Mt. 26:57 And those who had laid hold of Yeshua led Him away to Caiaphas the High Priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
Mk. 14:53 And they led Yeshua away to the High Priest, and with Him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes.
Lk. 22:54a Then, having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the High Priest’s house.
Violation No. 7: Sentencing would be announced in an unlawful place.
Yeshua’s trial was being help in the High Priest’s palace. The Law required that capital trials be held in the Sanhedrin’s court known as the Gazith or Chamber of Hewn Stone located on the Temple Mount.
Sources: BT:Abodah Zarah 1:8; M:Sanhedrin 1:4
Violation No. 8: Caiaphas acted as sole judge for the trial.
Yeshua before Caiaphas as His sole judge was illegal. Although there were other judges present, Caiaphas, as High Priest, was in charge and he others simply followed whatever he wanted. “Be not a sole judge, for there is no sole judge but One.
Source: M:Avoth 4:8
MT. 26:58 But Peter followed Him at a distance o the High Priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.
Mk. 14:54 But Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the High Priest,. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.
Mt. 26:59 Now the High Priest, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Yeshua to put Him to death.
Mk. 14:55 And the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Yeshua to put Him to death, and found none.
Violation No. 9:Merits of Yeshua’s defense were not investigated.
No investigation by the court was initiated to determine the merits of any accusations against Yeshua. The council had already found Him guilty before the trial had even started. He had no defense to present as far as they were concerned. According o the Sanhedrin’s own established procedures, the defense was to be brought forward first and then the accusation. The trial must begin with reasons for acquittal and may not commence with reasons for conviction.
Source: Deut. 19:16-18; M:Sanhedrin 4:1; 5:1
The ninth commandment that God wrote with His own finger states: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor’ (Exodus 20:16). Yet known false witnesses were sought after and used during Yeshua’s trial. Not only didn’t the judges make any attempt to ascertain if the witnesses were telling the truth, they didn’t have to, because they knew in advance that they were lying. Notice also that the commandment says that if any witness is caught lying, he is to suffer the same fate as the person he was lying on. And since Caiaphas and the other judges knew that they were lying, they would be guilty of the same consequences as the false witnesses. The Biblical commandment says it this way: "If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, then both men in the controversy stand before God, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. And the judges shall make a careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother, then you shall do to him as thought to have done to his brother, so you shall put away the evil from among you.”
Sources: Exod. 20:16; Deut. 19:16-19, 21
According to ancient records, the only example where the Pharisees demanded a harsher interpretation of the Law than the Sadducees was in the case of false witnesses. The actual Biblical Law , like other similar codes of the days, such as the Sumerians and Hammurabi, stated that the false witness should be penalized with the same disservice that they tried to inflict on another. The Sadducees argue that this rule applied only when injury occurred, but the Pharisees held that the crime was committed concerning the false witness as soon as the damaging testimony was given, whether injury occurred or not. Since some Pharisees were members of the Sanhedrin, they must have turned a blind eye to their own doctrine there.
Mt. 26:60 But found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But a last two false witnesses came forward.
Mk. 14:56 For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimony did not agree.
Violation No. 10: No testimony of a witness is valid unless the witnesses all agree in each detail.
The Sanhedrin could not find witnesses that had the same story. It is ironic that they would follow this part of the Law and ignore so much of the rest of it.
Source: M:Sanhedrin 5:2
Mk. 14:57 And some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying,
Mt. 26:61 And said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and to build it in three days.”
Mk. 14:58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this Temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.’”
Mk. 14:59 But not even then did their testimony agree.
Violation No. 11: Before testifying, the witness must solemnly promise to tell the truth.
Since these were all false witnesses, this was impossible.
Source: M;Sanhedrin 4:5
Mt. 26:62 And the High Priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is that these men testify against You?”
Mk. 14:60 And the High Priest stood up in the midst and asked Yeshua, saying, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?”
Mt. 26:63 But Yeshua kept silent. And he High Priest answered and said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell me if You are the Messiah, the Son of God?”
Mk. 14:61 But He kept silent, and answered nothing. Again the High Priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed?”
The High Priest said to Yeshua, “I adjure You by the living God.....” This puts Yeshua under oath. The Mishnah says, “If he shall say, ‘I adjure you by the Almighty, or by the Sabbath, or by the Gracious and Merciful, by the Longsuffering, or by the Compassionate, or any of the divine titles, behold, they are bound.”
Source: M:Shevuoth 55:13
John reports at this point Yeshua also said “I will destroy this Temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.” In Mark 14:57-59, however, this is the testimony of a false witness. If it was true that Yeshua really said that He would rebuild the Temple, then Caiaphas, the Sadducee, was not listening to Rabbinic fantasies. There is a Biblical verse that was understood by all to speak about the Messiah, who would build the Temple (Zech. 6:12). The Branch was generally understood to be a designation for the Messiah. It is therefore logical to suppose that if Yeshua said that He would build the Temple, He confessed that He was the Messiah. Likewise, it would be logical for the High Priest to respond and ask Him, “Are You the Messiah?”
Mt. 26:64 Yeshua said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming pn the clouds of Heaven.”
Mk. 14:62 And Yeshua answered, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of Heaven.”
