Tag Archives: charge

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – THEY COULD NOT MAKE IT STICK

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THEY COULD NOT MAKE IT STICK

25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [ 28 ] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. Mark 15:25-32

If we take a step backwards and look at the whole scene from our vantage point, what do we see? We see three men impaled on poles like scarecrows in a wheat field. We see three bits of garbage strung up like  plastic bags blown against a barbed wire fence.

One of them, the one in the centre, has some sort of identifying pamphlet plastered on a rock behind Him, a mocking poster announcing to all the passers-by that this was His claim and his crime – KING OF THE JEWS. Some king, enthrone on a Roman stake! Who were His subjects? Two bits of garbage suspended next to Him and one of them a rebel anyway! That’s what we see with our natural eyes.

But what do we see in the spirit? We see a spotless, perfect lamb, pure as the driven snow, with the weight of the world’s sin pressing down on Him. We see sin with its stench and filth, plastered all over Him, and the people around and beneath Him, slinging more at Him. We see, not blood, but thick, foul-smelling slime dripping off His body. The smell is so bad that the Father turns His face away. The sight is so terrible that the Father blots out the light of the sun.

But, in spite of hell’s every effort, in spite of the jeering and mocking that filters through the physical pain and the filth of the world’s sin, His soul remains pure. Not a thought of reproach, not even a passing moment of retaliation or threat. He utters what is in His heart, “Father, forgive them.” Despite all they said and did,, they could not make it stick. It was all on the outside.

That’s the Jesus who took our sin away. When He emerged from the tomb, He was still spotless and pure. He left behind every bit of what He had carried on the cross. He was radiant with light, holiness, truly the king of the Jews. He proved His right to own the title and to reign as king.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – THE BATTLE IS ON!

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THE BATTLE IS ON!

“Then Pilate called in the high priests, rulers and the others and said, ‘You brought this man to me as a disturber of the peace. I examined him in front of all of you and found there was nothing in your charge. And neither did Herod, for he has sent Him back here with a clean bill of health. It’s clear He’s done nothing wrong, let alone anything deserving of death. I’m going to warn Him to watch His step and let Him go.’

“At that the crowd went wild: ‘Kill Him! Give us Barabbas!’ (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for starting a riot in the city and for murder).” Luke 23:13-19.

Pilate’s true colours begin to show in this exchange with the Jewish religious hierarchy. Their resolve to kill Jesus was pitted against his resolve to set Him free. Into the mix came Pilate’s fear of a riot in Jerusalem and underneath that, his fear for his own skin.

His first step towards defeat was his attempt to negotiate with Jesus’ accusers. He was the highest Roman authority in Jerusalem and he had the last word. Why did he try to enter into an agreement with them? He could have simply given them his verdict, released Jesus and that would have been that. But he did not. He tried to appease them by bringing Herod into the picture, (so much for Herod’s part in this ‘justice’ system!), and trying to convince them that he and Herod were in agreement regarding His innocence.

His approach through reason met with a barrage of violent opposition. The bottom line was: ‘We want Jesus dead. Justice does not come into it any more. Even if we have to trade His life for a dangerous man’s, we will bulldoze you into agreeing to the death sentence.’

And so, spurred on by their religious leaders, the mob began their campaign of intimidation. Their first weapon was unrestrained behaviour coupled with volume and vehemence. They also had a big gun – the practice of releasing one prisoner at Passover. The other gospels state that the initiative came from Pilate. He offered Barabbas, knowing that he was a violent criminal, and hoping that the mob would choose Jesus because He gave no evidence of being dangerous in spite of their accusations.

That plan did not work. In fact it only seemed to add fuel to the flames. Instead of appeasing them, he added to his problem by offering to release into society a man who had already taken lives. It was becoming more and more difficult for him to put the brakes on. Even his offer to have Jesus beaten was a pathetic substitute for what they were demanding.

