Hey Gang: The process began, the die was cast, and God's
plan for redemption was initiated. Keep
in mind that nothing that done from this point on was legal by Jewish law. It was
clearly stated in the Law of Moses that it was not legal for any member of the
Sanhedrin to be an arresting officer.
Only the witness of a crime could be the arresting authority. (read Deut. 17:6,7)
Notice, I said "God's plan for redemption was
initiated! I would like to expand on
that statement but that is not my intent with these morning messages, however,
let me make one point. I struggled many
years with the meaning of predestination until that still small voice opened my
eyes of understanding.
I believe that
God in no way causes the alligators to have their day with our lives. He does not have to do that, we are very
capable of making bad decisions that make us pay the Pipers of life, big
time. But I do believe God sits and
waits until we have dug our holes. He then picks up the pieces and places them
on the potter’s wheel and, if we are willing, molds them into the image of His
Son.
Notice, in Jesus’ words to the arresting mob we find the reason
for what is about to happen: "Have you come out with swords and
clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used o sit in the temple teaching
and you did not seize Me." but
don't stop there, read on, "But all
this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets" (vs.
56).
Illegal Act Number two:
It was illegal to arrest anyone after sundown no matter how bad a
criminal he was - 'unless he was caught in the very act'. He is absolutely safe under the law until the
following day. I suspect the rational
for this law was tied to the creation of the Cities of Refuge that were built
when the Children of Israel crossed over the Jordan. By restricting the’ powers that be’ from
arresting people at night, it would give the perpetrator time to escape to one
of the cities of Refuge.
In other words, the police could only stand by and wait for
the witness, who had seen the crime in action make a citizens’ arrest. Can you see the ramification of such a law in
our society today when the attitude of many is "I just don't want to get
involved". Keep this statute in
mind as we progress through the remainder of the trial of Jesus.
According to Jewish law, Judas, by identifying Jesus, was
the arresting officer, which was also a no- no at that time based on Leviticus
19:16, "You shall not go about as a
slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your
neighbor; I am the Lord".
It is also interesting to note, a witness had to be a person
of good character and forbidden from taking a bribe. In the eyes of the Jews there were no good
Gentiles, therefore a Gentile could not be used as a witness. There may have been a whole barn full of
Gentiles present when a crime was committed but the perpetrator was home free
because the word of a Gentile was considered unacceptable. And, If you were in any way involved with the crime that, too,
eliminated you from the witness list. Therefore
Judas could neither be a witness nor the arresting agent because he was a companion,
a traitor, and 'a talebearer'!
Soooo ends day four in our trip through the trial of
Christ. As Paul Harvey would say, tune
in to the next episode and find out what error number four was. Are you beginning to feel the noose
tightening around Jesus’ neck?
Blessings,
Gramps
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