• Subscribe
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Spotify
  • Google Podcasts
April 10, 2017

Ep.965: How Were Politics Part of Jesus’ Crucifixion?

The Pharisees, the Sadducees and the politics of the crucifixion

If you do not have a password, please subscribe to our FREE Premium Content for the Full Edition version of CQ Rewind. The welcome message will contain your password, and a reminder will be sent each week when the CQ Rewind is available online for you to read, print, or download.

CHAPTERS

[00:18:32]
Now that we know who is who, we need to ask who did what?


[00:35:08]
How did the Sadducees respond?


[01:52:02]
Was anything right in the approach of the Pharisees and Sadducees?


[01:09:06]
What was the result of all this overwhelming political pressure?


Theme Scripture: Luke 23:2

Thinking about the death of Jesus always produces a variety of emotions. On one hand, we feel a deep sense of gratitude, hope and praise, for without his willing sacrifice and ignominious death, we would all remain under the sentence of sin with no possible way out. In short, we and the entire human race would be doomed to destruction. On the other hand, when we think of his death, we feel the dull, persistent aching pain of sadness, because we know Jesus was an entirely innocent man who was subject to the most unfair and devious kinds of deception, mistreatment and torture. Did you ever wonder what was behind the events that brought Jesus to the point of crucifixion? Did you ever think about who did what and why to position the Savior of all mankind as an enemy of the state?

Continue Reading

Who actually crucified Jesus?

To clearly understand the events that led to Jesus’ death, we can examine a really simple question – “Who crucified Jesus?” The most obvious answers are “the Jews,” as provoked by their leadership, and “the Romans.” These are two groups of people who were very much at odds with each other. That just makes us ask another question – did they collaborate together on this or was there more to it? Well, there was more to it – MUCH more.

Two rivals join forces

Let’s start with the Jews of that time, specifically those in Jerusalem who had authority over their own people of Israel. Being under Roman rule meant that their “authority” was very limited. But that did not prevent major internal wrangling for power and influence among those who were in positions of perceived authority. First, you had the Pharisees, a group who elevated themselves above the people by way of generations of adding “oral traditions” to the original Mosaic Law, which made following the Law an impossible task. Then there were the Sadducees. They were supposed to be the “priests” among the Jewish people but instead focused themselves on politics – on expanding their political power as far as the Romans would allow it. Pharisees and Sadducees did NOT agree on a lot and did NOT get along, yet in the end they joined forces to eliminate Jesus.

Next, we have Annas, a Sadducee who was supposed to be the High Priest over Israel at that time but was not allowed that title by Rome because he was a forceful, powerful man. Annas, even without the title of High Priest, maintained major influence. And then there was Caiaphas, also a Sadducee, who became the High Priest as an appointee of Rome. Though he was the nephew of Annas, he was deemed a much more controllable man by Rome.

When you combine these two groups and these two men you get a real mix of power and a great divergence of opinion and process in wielding that power. Unity was not their strong suit, and yet they all united to eliminate Jesus, the most peaceful, apolitical and God-honoring man to ever walk the earth. What did they do, how did they do it and most importantly how did they get away with it? Mix Pontius Pilate and Roman rule into the picture and you find a tangled web of political influence and intrigue. Check out our April 10, 2017 podcast, “How Were Politics Part of Jesus’ Crucifixion?” and trace the pieces and influences that led to Jesus’ death. If you're like me, you'll find the whole thing to be astonishing!

 

Watch Our Episode Preview


0 replies

Leave your comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Episodes

the last Adam

Why Is Jesus Called the “Last Adam”? (Listener Q&A Series)

/
Powerful and often overlooked connections between Adam and Jesus
hypocrisy

What Did Jesus Really Think of the Pharisees? (Part II)

/
What we can learn from the deep hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees
Pharisees

What Did Jesus Really Think of the Pharisees? (Part I)

/
How Jesus exposed the deep hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees
biases

Is My Christian Judgment Tainted by Bias? (Part II)

/
Learning to better recognize and combat our personal biases
bias

Is My Christian Judgment Tainted by Bias? (Part I)

/
Flushing out the many ways personal bias undermines our faith
God's promises

What Does God Promise Us As Christians?

/
Learning who God’s magnificent promises are for and how they work
Thy kingdom come

When Jesus Prayed, “Thy Kingdom Come” What Did He Mean?

/
Digging into the deep, broad and scriptural meaning of God’s kingdom
Christianity today

Is Following Christ the Same as Following Christianity? (Part II)

/
Jesus’ teachings and today’s Christianity compared and contrasted
God's anger

Is God an Angry God?

/
Uncovering God’s true character through a specific set of scriptures
what is truth

What Is Truth?

/
Establishing the differences between "THE truth” and “my truth”
destroy Satan

Why Doesn’t God Just Destroy Satan?

/
Satan’s history and God’s righteous reasons for keeping him alive
unforgiveable sin, unpardonable sin

What Sins Can Never Be Forgiven?

/
Identifying what unforgivable sins are and their consequences