Behind this tussle between civil and religious authorities lay the real battle, but we must never think that it was war between two evenly matched powers, God and Satan. Amazingly, the scales were tipped against Jesus from the beginning and He knew it. He was also a willing party to it because God’s passion to rescue mankind from the devil’s clutches had to be satisfied through Jesus’ sacrificial death, blood for blood, an innocent man for the guilt of mankind because that was the only way for the debt of man’s sin to be paid.

“‘This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. But God raised Him from the dead…'” Acts 2:23-24a (NIV).

Peter was there and he saw it all. Could there be any clearer statement than his? “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” 1 Peter 3:18 (NIV). After all, there was no contest. It was Pilate’s decision and he was responsible for it, as were those who yelled for Jesus’ death. But God had the last word and, through Jesus’ death, exposed and vanquished the devil once for all! 231

Pomp And Ceremony

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POMP AND CEREMONY

“Agrippa said, ‘I’d like to see this man and hear his story.’

“‘Good,’ said Festus.’We’ll bring him in first thing in the morning and you’ll hear it for yourself.’

“The next day everybody who was anybody in Caesarea found his way to the Great Hall, along with the top military brass. Agrippa and Bernice made a flourishing grand entry and took their places. Festus then ordered Paul brought in.” Acts 25:22-23 (The Message).

What is this? Some sort of circus or celebrity show? Why all the pomp and ceremony just for a man to defend himself against lying accusations? Was this about Paul or was it about King Agrippa? It’s almost as though the town crier had gone through the city shouting, ‘Hear ye, hear ye! King Agrippa is in town. Come and see him in the Grand Hall at 9 o’clock this morning!’

With the arrival of the VIPs and the accompanying military procession, everything was ready to bring in the prisoner. Amazing, isn’t it, how God manages to shift the spotlight so that His servant and His word gets centre stage! Had Paul worked for months to plan this, he could not have arranged a better audience and a better opportunity to proclaim the message of Jesus. God is smart!

“Festus said, ‘King Agrippa and distinguished guests, take a good look at this man. A bunch of Jews petitioned me first in Jerusalem, and later here, to do away with him. They have been most vehement in demanding his execution. I looked into it and decided that he had committed no crime. He requested a trial before Caesar and I agreed to send him to Rome. But what am I going to write to my master, Caesar? All the charges made by the Jews were fabrications, and I’ve uncovered nothing else.

“‘That’s why I’ve brought him before this company, and especially you, King Agrippa, so we can come up with something in the nature of a charge that will hold water. For it seems to me silly to send a prisoner all that way for a trial and not be able to document what he did wrong.'” Acts 25:24-27 (The Message).

Mmm! Festus was a slippery as an eel. He didn’t have the guts to stand up to the Jews, knowing full well that Paul was innocent of their charges, but now that he could hide behind King Agrippa, he was willing to admit that Paul was no criminal. What was the point of this auspicious occasion? Did he grab the opportunity to exonerate himself in public and in front of Agrippa so that the authorities in Rome could not charge him for injustice against a Roman citizen?

But Festus was still caught in the horns of a dilemma and wanted King Agrippa to join him in a conspiracy. If Paul was innocent, why was he being sent to Rome to be tried in the imperial court for nothing he had done wrong? He and King Agrippa would have to come up with their own set of lies to justify sending him to Rome.

Caesar would not be interested in petty Jewish religious squabbles. What would be of concern would be anything that challenged his authority or claim to be “Lord”, and that was exactly the issue that brought many believers in Jesus to trial, torture and execution. The currently reigning Caesar, Nero, arrogantly laid claim to the titles and office that belong to Jesus alone, such as Lord, Son of God, Prince of Peace and Saviour, and demanded to be worshipped as god. To deny these claims was treasonable and the sentence was death.

Festus and King Agrippa would have to fashion their charge against Paul in such a way that it appeared that he had deliberately and verbally challenged those claims and had laid himself open to Nero’s wrath.

It was Paul’s opportunity to shake off these predators once and for all.