Category Archives: Passover to Pentecost

John Recorded the Chief Priest and Pilate

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John records some very interesting interactions between the chief priest and Pilate in Chapters 18 and 19 of his Gospel. I believe it is fair to say that there was no love lost between these two.

I am going to start with John and point out one sentence in 18:16. John, who does not identify himself, says he was known to the high priest. To me, this is important and should refute the idea of Jesus picking “poor, uneducated fisherman”. To be able to walk into the chief priest’s palace and talk to a female doorkeeper to get Peter in is quite a feat. The easy explanation is that it had to do with fish deliveries, that is my guess on the subject. A few other notes here seem timely: the Upper Room seems to have belonged to John and James’ sister, and John Mark was their cousin. That also makes Barnabas a relative. I think there was “a lot of family” in the Gospel stories and Acts.

Chief Priest – Sources (see below) make it clear that the office of high priest was bought from Herod or Rome. Those moneychangers and animal sellers were part of a well-lubricated money-making enterprise.

 Annas/Ananias (See Acts 24) is a family name and there were several men who had that name and served as high priest. (From a Google search.)

It is important and fair to note that not all priests were corrupt or even Sadducees.

Pilate – I think every Jesus movie made portrays Pilate a little different, but that’s Hollywood. Pilate and his soldiers make up the Gentile component for the crucifixion. They did not conquer their known world by being nice. John 18 and 19 contains the drama that is recorded between Caiaphas, the high priest, and Pilate. Including the other Gospel accounts will complete the picture.

 Chapter 18:

  • 28 – the Jews had Pilate come out to them. I am sure he did not like that.
  • 30 – the priest did not answer Pilate about the charges against Jesus.
  • 31a – “judge him by your own Law” is Pilate being nice and saying leave me alone.
  • 31b – they did not “want to be guilty” of actually killing Jesus. They could always cast shade on Rome. Stoning Jesus would have been fast, but hanging on an etz was a curse.
  • 33-37 Pilate’s private conversation with Jesus. The Jews could not go in to listen; know that made them mad.
  • 38b – “I find no charge against Him.” Pilate saw what the high priest was doing, he was to kill Jesus and they could always blame him and Rome.
  • 39 – Release the “king of the Jews.” Pilate saw a way out and take a jab at Herod and the political structure in Jerusalem.
  • 40 – Barabbas, being part of the fourth major political/religious party in Israel (Zealot) was not a friend of the Sadducees or Herod. I bet the priest were very smug about yelling that choice. Barabbas was a Roman killer.

Chapter 19:

  • 5 – “Here is the man.” O, I have heard some great sermons on that one phrase. It does give you the fact that he had no clue who Jesus was, but I bet he had heard about the miracles and the crowds.
  • 7 – “He claimed to be the Son of God.” Finally, the charge Pilate had asked for in 18:29, and that made him uncomfortable. Remember, Rome was polytheistic and their gods were always making babies, especially with humans. Sounds like the fallen angels before and right after the Flood in Genesis.
  • 8 – 12a Here it would be good to look at the other Gospels, especially Matthew 27:19, which tells about Pilate’s wife warning him about Jesus. You may speculate all you want as to why Pilate wanted to let Him go. I do not know, but for this post, it was to make the Jews mad;( The death of one more Jew, probably meant very little to Pilate.
  • 12b-16 This is the Jews trump card over Pilate, threaten to tell Caesar. His final solution was in Matthew 27:24, wash his hands, and crucify Jesus. Note, that the Jews “friend and king”, Caesar, destroyed Jerusalem and their temple forty years later.
  • Pilate’s final words: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. I have no doubt that he loved telling the high priest, NO, when they demanded that he change it.

A time frame for all of this, including a trip to Herod, is relevant.

  • John 18:28 The trial with Pilate started very early in the morning (6 a.m.). Pilate may have been pulled from bed for this. Talk about a lot of drama packed into three hours.
  • Mark 15:25 Jesus was on the cross, with the “notice of charge” by 9 a.m. (third hour).
  • Matthew 27:45 From noon to 3 p.m. (6th to 9th hour) it was dark. Then Jesus ended it. In my dramatic mind, noon was when Pilate told the Jews no and when he said it the darkness fell.

