THE SCAPEGOAT and those who hated Him

Jesus Christ came into the world for ONE specific purpose … to die on a cross for the sins of all mankind. Oh yes, during His 3 ½ year public ministry, He performed many miracles of healing the sick, opening the eyes of the blind and raising the dead, but those were His credentials to prove He was the Son of God. When Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John, He was identifying Himself with His Father’s plan for His life. Every day of His 3 ½ year ministry brought Him closer to that goal. Satan tried many times to have Jesus killed in some way other than crucifixion, but only that death could fulfill Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah.

Jesus’ greatest enemies were the Jewish religious leaders. In general, He was hated, despised and rejected by them, although many of the chief rulers believed in Him but did not confess to others that Jesus was truly the promised Messiah, because they would be thrown out of the synagogue, and they loved the praise of men rather than the praise of God. (John 12:42, 43)

There was a division among the people who listened to Jesus’ teachings. Some said He MUST be ‘the Christ’, while others denied the possibility, because the scriptures said Messiah would come from the seed of David and be born in Bethlehem, the city of David … Jesus grew up in Nazareth. (John 7:40-43)

One day, the Pharisees sent men to ask John who he was and why he was baptizing (identifying) people with the future kingdom on earth. Of course, John denied that he was the Christ, and the very next day he identified Jesus as “THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD.” (John 1:29)

If those Scribes and Pharisees really knew and understood what Moses and the Prophets had written about the Messiah who was to come, they would have realized who Jesus was! Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee and a theologian, at least recognized that Jesus had to be a teacher sent from God. (John 3:1-3)

An opportunity to betray the Lord Jesus Christ to those religious leaders who hated Him came six days before the Passover Feast when Jesus and the twelve were invited to a dinner party at the home of a Pharisee in the town of Bethany. During that celebration, a woman named Mary came in with a box of very precious ointment and Anointed Jesus’ head and His feet with it. (Mark 14:3; Luke 7:36-38; John 12:1-3) When Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, objected to what he thought was a misuse of the expensive ointment, Jesus scolded him, and Judas went to the chief priests to betray the Lord. Those religious leaders were happy and promised to give Judas thirty pieces of silver if he could deliver Jesus into their hands, and from that moment on, Judas looked for a way to conveniently betray Him. (Mark 14:10; Matthew 26:14-16; Luke 22:3-6)

A perfect opportunity for Judas to betray the Lord came during the Last Supper when the twelve were with Jesus enjoying the Passover meal. While they were eating, Jesus said that one of those sitting at the table would betray Him that very night, but identified the betrayer only by giving him the choicest morsel of food, which was called ‘the sop’. When Judas accepted the morsel, Satan entered into him, and Jesus commanded, “What you are about to do, do quickly!” (John 13:26, 27)

Judas knew it was customary for them to go into the Garden of Gethsemene, and that night he brought a great multitude of men carrying swords and staves from the chief priests, scribes and elders into the garden. Judas stepped up to Jesus and kissed Him, showing the soldiers which one to arrest. Then they bound Jesus and took Him first to Annas, who was father-in-law to Caiaphas the high priest and afterward to the house of Caiaphas where the Council was holding a meeting. (Luke 22:54) As Jesus stood outside the Council room, the soldiers ridiculed Him, and then they blindfolded Him and slapped Him in the face and said, “Prophesy … which one of us slapped you?”

At daybreak the next morning, the chief priests and scribes came together and led Jesus into their Council for questioning. They said, “Tell us … are you the Christ?” Jesus replied, “If I tell you, you will not believe. Neither will you answer Me if I question you, nor will you let Me go. Hereafter, you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the power of God.” Then they asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” Jesus replied, “You are right in saying that I am.” They responded, “We have heard his blasphemy from his own lips! We need no further witnesses!” (Luke 22:66-71)

When the religious rulers had finished questioning Jesus, the whole multitude led Him to Pilate, the Roman governor, and began to accuse Him saying, “We found this fellow perverting the nation and forbidding people to give tribute to Caesar and saying that he himself is Christ, a king!”

Pilate privately asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “You’re right in saying that I am.” Then Pilate went out and said to the chief priests and the people, “I find no fault in this man.” The governor’s report infuriated Jesus’ accusers, and they shouted, “He stirs up the people with his teaching throughout all Jewry, from Galilee to this place!”

When Pilate found out that Jesus was a Galilaean, he sent him to King Herod who just happened to be in Jerusalem. For some time, Herod had been desiring to see Jesus, and hoped to see Him perform one of the miracles he had heard about. He asked many questions of Jesus, but Jesus gave no answer at all to Herod. Of course, the chief priests and scribes viciously accused Jesus, and after Herod’s soldiers ridiculed Him and dressed Him in a gorgeous robe, Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate.

Pilate wanted to release Jesus, so he sent for the chief priests and the others who had accused Him and set Him before them saying, “You have brought this man to me whom you accuse of perverting the people, but neither I nor Herod have found these accusations to be true. Now you Jews have a custom that during your feast days, a criminal of your choosing should be set free.” They all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release Barabbas to us!” (Barabbas was a hardened criminal who had been cast into prison for rebelling against legal authorities, and he was also a murderer)

Pilate tried again to reason with the Jewish religious leaders on behalf of Jesus, but they cried out, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

Pilate answered them the third time, saying, “Why? What evil has he done? I find no reason to crucify him; therefore, I will have him beaten and release him.” But the people shouted even louder than before, and their voices prevailed against the governor’s words, so Pilate released Barabbas and said to Jesus’ accusers, “Take your king and crucify him yourselves!” The Jews responded, “We have a law by which this man should die, because he claims to be the Son of God! If you let him go, you are not the friend of Caesar!”

Pilate brought Jesus out again and said to the Jews, “Behold your king!” They cried out, “Away with him … crucify him!” Pilate said, “Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

When Pilate saw that he could not prevail against them, he called for a basin of water and washed his hands in their sight saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just person … do as you wish with him.”

They took Jesus and led Him to a place called Golgotha in the Hebrew language and Calvary in the Greek, and there they crucified Him. Those who hated Jesus got their way at last, but three days later, Jesus arose from the dead, ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of the Power on High. At the end of man’s history, the Lord Jesus Christ will judge those who accused Him along with unbelievers of all the ages at the Great White Throne Judgment. Every person who had trusted in their human good works for salvation rather than put their faith in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross will be cast into the Lake of Fire with the devil and his angels and will be tormented day and night throughout eternity.

Written by Lois Delnay
Fallbrook Ranch Productions
loisdelnay@hotmail.com

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Lois Delnay's writings on Helium


Copyright 2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007 Fallbrook Ranch Productions 522 Del Valle Drive Fallbrook, CA 92028 This Material may be copied for teaching purposes or for your own use. Not for commercial use without permission of the author. All rights reserved. Lois Delnay