The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 19:36-37, “For these things came to pass, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, ‘Not a bone of Him shall be broken.’ 37 And again another Scripture says, ‘They shall look on Him whom they pierced.’”

Tomorrow is Resurrection Sunday! (I don’t recommend the use of the term “Easter,” as it comes from a pagan goddess.) But, before the Resurrection of our LORD Jesus, it was necessary that He die on a cross. Why was that necessary? It is because the Father so willed it that our sins might be forgiven.

WHAT IS CRUCIFIXION?

The Romans learned crucifixion from the Carthaginians in North Africa. It is yet the most inhumane form of execution known to man. Here, a medical doctor provides a physical description:

The cross is placed on the ground and the exhausted man is quickly thrown backwards with his shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square wrought-iron nail through the wrist deep into the wood. Quickly he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flex and movement. The cross is then lifted into place. The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees flexed.

The victim is now crucified.

As he slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain – the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves. As he pushes himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, he places the full weight on the nail through his feet. Again, he feels the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the bones of his feet.

As the arms fatigue, cramps sweep through his muscles, knotting them deep relentless, and throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push himself upward to breathe. Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled. He fights to raise himself in order to get even one small breath.

Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partially subsided. Spasmodically, he is able to push himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen.

Hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-renting cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves up and down against rough timber. Then another agony begins: a deep, crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.

It is now almost over. The loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level. The compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues. The tortured lungs are making frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air He can feel the chill of death creeping through his tissues.

Finally, as He allows His body to die, He yields up His Spirit to the Father and cries, “It is finished! Into Thy hands I commit my Spirit.”

What wondrous love is this! He loved us that we might love Him and love one another. Have you committed your life to Him? My prayer is that you will trust Him as you read this Letter. Then, die to yourself, and live your life to His glory!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Did Jesus Receive a Fair Trial?

by Ralph Mawdsley, Ph.D., J.D.

The concept of procedural due process, or fair treatment, is essentially a biblical concept. What is considered to be fair treatment for a person accused of a crime varies greatly among governing units, but at the very least due process includes an opportunity for an accused to present his side of a controversy before an impartial tribunal (cf. Deut. 17:6; 19:15; Num. 35:24). But where a governmental unit has added specific due process requirements to those mentioned in Scripture, that government’s fairness in handling an accused must be evaluated in light of those additional requirements.

Jesus had been accused of misleading those easily misled (probably the young and elderly, Luke 23:2), uttering treasonous statements regarding taxes (Luke 23:2), and encouraging Jews to rebel against Rome (Luke 23:5). The Sanhedrin, as part of Rome’s accommodation to various groups within its empire, was permitted to exercise broad authority over civil and religious areas involving controversies among Jews. Over the years, the Sanhedrin had devised an elaborate set of procedures to ensure fairness to an accused. Among such procedures were the following:

* Judicial meetings at night or the day before a Sabbath were forbidden.

* No member of the Sanhedrin could be an arresting officer, and arrests could not be made after sundown.

* The Sanhedrin was required to be impartial as a hearing tribunal.

* The initial interrogation of an accused was to be before an examining board (three to seven members) of the Sanhedrin or the entire Sanhedrin, never an individual member.

* Witnesses were to be interrogated before the accused, and the accused was never required to incriminate himself.

* An accomplice in a crime was not considered credible to testify, and an accused had a right of cross-examination.

* The High Priest was never to express his opinion until all others had spoken, and physical violence toward an accused was forbidden.

* A record of the proceedings was required to be kept.

* At least two votes among Sanhedrin had to be cast on behalf of the accused before there could be a conviction, and at least one witness had to appear on the accused’s behalf.

* Sentencing could not be done on the same day as conviction.

* Witnesses were to be the first to lay hands on the accused at an execution (executions possible only with Roman consent).

