Today on Back To Our Roots we're going to tackle 00:00:01.40\00:00:03.13 one of the more difficult topics: Who Crucified Jesus? 00:00:03.16\00:00:06.80 Stick around and you're going to hear 00:00:07.00\00:00:08.80 some very interesting things. 00:00:08.90\00:00:10.86 And welcome once again to Back to Our Roots. 00:00:30.35\00:00:32.91 I'm Pastor Alex Schlussler and this is my co-host 00:00:33.11\00:00:35.77 Rachel Hyman, minister of music. 00:00:35.87\00:00:37.74 Yeah, and we're so happy that you've joined us today. 00:00:37.94\00:00:40.53 Today we have what some people might consider 00:00:40.73\00:00:44.19 a pretty heavy topic, Rachel - yes - because we're going to be 00:00:44.39\00:00:47.61 talking about Who Crucified Jesus? Um-hmm. 00:00:47.71\00:00:50.43 And I want to tell you that for many people 00:00:50.53\00:00:52.97 this is... goes very deep. 00:00:53.07\00:00:55.45 Of course, it's a very important subject, 00:00:55.65\00:00:58.54 especially as we get into the context of how it affects 00:00:58.74\00:01:03.02 the Jewish people and how they interact with Christians 00:01:03.12\00:01:06.09 and their acceptance of the gospel because of that. 00:01:06.29\00:01:09.04 Um, Rachel, have you had experiences 00:01:09.34\00:01:12.58 from a negative standpoint before we really get into this? 00:01:12.78\00:01:15.70 Well it was just interesting growing up as a Jew. 00:01:15.90\00:01:18.38 Occasionally I had some Christian friends who would 00:01:18.58\00:01:20.06 invite me to their churches. And they were nice people 00:01:20.16\00:01:22.82 but you know I've always heard that 00:01:23.02\00:01:25.97 the Jews killed Christ or we were called Christ killers. 00:01:26.07\00:01:29.76 And I thought: "Well, how welcoming is that? 00:01:29.96\00:01:33.18 Why would they even want me there? I murdered their hero. " 00:01:33.38\00:01:36.88 So it wasn't very welcoming. 00:01:37.08\00:01:39.11 Well I have my story that I... always kind of comes up in me. 00:01:39.31\00:01:44.40 I was very young. I was in fourth grade - hmmm - 00:01:44.60\00:01:46.84 and I remember going out into the playground 00:01:46.94\00:01:50.34 and this girl in fourth grade along with me, she walked 00:01:50.54\00:01:52.99 up to me and she just smacked me - no way! - 00:01:53.19\00:01:55.65 in the face and said: "You killed my God. " 00:01:55.85\00:01:58.21 No way! And it was because she had sat in church 00:01:58.41\00:02:02.23 and had heard a sermon or something, I'm assuming, 00:02:02.43\00:02:05.93 where they talked about that the Jews had killed Christ. 00:02:06.13\00:02:09.30 We're going to get into this, and I want to invite our 00:02:10.66\00:02:14.43 special guest as always our good friend Alexander Bolotnikov. 00:02:14.53\00:02:19.10 We call him Sasha. Sasha, why don't you come on out 00:02:19.30\00:02:21.60 and join us? Hey Sasha. Good to have you again, Sasha. 00:02:21.80\00:02:25.89 Good to be with you again. This is our resident theologian. 00:02:25.99\00:02:29.98 So Sasha, today's show... today's program as I started out 00:02:31.26\00:02:34.90 really can get kind of heavy. 00:02:35.10\00:02:38.07 And you know, we have to deal with this because it's 00:02:38.27\00:02:40.45 an important topic. Today we're talking about 00:02:40.55\00:02:42.85 who in fact crucified Jesus. 00:02:43.05\00:02:46.12 Now the first thing that we want to get into 00:02:46.32\00:02:49.25 is the Biblical account vs. what people believe. 