The Trial of Jesus Christ by One Catholic Lawyer

For Jesus' enemies, his death was certain, the process was not.  They could make it up as they go along.  The role of the scribes was eerily similar to that of a modern trial lawyer or staff counsel at a Congressional hearing, brains behind the scene.  Now that we know what scribes did, and how they were regarded, we have a good idea of what they were doing before, during, and after Jesus' trial. They set a strategy in motion, and with conniving and effort, it worked.  Little did they know, their End Game would become the proximate cause of the salvation of the world. 

It's Holy Week and the scribes have had it.  Jesus has humiliated them.  And the crowd was "delighted."  They appeared to like lawyer jokes just like people do today. The scribes now want him dead.
But, again, not all scribes, and Jesus approves of some and he confirms the importance of their work.  For others, First Degree Murder is now in the works and their motive is crystal clear.  Timing now, for them, is everything.

Jesus takes the scribes head-on.  He parries with them and wins, every time.  Seeing how he does that makes us understand exactly why they want to kill him.  But not all of them.  Some come very close to the kingdom of God.  The Gospels present us with a fascinating account of Jesus' interaction with them, both as a class, and individually.

Scribes were the scholars of the Torah.  They taught The Law; they were expected to know The Law.  What they did was very much like what lawyers do today.  Knowing what they did, and how they were regarded, tells us much of what they were like when Jesus encountered them.

Who were the scribes - a remarkable class of people who arose in about the 5th century B.C. and gave us the Bible in written form? Why would we find them involved in the Crucifixion of Jesus several centuries later? I think I know why; they were lawyers like I am.

Jesus had good reason to call John a "Son of Thunder."  John was fiery, impetuous, and we see that from different events in the Gospels.  He was also the "Beloved Disciple" mentioned in the Fourth Gospel and the arguments that say otherwise just don't hold up.  At some point, he became known as the "Apostle of Love."  Is it plausible that change occurred at the scene of the Crucifixion?

John was likely the "other disciple" of John, the Baptist, along with Andrew, which explains why he followed Jesus immediately at Lake Galilee.  Jesus singled out John (along with Peter and James) to experience three secret events -- the raising of Jarius' daughter from the dead, the Transfiguration, and the Agony in the Garden.  Why?

Jesus called him a "Son of Thunder." He was also known as the "Apostle of Love." When, how, and why did he change? What can we know about him through Scripture and history? Let's go into his life in Galilee, how he was raised, how he prayed, how he worked as a commercial fisherman and why Jesus needed his special skills. (Part 2)

Jesus called him a "Son of Thunder." He was also known as the "Apostle of Love." When, how, and why did he change? What can we know about him through Scripture and history? Let's go into his life in Galilee, how he was raised, how he prayed, how he worked as a commercial fisherman and why Jesus needed his special skills. (Part 1)

Scholars say we know less about the Pharisees than we once thought we did.  But we do know some things.  Things from history, Josephus, the Dead Sea Scrolls, rabbinic literature, and the Gospels. Things that help us understand what Nicodemus may have thought and taught. And those things make Nicodemus one of the most intriguing characters in all of the Gospels.  A compelling case can be made to call him “St. Nicodemus.”