Apology Accepted!

As my wife continues to research my Native American background and in particular the Salinan Tribe, I am often mystified by how much good the Catholic Church did for them while also doing an incredible amount of damage. Because of my interest in the Catholic/Salinan relationship, a more recent apology by a member of the Catholic Church caught my attention. Here is the story.

“At a Mass celebrated last month at the Church of St. Raphael in San Rafael, retired Sacramento bishop, Francis A. Quinn, apologized to the Coast Miwok Indians for what he called the mistreatment of them by Spanish missionaries two centuries ago.

Quinn said that, at the Dec. 15 Mass, “I felt I should express regret that the Miwok were treated unfairly in many ways, although the missionaries were well-intentioned but mistaken and doing only what they had been taught to do in bringing the faith to the Indians.”

I was blessed when I read this story and can certainly understand why the apology was given and accepted. There are many who feel that that Christians should receive an apology like that from the Jews for killing Jesus. At the time of his crucifixion they were certainly the driving force of His death. The Roman government really could have cared less about Jesus until the Jewish leaders started making noise about Him.

In Mark 14:53-65 we read the account of the early trial of Jesus. Remember there were two trials that took place, an ecclesiastical one and a civil one. Each trial had several parts to it which is why we see a variety of players and personalities as we read this account in the four Gospels. But at the end of the day even when Pilate found Jesus lacking guilt, it was the chief priests and officers who first shouted, “Crucify Him.”

In his New Testament Commentary on Mark, Dr. William Hendriksen tells us how the Jewish leaders twisted the law thus leading to the death of Jesus.

“It has been emphasized by various authors that the trial of Jesus was illegal on several technical grounds such as the following: a. No trial for life was allowed during the night. Yet, Jesus was tried and condemned during the hours of 1-3 A.M. Friday, and executed on the Fest, which was forbidden. According to Pharisaic law, no hearings in a case involving capital punishment could ever be initiated on the eve of a major festival like Passover. No conviction was allowed at night. To execute a sentence on the day of one of the great feasts was contrary to established regulations. b. The arrest of Jesus was effected as a result of a bribe, namely, the blood-money which Judas received. c. Jesus was asked to incriminate Himself. d. In cases of capital punishment, Jewish law did not permit the sentence to be pronounced until the day after the accused had been convicted. Such and similar points of law have been mentioned again and again and used as arguments to prove the illegality of the entire procedure against Jesus of Nazareth.”

In this illegal trial the Jewish leaders already had in their mind what they wanted the outcome to be whether the evidence supported it or not. Mark records, “They all condemned him as worthy of death.” And, death is what they got. Pilate buckled under the pressure after his plan to free Jesus failed. In fact it failed so badly that a harden criminal was set free and the Innocent One went to the cross.

In this day of political correctness when everyone is demanding apologies for everything I often here people say that the Jews should apologize for killing Jesus. I don’t know how you feel about that, but I am glad they did kill Jesus. Jesus died for my sin! He was and is the sacrificial Lamb of God. He rose from the grave to prove His deity. He ascended into to heaven to make intercessions for me. He is preparing a place for me right now. He sent the Holy Spirit to fill me. He has brought me into an everlasting relationship with the Trinity. It was God’s plan to from the beginning to have Jesus Christ die for not only the Jews but for the entire planet. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah and Amen!

I was in a service recently where the congregation recited the Apostle’s Creed. It moved me as I reflected on the history of that Creed. Its exact date of writing is not known but we know that Tertullian was quoting it in the second century. Early church fathers often stated that it was written by the twelve apostles on Pentecost, each contributing one line. One thing we do know is that for centuries churches of many faiths have memorized it just as the early church did.

1. I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
4. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
5. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again.
6. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
7. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
8. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
9. the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,
10. the forgiveness of sins,
11. the resurrection of the body,
12. and the life everlasting.
Amen.

As you can see there are no accusations against the Jews and no apologies demanded. Who needs an aplogy when our hearts are filled with the Spirit of Jesus? Thank God that trial was a farse, end the end it was a gift to us all.

Blessings to you,

Dan

Copyright 2008 Eternity Minded Ministries
http://www.eternityminded.org/