Even a cursory reading of Scripture will reveal that none of the above requirements were met. The Sanhedrin met at night (Luke 22:66; John 18:28), as well as on the day before the Sabbath (Mark 15:42). A member of the Sanhedrin was apparently one of the arresting officers (Matt. 26:55), and Christ’s arrest occurred after sundown (John 18:3). The Sanhedrin as a body plotted against Jesus early in His ministry and thus denied its status as an impartial tribunal (cf. Mark 11:18, 14:1-2). Christ’s first interrogation occurred separately before two members of the Sanhedrin (John 18:13,19-24). Christ was placed under oath without prior witness testimony and in spite of protection against self-examination (Matt. 26:63; Deut. 17:6; Mark 14:60-62). Contradictory testimony of accusing witnesses was never challenged by cross-examination (Mark 14:55-57). The High Priest led the way in condemning Jesus and permitted acts of physical violence by other members of the Sanhedrin (John 18:13,24; Mark 14:63,65, cf. Lev. 21:10). No written record of the proceedings appeared to have been kept by the Sanhedrin, as evidenced by the rush from conviction to sentencing on the same day (Mark 14:53-15:15).

The Romans who could have negated the Sanhedrin’s hue and cry for Christ’s death nonetheless ignored their own rules of fair treatment. Jesus was denied a public trial and appeared only privately before Pilate and Herod (John 18:28-38; Luke 23:6-12). The Roman assurance of an impartial tribunal became acquiescence in the verdict of an accusing mob (cf. John 18:38 with 19:4-6). The Roman protection against double jeopardy was ignored when Christ was first acquitted by Pilate, then put in jeopardy before Herod, then again acquitted by Pilate, only to be turned over for crucifixion by the same governor.

Even though Christ’s death had been planned within the council of the Godhead from eternity past, there is no question that Jesus was taken “and by wicked hands” was crucified and slain (Acts 2:23).

Ralph Mawdsley is Administrative Counsel and Professor of Educational Law at Liberty Baptist College, Lynchburg, Virginia. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and a J.D. from the University of Illinois. April 1984

Praise the LORD in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

2 Chronicles 14:8-12, “Now Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, bearing large shields and spears, and 280,000 from

Benjamin, bearing shields and wielding bows; all of them were valiant warriors.

9 Now Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and he came to

Mareshah.

10 So Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up in battle formation in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

11 Then Asa called to the LORD his God, and said, ‘LORD, there is no one besides Thee to help in the battle between the

powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in Thee, and in Thy name have come

against this multitude. O LORD, Thou art our God; let not man prevail against Thee.’

12 So the LORD routed the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.”

Have you ever felt helpless? I mean really helpless! I can recall that felling as if it were yesterday. My late wife had been ill for many months. Her doctor was a true Christian, and he had done everything possible to remedy her physical difficulty. Then one day, he looked squarely at me and said, “I just don’t know what else I can do for her.” My heart “sank,” as it were, because I knew exactly what he meant: the likelihood of her survival was in serious doubt.

In ou verse above, Asa came to battle with 580,000 strong, valiant men; but, Zerah, his opponent, had 1,000,000 men! To say it looked bleak and helpless is an understatement beyond words! Whatever Asa “felt” within himself, we are not told. He was courageous, and forged ahead toward his opposition. But, as he stood steadfast, he prayed –

LORD, there is no one besides Thee to help in the battle between the powerful and

those who have no strength; so help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in Thee, and

in Thy name have come against this multitude. O LORD, Thou art our God; let not

man prevail against Thee.

Today, we face a worldwide crisis of an invisible virus that numbers far greater than the army Asa faced. We have human experts that weild medical swords against our unseen enemy. We ourselves have no strength or knowledge to oppose this enemy. What are we to do? The answer is simple: do as Asa did. Trust LORD, but don’t run from the battle.

We trust in Thee, and in Thy Name have come against this multitude,

O LORD, Thou art our God; let not man prevail against Thee.

Asa didn’t start the confrontation. Zerah did. But Asa trusted in the LORD over and above his 580,000 men. His trust in the LORD brought the LORD into the battle. Now, the Name of the LORD God was at stake! The battle opponents had shifted. Zerah and his million men were now facing Almighty God. Dear reader, that is precisely what we need to do in every instance of human endeavor.

We are not to shirk at the coronavirus. We are to fact it squarely with the weapons we have. But, over and above all, we must trust the LORD! He delights in blessing His children in every situation. We are to trust Him; He is to fight for us. At that point, it’s all over!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

2 Chronicles 7:12-15, “Then the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, ‘I have heard your prayer, and have chosen

this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.

