“So Pilate said to Him, ‘You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?’ Jesus answered, ‘You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.’” (John 19:10-11 NASB)
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Journal,
In the time of Jesus, the Jerusalem Sanhedrin represented the supreme leadership of world Judaism. When the chief priests and elders delivered Jesus over to the Roman authorities to be crucified, they set in motion a chain of events that would have negative effects on the Jewish people throughout their generations.
We see this taking form in 70 AD, with the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. Was the destruction a judgment from God? According to the gospels, yes. And according to the Talmudic writings, also a yes. While the reasons given may differ, that it was a judgment from God was accepted early on.
Out of the ashes
Sadly enough, out of the ashes of Jerusalem would evolve a new Judaism that would have no likeness to the ancient worship of Moses and David. The rabbis set about to fashion a Judaism where they would become raised figures. This new Judaism would become known as Rabbinical Judaism or Talmudic Judaism. It would become an expanded continuation of the Pharisees. (The Sadducee and the priestly temple ministry disappeared in the destruction.)
The rabbi who carried the greater responsibility for the reinvention of Judaism was Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai. According to John Lightfoot, Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai knew Jesus and most certainly had encounters with the apostles. He was likely one of the Sanhedrin members who held responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus.
Zaccai escaped the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. He afterwards determined that the blood sacrifices were no longer needed, and that prayer, good deeds, and fasting were all that was needed to get God’s forgiveness.
It is important to understand the time line of Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai. He was one of the top religious figures in Jerusalem during the time of Christ and up to and after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Zaccai lived to be 120 years old. He held such a honored role in Judaism that he became known as the ‘Light of Israel, Pillar of the Right Hand, Strong Hammer.’ Zaccai was well acquainted with the Christian movement.
The sad note in all this comes from the Talmudic writings themselves where the death of Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai is recorded.
“When R. Jochanan ben Zaccai was taken ill, his disciples went to visit him. As soon as he beheld them, he began to weep. His disciples said unto him, ‘O Light of Israel, Pillar of the Right Hand, Strong Hammer, why dost thou weep?’ He answered and said unto them… ‘Now when I am to be led into the presence of the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, who lives and is through all eternities, whose anger — if He is angry with me — is an eternal anger; whose fetters — if He will bind me — are everlasting fetters; and whose death — if He put me to death — is an eternal death; whom I cannot appease with words, nor bribe with money; and not only so, but two ways open before me — the one leading to Paradise and the other to hell (Gehenna), and I do not know upon which of these two ways I shall be led, shall I not weep?‘”
Self honoring
The Judaism that Zaccai held great responsibility for sallied forth with all kinds of strange notions about God. But the prophets said this would happen. The strangest notion of all had to do with the self-honor that the rabbis placed upon themselves. In honor of Zaccai, we hear in Bava Bathra that this Rabbi was said to understand the language of devils, of trees, and of angels. Of course this is pure fabrication.
It should be noted that the Talmud sets precedence for necromancy. (The belief in magical spells that harness occult forces or evil spirits to produce unnatural effects in the world; conjuring up the dead, especially for prophesying.)
But there was a purpose in this new Judaism. The new Judaism had to have its own power structure and authority. The rabbis set themselves up as the last voice of God. This is why the new Judaism is often called Rabbinic Judaism. They even went so far as to tell the story of how they outwitted God Himself.
Now back to a bit of history on Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai. Does the Bible itself ever call attention to this rabbi? Perhaps so. According to Lightfoot, who is one of the preeminent Christian scholars on the Talmuds, Rabbi Zaccai was most likely the ‘John’ that sat on the council who commanded Peter and John to stop preaching in the name of Jesus. The gathered rulers included, “Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent.” (Cf. Acts 4)
The reason that the name John is mentioned without further identification is because Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai was so well-known among the Jews that no other term was required. Note how the John is placed right in the center of Annas, Caiaphas, and Alexander. It says they were all of high-priestly descent. This would include John.
As I mention earlier, it is quite likely that Rabbi Zaccai knew Jesus and was involved in His being turned over to Pilate. Notice carefully what happens when the apostles are brought before these men. It says, “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.” (v13)
What makes the death of this rabbi even more frightening comes from something that Jesus said to Pilate. When Jesus kept quiet, Pilate says, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?”
Listen carefully to the Lord’s response: “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” (Cf. John 19:10,11)
The greater sin
Did you catch it? Whoever delivered Jesus over to Pilate was charged with ‘the greater sin.’ This can only mean that those noted beforehand, that is Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent, would be charged with this greater sin.
Why would these leaders be charged with the greater sin but not Pilate or the Roman soldiers? It was because these leaders knew more about Jesus than they were putting on. Is it possible that some of them actually knew that Jesus was the Messiah? This seems to be the case. Read the parable of ‘the landowner who planted a vineyard’ and the story is made clear. (Cf. Mat 21:33-45)
Take note of how the Lord ends the afore parable:
“Jesus said to them, ‘Did you never read in the Scriptures, “The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner stone; this came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes:?’ “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust. “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet.” (Mat 21:42-46)
Would you like to see what distinguishes the death of Rabbi Zaccai and a rabbi who accepted Jesus as the Messiah of Israel? Whether we can apply the term ‘rabbi’ to Paul before he became a believer is not known. We do know that Paul was a disciple of Gamaliel and a persecutor of the church. When this apostle was facing death, this is what we read about him:
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (Cf. 2Ti 4:7,8)
Do you see the difference? Rabbi Zaccai was terrified. The apostle Paul was ready for his journey home. What made the difference? It all comes back to the atonement sacrifice. To reject the cross is to reject any hope of salvation. And it is not as though Zaccai had no warning. A special letter was sent to Jewish people by an apostolic writer not long before the destruction of the temple. In it we read:
“For if we go on sinning [the sin of rejection of Jesus] willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Cf. Heb 10:26- 29)
As a minister of well over 40 years I’ve attended the last hours of various believers. These were precious moments. There was no fear. And when it neared the time of passage, there was a special anointing that came upon the child of God. It was as though they were already experiencing the heaven side of their passage. As for others — I’ll leave that unsaid.
However, there is much more to the story. One day the Jewish people will realize that they’ve been duped and misled in their Talmudic religion about Jesus. God spoke through the prophet, saying,
“Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.” (Isa 29:14)
It seems to me that day is not too far removed from where we are today.
Well, we do know that there is a heavenly Jerusalem. It is called ‘the city of God.’ Here is a song you will enjoy. It is titled ‘Jerusalem’ by the Hoppers…
May the Lord bless you,.
Buddy
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