You know, some of the Church fathers (like Martin Luther), really hated the Jews. You can read in his writings how he pretty much assigned our Lord Jesus' crucifixion to all unbelieving Jews. Were all unbelievers of the Jews at Christ's 1st coming actually against Him, and took part in having our Lord Jesus crucified?
The answer is no. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, and he provided spices for Jesus' burial, and visited Jesus in secret. Gamaliel, the great Hebrew scholar of his day, supported upholding the law in being fair to Lord Jesus while others among the scribes and Pharisees looked for any way to convict Him to have Him murdered.
Joseph of Arimathea, which Scripture said was a good and upright man, was a member of the Jew's Sanhedrin, and he owned the tomb which Lord Jesus was buried in, and claimed Jesus' body from Pilate to be buried.
Listen to this conversation between John the Baptist, and 'certain' ones sent to question him. It's important to understand when reading this, that of all peoples among the Jews, the scribes, Pharisees, priests, and Levites, would be the ones aware of the Old Testament prophecies about Messiah's coming, even where to look for Him.
John 1:19-25
19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who art thou?"
Later we discover those "Jews" which sent these specifically are among the group known as Pharisees.
20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, "I am not the Christ."
Now why would John immediately confess that he is not 'The Christ' to their question? Do you think John surmised that Messiah is Who those Pharisees particularly were looking for?
I have no doubt of it, because we discover in Matthew 2 that when Herod heard about the 3 wise men from the east inquiring about Jesus' birth, Herod then turned to the scribes and priests about the prophecy of where Lord Jesus would be born, and Herod had all the first born in the land murdered to try and kill Jesus.
The thing about king Herod, a Jew, is that he actually was not of bloodline Israel. He was appointed by Roman authority. Herod was an Idumean, of the seed of Esau, Jacob's brother. That's a New Testament introduction that not all those who say they are Jews, are actual bloodline Judah, which is where the title of Jew originates.
So who are these "Jews" that sent those priests and Levites to question John?
21 And they asked him, "What then? Art thou Elias?" And he saith, "I am not". "Art thou that prophet?" And he answered, "No."
They well knew the OT Scriptures. In Malachi 4, God promised to send Elijah before the "day of the Lord" (last day of this world), so that's why they asked that. That "prophet" was probably the "Prophet" Moses pointed to in Deuteronomy 18:15.
22 Then said they unto him, "Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?"
23 He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias."
24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
Point blank, the Pharisees sent those priests and Levites to question John! Obviously The LORD wants us to mark these particular ones. In other Scriptures, the scribes are included along with those Pharisees in trying to trap Lord Jesus to have Him killed.
Per 1 Chronicles 2:55, the scribes of Israel that dwelt at Jabez were of a people called Kenites, a Canaanite people that lived in the land of Canaan (Genesis 15:19). That means they, like king Herod, were converts to Judaism and not of the seed of Israel. In Ezra 2 with the return of a small remnant of the Jews from Babylon, some foreigners among them had become priests and Nethinims (temple servants, leftovers of the Canaanites per Joshua 9 and 1 Kings 9; also Ezra 8 & 9).
25 And they asked him, and said unto him, "Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?"
KJV
Obviously, like Herod, they were looking for Christ's coming. But not to receive Him, but to kill Him and attempt to steal His Kingdom. Not all the Jews were in that strategy, which is why you see Lord Jesus rebuking the scribes and Pharisees particularly in John 8, even labeling them as sons of Cain, the first murderer, and the devil as their father.
This suggests they well 'knew' Jesus of Nazareth was Messiah.
In Matthew 21, Jesus gives a parable to the chief priests, about their attempted thievery...
(Continued...)
The answer is no. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, and he provided spices for Jesus' burial, and visited Jesus in secret. Gamaliel, the great Hebrew scholar of his day, supported upholding the law in being fair to Lord Jesus while others among the scribes and Pharisees looked for any way to convict Him to have Him murdered.
Joseph of Arimathea, which Scripture said was a good and upright man, was a member of the Jew's Sanhedrin, and he owned the tomb which Lord Jesus was buried in, and claimed Jesus' body from Pilate to be buried.
Listen to this conversation between John the Baptist, and 'certain' ones sent to question him. It's important to understand when reading this, that of all peoples among the Jews, the scribes, Pharisees, priests, and Levites, would be the ones aware of the Old Testament prophecies about Messiah's coming, even where to look for Him.
John 1:19-25
19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who art thou?"
Later we discover those "Jews" which sent these specifically are among the group known as Pharisees.
20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, "I am not the Christ."
Now why would John immediately confess that he is not 'The Christ' to their question? Do you think John surmised that Messiah is Who those Pharisees particularly were looking for?
I have no doubt of it, because we discover in Matthew 2 that when Herod heard about the 3 wise men from the east inquiring about Jesus' birth, Herod then turned to the scribes and priests about the prophecy of where Lord Jesus would be born, and Herod had all the first born in the land murdered to try and kill Jesus.
The thing about king Herod, a Jew, is that he actually was not of bloodline Israel. He was appointed by Roman authority. Herod was an Idumean, of the seed of Esau, Jacob's brother. That's a New Testament introduction that not all those who say they are Jews, are actual bloodline Judah, which is where the title of Jew originates.
So who are these "Jews" that sent those priests and Levites to question John?
21 And they asked him, "What then? Art thou Elias?" And he saith, "I am not". "Art thou that prophet?" And he answered, "No."
They well knew the OT Scriptures. In Malachi 4, God promised to send Elijah before the "day of the Lord" (last day of this world), so that's why they asked that. That "prophet" was probably the "Prophet" Moses pointed to in Deuteronomy 18:15.
22 Then said they unto him, "Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?"
23 He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias."
24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
Point blank, the Pharisees sent those priests and Levites to question John! Obviously The LORD wants us to mark these particular ones. In other Scriptures, the scribes are included along with those Pharisees in trying to trap Lord Jesus to have Him killed.
Per 1 Chronicles 2:55, the scribes of Israel that dwelt at Jabez were of a people called Kenites, a Canaanite people that lived in the land of Canaan (Genesis 15:19). That means they, like king Herod, were converts to Judaism and not of the seed of Israel. In Ezra 2 with the return of a small remnant of the Jews from Babylon, some foreigners among them had become priests and Nethinims (temple servants, leftovers of the Canaanites per Joshua 9 and 1 Kings 9; also Ezra 8 & 9).
25 And they asked him, and said unto him, "Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?"
KJV
Obviously, like Herod, they were looking for Christ's coming. But not to receive Him, but to kill Him and attempt to steal His Kingdom. Not all the Jews were in that strategy, which is why you see Lord Jesus rebuking the scribes and Pharisees particularly in John 8, even labeling them as sons of Cain, the first murderer, and the devil as their father.
This suggests they well 'knew' Jesus of Nazareth was Messiah.
In Matthew 21, Jesus gives a parable to the chief priests, about their attempted thievery...
(Continued...)