Crosstalk: April 11, 2019

Randy Melchert has a Bachelor’s in Bible, a Master’s in Christian Thought, another Master’s in Rhetoric and Public Address and a Juris Doctor degree. He’s a licensed attorney, Christian school administrator, researcher and consultant. He is the author of the book, ‘Secrets of the Trial of Jesus’ and the DVD, ‘The Trial of Jesus.’

Why does Randy use the term ‘secrets’ in his book since we have the trial of Jesus plainly laid out in the Bible? He explained that sometimes we gloss over aspects of the trial itself, especially the build-up to it.

This is especially important because as well-known as this trial is yet today, some people still don’t correctly understand why Jesus came to earth. Randy explained that Jesus didn’t come to earth to institute social justice or to solve an emotional problem and therefore we’re to love ourselves. He also didn’t come to solve a health problem, a financial problem or a paternity problem whereby some believe Jesus came to make us aware that we’re all God’s children. We were guilty individuals condemned to die shortly and awaiting execution. So Jesus came to solve our legal problem.

This leads to the idea of ‘justification.’ What is it? Randy answered that by asking, ‘How can a guilty man be set free?’ Here we are guilty before God with Satan pointing to the divine law to prove the point. How do you set that person righteously free? That’s what justification is.

Then there’s the issue of defining God’s judicial nature. We see that already from the first criminal statue in history shortly after Adam was created dealing with the eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Moving on in Scripture you see other such statutes including capital punishment (Genesis 9:6) along with the 613 laws that God gave to Moses.

With this basis for the concept of law set up and explaining how it applies to us, Randy then moved to the trial itself with Jim asking the following questions:

–Was a trial necessary?

–Did Jesus have to die in a certain way?

–Who were the major players in the trial?

–Was it important for Caiaphas to trap Jesus?

–Was the initial charge of blasphemy against Jesus a capital crime in Rome?

–What defenses were available to Christ?

Learn the answers to these questions and more from this fascinating review of the trial of Christ.