13 “’If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My

people,

14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then

I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

15 “’Now My eyes shall be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.’”

Sometime ago, when the Arkansas Razorbacks (university) football team wasn’t doing so well, I used to tease the principle of Shiloh

Christian School (elementary to high school), saying that Shiloh Christian should challenge the Razorbacks to a game. Of course, it

never happened. Yet, had such an obvious imbalance ever occurred, one thing was certain: the referee would do the coin toss at the

beginning of the game. Why is that necessary? Because there is to be a “balance” for the teams, regardless of which seemed the

greater.

Something like that occurred after Solomon prayed to the LORD. The LORD appeared and said that He had heard the king’s prayer.

There was no immediate threat from the LORD when He said, “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain…” He was merely saying that should there ever be a shortage of rain on the fields or locusts devouring the grain or a plague of any kind, it would be due to a sin among the people. Certainly, Solomon could not have known every sin the people committed because there were so many people.

Were sin to occur, however, the LORD would bring devastation upon the people. Nothing was accidental. What then were the people

to do? Four distinct things would bring things right again. First, they were to humble themselves before the LORD. Humility goes a long

way in solving any indiscrete practice. The man who misuses his machine, so that it dies, does well in extricating himself by going

immediately to his boss. So it is with man and God. Second, they were to pray, petitioning the LORD for forgiveness, much like the man going to his boss on his own behalf.

Third, they were to seek the face of God. That is, they were to so appeal to Him that He would not turn His back on them. They wanted

to see His face. When we’re guilty of wrong, we don’t want to face the one we have wronged –unless, we are seeking forgiveness.

Fourth, they are turn from their wicked ways. A child confesses a wrong doing to his parent. The parent faces the child and listens to

His plea. Then the parent says, “I’ll forgive you this time; but don’t let it happen again.” That’s what we want to hear from God when

we’ve done wrong in His sight.

But, where’s all of that “balance” mentioned in the beginning. Ah, here it comes! The LORD promises to 1) hear from Heaven; 2) to forgive mankind’s sin; 3) to heal (restore) the land. There’s a saying that says, “There’s no free lunch.” If we want the blessing of

Almighty God, we have to give up our sin! Sin displeases God! And we want His face and not His back. There’s no time like the

present. Get balanced with the LORD! He is Love and wants to bless and reward His children. We just have to learn to obey!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Notice the attachment and pray for our Nation’s Leadership! The LORD is hearing our prayers!

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

2 Chronicles 6:28-31, “’If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, if there is locust or grasshopper,

if their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities, whatever plague or whatever sickness there is,

29 whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Thy people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own pain,

and spreading his hands toward this house,

30 then hear Thou from heaven Thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart Thou

knowest for Thou alone dost know the hearts of the sons of men,

31 that they may fear Thee, to walk in Thy ways as long as they live in the land which Thou hast given to our fathers.’”

There is no, possible method available to determine the accuracy of this statement; however, I am confident that more people throughout the world have invested more heavily in PRAYER than perhaps in more than a generation!

I have never read the Chronicles of the Old Testament quite like I am reading it today. Solomon was asked by the LORD, “What

would you like Me to give you?” The whole world and all of its riches were before him; he only had to ask. In his boyish acumen,

he asked for wisdom from the LORD. And wisdom he received –along with riches of all kinds and wealth untold! In his initial, public

prayer in the presence of his people, King Solomon exhibited the LORD’s gift of wisdom.

It might be too much of a stretch for us to declare this Solomonic prayer a prophecy of things to come in our own day; yet, he touches

upon our needs as he inculcates the variety of “enemies” we face today: famine, pestilences, plagues, sicknesses– all causing pain throughout the land. Then, in absolute reverence, the king uplifted his hands receptively toward the LORD Almighty and appealed to

Him to hear his solemn prayer. Forgive and render “to each according to all his ways,” because You alone know what lies in the hearts of all mankind. May they reverence You,” he prayed, “and walk in Your ways as long as they live…”

That says it all. I can only add, “May it be so, LORD Jesus! May we connect with You in earnest prayer, and learn the joys of current,

daily fellowship in love with our Creator, Savior, and LORD!”

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. If you find this Letter helpful, please feel free to share it with others.

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”