Jesus And Civil Law: A Sinless Life?

Jesus was a law-abiding citizen of the Roman Empire, but he was also a Jewish man living in Judea, where Jewish religious laws were of significant importance. So, did Jesus break any civil laws?

The Jewish leaders accused Jesus of three crimes: misleading the nation, opposing paying taxes to Caesar, and claiming to be the Messiah, a king. However, Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judaea, found no fault in Jesus and declared him innocent of any crimes against Roman law. This suggests that Jesus did not break any civil laws, only the traditional, ceremonial laws of the Jews.

Jesus was accused of breaking laws concerning the Sabbath

Jesus was accused of breaking Sabbath laws on multiple occasions. However, he did not break an Old Testament command, but rather violated the interpretations that religious leaders had developed around the biblical commands of keeping the Sabbath day holy.

The Pharisees accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath law whenever he performed a healing on the Sabbath. These included healing:

• Simon Peter's mother-in-law in Peter's home (Mark 1:29–31)
• A man with a withered hand in the synagogue (Mark 3:1–6)
• A man born blind in Jerusalem (John 9:1–16)
• A crippled woman in a synagogue (Luke 13:10–17)
• A man with dropsy at a Pharisee's house (Luke 14:1–6)
• A demon-possessed man in Capernaum (Mark 1:21–28)
• A lame man by the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1–18)

Jesus' response to these accusations was that he was "working just as His Father was working" (John 5:17). This answer did not appease the religious leaders, who saw Jesus as equating himself with God (John 5:18).

The Sabbath was given by God for the benefit of the people (Mark 2:27), as a day of rest after six days of work (Exodus 20:8–11; Genesis 2:1–3). However, by the time of Jesus, the religious leaders had added burdensome rules and traditions for keeping the Sabbath. They had elevated their own rules to the level of God's instructions. For example, when Jesus' disciples picked and ate some heads of grain as they walked through a field, the Pharisees accused them of breaking the Sabbath because they were "harvesting" and "threshing" (Luke 6:1–2).

Jesus did not break the Sabbath as outlined by God under the Old Covenant. He kept God's law and did nothing to violate the Sabbath. He proclaimed that he was greater than the law and had authority over the Sabbath day, as he was the one who instituted it. By healing on the Sabbath, Jesus showed God's goodness, revealed the Pharisees' hardness of heart, and gave a glimpse of the full healing from sin that would be made possible by his sacrifice on the cross.

He was also accused of misleading the nation

Jesus was accused of misleading the nation, opposing paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that he is the Messiah, a king. These claims were called "fabrications" in the CSB Study Bible. Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judaea, examined Jesus's case and rejected the charges, declaring him innocent. Pilate directly rejected the charge of misleading the nation, stating that after examining Jesus, he found no grounds for the accusations.

Jesus was brought before Pilate by the Jewish leaders, who accused him of three crimes. The first was misleading the nation, which Pilate specifically addressed and rejected. The other two accusations were opposing paying taxes to Caesar and claiming to be the Messiah, a king. Pilate found no fault in Jesus and declared him innocent of any crimes against Roman law.

Jesus' teachings were revolutionary, and he had gathered followers, but his actions did not constitute sedition under Roman laws. Pilate was caught in a political and moral dilemma, as he was coerced by religious authorities and an angry mob to issue a death sentence. The prevalent understanding is that Pilate authorized the crucifixion under duress, bending to political pressure rather than upholding the law.

Jesus was not considered a criminal by the Roman Empire, although he was branded a blasphemer and a disruptor of religious norms by his people. His 'crime' was religious, not political or criminal, in the eyes of the Romans.

Opposing the payment of taxes to Caesar

Jesus was accused of opposing the payment of taxes to Caesar, which was one of the three crimes he was charged with by Jewish leaders when they brought him to Pilate. The other two were misleading the nation and saying he was the Messiah, a king. However, Pilate rejected these charges and declared Jesus innocent.

The accusation of opposing taxes to Caesar came about as a result of a trap set by the Pharisees and the Herodians, who supported King Herod Antipas and Roman rule. They asked Jesus whether it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, hoping to trap him. If Jesus had said it was unlawful to pay taxes, he would have been charged with treason and punished with death. On the other hand, if he had said it was right to pay taxes, he would have gone against Old Testament law, which stated that Israel was a self-governing nation.

Jesus, however, turned the tables on his accusers and asked them to show him the coin used for paying taxes. This coin, a silver denarius, had the image of Caesar, the Emperor of Rome, engraved on it. Jesus then said, "So give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's", implying that the money belonged to Caesar and should be given to him. At the same time, he reminded them that their lives were given to God, who created all men in His image.

Jesus' answer did not directly endorse paying taxes to Caesar, but rather emphasised the distinction between earthly and divine authority. By prioritising God over Caesar, Jesus subtly rejected paying taxes as it violated Jewish law and the loyalty owed to God by every pious Jew.

Did Jesus break any civil laws?

Jesus was accused of breaking Jewish religious laws, particularly those concerning the Sabbath, but he did not break any Old Testament commands. He challenged the traditional interpretations of the laws by promoting human well-being, justice, and mercy.

Jesus was also accused of breaking Roman civil laws, but Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, found no fault in him and declared him innocent. Jesus' crucifixion was a result of religious violations, particularly the charge of claiming to be the 'King of the Jews', rather than a breach of Roman civil laws.

Jesus challenged the rigid understanding of the Pharisees

Jesus was accused of breaking civil laws by the Jewish leaders of his time, who were Pharisees. However, Pilate, the Roman governor, found no fault in him and declared him innocent of any crimes against Roman law.

Jesus challenged the Pharisees' interpretation of the Sabbath laws. For example, in Matthew 12:1-8, the Pharisees objected to the disciples of Jesus plucking and eating heads of grain as they walked through the grain fields on a Sabbath, as this was considered "work". Jesus responded by relating a story from the Scriptures in which David and his men ate consecrated bread, which was only for priests, when they were hungry. Jesus also pointed out that priests in the temple did their work on the Sabbath, demonstrating that the necessity of hunger and offering took precedence over the Sabbath laws.

In another instance, recorded in Matthew 12:9-14, the Pharisees asked Jesus, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" They were referring to a man with a withered hand in their synagogue, eager to accuse Jesus of breaking the Sabbath. Jesus responded by asking if they would help a sheep that had fallen into a pit on the Sabbath and asserting that a human life was more valuable than a sheep. He then healed the man, and the Pharisees plotted to kill him.

Jesus' interpretation of the laws emphasised the importance of compassion and understanding, demonstrating that the law is not just a set of rules but a means to uplift and care for one another.

He was accused of blasphemy

Jesus was accused of blasphemy on three occasions, with two further instances of indirect accusations.

Firstly, Jesus was accused of blasphemy by the scribes for telling a paralytic man that his sins were forgiven. They believed that only God could forgive sins, so when Jesus forgave sins, he was claiming to be God.

Secondly, the Jews accused Jesus of blasphemy and wanted to stone him for making himself God.

Thirdly, the High Priest Caiaphas accused Jesus of blasphemy for claiming to be "the Christ, the Son of God". Caiaphas demanded that Jesus tell him if he was the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus replied, "So you say. But I tell all of you: from this time on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right side of the Almighty and coming on the clouds of heaven!". Caiaphas declared this to be blasphemy, and Jesus was beaten and spat on.

The two indirect accusations of blasphemy came when the Jews wanted to kill Jesus for saying that God was his Father, and for calling himself "I AM".

Blasphemy was a capital crime, and the punishment was death by stoning. However, Jesus was not executed by stoning, but by crucifixion, which was a Roman method of execution.

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