by Dr. Donna Beccia Carick
April 7, 2023
Yeshua spent 100% of his time going from village to village, teaching the Torah and the Prophets, healing people from their diseases, and delivering them from demonic strongholds. The public loved him. The Sanhedrin didn’t. Several Pharisees were angry because Yeshua had raised Lazarus from the dead. Such a crime! They were worried that he was gaining a whole lot of followers, way too fast, and the Roman government might come against the Jewish people because a Jewish man was leading an insurrection. That was their claim, anyway.
Some members of the Sanhedrin got together to discuss their vindictive plan. They bribed Judas with silver, so he would testify against Yeshua. Judas directed an army of 600 Roman soldiers to “capture” him while he was praying in the Mount of Olives, just after he had celebrated the “Last Supper” before the “Fast of the Firstborn,” in preparation for Passover.
Peter was a viable witness who could testify that Yeshua was innocent. He lost it when he saw the massive number of Roman soldiers, and he cut off one soldier’s ear. Yeshua told Peter to calm down, and then healed the soldier’s ear. Peter later crumbled under fear and denied he ever knew Yeshua.
By Torah Law, a person being accused of a crime punishable by death must have a proper trial, during the daytime, in a proper court. There must be two or three witnesses who testify against the criminal. After the trial, if the person was convicted, there had to be a “cooling off” period to allow the person to gather additional witnesses on their behalf.
The Torah laws were not followed. The JUDGES were the accusers––that’s illegal. They had decided Yeshua’s fate of death before they hauled him in for questioning––that’s illegal. They took Yeshua to Caiaphas’ home in the middle of the night––that’s illegal. They used Judas’ testimony against Yeshua––but Torah law said that a bribed person could not testify. They dragged people from off the streets to make up testimonies against Yeshua––that’s illegal. Their only possible credible witness was Peter, who knew Yeshua personally, but he was a liar––he had denied knowing him. They took their trumped up charges to Pilate––that Yeshua claimed he was the Son of God––but Pilate didn’t care because the Emperor Caesar considered himself to be a god. Pilate said Yeshua was innocent, so they tried another approach––they called him an insurrectionist against Rome. They eventually got their way, and Yeshua was crucified––because he did not protest or defend himself. HE DIED WILLINGLY, laying down his life for you and me.
Will we lay down our life for him?
Yeshua was slaughtered at the exact time and manner that the Passover lambs were being slaughtered for the Passover meal. They had to be skinned, hung, and roasted––Yeshua’s skin was ripped off his back from flogging, he was hung on a cross, dehydrated from extreme loss of blood and excessive thirst, roasting under the hot afternoon sun.
Man earned spiritual death by eating from the forbidden tree. Yeshua gave us spiritual life by hanging from a tree.