8/7/2019 Crucifixion Story - Servant of High Priest

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BreakThru Ver 2.1: Crucifixion Story Tues, Feb 9, 2010

From the Servant of High Priest

I was with them when he came. He was one of His followers. The chief priests and elders were unwillingto see him. Then he offered to hand Jesus over to themfor a sum. Ive seen this Jesus that thereligious leaders kept talking about. He teaches huge crowds of people. More people than the priests or elders ever taught, and with greater authority. Maybe thats why they hated him so much. The temple isfull of people like that: people thirsty for power, hungry for attention, greedy for self glorification. I hatedthem, and yet I was one of them. What could I do? My father didnt want me to plow the land. He sentme to be schooled. I was fortunate enough to have even been accepted by one of them, lowly as I am.Eventually, I was even allowed to serve the High Priest.

Thats how I met him. Judas, a follower of Jesus. I hadnt decided at that point how I felt about Jesus,but I knew exactly how I felt about this disciple of his: this worthless and traitorous rat, willing to sell outhis master for a few thousand dollars. I dont believe in God, for Ive lived long enough in the temples toknow that God is just an object to be paraded around by the powerful. Neither do I believe in the law, for it is a construct of the powerful to keep themselves in power. But I know loyalty, this much I will say: thisJesus, whoever he is, doesnt deserve to be sold out by one of his own.

We waited until He was alone because we knew that if we arrested him while he was teaching a crowd,wed be stoned. So we found him while he was praying in a hidden place. He must have expected usbecause when Judas greeted him with a kiss, Jesus gave him a knowing look, Judas, would you betraythe Son of Man with a kiss? And one of the disciples who was with him, pulled out a sword and startedwielding it I pushed back the chief priest, and the sword came down in flash of searing pain and I felt thewarm sticky blood dripping from the side of my head. As I looked down at my hand, I saw I was holdingmy right ear.

Enough of this! Jesus yelled, and he looked at me and called me over. I dont know why, but my legsobeyed. And as I trembled before him, I would not even look him in the face. This man I was ordered toclub and beat if he resisted. This man who had done me no wrong. This man who was betrayed by oneof his closest companions. I fell before him, and he lifted my eyes and touched the side of my head. Awarmth surged through me, and a sharp pain that lasted for only an instant. I touched the side of myhead and felt my ear again! I looked around for the ear I was holding. It was no where to be found. I laidthere speechless.

They dragged him away, and he went away with them willingly. At that, even his most zealous follower lost heart. Some followers, this Jesus has. It was not enough that they arrested and falsely accused him.They wanted to humiliate him. They mocked him as they were beating him, blindfolding him as theystruck his face. Prophesy! Who was it that hit you? It made my stomach turn. And not once did heretaliate.

When it was finally time for him to be brought to the high council, he remained impassive. It was patheticall the ways they tried to trap him into blasphemy the most heinous crime they could think of while theyplotted to kill an innocent man. They accused him, You say that you are the Son of God, to which hereplied, You say that I am. And that was enough for them to bring him before the governor.

I know not whether Pilate was a righteous man, but he had sense enough to see through the schemes of

the religious Jews. Jesus broke no Roman laws. Pilate had no reason to execute him. Take himyourselves and judge him by your own laws, he said. Yet the Jewish leaders kept pushing back, It is notlawful for us to put anyone to death. I was always amazed at how they were able to always manage tokeep themselves ceremoniously clean even when shedding innocent blood. And Pilate watched inamazement as Jesus stood in silence while the religious leaders heaped false accusations on him.

Pilate must have had some sort of conscience, for he tried to get Jesus to defend himself. Maybe hewould have even taken Jesus at his word and ruled in his favor. He was the governor after all, he had theprerogative to do so. But Jesus made no reply. And the crowds were demanding that Pilate hand Jesusover.

8/7/2019 Crucifixion Story - Servant of High Priest

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BreakThru Ver 2.1: Crucifixion Story Tues, Feb 9, 2010

Do you refuse to speak to me? Dont you realize I have the authority to either free you or crucify you?

And Jesus replied, You would have no authority over me unless it had been given from above.Therefore he who delivered me over to you is guilty of the greater sin.

And finally the Jews cried out, If you release this man, you are not Caesars friend because this manclaims to be a king, and we have no king but Caesar. Pilate was struck with fear, for he knew the Jewswould go back to the emperor with this. So he brought Jesus out. It is customary for me to release oneprisoner during your Passover, so whom shall I release to you? Barrabas, who is guilty of murder andinsurrection or Jesus, the King of Jews?

Release to us, Barrabas!What then shall I do with Jesus?Crucify Him! Crucify Him!Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death.But the crowd only screamed louder, Crucify Him! Crucify Him!

And when Pilate saw he was gaining nothing, and a riot was about to start, he took out some water andwashed his hands before the crowd, saying, I am innocent of this mans blood, see to it yourselves. Andhe delivered Jesus over to be crucified. So the soldiers of the governor took Jesus away, but beforecrucifying him, they took liberty in mocking him. They dressed him in royal robes and twisted a crown of thorns on his head bowing before him and yelling, Hail the king of Jews! This was right before theystruck and spat on him, stripped him of all his garments and led him away to be hung on a tree. And asthe soldiers hammered those nails into his wrists, and rose that cross where he was left to slowly die,Jesus uttered the most unthinkable words, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

I dont know who Jesus wasif he really was the son of God, the Christ, the savior of this world. But Iveseen enough of what he did and what he taught to know that he did not deserve to die the way he did.

I watched from afar, the pitiful sight where Jesus was hung on a cross between two criminals. One, moreevil than the other, mocked Jesus as well, Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us! But the other rebuked him, Have you no fear of God? We are getting what our deeds deserve, but this man has done

nothing wrong. And he looked to Jesus and said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.

After he died, one of his followers took away his body to be buried. The chief priests were worried that hisdisciples would steal his body and claim that he rose from the dead. So they sent a whole legion of temple guards to watch the tomb and make sure nobody got in. Yet his body went missing after the 3 rd

day, for his disciples came looking for him, and the stone in front of the tomb had been moved and nobody was found within it. I heard it said that He rose again and showed himself to his closest followers the ones that deserted him in his darkest hour.

I dont know how it would have been possible, but this much I do know, that stone that covered theentrance of the tomb was over 2000 pounds, and the number of soldiers guarding it was well over 100.Having been in the service of the priests, I know any oversight by the temple guard would have been

punished severely. And yet, the body was gone. There was no reasonable explanation for it.I dont know what happened. I had left the temple service after Jesus was crucified. I wanted no part of itany more. Perhaps if I see him face to face, I will ask him how he managed to get out.