00:02:49.45\00:02:55.19 You know, what people have been taught. So the first 00:02:55.39\00:02:58.09 thing we have this idea that all of Israel - 00:02:58.29\00:03:01.52 and when I say Israel people will think all of the Jews 00:03:01.72\00:03:04.49 in total - all of Israel are guilty of the crucifixion 00:03:04.69\00:03:08.52 of Jesus. That's what it sounds like when they say "the Jews... 00:03:08.62\00:03:11.17 The Jews killed Christ. " 00:03:11.37\00:03:12.74 And that's the first biggest misconception 00:03:12.77\00:03:16.13 to represent the entire nation not just killing Jesus but 00:03:16.33\00:03:20.25 against Jesus. Where in the gospels 00:03:20.35\00:03:24.36 we see account after account so many Jewish people 00:03:24.56\00:03:28.65 followed Jesus. Yeah well let's get right to that 00:03:28.75\00:03:31.54 because the original community that followed Jesus 00:03:31.75\00:03:36.11 come on... they were all Jews. Um-hmm. 00:03:36.14\00:03:38.20 So it's really a pretty inaccurate statement 00:03:38.41\00:03:41.43 to say that all Jews... Well first of all we're talking 00:03:41.63\00:03:43.88 about Jerusalem because that's where it happened: 00:03:43.98\00:03:46.39 outside of Jerusalem. 00:03:46.59\00:03:47.96 So however many percentage of Jews were there 00:03:48.08\00:03:50.75 you know there's a lot more Jews than just the Jews in Jerusalem. 00:03:50.95\00:03:55.15 Yeah, in fact it is interesting that in the book of Acts 00:03:55.35\00:03:59.63 chapter 13 Paul, talking to a synagogue which is 00:03:59.83\00:04:04.59 outside of Judea in diaspora... 00:04:04.79\00:04:07.58 Well, the diaspora so people understand is anything 00:04:07.79\00:04:10.96 that is outside of Jerusalem would be considered diaspora. 00:04:11.06\00:04:14.72 Outside of Judea. Well, 'cause we're actually... 00:04:14.92\00:04:17.09 where we are here as Jews we're in the diaspora. 00:04:17.19\00:04:20.18 We're outside of the land. 00:04:20.38\00:04:22.34 Yes, yes. So he talks there and he specifically says 00:04:22.54\00:04:26.41 that the people of Jerusalem and their chieftans 00:04:26.61\00:04:31.30 they were the ones who actually set the crucifixion in motion. 00:04:31.50\00:04:36.48 So describe... when they say chieftans what is that? 00:04:36.68\00:04:40.40 What would that be? Chieftans means the high priest. 00:04:40.50\00:04:42.90 OK, would that be the Pharisees and the Sadducees? 00:04:43.10\00:04:45.80 Maybe the people that sat on the Sanhedrin 00:04:45.90\00:04:48.27 which was like the governing body? Yeah, we have to 00:04:48.48\00:04:50.87 be differentiative here when we talk 00:04:51.07\00:04:54.46 because there were definitely two groups of religious Jews 00:04:54.66\00:05:00.11 in Jerusalem: Pharisees and Sadducees. 00:05:00.31\00:05:02.76 There were some smaller groups but let's talk about the 00:05:02.96\00:05:06.07 Pharisees and the Sadducees. 00:05:06.17\00:05:07.71 The Pharisees actually represented the poor people 00:05:07.91\00:05:13.24 and they were the ones who taught in the synagogue 00:05:13.44\00:05:16.52 all across the country and even abroad. 00:05:16.73\00:05:19.09 The Sadducees were elite... Jerusalemite elite. 00:05:19.29\00:05:23.55 Very politicized. Very in cahoots with the Romans. 00:05:23.75\00:05:28.36 Right, right. And they were actually 00:05:28.56\00:05:31.78 for them Jesus posed a big threat because 00:05:31.98\00:05:36.08 He... with His sermons He was threatening their 00:05:36.18\00:05:40.49 political power. And the Romans put pressure on them 00:05:40.59\00:05:44.82 because the Romans relied on them for the order in Judea. 00:05:45.03\00:05:49.15 Right. Is it true, Sasha, that the main theological 00:05:49.35\00:05:54.46 difference - since we're talking about the Pharisees and the 00:05:54.56\00:05:56.58 Sadducees - I'm sure there was a lot 00:05:56.68\00:05:58.13 but the one that's most commonly spoken of was the fact 00:05:58.23\00:06:01.32 that the Pharisees believed in the bodily resurrection 00:06:01.42\00:06:05.03 of the dead whereas the Sadducees did not. 00:06:05.24\00:06:08.74 Is that correct? Yes, this is what's written in the 00:06:08.94\00:06:11.77 New Testament and it proves one thing... 00:06:11.87\00:06:14.12 and I don't have time to go into the entire history of this... 00:06:14.22\00:06:16.94 but to explain it simply is this: 00:06:17.14\00:06:19.69 the word Pharisee means the interpreter of the scripture. 00:06:19.89\00:06:25.01 OK. And Pharisees were teachers 00:06:25.11\00:06:28.62 who for the past about 150 years 00:06:28.82\00:06:32.69 taught the Torah to the simple people around Judea. 