In the Gospel of Matthew the most common word for God used by Yeshua and the Jews was “Heaven.” Mark and Luke used “Kingdom of God” probably because most Greek readers did not understand the Jewish euphemism system. In Jewish literature the term “Kingdom of Heaven (Malkut Shammayim) is common and the term “Kingdom of God” is rarely used . When Yeshua was interrogated by the High Priest, He answers that the Son of Man will be sitting on the right hand of Power (God). In this verse we have both another euphemism for God (the word “Power). And the use of anthropomorphic terminology (sitting on the right hand). God is a Spirit (John 4:24) and He does not have a hand, either right or left. Anthropomorphic terminology is the use of humanistic terms to try to describe an indescribable God. We see another example of this with Stephen in Acts 7:56. Neither of these are to be taken literally. That would be a violation of the most basic concept in the Bible – monotheism. Also, this verse is a direct reference to Daniel 7:13 and Psalm 110:1, which explains exactly who Yeshua understood Himself to be. Daniel 7:13 uses the Aramaic term Bar Enosh which refers to humanity.
Sources: Daniel 7:13; Psalm 110:1; John 4:24; Acts 7:56
Mt. 26:65a Then the High Priest tore his clothes, saying, He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses?”
Mk. 14:63 Then the High Priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need do we have of witnesses?”
Violation No. 12: a person could not be condemned based on their own testimony (self-incrimination).
Both the Mosaic and Mishnaic laws forbid this. “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any inquiry or sin that he commits; by mouth of two or three witnesses the matter is established.” “We have it as a fundamental principle of our jurisprudence that no one can bring an accusation against himself.”
Sources: Deut. 19:15; Maimonides, Sanhedrin 6:2
Violation No. 13:the High Priest tearing his garments was forbidden by the Torah.
The Torah reads “And he who is the High Priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes.
Source: Lev. 21:10
Violation No. 14: Charges were not to originate with the judges.
Caiaphas violated the Law by accusing Yeshua of blasphemy. Charges were not to originate with the judges. They were only to investigate the charges brought to then.
Source: Deut. 19:16, 17
Mt. 26:65b “Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!”
Mk. 14:64a “You have heard the blasphemy!”
Violation No. 15: the accusation of blasphemy is valid only if the accused had pronounced the Name of God Himself.
The blasphemer is not guilty until he pronounces the “Name” (the Tetragrammaton) expressly. Yeshua was accused of committing blasphemy several times throughout His ministry, but at no time was He actually guilty. The Mishnah says, “The blasphemer is not guilty until he pronounces the Divine Name expressly.”
Source: M:Sanhedrin 7:5
Mt. 26:66 “What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.”
Mk. 14:64b “What do you thin?” And they all condemned Him to be worthy of death.
Violation No. 16:the judges pass sentence without first deliberating among themselves.
In this one sentence all the other judges agree completely with Caiaphas’ accusation and judgment of blasphemy, instead of first deliberating among themselves, as the law requires. “If they found for his acquittal, they set him free; if not, they postpone his sentence until the next day. The judges went away in pairs to discuss the verdict, and they indulge in little food and did not drink wine all that day, and they discussed the matter thoroughly the whole night, and rose early the following morning and came to the court.
Source: M;Sanhedrin 5:5
Violation No. 17: the trial did not run the minimum time period.
Both of Yeshua’s trials were completed in the space of less than five hours. The guilty verdict had to be announced not less than twenty-four hours following the end of the trial. The law in the Mishnah reads, “a criminal case resulting in an acquittal of the accused may be terminated the same day on which the trial began. But if a sentence of death is to be pronounced, it cannot be concluded before the following day.” “If they found for his acquittal, they set him free; if not, they postponed his sentence until the next day.”
Sources: M:Sanhedrin 4:1; 5:5
Violation No. 18: voting for death penalty to be done by voice and acclamation.
Voting for a death penalty had to be done on an individual count, beginning with the youngest so that the youngest would not be influenced by the elder. “At each extremity a secretary was placed whose business was to record the votes. One recorded the votes in favor of the accused, the other of those opposed.” “Let the judges, each in his turn, absolve or condemn.”
Sources: M:Sanhedrin:4:8; 15:5
Violation No. 19: condemnation of Yeshua was unanimous.
This violated the law that stated that a unanimous decision amounted to a vote of innocence because that many judges could not reach that decision without it being a conspiracy. The law states that: “in capital cases all may argue for acquittal, but not all may argue for conviction.”
Violation No. 20: guilty verdict given at night.
The law was also violated when the verdict of guilty was given at night and not during the daytime. Again, the law comes from the Mishnah. “In capital cases they hold the trial by day and they must come to a decision during the daytime.”
Source: M:Sanhedrin 4:1
Mt. 26:67 Then they spat in His face and beat Him, and others struck Him with the palms of their hands.
Mk. 14:65a Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him and to beat Him,
Lk. 22:63 Now the man who held Yeshua mocked Him and beat Him.
Violation No. 21: the accused must be treated humanely.
The expression of the judge and his officers toward the accused mus be humane, and even kind, treating him with gentleness and respect. This concept was developed first from the example set by Joshua toward Achan even though he would be stoned to death for bringing all kinds of hardships on Israel. The other example was the way judges were to treat women who were accused of adultery and were about to undergo the trial of Sotah.
Sources: Joshua 7:19; M:Sotah 1:4
Mt. 26:68 Saying, “Prophesy to us, Messiah!. Who is he one who struck You?”
Mk. 14:65b And to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.
Lk. 22:64 And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck You?”
Lk. 22:65 And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.
Jn. 18:24 Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the High Priest.
Violation No. 22: no verdict of death can be pronounced outside of of the Gazith Hall (Chamber of Hewn Stone).
This is the official meeting place for the Sanhedrin. No official business can be conducted outside of it.
Sources: BT:Abodah Zarah 1:8; Maimonides, Sanhedrin 1:4
No comments:
Post a Comment