Queen's Road Cell

 11. Notice how the elders accused Jesus to the Roman governor (23:2). Were their charges just? How do you know? (Lk 20:20-26, 22:49-52; Jn 18:36) There were 3 charges and one additional comment: 'misleading our nation' ( = inciting revolt, sedition) 'forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar' 'saying that he himself is Christ, a king' 'He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place' Pilate’s first question (lit "You are the king of the Jews?") of Jesus is identically worded in all four Gospels and in all four his 'you' is emphatic (Morris) Jesus could not say 'no'. Nor could he say, 'yes'. 12. Why did Pilate pronounce Jesus innocent? (Lk 23:4, 13-15)? How did Pilate interpret the elders' accusation and Jesus' words (23:1-4)? "You have said so.” parallels the “You say that I am.” of 22:70   Jesus did not defend Himself (Mt 27:12) - not the action of a desperate rebel. ...

 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. 2 Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to entreat the favor of the Lord, 3 saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, “Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?” 4  Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: 5  “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? 6  And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? 7  Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?’” 8  And the word of the Lord ...