Saturday, May 5, 2012

Perfect salvation of God - Part 2

Nevertheless, St. Peter was someone who still followed Jesus even after He was arrested. Read the following verses.

Mat 26:58
58 But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. (KJV)

Hence, we find a record in the book of 1 Peter, that Jesus had been given stripes. Read it below:

1 Peter 2:24
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (KJV)
(Note : Sometimes, Peter would have made this statement by referring to the prophecy of Isaiah in Isaiah 53:5)

The Jews themselves had a law from Moses to give stripes to the wicked who have committed crimes. Read the following scriptures from the Book of Deuteronomy, which were given by the Lord as law by the hand by Moses.

Deut 25:1-3
 1 If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.2 And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number.3 Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: (KJV)

However, the law of Moses has a measure in giving stripes to a person, who is worthy to be beaten. According to the 3rd verse above, this measure is maximum forty stripes.
In the book of St. Luke, Jesus too quoted this law  from the law of Moses in the below scriptures. Here too, Jesus re-confirmed that few stripes (or number of stripes with a measure) should be given to the wicked who have not commited major crimes.

Luke 12:47-48
47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (KJV)

According to St. Paul too, only the Jews had a measure as such, in giving stripes to wrong doers. Read the following verses:

2 Cor 11:23-24
23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. (KJV)

In 23rd verse above, St. Paul claims that he received stripes above measure by those (the Gentiles) who were not the Jews. Apparently this was so because they did not have a measure as such.

In the 24th verse, St. Paul says he got the stripes to the right measure only from the Jews, who had a measure according to the law of Moses.
Given below is an occasion where St. Paul was given many stripes by the Romans.

Acts 16:20-23
20 And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
21 And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.
22 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, (KJV)

When we consider the above occasion where he was given stripes above measure by the Romans, we can boldly come to the conclusion that Jesus was given many stripes by the same Romans, well above the measure given in the Law of Moses.

This doubt is further strengthened by the fact that Jesus was persecuted maliciously by the Roman soldiers, in addition to the stripes given to Him. This kind of persecution is not allowed in the law of Moses. 

If the Roman soldiers were so wild in persecuting Jesus, would they have given the stripes to Jesus, by counting them one by one upto 39 or 40???

Obviously, Jesus would have been given many more stripes than the measure.

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