How Evil Leaders Scammed the Jews and Got Exposed!
Hidden in the pages of the 4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) is the underhanded technique, Jewish leaders used to accuse, try and convict Jesus in the evil Jewish kangaroo court. It all started when evil leadership developed scams to separate the people from their money. Jesus caught and exposed them for all to see! Here’s what they used to set up their scams.
The Bible books of Leviticus and Numbers state all sacrifices must be perfect. God stated in Malachi 1, Priests were allowing the lame, blind, and sick animals to be offered to Him. He said, “Offer it then to your governor, would he be pleased? . . . accept it favorably?” Of course not, then or now! Advice: Don’t Blindly follow just any Leadership.
The Leadership
Annas, High Priest of the Temple, wouldn’t allow Roman money to be offered in the Temple, saying it was “unclean.” When the Romans took over Jerusalem, they deposed him. Each of his 5 sons, and finally his son-in-law Caiaphas became High Priests. (Today, it might be called a dynasty.)
Scam #1
Annas and his friends developed a sweet little business changing Roman money for Jewish. To save time those with “unclean” Roman money could exchange it for the Jewish, right on the Temple grounds – for a small fee of course! Naturally, the High Priest would get a cut of the profit!
Today and for hundreds of years, those of Israeli heritage present their offerings in whatever currency they have, dollars, pounds sterling, francs, euros, etc. Malachi 3:6 states: For I am the Lord, I do not change; so who changed the rule? The Temple leaders!
Scam #2
The Jews from the field brought animals to sacrifice to God. These had to be inspected to determine if they met the High Priest’s standards. If deemed unworthy, a proper one could be obtained for a fee. (These scam artists sold the unworthy one to the next sucker.) The High Priest got a cut of this profit, too!
(It is no accident this story smells like plots and payoffs by many in the current U.S. Congress & leadership!)
Evil Leadership Exposed
A brazen young Jewish man exposed the scam. He walked into the Temple overturned the money changers’ tables; drove out animal sellers with whips exclaiming God’s house is not a place of commerce! He did it twice; once in John 2:13-16, and later in Matt 21, Mark 11 and Luke 19! He said, It is written “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” but you have made it a den of thieves.
Imagine how angry the Jewish leaders were at Him when they got exposed! It interfered with their commerce! (Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly – Proverbs 17:12.) So the leaders began to plot to kill this upstart who also said, God was His Father!
Revenge of the Leadership
Why was Jesus arrested, then taken and questioned initially at Anna’ house? This wasn’t jail or the temple, but a residence. The reason? Annas was the elder spokesman and leader of the den of thieves. So, it wasn’t the common Jew who wanted Jesus dead, but the angry leaders – those benefiting from the scams.
The leaders wanted to get even with Jesus for wrecking their businesses, but wanted the Romans to get all the blame while they could appear to the Jewish people as blameless. Why wasn’t Jesus killed with a sword, strangled or stoned? Because crucifixion was the most painful way to die taking 2 days on average. (Jesus death was chronicled 6 centuries earlier in Isaiah 52:13-53:12)
Jesus in the Evil Jewish Kangaroo Court
This trial was illegal in 8 ways violating the Jewish legal system by declaring Jesus guilty and taking Him before the Roman leadership to do their dirty work (Scofield Study Bible).
- The judge was not impartial.
- There was not a required quorum of 23 judges present.
- Jesus’ arrest was carried out without a formal accusation.
- Criminal trials had to be carried out during the day. (Jesus’ was at night.)
- A verdict of guilty could not be rendered until the next day. (Jesus’ verdict was given the same day.)
- It was illegal for Judges to search for hostile testimony, that’s the job of the prosecutor.
- No accused could be convicted on his own evidence. (There was no other evidence.)
- No valid legal evidence was presented against Him.
- This event also violated the Roman legal system (Scofield Study Bible). Once a person was declared innocent the verdict couldn’t be reversed. But after Pilate declared Jesus the Christ innocent, he bowed to pressure and reversed his decision.
Who was the Man who Exposed the Evil Leadership?
All these years later, very few Jews realize the deceit of their leaders (the den of thieves). They continue to follow the previous leadership of that killed THEIR Christ. Although plainly written by their prophets, few recognize the 322 prophecies Jesus fulfilled! The chance one man could fulfill ALL these prophecies is a number so great; it would easily surpass the number of electrons in the entire solar system!
Conclusion
He who we know as God has 3 parts; The Father, the Son (Jesus) the Holy Spirit. Jesus came to earth and faced all the same experiences including temptations as us – then to give us abundant life.
All crimes must receive punishment – someone has to pay for everything wrong we have ever done. Everyone will stand before the ultimate judge, God the Father, to answer for their actions and decisions, then accept punishment or reward. There are no secrets from Him.
After our body wears out, He prepared a place of reward for eternal happiness (Heaven) for those who love Him, where there is no sickness, death, need, or lack of perfection. For punishment He prepared a place of eternal torment – Hell – originally for Satan and the fallen angels. However, those who are enemies, rejected God or have committed sins will also be punished. Since, all have done wrong, how can anyone deserve Heaven?
God, the Father, placed all the wrongs have ever done on Jesus, who willingly accepted and was severely punished suffering tortured death (crucifixion) for them. Those who believe in Christ and accept His gift will spend eternity in Heaven no matter what sin they committed. Jesus, the Christ paid the price for all of us, once and for all! How can you receive forgiveness?
If you haven’t already, I invite you to reach out and say to God: “Thank you Father for sending Jesus and His indescribable gift to me. I regret all my mistakes, errors and wrongful deeds I have committed. I accept the indescribable gift Jesus gave me for all my sins. I will live for Him from now on. Thank you Father, in the name of Jesus.
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