00:06:32.80\00:06:37.52 Sadducees were the ones who were rich people. 00:06:37.72\00:06:41.72 They were very Hellenized. 00:06:41.92\00:06:43.60 They accepted lots of Greek Hellenistic traditions. 00:06:43.70\00:06:47.26 Yeah, they wanted to compromise between the outside paganism 00:06:47.47\00:06:52.68 and Judaism. They wanted Judaism to sort of blend into 00:06:52.78\00:06:56.91 the general Hellenistic world 00:06:57.11\00:06:59.83 which was established especially after Alexander the Great. 00:07:00.03\00:07:03.70 Right. So basically what happened 00:07:03.73\00:07:07.35 you see in the New Testament fierce verbal discussions 00:07:07.65\00:07:13.05 between Jesus and Pharisees. Um-hmm. 00:07:13.25\00:07:15.42 Because Pharisees envied Jesus' authority 00:07:15.52\00:07:19.66 as the rabbi. He was not one of them. 00:07:19.86\00:07:22.73 He didn't teach on their authority. 00:07:22.93\00:07:25.69 A few times they asked: "Who gives You the right 00:07:25.89\00:07:29.22 to do the miracles? " Because they really are upset 00:07:29.42\00:07:34.52 that He didn't study with any of the rabbis. 00:07:34.72\00:07:37.31 Sadducees come from a different angle. 00:07:37.61\00:07:40.87 They say: "His preaching will raise rebellion 00:07:41.07\00:07:45.41 and the Romans will remove us 00:07:45.61\00:07:47.40 from being their puppet government. " 00:07:47.50\00:07:51.04 So really this in essence comes down to fighting over power. 00:07:51.14\00:07:55.60 Um-hmm. And you know, it's a sad thing when we think about 00:07:55.80\00:07:58.81 this first century period. You know, we have the great 00:07:59.01\00:08:02.62 Herodian temple that all the sacrifices and everything 00:08:02.82\00:08:07.08 is going on, but really in this period it's just a shadow 00:08:07.18\00:08:10.41 of really what it was. The ark of the covenant 00:08:10.61\00:08:13.74 is no longer there. And it really almost becomes 00:08:13.94\00:08:17.42 this puppet religious figure that's there. 00:08:17.52\00:08:21.32 Even as far as the high priest at this point, right? 00:08:21.45\00:08:23.99 Well exactly. Because the high priest is someone who's really 00:08:24.19\00:08:26.31 more under the thumb of Rome 00:08:26.41\00:08:28.10 than this is a religious institution. 00:08:28.20\00:08:30.94 Well to begin with Herod the Great... 00:08:31.05\00:08:33.97 king Herod the Great was not a Jew. He was Edomian. 00:08:34.17\00:08:38.58 The Edomians are the descendants of Esau. 00:08:38.78\00:08:42.38 He converted to Judaism for political reasons 00:08:42.58\00:08:45.75 because he wanted to stay in power. 00:08:45.95\00:08:48.08 Then you have this high priest. 00:08:48.28\00:08:51.04 Today... I mean, later in Jewish tradition 00:08:51.34\00:08:54.91 Talmud strongly questions whether... 00:08:55.11\00:08:57.90 Let me... sorry to cut you out but just Talmud is the 00:08:58.00\00:09:01.71 oral law that's been written down. We've talked about that 00:09:01.91\00:09:04.92 in the past. Go ahead. Yeah, but the Jewish tradition 00:09:05.02\00:09:07.48 questions the Aaronic descent 00:09:07.68\00:09:12.74 of Annas and Caiaphas... two high priests. 00:09:12.94\00:09:16.92 They were brought in politically. 00:09:17.12\00:09:20.06 Josephus in his history questions their Aaronic origin. 00:09:20.26\00:09:26.16 Lineage, yeah. So in other words they're saying 00:09:26.36\00:09:29.15 that these guys that have ascended, that are sitting 00:09:29.25\00:09:32.47 in this high priest role, 00:09:32.57\00:09:34.17 aren't of the Aaronic line which is what God had established 00:09:34.37\00:09:37.33 that it would be a priesthood forever 00:09:37.53\00:09:39.47 under the descendants of Aaron. 00:09:39.68\00:09:41.65 Exactly. And what is actually happening 00:09:41.85\00:09:45.10 is the whole story of crucifixion 00:09:45.30\00:09:49.70 is set in motion after the resurrection of Lazarus. 