The Mistrial of the Ages

Mistrial: A trial that becomes invalid, is essentially canceled, because of a mistake in procedure.

During the time leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, He was led before the Jewish Sanhedrin to face formal charges as they were brought against him. It was at this trial that they ultimately determined his guilty verdict and decided to implement capital punishment. Yet a careful examination of that trial will reveal that it was in violation of many Jewish laws by which the Sanhedrin were directed to follow. It is my intention in this article to prove to you that even if Christ were guilty of the charges he faced his trial was still completely bogus. The laws of justice by which the Sanhedrin were so famous for following were completely thrown out the window as Yeshua or Jesus Christ was led to his crucifixion.

The Great Sanhedrin was an assembly of Jewish judges who comprised the Jewish court of law. This panel included a leader called a Nasi, a High Priest, a vice-chief justice and sixty-nine general members. These Jewish leaders were considered experts in many fields. They were well versed in Science, medicine, chemistry and foreign languages. The priests were experts in the moral law, the elders in the civil law, and the scribes in the ceremonial law.

The Sanhedrin imposed strict regulations upon itself in order to maintain such a high standard and to protect an innocent man from ever being wrongly accused of guilt. This standard, or law code, was called the Mishna. It was this law code that was completely ignored during the trying of Jesus Christ and it is this law code that invalidates any claim at the Sanhedrin's authority to determine whether Jesus was or was not the Messiah.

1. The Sanhedrin met before the morning sacrifice. This was illegal. The purpose of this self-imposed regulations was to ensure that the counsel had taken the proper time to prepare themselves spiritually for such a decision. This helped to ensure that the men were "right with God" when handing down important verdicts.


2. The Sanhedrin met prior to the Sabbath and prior to a feast day. This was illegal. The Sanhedrin were not allowed to meet on these days regarding any matter related to capital punishment. Since the Sanhedrin were required to reconvene on the day following any capital punishment decision, they imposed this law to ensure that they would not have to meet on a Sabbath or on a feast day.


3. The witnesses did not agree. This was illegal. The Bible is very clear about the consequences of perjury before the court of law. "Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you." (Deut. 19:19). Jesus should not have been crucified that day. Those who witnessed against him should have been nailed to that cross!


4. Christ's defense was never allowed. This was illegal. The accused could testify before the Sanhedrin but it was not required. The accused individual's confession was not enough to condemn them. This ensured that he was not coerced into a confession.


5. The Sanhedrin continually changed their charges against him. This was illegal. The Sanhedrin began by accusing him of sedition (Mark 14:58; John 2:19). When that was not effective they moved to charge him with blasphemy(Mark 14:63-64). Finally, when they could not get a capital punishment charge based on either of those charges, they appealed to the Romans with the accusation of treason (Luke 23:1-2).


6. The Sanhedrin presented a unanimous vote. This was illegal. According to Jewish law, a unanimous verdict of guilt required that the prisoner be released. This was an added precaution to safeguard against the counsel not taking the proper deliberations and giving a fair trial. This was also implemented to ensure that a conspiracy was not taking place.


7. The Sanhedrin never reconvened the next day. This was illegal. The Sanhedrin were required to reconvene twenty-four hours later on all trials that included capital punishment. A member of the panel could change a 'guilty' vote to a 'not guilty' but a person could not change a 'not guilty' to a 'guilty.' This was an effort to protect the accused in that a member would sometimes see things more clearly after a good night's rest and perhaps would be more benevolent.

The above violations are only a few of the many clear infringements on Jewish law and justice that took place during what I have come to call 'The Mistrial of the Ages.' Any assertion to the authority of the Sanhedrin in these matters become null and void. They have forfeit any credence that they may like to claim concerning the Messiah. I have laid out the evidence clearly and truthfully. You decide what to do with it!

Jesus is Still the Messiah!

In our conversation that has been developing over the past few days regarding Judaism and the Messianic prophecies (Read it Here!) being fulfilled in Jesus Christ, I have come to understand the feelings of frustration and heartfelt pain that Paul expressed in the New Testament. It was obvious that Paul was deeply hurt by the fact that his fellow countrymen were so consumed with their traditions and with their scholars that they completely ignored, denied, and rejected their own Messiah!

"For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;"
~ Romans 9:3-4

It is sad that this group of people who God so dearly loves and cares for has rejected his perfect gift to them! They have turned their back on the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and done it in the name of the very God they are rejecting. Consider for a few moments a few of the things that I have learned about why they reject the Savior of the world.

1. They steep their faith in the credentials of Jewish ancestors rather than in a clear examination of the facts for themselves. In several examples of our conversation, these Jewish people made it painfully obvious that they care more for their faith in their scholars than they do in the facts and logic of the Word of God itself. Consider the following two excerpts from our conversation.
   
   

   "Nicholas, first my statements in regards to the doctor are not Ad Hominem. In Judaism we accept that the Tzadikim have the power to decide, until such time as the Sanhedrin is restored. So the fact that the doctor is not a Gadol is profoundly relevant." ~ Kahaneloyalist
   
   "Nick: Let me enlighten you to a wonderful Jewish concept. The Torah states that matters of Jewish law are in our hands to decide, not G-d's."

   
   Where does God ever hint at the fact that matters of Jewish law are outside of his own hands? This, however, is the simple logic that was used to deny God himself as the savior of the world when they crucified the God-man Christ Jesus! Even though Jesus was God, they made it very clear that it was up to them to decide his fate...not God!