Herod the Great – Chabad.org priest paid for the office

Topical Bible: The High Priest: Office of, Made Annual by the Romans

High Priest Corruption

The Lamb

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Jesus was born a baby in a stable and was a king; He was a lamb and the Lion of Judah. He had shepherds and scholars seek Him out to give Him praise. Jesus has many crowns or titles that are His.

My thought for this post came as I was studying Leviticus 8 and 9. These chapters detail the ordination of Aaron and his sons as priest and the first community “church” service at the new Tabernacle. Lambs, rams, and he-goats, animals from the flock, were used in these two chapters. But they were not all for the sin offering. A bull and goat were the offerings for sin, why? I am not sure I have an answer for that question, about those two offerings. The bull was for the priest and the goat was for the people’s offerings. (My feeling is the bull is associated with Egypt and Aaron made a golden calf at Mt. Sinai. The goat would become the offering for the Day of Atonement.)  

It made me think, why is Jesus our sin offering? He is not referred to as a bull or goat and there is no artwork from the Middle Ages, that I can think of, where Jesus is a bull or goat. John the Baptist’s iconic statement stems from Passover, Jesus died at Passover. The first lamb’s blood delivered Israel from the Death Angel, who became prominent after Adam and Eve ate the fruit and allowed him in the world.   

I see another connection to Jesus and the Passover. In The Day of Atonement, Passover, and Epiphany I make the point that Zachariah was offering incense behind the curtain in the Temple, The Day of Atonement. Count out the months and Gabriel went to Mary six months later, Passover. Jesus’ conception was at Passover, He came out in the winter months, Epiphany/Christmas. At the darkest time of the year the “Light of the World” was born.  

I feel these lay a good foundation to discuss Jesus as the Lamb of God.

  • Genesis 22:8 – God provided Abraham with a lamb to replace Issac as an offering.
  • Exodus 12:3 – Take a lamb for your family so the Death Angel will pass over you.
  • Isaiah 53:7 – The lamb did not open His mouth as He was led to the slaughter.
  • John 1:29 – John the Baptist announced Jesus was the Lamb who would take away the sin of the world.
  • Revelation 5:6  And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. (NASB)

Other lamb ideas to consider: 1. Did God clothe Adam and Eve in the Garden with sheepskins? 2. Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem, the house of bread, if He was a lamb? 3. Is Jesus the Lamb of God or the Great Shepherd?

  1. We do not know the exact animal, but it is consistent with the practice that the “flock” would provide sacrificial animals. If this was the first sacrifice, the second one with Abel is also associated with the flock.
  2. Bethlehem was David’s hometown, so that is a big connection. Rachel died near there and Jeremiah announces a horrible act that King Herod would do, the Death of the Innocent. The lambs for Temple use were raised in this area, and those strips of cloth Mary wrapped Jesus in may have been for wrapping those sacrificial lambs. The strips are said to have come from retired vestments of the priest.
  3. Both, Jesus wears more than one crown. He was our Passover Lamb before the Resurrection and our Great Shepherd after He rose from the dead; think Lamb to Great Shepherd like Baby to Lord of all creation. Hebrews 13:20 is the reference that coins the phrase “Great Shepherd”, but there are verses in the Old Testament that foretell this. Micah 5:4 is an example; you may need to check several translations if you are doing a word search.

Our Wonderful Counselor

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The Son will be called Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6).

I am writing this between Easter and Pentecost, this period of time for Jews is known as Counting the Omer, and the Catholic Church is in an “Easter season” on their calendar. Either thought still is the fifty days from Passover to Pentecost. Historically, it is the time from leaving Egypt until the Children reached Mt. Sinai. Some things are recorded that Jesus did in this season, but I believe we were not told half of them. I think this time was the Master’s mini-lesson for His leaders. Yes, He left (ascended) after forty days.

