تويت
The Jews had condemned Jesus for blasphemy. A man
claiming to be God, they alleged. This would not hold water before
Pilate. He had his man-gods beyond counting. His Jupiter and Pluto, his
Vulcan and Eros, his Mars and Neptune, his Appollo and Zeus, to name
just a few out of his Pantheon. One more, or one less, would not
make any difference to him. This the Jews very well knew. So they
changed their charge from blasphemy to treason. They began accusing:
". . . We found this fellow perverting the
nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he
himself is Christ, a king."
(HOLY BIBLE) Luke 23:2
1. Luke 23:7
SECOND FALSE CHARGE
The charge was absolutely false. Contrary to what
they are alleging, he had said, on the subject of taxation:
"Render unto Caesar the things that are
Caesar's, and unto God, the things that are God's"—
(HOLY BIBLE) Matthew 22:21.
What is subversive about this? Like the Christians,1 the
Jews too, before them had invented a new meaning for the word "Christy,"
viz. "A KING!" So that he could be more easily presented as a challenge
to their Roman overlords. Pilate got the message. But this poor man,
meek and passive, seemed to be no threat. He did not look like a
Zealot, a political agitator, a subversive person, a terrorist!
1. The
Christians equate the word "Christ" to "A GOD!"
A MASTERFUL DEFENCE - AND A
JUST VERDICT
Incredulously he asks Jesus:
"… Art thou the King of the Jews?’ … Jesus
answered him, "MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD, if my kingdom was of
this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be
delivered to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from hence.’ "
(HOLY BIBLE) John 18:33-36
A masterful defence! No Q.C. 1 could have done a better job. As a man of God, he could not
disavow his religious status. His was a spiritual kingdom, a ruler to
rescue his nation from sin and formalism. This was all nonsense to the
Roman Governor. The man may be deluded, mad; but of no danger to the
State. He was on no collision course with Rome. Pilate goes to the
waiting Jews and delivers an unequivocal verdict —
"... I FIND IN HIM NO FAULT AT ALL!"
(HOLY BIBLE) John
18:38
Though Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are supposed
to be writing independent records on the life of Jesus, it is
astonishing that the Synoptists 2, the first
three had never heard the words — "My kingdom is not of this world"
— at all. If God dictated these words exclusively to John, or if he had
been informed by some witness, then these words must have escaped the
lips of Jesus. A most telling defence against the false allegation of
the Jews. How did these words reach any ear, without Jesus opening
his mouth?
1. Q.C.
means Queen's Counsellor, previously K.C.
(King's Counsellor) The highest legal representative in English
Court-of-Law.
2. Synoptists:
meaning one-eyed; looking from one angle.
SPEAKING WITH CLOSED MOUTH?
The hot-gospellers are getting hoarse in the
throat, singing and shouting, that Jesus was led
"to the slaughter like a lamb, like a sheep
before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth" - (Isaiah
53:7).
Poor deluded souls, they hymn songs:
"Hy het sy monde nie oop gemaak nie! Hy het sy monde nie oop
gemaak nie!" (And he opened not his mouth).
Now, an Attorney-at-Law, claiming to be "re-born" has joined the
chorus of Bible-thumpers with the same senseless repetition. Let me
quote, word for word from his Book, to enable you to diagnose this new
sickness of cultism to which even people having undergone a dicipline
of Law are not immune. He says;
"Isaiah predicts about
Jesus Christ:- "
1. He would not defend himself at his trial
(Jesus did not): "He opened not his mouth"
When you meet these cultists in the flesh, please
ask them, "Did Jesus speak with his mouth closed?" How did the
following utterances which are attributed to Jesus, escape his lips
without him opening his mouth -
(a). Before Pontius Pilate: "My
kingdom is not of this world" —
(John 18:36).
(b). Before
the Sanhedrin: "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil,
but if well, why smitest thou me?" —
(John 18:23).
(c). Before
God in the Garden: "O my Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass away . . ."
(Matthew 26:39).
We Muslims believe in the many, many miracles of
Jesus, but we would be reluctant to believe that he dabbled in
ventriloquism. 1
Again and again, whenever the need
arose, during his trials and tribulations, Jesus opened his mouth with
telling effect, "according to the Scriptures". But for those who refuse
to see or hear, we can only seek solace in the words of the Master:
". . . they seeing, see not; and hearing,
they hear not, neither do they understand"
(HOLY BIBLE) Matthew 13:13
1.
Ventriloquism: The art of speaking, or
uttering sounds in such a manner that the voice appears to come from
some other source than the speaker, like Charlie McCarthy and his doll.
THE BLACKMAIL
In the case under discussion, Pilate finds
Jesus — NOT GUILTY! His implacable enemies, blackmail Pilate, saying:
". . . If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend;
whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh agaist Caesar"
(HOLY BIBLE) John 19:12
While the trial was under way, Pilate's wife
sends him a message: "Have thou nothing to do with that just man
(Jesus); for I have suffered many things this day in a dream
because of him." —
(HOLY BIBLE) Matthew 27:19.
As reluctant as Pilate was to condemn an
innocent and harmless subject, and despite the pleadings of his dear
wife based on supernatural visions, he could not prevail against Jewish
pressure. He was forced to give in to the Jewish clamour of "Crucify
him, crucify him!". "Pilate took water, and washed his hands before the
multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man."
— (Matthew 27:24). You are culpable for this unjust crime. And he handed Jesus
over to be crucified.