00:09:49.90\00:09:55.72 And that's what sets the Sadducees... gives them 00:09:55.92\00:10:00.78 a big anger. Because as you mentioned 00:10:00.88\00:10:03.05 they were against the resurrection. 00:10:03.25\00:10:06.44 Which you know what's interesting... We're leading 00:10:06.65\00:10:08.24 into this. You know, our next question is going to be 00:10:08.34\00:10:10.49 and you've already started, Sasha: who in fact 00:10:10.59\00:10:13.34 initiated the crucifixion? 00:10:13.47\00:10:16.29 And then the bigger question is why. But it's interesting 00:10:16.43\00:10:19.66 as we unfold this how what the Sadducees 00:10:19.76\00:10:24.57 in fact are fighting against in the long run really comes 00:10:24.77\00:10:27.57 back to even bite them more once they... 00:10:27.67\00:10:31.15 You talked about how it was initiated by the resurrection 00:10:31.29\00:10:33.89 of Lazarus. And since the Sadducees did not believe 00:10:33.99\00:10:37.48 in the resurrection as soon as there's this idea 00:10:37.58\00:10:40.83 that Lazarus is raised from the dead well it's really flying 00:10:40.93\00:10:43.78 in the face of everything that they taught. 00:10:43.88\00:10:45.44 Well what John... and the gospel of John is the great gospel 00:10:45.64\00:10:49.98 to read about this because it unfolds the debate. 00:10:50.08\00:10:54.92 John at first shows the debates of Jesus with Pharisees. 00:10:55.12\00:10:58.77 But then the main point - the highlight of this debate - 00:10:58.97\00:11:02.49 is His divinity. 00:11:02.69\00:11:05.01 Because Jesus was not interested in being recognized as just 00:11:05.21\00:11:09.26 a human Messiah. He is really pointing to the fact 00:11:09.36\00:11:13.85 that He is divine. 00:11:14.05\00:11:16.56 In fact in John chapter 10 during the holiday of Hanukkah 00:11:16.76\00:11:22.35 which is a historical Jewish holiday 00:11:22.55\00:11:25.43 He comes in straight forward and He says: "I and the Father 00:11:25.63\00:11:30.54 are One. " 00:11:30.74\00:11:32.15 And so the temple people, the Pharisees and Sadducees both... 00:11:32.35\00:11:37.50 both got upset about this. They take stones and want to 00:11:37.70\00:11:42.33 stone Him for blasphemy. 00:11:42.53\00:11:44.88 In fact blasphemy comes back in Matthew 00:11:45.08\00:11:49.05 because that's what He was actually indicted with, 00:11:49.25\00:11:53.96 you know, by the Sanhedrin. 00:11:54.16\00:11:56.16 But at this time - at the time of the feast of Hanukkah 00:11:56.36\00:12:02.12 or it's feast of dedication in English Bibles - 00:12:02.22\00:12:05.45 it is left like hanging, you know. So December passes 00:12:05.65\00:12:09.88 and so we come closer to the end of the winter 00:12:10.08\00:12:13.99 to the beginning of the Passover season. 00:12:14.19\00:12:16.67 And then we have Jesus back in Jerusalem and He is in Bethany. 00:12:16.87\00:12:20.85 And here His friend Lazarus dies and He comes straight then. 00:12:21.05\00:12:26.40 And He has this great miracle of resurrection. 00:12:26.54\00:12:29.10 And this chapter has a great proof - chapter 11. 00:12:29.30\00:12:32.96 Says after this many Jews believed this. 00:12:33.16\00:12:36.93 You know an interesting thing too, Sasha: doesn't... 00:12:37.13\00:12:39.38 He waits for three days. Um-hmm. Right? 00:12:39.58\00:12:41.70 Which there's a whole rabbinic connotation behind that. 00:12:41.90\00:12:44.54 That's not just coincidence that He waits three days, right? 00:12:44.74\00:12:47.43 Oh yeah. Isn't it true that within the understanding - 00:12:47.56\00:12:50.22 rabbinic understanding of the day - that you had to be dead 00:12:50.42\00:12:52.94 three days to be really dead. Yeah exactly. 00:12:53.05\00:12:56.05 Otherwise you could be considered just clinically dead. 00:12:56.25\00:13:00.26 Partially dead. Yeah... and come back. 00:13:00.47\00:13:03.03 And now he is really dead... he smells! 00:13:03.13\00:13:05.24 So Jesus waited until Lazarus was "really dead" 00:13:05.65\00:13:09.49 before He came. Which again that just comes right back 00:13:09.69\00:13:13.48 at what the Sadducees believed that there was no resurrection. 