Hebrew Mentions of the Counselor

The Complete Jewish Bible, the Orthodox Jewish Bible, and the concordances I use all seem to have a slightly different take on how to spell things. (God bless translators!) That can take a little getting used to but the message is the same and very clear. The idea of counselor really hit this home.  

H3289 is yaats or yoetz and ish etzah H 6098 are terms I ran across in this study. Besides Isaiah 9:6, I spent some time with 40:13. 40:13 is quoted by Paul in Romans 11:34. All of this highlights the importance of wisdom and advice in the Jewish culture.

The Tree of Life Biblical | Tree of Life in Bible – Hebrewversity  One takeaway from this article was tree or etz is very much like the word etzah or advice, H6098.

The Hebrews who wrote the New Testament had the same values; they were just writing them in Greek. In Romans 11:34 Paul used the word symboulos G4825 for counselor or advisor. Yes, it looks like our word symbiote, so it implies a long-term relationship.

Parakletos or Paraclete

Pentecost is the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit. It is also the birthday of the Church or the beginning of gathering the Bride of Christ. The Apostle John uses Paraclete five times in his writing: John 14:16, 26, 15:26, 16:7, and 1 John 2:1. Strong’s Greek: 3875. παράκλητος (paraklétos) — called to one’s aid (biblehub.com) This article mentions three Gospel references of when Jesus states that the Spirit will do what John declared on Thursday of Holy Week: Matthew 10:19 + 20, Mark 13:11, Luke 12:11 + 12. These tell when Jesus said that arrests were coming, but the Holy Spirit would speak through them. In other words, He would be their lawyer, counselor, or helper. Back to John. 

John 13 is the beginning of Jesus’ last meal on Thursday. Chapters 14, 15, and 16 are in the Upper Room or in the Garden outside of Jerusalem. They contain important teachings about the Holy Spirit. It is better to read the verses in context so as to get the full effect.

  • c+17 Jesus will ask for the Spirit of Truth to be sent to believers.
  • John 14:26 + 27 This Counselor will instruct us and give us peace. The Father will send Him in the name or power of Jesus.
  • John 15:26 He will testify the truth about Jesus.
  • John 16:7 If Jesus does not leave (dies on the cross, resurrects, and ascends) the Paraclete will not come. Verses 7 -16 explain what the Spirit will do. Verse 15 has a word in it that John uses thirty-two times in his Gospel, emos. It is translated “mine” and is associated with Jesus giving things to us.
  • 1 John 2:1 This verse is about Jesus advocating for us before the Father.

The Holy Spirit is here on earth helping us to do the work here. Jesus is in Heaven helping us there.

Our Wonderful Counselor is for us, is here to help us, and has a good plan for us. The thing I have found about counselors, they can only help if you let them and follow their advice. This implies that you have to let Our Wonderful Counselor in so He can get close, and you get to know Him.

Ephesians 1:20

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This verse is part of a mini-lesson on the importance of the Resurrection and its importance.

Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, (KJV)

  • He accomplished, energeo G1754. It is used in 1:11, 2:2, and 3:20.
  • Raised, egeiro G1453. It has a wide range of translations but is used here to show the Resurrection. In 5:14 it is “wake up”.
  • From, ek G1537.
  • Dead, nekros G3498. It is used in 2:1,5, and 5:14.
  • Having set, kathisas G2523.
  • Right, dexios G1188. The right hand side is a position of honor.
  • Heavenly realms, epouranious G2032.

Use the links below to explore all of the words in the passage in Ephesians.

Ephesians 1 MOUNCE – Paul, an apostle of Christ  Jesus by the – Bible Gateway

Ephesians 1 Interlinear Bible (biblehub.com)

RESURRECTION

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This post is about the resurrection of Jesus, it is an extension of Saturday of Holy Week- A Day of Rest and Born Again or Born from Above.

