the Holy
Bible is
quite specific that "the penalty for sin is death with or without the Law"
(Romans 6:23). To stop such an end for all mankind, there was a need
for a sacrifice that would serve as payment for all man's sins. Only a
‘Divine Being’ per say, could be such a sacrifice, as Paul talked about
in Chapter 10 of the Book of Hebrews. So basically, the Son of God was
the only sufficient payment for the sins of man.Therefore, it can rightfully be said by the faithful that man's sins killed Jesus not the Jews.
God the Father did not have to send Jesus to die for
the sins of mankind. He did not have to watch his ‘Beloved Son’ go
through the unspeakable horrors of flagellation nor an agonizing death on the
cross for Jesus did not have to offer himself for anyone. And yet Jesus
distanced himself from the power and glory most men would have not only craved but welcomed, and
instead came and lived as a humble man...a man only to die by the excruciating pain of
flagellation and to agonize for hours hanging from a cross before his
physical self passed away.
“For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son that whomsoever believes in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). So as per the words in the Holy Bible it was actually God
the Father who offered His Only Son to be nailed to a cross. Jesus
agreed to do God's will, fully aware of the serious ramifications that
his decision would have for him. Yet, he knew that his suffering would
bring about salvation for mankind, as per his very words, "I am the living
bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he
shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I
will give for the life of the world" (John 6: 51).
So
the answer to who really killed Jesus might well be this...some of the
Pharisees surely wanted Jesus dead; Pontius Pilate did nothing
to prevent it, actually ordered it, and had the sentence of death
carried out; and for the faithful man's sins basically called for Jesus'
death for it was
God the Father who willed it. And it was Jesus, the Son of God,
who willingly offered himself to be sacrificed for all of mankind.
So
the answer to who really killed Jesus might well be this...some of the
Pharisees surely wanted Jesus dead; Pontius Pilate did nothing
to prevent it, actually ordered it, and had the sentence of death
carried out; and for the faithful man's sins basically called for Jesus'
death for it was
God the Father who willed it. And it was Jesus, the Son of God,
who willingly offered himself to be sacrificed for all of mankind.Copyright @ 2019 Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / All Rights Reserved.