00:13:13.68\00:13:17.27 And here's Jesus raising Lazarus. 00:13:17.47\00:13:19.99 And it flies in the face of Pharisees 00:13:20.19\00:13:22.49 because actually by raising Lazarus from the dead 00:13:22.69\00:13:25.84 He proves the point that He and the Father are One. 00:13:26.04\00:13:29.66 That He has the power to raise people from the dead. 00:13:29.86\00:13:33.54 In fact, He does it not through the prayer. 00:13:33.74\00:13:37.51 He just does it, you know. Tells: "Lazarus, come forth! " 00:13:37.71\00:13:40.78 Boom. Right. So it's His own power, not... 00:13:40.98\00:13:43.75 So now we have the Sadducees to a greater extent 00:13:44.05\00:13:48.49 and the Pharisees as well 00:13:48.59\00:13:49.96 seeing the things that Jesus is doing. 00:13:49.99\00:13:53.00 And raising Lazarus - which goes absolutely against 00:13:53.20\00:13:58.34 one of the main tenets, one of the main things that 00:13:58.44\00:14:01.28 they believe, and they see their power being relieved from them. 00:14:01.38\00:14:05.78 So this is where we get to... You know, they are really 00:14:05.98\00:14:08.70 the ones now that initiate this move towards the crucifixion 00:14:08.80\00:14:14.14 through Rome, right? Because they didn't have 00:14:14.34\00:14:16.35 power to sentence someone to death, so they had to 00:14:16.55\00:14:19.35 create a scenario so that they could present 00:14:19.55\00:14:22.85 them to Rome... to Pilate. 00:14:22.95\00:14:24.58 And it is interesting again when we see the reaction of 00:14:24.78\00:14:28.58 the Sadducees and the high priests 00:14:28.78\00:14:30.50 to the fact that so many Jews 00:14:30.70\00:14:33.65 started to follow Jesus. They were really scared that 00:14:33.85\00:14:36.68 they're going to lose the power and authority. 00:14:36.89\00:14:40.75 And so Caiaphas - the high priest - 00:14:40.95\00:14:44.05 was the one who initiated this idea of one person 00:14:44.25\00:14:48.52 dying for the entire nation to save the nation. 00:14:48.72\00:14:53.74 And that's when John says: "Oh he didn't really know 00:14:53.94\00:14:56.71 what he was talking about" 'cause in reality 00:14:56.81\00:14:59.58 that was the mission of Jesus: to die for people. 00:14:59.78\00:15:04.10 He spoke prophetically and not even knowing it. Yes. 00:15:04.20\00:15:06.33 So the Jewish government at that time, 00:15:06.43\00:15:11.53 they don't have the power - as I said, right? - to... 00:15:11.73\00:15:14.72 They can't sentence someone to death 00:15:14.92\00:15:16.78 so they have to turn to Rome. 00:15:16.98\00:15:19.16 Yeah. Before they do this, of course, they have to 00:15:19.36\00:15:22.17 convict an individual 00:15:22.27\00:15:25.18 in the crime which would lead to a capital offense. 00:15:25.38\00:15:30.50 And then there had to be a capital offense then 00:15:30.70\00:15:33.82 for them to present it to Rome - yeah - and appeal for 00:15:34.02\00:15:36.55 capital punishment. And they had difficulty 00:15:36.95\00:15:39.98 because according to Jewish tradition - and it's very clear 00:15:40.18\00:15:44.71 that the Sanhedrin was supposed to present a fair trial. 00:15:44.91\00:15:49.20 It was very rare when an individual would be convicted 00:15:49.41\00:15:54.17 in a capital offense. It was a special set of procedures. 00:15:54.37\00:15:59.12 There had to be at least two witnesses 00:15:59.52\00:16:04.47 that would be true witnesses. Right. And according 00:16:04.67\00:16:08.07 to the Jewish tradition later recorded in the Talmud 00:16:08.27\00:16:11.92 and Mishnah, these two witnesses were the ones who were supposed 00:16:12.02\00:16:16.62 to start throwing the stones at the criminal. 00:16:16.72\00:16:22.70 So the trial of Jesus which we see recorded in 00:16:22.90\00:16:26.67 Matthew 26 does not concur 00:16:26.98\00:16:31.46 with any of the Jewish laws. 00:16:31.66\00:16:33.63 It was extremely political. 