Expert: Thurman C. Petty, Jr. - 6/27/2008

Question
Hi Thurman
What would have happened if Jesus was acquitted at the trial before his crucifixtion and was allowed to go free? would he have crucified himself?


Answer
Dear Dimitri,

Thank you for your logical question about the alternative possibility of Jesus’ trial. It’s interesting to stretch one’s mind about such things, but of course we cannot change history by doing so.

Yet we should consider several Biblical teachings that lead up to a “guilty” verdict:

1. The lamb of the sacrificial system died on the altar and Jesus is the Lamb of God, sent to save the world from its sins. (cf. Matt. 1.21).

2. Isaiah’s prophecy about his suffering, death, and resurrection (There are dozens of others, but I’ve chosen this one because it is so inclusive.):
Isa 53:3  He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4  Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Isa 53:6  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7  He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
Isa 53:8  By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
Isa 53:9  He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Isa 53:10  Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11  After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied ; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

3. Jesus’ own predictions of His death and how He would die:
Mark 9:12  Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected?
Luke 9:22  And he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."
John 3:13  No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man.
John 3:14  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

Jesus said that He must be lifted up, a phrase that in current society was used to describe crucifixion. Jesus knew that He would die on a cross even this early in His ministry. And several times during His ministry He tried to tell His disciples about His death and resurrection—sometime in just so many words—but they refused to believe Him.

Here is a quotation that describes this enigma in words better than I can improvise. It’s taken from The Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Boise, Idaho, March 3, 2002:

"God has a law, that law has been violated, and a just God, to be just, has to punish those violators. But this same just God is also a merciful God, and out of that mercy He gave Jesus, equal with Himself, to die that death for the human race, to suffer  vicariously, in our place, the righteous wrath of a Holy God against sin. That's why Jesus 'must' die. At the Cross, God's justice was met, fully and completely. Without the Cross, our fate would be no different than the animals; in fact, it would have been worse, because unlike the beast, we can envision something like eternity or heaven, something greater than what we experience now, and that realization of something that is greater but out of our reach makes the little we have that much more unsatisfying. No wonder the Son of man 'must' suffer and die. If He didn't, we'd have nothing but the capacity to envision eternity but no hope of ever inhabiting it."

4. There’s no way that Pilate or any of the other players in the drama could have acquitted Him. His destiny was to die for our sins. He came for that purpose. If He had escaped death, then we would have to die for our own sins, and God just would have none of that. Jesus (God in human flesh) loved the people of this world so much that He gave His life so that anyone who was willing to accept His sacrifice in their behalf, could live with Him forever, and not perish in the eternal death that will be caused by the lake of fire at the end of time. (see When the Devil Goes to Jail, www.PettyPress.com/books)

Drimitri, Do you accept Jesus as your sin-bearer? Do you believe that when He died on the cross, He died for your own sins, and that because you believe that, Jesus will give you the gift of eternal life?

There’s no way you can earn it, or buy it, or do anything that will get it on your own. Salvation is  given to you as a gift, simply by accepting Jesus as your Savior. Won’t you do that just now? Ask Him to save you from your sins, and begin a new life that takes in all the experiences that Jesus outlines in the Bible.

What a joy to live for Jesus! Then when people ask, “How are you?” you can answer,” “I’m Happy!” because Jesus loves you and has saved you from all the sins that you’ve ever done

There are many other books and Bible study guides, etc. on my web site. Enjoy.

Thurman C. Petty, Jr.
Thurman@PettyPress.com