With His earthly life and “forty months” of ministry about to end, can you imagine all of the thoughts that swirled around Him? Jesus’ metamorphoo and the time spent with the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah) signals His ride into Jerusalem, so He can pay the Bride’s price for His Church. But the time between “Who is it you want?” (John 18:4) and “Woman, why are you crying?” (John 20:15 NIV) changed so much. Types and shadows were about to become bold clear light. The Prophet’s words were being fulfilled and rejoiced over in the Heavenlies. Our redemption from the sin that claimed us was gladly being paid. The Way back to the Father and His Garden was opened, if we choose that path.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday could be Work, Rest, and Begin a New; okay, that activity could go on for a while:)

Resurrection or rise, arise, risen, and several other ideas are expressed with two Greek root words (for the most part). Anastasis G386 and egeiro G1453 are those root words, yes, they can have prefixes and other tenses.

ἀνάστασις | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

ἐγείρω | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

ἔγερσις | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

G386 – anastasis – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv) (blueletterbible.org)

G1454 – egersis – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv) (blueletterbible.org)

Old Testament

Hosea 6:2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. (KJV) In Hebrew, the third day is Tuesday or Yom HaShelishi.

Yom ha-sh’lishi: The THIRD DAY – Hebrew Word Lessons

Examples of being raised from the dead.

  • 1 Kings 17:17-24 is where Elijah raised the widow’s son.
  • 2 Kings 4:29-37 is the telling of Elisha raising the Shunammite’s son.
  • 2 Kings 13:21 Elisha is dead and another dead man is thrown into his grave and touches his bones and was revived and stood up (he was resurrected). This event brings to mind the verse in Jude, where Satan is trying to take Moses’ body. Why did he want it? I am pretty sure it was not for a trophy. We have to know he was up to no good. A popular idea is that Satan wanted to make Israel stumble and sin by going into idol worship over the corpse. HOW ABOUT he took it because he feared it would act like Elisha’s bones and cause people to fear God? HOW ABOUT #2 Satan did not want it to be available for the transfiguration. Moses was there and with a “born from above body”.
  • In Hebrews 11:17,19 the faith of Abraham is relived when he sacrificed Issac. He knew God could/would raise him from the dead.
  • Martha knew Lazarus would rise in the resurrection on the last day, John 11:24. I do believe this was a Hebrew idea that Matthew writes about.
  • In the Sermons on the Two Mounts the Sadducees are baiting Jesus on a woman who had seven husbands. This must a been a point of discussion in their Torah studies. (Matthew 22:28) Jesus instructed them about physical state of being in Heaven.
  • John 5:29 may also be an Old idea with an upgrade. Good deeds people have a resurrection of life and bad deeds people have a resurrection of judgement.

New Testament

This is a spot check through the New Testament, there is a lot, but my focus will be Matthew, John, and 1 Corinthians.

Matthew’s contribution starts in Chapter 22 and goes to 27. There is an interesting shift in Matthew’s terms. Before Jesus’ physical resurrection (Chapter 22) he used anastasis G386 in Chapter 27 he used egersis G1454. I wonder if it is an Old-to-New shift in thinking. This is the only time G1454 is used in the Bible. Anastasis is used many more times in the New Testament.

Jesus knew what was to happen to Him in that Passover, He would be sacrificed like the lamb in Exodus. The thing that caught my attention for this post was His physical body. He had also been teaching about that as we will see in John. First, we should take a look at the revelation that Paul received on the topic.

1 Corinthians 15 is Paul’s class on the resurrection to the Church. Verse 35 starts his discussion on the body. Verses 42 to 46 describe what happened to Jesus, His natural body was put into the earth but a spiritual body came out (44). I termed this His born from above or born-again example. Yes, at the last trumpet, we who are living will get this new body and it will be quick (52).  

John’s purpose in writing his Gospel was to show Jesus as the Son of God. He highlighted the miracles Jesus did, for some reason only seven have got a lot of press. He did more in John’s Gospel and taught about some miraculous things that would occur. Here are some about His resurrection.

  • John 3:6 The Spirit gives birth to spirit.
  • 11:25 He tells Martha He is the resurrection and the life.
  • 12:24 Jesus gives a multi-level explanation of a seed producing a harvest. Unless He died, His harvest would not have happened.
  • 16:16 He tells the Disciples that He will die but that they would see Him again (palin, G3825).

These are posts I have done on the work of Jesus and His resurrection.