00:16:33.73\00:16:35.69 It was very... you know, was like during the Communist era 00:16:35.90\00:16:40.32 they did it. So I wonder, Sasha, and I don't know if you can 00:16:40.42\00:16:43.20 answer this, I'm just thinking. At this point... 00:16:43.30\00:16:46.90 was there any precedence or is there any history 00:16:47.10\00:16:50.08 where the Sanhedrin - which is the Jewish legislature, 00:16:50.28\00:16:54.60 the Jewish governing body - 00:16:54.80\00:16:56.17 where they had appealed to Rome 00:16:56.38\00:16:58.74 in the case like what they did with Jesus for the crucifixion? 00:16:58.94\00:17:02.40 Had they ever done that before? Do you know? 00:17:02.60\00:17:04.37 We don't have any of the records like this. 00:17:04.57\00:17:07.40 We know when Jews used to have kings, 00:17:07.60\00:17:11.17 you know, after the Maccabean revolts 00:17:11.37\00:17:13.50 the kings would approve the execution. 00:17:13.70\00:17:17.10 But since Herod took the power and he was representative 00:17:17.30\00:17:21.81 of the occupational forces 00:17:22.01\00:17:25.00 and plus Pilate was in there - He was the governor - 00:17:25.21\00:17:28.48 who was the governor... So we don't know what was going on 00:17:28.68\00:17:33.81 but it was very... Usually Romans were the ones 00:17:33.91\00:17:36.89 who were executing criminals for a kind of rebellion, 00:17:37.09\00:17:41.65 treason. And you know, another thing: 00:17:41.75\00:17:44.15 I'm sure that most people at least are somewhat familiar 00:17:44.25\00:17:47.83 that when it goes to Pilate, he even tries 00:17:47.93\00:17:52.66 to push it away because you know the tradition says 00:17:52.86\00:17:56.47 that at that time during the feast they would release 00:17:56.67\00:17:59.81 somebody who was condemned. And then we have this whole idea 00:18:00.01\00:18:03.82 of Barabbas, right? - yes - that is brought in 00:18:03.85\00:18:07.91 that Pilate tries to... "Here, we have this murdering 00:18:08.11\00:18:12.20 criminal vs. Jesus: which one do you want to set free? " 00:18:12.40\00:18:16.97 And you know, the accounts say that they start screaming 00:18:17.17\00:18:20.14 "Give us Barabbas. " 00:18:20.34\00:18:21.90 Which seems to be another one of those proverbial nails 00:18:22.10\00:18:26.11 that says: "Look how the Jews responded. 00:18:26.21\00:18:28.50 Here even was an opportunity. " 00:18:28.70\00:18:30.34 But again I think as we read the accounts 00:18:30.54\00:18:32.53 it's probably such a small percentage that are like 00:18:32.73\00:18:36.39 the rabble rousers. Exactly. These are the members... 00:18:36.50\00:18:39.54 See, the Sanhedrin was called hastily, so there was not 00:18:39.74\00:18:45.03 enough members. Mainly also the members of the Sanhedrin 00:18:45.13\00:18:49.28 were Roman-appointed Sadducees 00:18:49.48\00:18:53.71 with two or three Pharisees. 00:18:53.91\00:18:56.01 Like we hear about Joseph of Arimathea. 00:18:56.21\00:18:58.81 We hear about Nicodemus. There were a few Pharisees 00:18:59.02\00:19:02.50 that sat on this governing body: 00:19:02.70\00:19:06.02 the chief Sanhedrin. 00:19:06.23\00:19:07.77 And so then these people come into the courtyard 00:19:07.97\00:19:13.56 where Pilate's residence is. 00:19:13.76\00:19:16.77 And as I'm sure you're aware going through these places 00:19:16.97\00:19:21.06 around Via Dolorosa in the old city of Jerusalem 00:19:21.26\00:19:24.07 no more than 50 people could fit into any of the courtyards. 00:19:24.47\00:19:30.39 It's a very small... They're so small. 00:19:30.59\00:19:33.57 So it is absolutely impossible even to infer 00:19:33.67\00:19:37.64 that the entire Israel was behind these people. 00:19:37.84\00:19:41.73 So let me switch over as our time is winding down 00:19:41.93\00:19:45.39 once again so fast. 00:19:45.60\00:19:46.97 You know, Sasha, over the years since I've been a believer 00:19:47.34\00:19:51.08 as I've thought back to those years prior to being a believer 00:19:51.48\00:19:55.65 some of the things that were said to me as a Jew 00:19:55.86\00:19:58.36 and now really understanding the truth of the gospel 00:19:58.66\00:20:01.24 is that, you know, if we don't understand 00:20:01.44\00:20:04.94 that it was our individual sin that put Him on the cross 00:20:05.14\00:20:10.72 we can't find atonement in what He did on the cross. 