You Be the Judge: A Decision for Great Success

By James D. Pearce Jr.

This book documents the six illegal trials of Jesus that were held in the Jewish and Roman courts as he persevered in completing the will of God so all people could be reconciled back to him. The reader is given the opportunity as judge to examine the most important events in the history of the world, ponder the testimonies of credible witnesses, and decide the outcome of the most important trial ever presented in the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 11, 2009
• ISBN: 9781462823680

James D. Pearce Jr.

James D. Pearce, Jr. is a native of York, Alabama. His lifetime experiences have equipped him with a wealthy reservoir of inspiration. James is a two time author; his first publication “You Be the Judge: A Decision for Great Success” was released in September of 2009. He enjoys encouraging others with romantic pictures and extraordinary words of inspiration. It doesn’t matter whether you are a male or a female. If you want to spice up your romance; have a rich relationship with your mate, others and God, “Extraordinary Love Poetry” is the book for you.

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Copyright © 2009 by James D. Pearce, Jr.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV). Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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Contents

Opening Statement

The Trials Begin

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Trial 4

Trial 5

Trial 6

Trial 7

The Final Appeal

Opening Statement

Jesus Christ was tried six times on Good Friday from about 2:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. before he was crucified: three Jewish religious trials and three Roman civil trials. During the time of Jesus’ trials, the Jews lived in Palestine, which was ruled by the Roman Empire. The leaders of the Jewish courts could condemn Jesus Christ to death, but they couldn’t execute him. Only the Romans could execute Jesus Christ after examining the evidence against him presented to them from the Jewish leaders and concluding that he had committed a crime.

The first intent of this trial is to present enough faith evidence beyond your circumstances so that you will be transformed by the renewing of your mind and make a decision for the glory of God. He has made it possible for you to be released from the prison of your past so you can fulfill what he created you to do for a time such as this and henceforth.

You have been summoned to take a few moments from your busy schedule to examine the most important events in the history of the world and answer the question as judge in the seventh and greatest trial: what are you going to do with Jesus Christ? Men and women who have committed crimes and were sentenced by the laws of the court systems throughout the world are executed or do specific periods of time in jail or prison. You have the opportunity to decide the outcome of the most important trial ever presented in the world.

In this trial as judge, you will be given the opportunity to examine the evidence and make a decision to impact your life with an established relationship with God, the ability to be set free by the truth and led by the Spirit of God, the ability to maximize your potential and lead great success for the glory of God, the ability to experience heaven on earth, and the ability to live forever (read Revelations 20:1-4; Matthew 19:28-29; John 3:16).

The final intent of this trial is to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the presentation of facts is supported by the value of historical evidence for Jesus’ illegal, unjust trials and his resurrection so that you will have the opportunity to make a decision for great success.

I am totally convinced, as I present this case, that there isn’t a real possibility that Jesus’ trials weren’t illegal and unjust and his resurrection didn’t happen. I further declare that the testimony of history will substantiate Jesus’ illegal, unjust trials and his resurrection through the Bible’s Old Testament (the unquestioned expression of God’s mind and will) and New Testament (the Gospels and other writings of men who had been friends and eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ), and testimonies by men of our times. After carefully examining this case, I believe that the discovery of participants and credible eyewitnesses who were alive when the facts were recorded is substantial enough to validate the illegal, unjust trials and the resurrection of Jesus. You are probably wondering, what do Jesus’ trials and resurrection have to do with you making a decision for great success? The answer is everything!

I believe that only those who never investigated and examined the evidence or refused to listen to its testimony could conclude that Jesus’ trials weren’t illegal and unjust, and that his resurrection didn’t happen. If you haven’t seriously investigated and faithfully tried the case of the trials and the resurrection in the court of open-mindedness, how can you truthfully conclude whether Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life or decide if he is Lord and Savior and make a commitment to lead great success, which you have been foreordained by God to bring into the world? Before you proceed with this case, it is important that you understand the Jewish system of justice and the Roman Code of Criminal Procedure, which were practices during Jesus’ trials.

The Jewish court system consisted of two ruling bodies. First was the Sanhedrin, which was the local council who ruled in any region, where one hundred and twenty men served as heads of families. The council was made up of twenty-three men who were chosen from the elders of the local community and acted as judges and jury in all civil and criminal matters. The odd number was put in place so that in a close decision, there could always be a deciding majority.

The second body was the Great Sanhedrin, who ruled in the capital city of Jerusalem. It was made up of seventy men plus the high priest. Twenty-four were chief priests, twenty-four were elders, and twenty-three were scribes. Anyone who believed that an unfair verdict was decided by the local Sanhedrin could appeal to the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem.

In every case, two scribes recorded the votes of the judges; one recorded those who were in favor of the accused, and the other those who condemned him. Eleven votes out of twenty-three were sufficient to acquit, but it required thirteen to convict. Additionally, auditors sat in on cases to observe all procedures to verify that they conformed to justice and equity. The Jewish court system also guaranteed the accused three basic rights:

1. The right