2. The clear denying of other credentialed Jewish scholars when they do not support their position. For example, they deny the clear teaching of a virgin birth as found in Isaiah 7:14.
   
   The multitude of Jewish scholars who who lived prior to Christ, were amazingly learned in the linguistics of the day, translated the Old Testament in the Greek, and believed that Isaiah 7:14 referred to a Virgin between 300 and 100 BC are not relevant to the Jewish community. Notice that it was Jewish scholars prior to Christ who believed without dispute that the verse was adamantly referring to a virgin and not a young woman. As a side note...what kind of sign is it anyway that a young woman will conceive a child? That happens a bazillion times a day today and didn't most women have lots of children back then. It was a sign because it was going to be something out of the ordinary for everyone to see and know!


3. The naively attack the fact the Jesus Christ even existed! I don't even have time to get into this argument as it would take me all day, but let me throw out a few historians that lived during the first few centuries who reference the reality of Jesus Christ.
   
   
   • Josephus
   • Suetonius, chief secretary to Emperor Hadrian
   • The Babylonian Talmud (Sanhedrin 43a) confirms Jesus' crucifixion on the eve of Passover, and the accusations against Christ of practicing sorcery and encouraging Jewish apostasy.


4. They are only willing to hold to a few 'Utopian' prophecies that are either taken way out of context or are referring to the second coming. They have turned their backs on hundreds of prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ for a very small handful of which a clearly indicative of his Glorious return at the second coming of Jesus Christ. They misunderstand the concept or idea that the Messiah first came as a suffering Servant and will come again a second time as the sovereign Savior!
   
   

   "The Jewish idea of the moshiach has nothing to do with a demigod or salvation but rather a human king who will save Israel from the gentiles, ingather the exile, bring world peace, rebuild the Temple, strengthen the Torah and unite the world in service of G-d. JC did NONE of that." ~ Bar Kochba

It is very sad that they refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah and I fear that all too soon they will realize the truth. I pray and I care deeply for all of these people and I hope that they will at least consider the truths found in the Old Testament that point them toward Jesus as the Messiah. Remember the words of Christ himself.

"Search the scriptures...and they are they which testify of me."
~ John 5:39

Jesus is the Messiah!

I support Israel and Jewish people with every fiber of my body. As a soldier, I would be honored if my country ever asked me to defend this tiny nation in the heart of the Middle East. And on the flip side of that same coin, I would demand to be dishonorably discharged or court marshaled from the United States Army if I were ever asked to take action against them. I believe that that those of us who stand with and support Israel and Israelis are going to be blessed by God. Those who opposed Israel will be cursed at the hand of God. Consider God's promises to Abraham in the book of Genesis.

Having made known my feelings toward this group of people, let me now move on to the heart of this article. The Jewish people are theologically in error. They have made a drastic and tragic mistake when it comes to the issue of Jesus Christ being the Messiah. They have ignored and crucified the savior of the world.

I say this not out of anger or rage or anything like that. I say this only because I wish that there was something that I could do to convince them of the truth. I wish that I could help them to see that Jesus is the Messiah. It breaks my heart to see them turn their back on what God has so graciously provided for them.

I have recently been carrying on a series of correspondence with some Jewish friends that I recently made in which we have been debating and discussing the validity of Jesus being the fulfiller of the Messianic prophecies and the God of the Jews being the same or different than the God of the Christians. I would like to bring all of you into this discussion assuming you will all be decent enough to be civil.

During our conversation, I asked them to provide for me some prophecies that Christ did not fulfill. In response to this question, Bar Kochba, the author of the blog 'For Zion's Sake' has provided a very thorough answer. Consider, for example, just these four points that he brought to light and help me to share the light of the blessed Gospel with our Jewish friends. Let me hear your response to these claims against Jesus of Nazareth.

• He must be a member of the tribe of Judah - "The staff shall not depart from Judah, nor the sceptre from between his feet..." (Genesis 49:10) To be a member of the tribe of Judah, the person must have a biological father who is a member of the tribe of Judah...

• He must be a direct male descendant of King David and King Solomon, his son - "And when your days (David) are fulfilled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who shall issue from your bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will make firm the throne of his kingdom forever..." (2 Samuel 7:12 - 13) The genealogy of the New Testament is inconsistent. While it gives two accounts of the genealogy of Joseph, it states clearly that he is not the biological father of Jesus. One of the genealogies is through Nathan and not Solomon altogether!

• He must gather the Jewish people from exile and return them to Israel -"And he shall set up a banner for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." (Isaiah 11:12) Are all Jews living in Israel? Have all Jews EVER lived in Israel since the time of Jesus?

• He will rule at a time of world-wide peace - "...they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." (Micah 4:3) Have you seen a newspaper lately? Are we living in a state of complete world peace? Has there ever been peace since the time of Jesus?

I will be posting, either as another article or within the comments section of this article, my refutations to these claims and I invite as many as read this article to join in defending our savior. I want to hear from Christians and Jews. I hope that we can come together with civility and discuss and debate our differences and go away from this place more thoroughly educated because of it. God bless all of you and thank you in advance for your participation and comments.

P.S. You can read some of this correspondence by visiting either of the following two links and reading the comments section of the post: The Baptist Muse: My Rant Against Pluralism and For Zion's Sake: An Apology, A Clarification, and a Summary.

(This post was originally posted on January 20, 2008. I have moved the date up a day or two to maintain its position at the top of this blog due to the large number of hits and comments that it is getting.)