00:20:10.92\00:20:14.60 So the really sad thing is that whenever somebody 00:20:14.81\00:20:18.36 is pointing the fingers at the Jews and saying: 00:20:18.56\00:20:20.71 "Oh, it was the Jews that killed Jesus! " 00:20:20.91\00:20:22.89 then they're missing the whole point of gospel, 00:20:23.10\00:20:26.99 of the atonement. And I know that in subsequent shows, 00:20:27.13\00:20:29.97 Sasha, we're going to really get into this whole concept of 00:20:30.18\00:20:32.32 atonement, so... In fact, those who point out 00:20:32.42\00:20:36.39 to someone else trying to find an individual 00:20:36.60\00:20:40.62 guilty in the crucifixion of Jesus 00:20:40.82\00:20:42.86 in fact basically asserts his or her own sinlessness. 00:20:43.06\00:20:48.90 Because Jesus came to die voluntarily for our sins. 00:20:49.10\00:20:53.96 If it is not our sin who killed Jesus, 00:20:54.16\00:20:57.05 then I am sinless... and that's the biggest offense 00:20:57.25\00:21:01.26 in the eyes of God. Right. Wow! 00:21:01.46\00:21:04.26 And scripture really clearly says that "All have sinned 00:21:04.46\00:21:07.98 and fallen short of the glory of God. " 00:21:08.01\00:21:10.50 So just to kind of wrap this up now, let's look at 00:21:11.83\00:21:15.77 a couple things, Sasha. I wanted you to talk just 00:21:15.87\00:21:17.75 a little bit about how does the New Testament address those 00:21:17.85\00:21:21.50 that are really behind the crucifixion of Jesus? 00:21:21.60\00:21:25.14 You know, we have the gospel of John. We have Acts. 00:21:25.34\00:21:28.25 Let me start with Acts because I inferred to this 00:21:28.75\00:21:32.05 how what the Sadducees did in fact kind of backfired on them. 00:21:32.25\00:21:37.33 Because if in fact one of the real issues they had 00:21:37.64\00:21:40.84 was that Jesus at first taught about the resurrection 00:21:41.04\00:21:45.12 and did it through Lazarus. Well now once Jesus is crucified 00:21:45.32\00:21:50.91 and Jesus is placed in the tomb and He resurrects 00:21:51.11\00:21:54.55 then we have in the book of Acts we have Peter and John 00:21:54.75\00:21:58.46 coming in and basically talking to the Sanhedrin 00:21:58.66\00:22:02.50 there in the beginning of the book of Acts 00:22:02.70\00:22:04.49 and saying: "Look this is Jesus, the very guy that you crucified, 00:22:04.69\00:22:08.67 that you put to death. He has been resurrected. " 00:22:08.87\00:22:12.07 So everything that they did to try and silence it 00:22:12.27\00:22:15.71 now it even comes back a hundred-fold bigger to them. 00:22:15.91\00:22:18.43 And there is a two-fold issue about when Peter and the other 00:22:18.63\00:22:23.16 apostles talk about the crucifixion of Jesus. 00:22:23.26\00:22:25.80 Peter address the Sanhedrin: "You crucified Jesus. " 00:22:26.00\00:22:29.15 And Peter addresses the crowd at the feast of Pentecost. 00:22:29.35\00:22:34.15 Exactly. This is the crowd of pilgrims who even weren't there 00:22:34.25\00:22:39.68 when Jesus was crucified. Exactly, exactly. 00:22:39.88\00:22:42.05 The fact is there are two different responses: 00:22:42.25\00:22:45.14 the Sanhedrin who is guilty in doing this 00:22:45.34\00:22:48.03 is really going against Peter and the people 00:22:48.23\00:22:52.09 who came as pilgrims as a result the Acts says 00:22:52.30\00:22:57.18 when they heard this they said: "Brethren, what shall we do 00:22:57.38\00:23:01.85 now? " Exactly. The message of the cross, guys, 00:23:01.95\00:23:04.46 it's all about our Messiah... Him dying for us 00:23:04.66\00:23:08.27 and for the world. Rachel, I know you have 00:23:08.37\00:23:09.83 a beautiful song for us. Why don't you go get ready? 00:23:09.93\00:23:11.78 All right. Sasha, tell us about this song Dona Dona. 00:23:11.88\00:23:14.78 Yeah. Dona Dona means Adonai Adonai. 