It’s that time of year once again. Seems to have come so much quicker this year – maybe because Easter this year is unusually early but I also notice that all the dates seem to come so much quicker.
I seem to remember when ten years took a whole decade, but now…..!
But thinking about Easter leads me on an unusual train of thought. Of course it’s a perfectly good excuse to indulge my love for good chocolate, although I’m not quite sure what the connection is between a rabbit, a chocolate egg, and a viciously cruel means of execution under the ancient Roman government.
In fact, that criminal execution of some petty individual in an obscure corner of the mighty Roman empire has far outweighed the rest of the history of that period.
For all but the most dedicated historians of the period, any artifact we may come across is meaningless but, show us a cross (even the vaguest representation of a cross) and the name of Jesus and the circumstances of his demise springs to mind.
What exactly was his crime. Don’t we remember the Roman governor declaring His innocence. But He was still executed and it was Roman soldiers who carried out the execution.
Wasn’t he a teacher, a Rabbi? Didn’t he perform documented miracles of one kind or another? Wasn’t he incredibly popular with the crowds so that, even in the time before sound amplification technology, they gathered and listened in their thousands as he spoke.
Wasn’t he a religious leader of some kind, but weren’t his greatest avowed enemies the religious leaders?
For three years a man called Jesus (not an uncommon name at the time and derived from the Hebrew name Joshua – meaning Salvation) has taught to crowds of people. Some admired his message but to many his teaching was just too far beyond their understanding and acceptance.
The six hundred and twenty commands they had expanded from the basic ten commandments, He condensed down to just two – Love God and love mankind. He even made the point of ‘love your enemies.’
Performing miracles endeared him to the crowds but embittered him to the religious leaders. Even stories that a man who was dead and buried for four days, but is now alive and well, didn’t do anything to quell the crowd’s enthusiasm or his enemy’s animosity.
The dominant sect was known as the Sadducees. They filled the highest positions in the government as well as their religious roles.
They had the support of the Roman governor, a man called Pontius Pilate. He had supreme rule and authority. So long as the Sadducees did as he said, he let them do it.
While Pilate had full delegated authority from the Roman Emperor the Jewish hierarchy still felt free to send regular report cards to Rome and Pilate did get an occasional “Please Explain” in response.
Now comes this wild bush prophet called Jesus – he goes into the precious Temple and turns over the tables of the rapacious money changes and, in the process, overturns the authority of the leaders. But, He is so popular with the crowd, if they do anything against Him it will surely cause an uprising.
But every attempt to have him commit some crime against the Roman government has been futile and has just further entrenched his popularity.
They want Him executed, but don’t have the authority to do it except in the case of a serious religious misdemeanour – blasphemy.
Rome agrees it cannot interfere with the local religious operations and the Sanhedrin (sort of parliament) can impose a death penalty with the person stoned to death. But they don’t dare do that.
But what follows is a daring piece of political manoeuvring. Thanks to the help of a traitor, Jesus is arrested in the middle of the night. Brought to a mock trial that breaks all their own laws and even with lying paid witnesses he is eventually deemed guilty – but only after his own admission to deity.
Dragged before Pilate with a baying ‘rent-a-crowd’ demanding his death, they conveniently forget the blasphemy charge and now assert he is somehow a threat to the Roman empire.
Interrogation follows and Pilate eventually declares Him innocent, has him whipped to within a fraction of his life for good measure, and declares his intention to release him.
But he hadn’t counted on the crowd’s vehemence and the dogged determination of the leadership. Not only do they want Him dead, but commanding the cruellest form of execution kept for most serious criminals – Crucifixion.
Strung out on crossed timbers, held in place with large rough spikes and left to expire over the following few days.
Even after a warning from his wife to stay away from the case, Pilate eventually declares innocence, washes his hands of the outcome, but still commands his soldiers to carry out the execution.
All this background manoeuvring meant that Jesus was executed just as had been prophesied hundreds of years before.
And none of the people involved, all caring for and protecting their own interests, were aware they were taking part in the plans and purposes of the Almighty in His plan for salvation for the world.
