New Testament Historical Perspective

Joshua G.
August 21, 2011
New Testament Historical Perspective
Grand Canyon University

The death of Jesus and the ways of God The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ Jesus are at the crux of Christianity. In hind sight what seemed like foolishness to some on lookers has become the wisdom of God triumphing over evil by the death of His Christ Jesus on the cross. Like the stanza of a well known verse, Christ cried out, “God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” This cry from the cross on the day of His crucifixion was not a cry of defeat, on the contrary; it was a cry of victory in the ears of those familiar with the blessed twenty second Psalm written by His very namesake David the king, the priest, the psalmist. Victory
was accomplished by Jesus’ death on the cross, but many would beg to differ as their political and religious disdain for His teachings motivated their contempt; and that contempt for His teachings became the very driving force for His crucifixion. Who are they, one might ask; and why would they kill an innocent man?
Well, they are the Jewish religious leaders and the Roman political leaders of Jesus’ day. What motivated these leaders to follow such a heinous agenda? At the onset of Jesus’ ministry, people recognized His message as one being authoritative. He preached the kingdom of God with a conviction and focus unknown before His arrival. Many Jewish religious leaders during the time of Jesus’ ministry had their own interpretations of scripture, but Jesus’ message confronted and exposed the falsehood of the Jewish leaders; and the despised Him for it. The Jewish leaders tried on many occasions to expose Jesus’ message as one of falsehood, but when they tried; His message of truth always prevailed. Confrontations with Jesus and the Jewish leaders continued, and the Jesus’ message continued to prevail and gain a following; and the Jewish religious leadership despised Him all the more. The Jewish religious leaders increasing disdain for His message made them conspire to kill Him. Jesus professed to be the Son of God which by doing so expressed equality with His Father God, and the Jewish leaders hated Him, considered Him blasphemous; and wanted Him
dead. Desire for His death alone could not achieve the desired result, because under Jewish law there was no provision for the death penalty; but some scholar’s say that the Jewish law did provide for the death penalty. Furthermore, the Jewish leaders did have the right to execute any Gentile including even a Roman citizen if he trespassed the sacred shrine of the Temple (Niswonger 1988 Pg. 171). Jesus not only entered the Temple and confronted Jewish leadership, but He went a step further by rejecting their Temple practices as an abomination. Jesus was a continual reminder to the Jewish religious leadership that their interpretation of scripture was tainted, and that what He did in their presence was the fulfillment of scripture; and they became increasingly indignant. The Jewish leaders conspired together to make their desires come true, but they needed a partner in crime to shed innocent blood; and who better to do it than the Roman government?
The Roman government was a blood thirsty band of power crazed imperialists. The Roman government however powerful reluctantly carried out the death of Jesus. The Roman government consented to Jesus’ death because the Jewish leadership effectively lodged a political charge against Jesus citing that the man Jesus was opposed to paying taxes to Caesar, and claimed to be Christ; a king. (Niswonger 1988 Pg. 172). Lodging this accusation against Jesus before the Roman authorities established false evidence of Jesus’ efforts to subvert the Roman
Empire. The Jews found a way to give Pilate a none-too-subtle warning when they said, “If you let this man go, you are not a friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” (John 19:12). Some scholars think the term “friend of Caesar” was an official title given to certain individuals and that Pilate must have possessed this special distinction. Perhaps the term is not used in a technical sense here and simply indicates that Pilate was in danger of putting himself in a position of enmity toward Tiberius. (Niswonger 1988 Pg. 173); and the prospect of Pilate losing his position in office was enough to consent to the death of Jesus. In closing, the death of Jesus marked history with a blood stain that can never be forgotten; and this very reality was again the fulfillment of scripture to the Jewish religious leaders and the Roman Empires’ demise. When they heard Jesus say, “God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”; they heard it as a cry of defeat. But, as Jesus said to the Jewish leaders during His ministry, “you search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” (John 5:39).
“God, my God why have you forsaken me?” was the clarion cry of victory and the fulfillment of the scripture in their ears.
It is finished…

Niswonger. R. L. ,1988; New Testament History; Zondervan Publishing House; Grand
Rapids, Michigan.
Biblegateway: (http://www.biblegateway.com)