KNOW YOU DID NOT

  What may have been on Jesus’s mind when He answered the chief priests and scribes?  Attempting to snare Jesus as a seditious traitor (a malefactor) they asked Him (Luke 20:22), “Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?”  Their intention was to use Jesus’s own words against Him and to report him to the governor. The governor, of course, was the Roman Prelate Pontius Pilate who had no authority in religious affairs but did in civil governmental affairs.

  Many perceive the Roman government of Caesar of that age as tyrants. However, Herod helped them in their wars with the Arabs as an Arab, and his reward from Augustus Caesar was Judea and many surrounding principalities. In fact, Caesar was quite amiable to the Jews, excepting the zealots who were a band of malefactors (evil doers), and whose crimes against Rome was resistance to the rule of Caesar, and who were zealous in their plundering. (Think of the rioters of the summer of 2020 in the U.S.)

  Those two types of people were on crosses alongside Jesus. The Romans did crucify those who broke civil law but unlike the Jewish government, they never bothered with those of any religion. In fact, at the time of Jesus, the Romans were tolerant of any religion, even Caesar who laid claim to godhood.

  So, there it is: two living “gods” that never fought each other. Pilate demonstrated that neither he nor Caesar had anything against Jesus, although Jesus, as many others, claimed to be “King of the Jews.” Pilate never had a problem with that claim, but Herod and the chief priests did.

  The Romans, up to that time, had not been “nice guys” and even fought each other. However, they were very effective of ridding Greek tyrants that were plaguing Judea, Syria, and the area now in Turkey. Although they did pay tribute to Caesar in the form of taxation, Caesar allowed them to tithe to their God first. Now consider, the response of Jesus to the Jewish officials:

²⁴ Shew me a penny (coin). Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, “Caesar's.” ²⁵ And He said unto them, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.” (Luke 20:24-25)

   The Romans were not evil-doers, the “church” was. Jesus vindicated the Romans when he told Caesar, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore, he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin” (John 19:11). What power did Pilate have over Jesus? None, as can be seen in John 19:10 in the words of Pilate, “Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?” He thought he had power, but Jesus said that he did not.

  Pilate’s sin was over-estimation of himself, what is called “self-esteem” in psychology. The greater sin was those who would be “God” by murdering Jesus. Just who were they? Not even Judas, but the chief priests and their scribes (who had become “lawyers,” not just writing the Law, but making it as they went).

 The religious ecclesia killed Jesus by the misuse of Greek law. Rome had very little to do with the death of Jesus. Pilate was weak against the chief priests, but he saw himself as powerful. Jesus set him straight with the truth. Pilate had asked him that, and the truth was that justice was not served and Pilate finally recognized, as did his soldiers, that Jesus is indeed the Son of God.

  The Romans tolerated Jesus and even the chief priests. The Jewish religion was none of their affair. That is the place of government and even the Roman emperor was tolerant of Judaism and Christianity. Those crosses were for criminals who pillaged and burned Roman property. Jesus had no civil business on the Cross.

  His was serious religious business. His business, as His Name suggests, was saving souls from eternal torment, and it was the chief priests that stood between damnation and salvation for the world. Pilate probably realized how he had been used, because it seems that his wife told him so, “When he was set down on the judgment seat, his (Pilate’s) wife (Claudia Procula) sent unto him, saying, ‘Have thou nothing to do with that just man (Jesus): for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of Him.’” (Mat 27:19).

  This commentary is in the defense of Rome, Pontius Pilate, the soldiers, and civil law if managed fairly. The Roman government was fair to its law-abiding citizens at that time. It was only when the zealots fought an uncivil war with the Romans that they retaliated!

  What is the evidence of that?

Caesar Augustus (Tiberias), high priest and triune of the people, ordains thus — Since the nation of the Jews have been found grateful to the Roman people, not only at this time (Herod’s time), but in times past also, and chiefly Hyrcanus the high priest, under my “father,” Caesar the emperor, it seemed good to me and my counsellors , according to the sentence and oath of the people of Rome, that the Jews have liberty to make use of their own customs, according to the law of their forefathers, as they made use of them through Hyrcanus, the high priest of the Almighty God; and that their sacred money be not touched , but be sent to Jerusalem, and that it be committed to the care of the receivers at Jerusalem; and they be not obliged to go before any judge on the Sabbath day, nor on the day after the preparation for it, after the ninth hour… (Josephus 1st Century AD)

  The pontifus maximus of Rome wrote that. He represented the “triune” of Pompey, Crassus, and his father, Octavian, whose places he took as his alone. His was a faux copy of the triune God of Christianity, and perhaps he saw them in much the same light. He called himself “priest” and referred to the Almighty God but surely because the Jews called Yahweh that Sovereign title. Herod was a jealous king, but not of Caesar but the Triune God, Jesus.

  Tiberius was grateful to the Hasmoneans who had aided the Romans in the overthrow of the Greek Seliucids. Likewise, he was grateful to Herod and the Jewish army in overthrowing the Nabetean (Arab) empire. As such, he respected the high priest (Hyrcanus) of his step-father’s reign and the God of Hyrcanus. Caesar had nothing against the priesthood, the Jews, nor Jewish religious Law. His desire was to treat the Jews fairly, and Pilate did that when Jesus was crucified. His sin was not standing up for Truth!

  Caesar decreed that the sacred money of the Jews belong to the Jews and made provisions for it. He even required that the Greeks obey that Roman law.

  Was that what Jesus was talking about? Because Caesar had given unto the Jews what was theirs, perhaps he thought it graceful to give to the Romans what was theirs. Sacred money belonged to God, but civil revenue belonged to Caesar. In effect, God wanted a sacrifice, but Caesar expected tribute in the form of taxation. Caesar’s (and Herod’s) desire was the love of money, as their extravagances showed, but the Almighty God favored personal sacrifice, or charitableness. Those two gods, although both triune, were much different in operation.

  Ironically, although Caesar was graceful and humane toward the Jews, the chief priests and Sanhedrin were cruel to the “Chief Jew,” Jesus.

  Note something hidden in Caesar’s decree: that any Jew, “Be not obliged to go before any judge on the Sabbath day, nor on the day after the preparation for it, after the ninth hour.”  

  It was dark the day that Jesus died between the sixth and ninth hour (Mat 27:45). And about the ninth hour, Jesus gave up the Ghost and died. Jesus would not be judged on the Sabbath just as Tiberius had decreed about 70 years before. The Romans obeyed their own law down to the hour so not to cause the Jews to break their Law.

  The Law of Yahweh had been decreed by Caesar. He was fairer than the Jewish “dictators” who demanded blood right now, and not from anyone but Almighty God Himself. Would Caesar, if he had lived to see the crucifixion, have understood the mob rule demonstrated by the Jews? Pilate seemed to not, and just washed his hands of the whole matter.  

  So, all this time, the Romans have been the malefactors in the eyes of the world although the malefactors were, not only on the other two crosses, but all around and surrounding Jesus. Just who were the malefactors? Those who committed the greater sin. What sin is that? To deny that Jesus is God and deny Him the privilege of Existing in the lives of the unrepentant!

  Who killed God? As it turned out, God did suffer death as any mortal shall, but He overcame it for those who recognize His suffering on their behalf. Those who see Jesus as God shall be saved, and those who fail to are doomed. “Tasting” His Blood, then rejecting it as the propitiation for the sins of man is as if nailing the Holy Ghost of Jesus to the Cross time and time again (Heb 6:6).

  As it turned out, because of Caesar’s decree years before, the Romans treated Jesus fairer than His fellow Jews.