00:23:14.99\00:23:17.24 Lord, Lord. It's a song about the suffering and freedom. 00:23:17.44\00:23:21.90 Ah, OK. Rachel, let's hear this beautiful song. 00:23:22.10\00:23:25.04 On the wagon bound for market 00:23:38.74\00:23:43.59 there's a calf with a mournful eye. 00:23:43.89\00:23:48.05 High above him there's a swallow 00:23:48.36\00:23:52.52 winging swiftly through the sky. 00:23:52.72\00:23:57.28 How the winds are laughing. 00:23:57.58\00:24:01.19 They laugh with all their might. 00:24:01.49\00:24:06.41 Laugh and laugh the whole day through 00:24:06.71\00:24:10.30 and half the summer's night. 00:24:10.50\00:24:13.58 Dona Dona... Dona Dona Dona Dona. 00:24:13.88\00:24:19.68 Dona Dona Dona. 00:24:19.98\00:24:24.31 Dona Dona Dona Dona... 00:24:24.41\00:24:28.91 Dona Dona Donai. 00:24:29.11\00:24:34.03 "Stop complaining" said the farmer 00:24:36.06\00:24:40.98 "who told you a calf to be? 00:24:41.18\00:24:45.67 Why don't you have wings to fly with 00:24:45.87\00:24:50.08 like the swallow so proud and free? " 00:24:50.28\00:24:54.80 How the winds are laughing. 00:24:55.10\00:24:58.72 They laugh with all their might. 00:24:59.02\00:25:04.06 Laugh and laugh the whole day through 00:25:04.36\00:25:07.96 and half the summer's night. 00:25:08.06\00:25:11.17 Dona Dona... Dona Dona Dona 00:25:11.37\00:25:15.26 Dona. 00:25:15.36\00:25:17.74 Dona Dona Dona. 00:25:17.94\00:25:22.17 Dona Dona Dona Dona... 00:25:22.47\00:25:27.03 Dona Dona Donai. 00:25:27.23\00:25:31.81 Calves are easily bound and slaughtered 00:25:34.03\00:25:39.14 never knowing the reason why. 00:25:39.45\00:25:43.95 But whoever treasures freedom 00:25:44.15\00:25:48.48 like the swallow has learned to fly. 00:25:48.78\00:25:53.23 How the winds are laughing. 00:25:53.53\00:25:57.23 They laugh with all their might. 00:25:57.54\00:26:02.68 Laugh and laugh the whole day through 00:26:02.98\00:26:06.75 and half the summer's night. 00:26:06.95\00:26:11.67 Dona Dona Dona Dona... 00:26:11.87\00:26:16.38 Dona Dona Dona. 00:26:16.68\00:26:21.27 Dona Dona Dona Dona... 00:26:21.57\00:26:26.17 Dona Dona Donai. 00:26:26.37\00:26:31.10 Dona Dona 00:26:31.40\00:26:32.77 Donai. 00:26:32.97\00:26:38.90 Rachel, thank you. What a beautiful song. 00:26:42.72\00:26:44.89 And Martin, once again thank you. 00:26:44.99\00:26:47.16 It's great joy to have you with us. 00:26:47.26\00:26:49.60 Friends, we want to thank you so much for joining us 00:26:49.85\00:26:52.32 once again. Today was not one of the easiest 00:26:52.52\00:26:55.59 topics that we will deal with. It strikes a deep chord 00:26:55.69\00:26:59.47 in so many people, Rachel, you know. 00:26:59.57\00:27:01.31 But it's an important thing because the message of the cross 00:27:01.82\00:27:05.36 scripture does say it's an affront 00:27:05.56\00:27:08.58 and sometimes it's hard for people to hear. 00:27:08.78\00:27:10.67 But it's all about the price that Jesus paid for each one 00:27:10.87\00:27:14.50 of us. And each one of us put Him on that cross 00:27:14.60\00:27:18.33 through our sin. So it wasn't the Jews. It wasn't the Muslims. 00:27:18.53\00:27:21.57 It wasn't... It was all of us. All of us. 00:27:21.77\00:27:24.32 And we have to accept that. Um-hmm. 00:27:24.52\00:27:26.36 So once again we want to thank you for joining us. 00:27:26.56\00:27:29.26 And please, please: thank God for the blessings that 00:27:29.46\00:27:33.94 He gives us every day. And may the Lord bless you. 00:27:34.04\00:27:37.33 May He keep you. And may the Lord make His face 00:27:37.43\00:27:39.81 to shine upon you and be gracious to you. 00:27:39.91\00:27:41.57 And may the Lord lift His countenance upon you 00:27:41.77\00:27:44.05 and bring you His peace. 00:27:44.25\00:27:46.19 So once again on behalf of my co-host, Rachel, 00:27:46.39\00:27:49.04 I'm Pastor Alex and we want to thank you for joining us. 00:27:49.25\00:27:52.07 We'll see you next time on Back To Our Roots. 00:27:52.27\00:27:54.64