The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 19:9b-16, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.
10 Pilate therefore said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?”
11 Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me up to you has the greater sin.”
12 As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.”
13 When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!”
15 They therefore cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”
16 So he then delivered Him to them to be crucified.”

As the hour of his death drew near, Jesus withdrew to the Mount of Olives with his disciples. It was there that He prayed, “Father, if ther be another way…” But another way was not to be. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of His own disciples, and identified as the One the Jewish leaders wanted, Jesus was escorted to the place where the first phase of His unlawful night time trial. It was there, at the onset of the trial that Peter denied his LORD.

The Jewish Sanhedrin wanted Jesus to die. The Roman Government, however, had denied them the right of execution. Therefore, they sought a Roman-appointed governor, Pontius Pilate, to examine Him and put Him to death. Pilate, however, found nothing in Jesus worthy of execution; in fact, he found “no fault” in Him whatsoever. Nevertheless, the cry of the Jews, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” won the day.

Crucifixion was a borrowed form of execution that the Romans had acquired from the Carthegenians in North Africa. It is arguably the most inhumane form of execution ever invented at the hands of sinful men. Stripped of all modesty, the victim was nailed hands and feet to the cross. The cross was then uplifted for all to see. The victims were so positioned that they were unable to breathe. Thus, they hanged there helplessly until they died of exhaustion.

Jesus was buried in the Tomb of a believer, Joseph of Arimathea. Jesus was in the Tomb three days, as a part of Friday, all day Saturday, and a part of Sunday were considered full days. His tomb was guarded by a Roman military guard, as they feared His disciples might steal His body and announce that He had risen from the dead. Yet, the guards, their Roman superiors, and some cranky Jews were in for a huge surprise, on the very next day.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Notice the attachment regarding the unfair trials Jesus endured.

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom