“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says Yahweh Sabaoth. (Zechariah 4: 6)
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Why Was Jesus Crucified?
Most Christians believe Jesus was crucified for claiming to be the Messiah, but that is not correct. Many so-called “messiahs” came before and after Him, but none of them were abused the way He was.[1] Jesus was crucified for saying the Name “Yahweh”.
As I said before, violating the ban against saying the Name “Yahweh” was considered a capital offense—i.e., it was punishable by death. The prescribed manner of death for people committing “blasphemy” was a combination of stoning and being hung on a tree.[2]
Also, you will recall that according to the Mishnah, “The blasphemer is not considered culpable unless he exactly pronounces the Name.”[3] That is why Jesus’ claim to be Yahweh was not enough to execute Him. He had to say the Name “Yahweh” precisely in the presence of witnesses who were willing to testify against Him to be convicted for committing “blasphemy”.
This information sheds a revealing light on Jesus’ trial before the high priest, Caiaphas. In Matthew chapter 26, the priests were seeking “false testimony”[4] against Him, but they were unable to find the corroborating witnesses required by the Law. Eventually, they questioned a man who had heard Jesus say, “I am able to destroy the Temple of Elohim and to rebuild it in three days.”[5]
As you are about to see, Jesus could not have said “the Temple of Elohim.” He must have said “the Temple of Yahweh”. That set in motion the series of events that led to His crucifixion. Caiaphas stood up immediately when he heard the man’s testimony and demanded an explanation from Jesus, but He offered none.[6]
Then Caiaphas ordered Jesus to tell them plainly if He was “the Messiah, the Son of Elohim”.[7] According to Matthew, Jesus said,
“You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”[8]
According to Luke, Jesus said,
“But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of Elohim.”[9]
Luke goes on to say that the priests continued to press Jesus for an answer and that eventually He responded by saying, “Yes, I am.”[10] All of them understood His point, but according to the Mishnah Jesus still had not committed a capital offense.
Ancient New Testament manuscripts indicate that Jesus actually told Caiaphas that he would see Him “at the right hand of the Power of Elohim.”[11] Furthermore, we know for a fact that those ancient manuscripts routinely substitute the title “God” for the Name “Yahweh”.[12]
You can still see examples of this in almost every modern English Bible translation on the market today including the KJV, the NIV, and the NAS. When Old Testament quotes containing the Name “Yahweh” appear in the New Testament, the titles “God”, “the Lord”, “the LORD”, or “the Lord GOD” are substituted for the Name “Yahweh”.
From Caiaphas’ response to Jesus’ statement, it is obvious that He told the priests they would see Him “at the right hand of the Power of Yahweh.” Look at your Bible and see for yourself. Caiaphas lunged out of his chair, tore his robes, and said,
“He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy.”[13]
The Mishnah’s definition of blasphemy was very precise. According to Jewish religious law (i.e., Halacha), it was the only definition of blasphemy in effect at that time. Therefore, the only logical explanation for Caiaphas’ response to Jesus’ statement is that He said the Name “Yahweh”. There is no other explanation that makes any sense. All of those present at the trial said that He deserved to die.[14]
The irony should be obvious. Obeying Yahweh’s Law by declaring His Name made Jesus guilty of a capital offense according to Jewish religious law which was nothing more than tradition. Since Jewish religious law called for stoning Him, the people who lined the streets probably threw rocks at Jesus as He struggled to carry His crossbar to the crucifixion site. That helps to explain why He needed assistance carrying it.
The Mishnah states unequivocally that Jesus was hung on a tree and stoned[15] because “he had practiced magic and deceived and led astray Israel.”[16] “Practicing magic” was not a problem for the priests. They claimed to have the ability to perform magic as well, and according to Bible scholar R. Travers Herford,
“Miracles, whether done by Jews or Christians, were ascribed to magic, and were not on that account despised.”[17]
The priests were irate because Jesus used Yahweh’s Name when He healed people—i.e., “practiced magic”. They used Yahweh’s Name as well when they prayed for healing, but they believed they were authorized to use it and that Jesus was not.[18] Since the priests had not given Jesus permission to use Yahweh’s Name, His so-called “magic” was considered blasphemy.
In John 10: 25, Jesus actually said that He used Yahweh’s Name when He healed people. At the time, He was engaged in a discussion with the priests in the Temple, and they asked Him to tell them plainly if He was the Messiah. Jesus said,
“I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do [i.e., the miracles He performed] in My Father’s Name, these testify of Me.”[19]
Clearly, restoring the use of Yahweh’s Name was a critical part of Jesus’ mission on earth. It was no coincidence that the Romans had invented a form of capital punishment (i.e., crucifixion) that fit perfectly with Yahweh’s Law, and they hung Him on a tree. As you will see, Jesus and His disciples used the Name “Yahweh” frequently.
This is an excerpt from His Name is Yahweh.
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“If My people who are called by My Name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7: 14)
Change that Yahweh calls “good” begins in the hearts of believers—people who are recognizable because they are different.
We are different because we belong to Him and are called by His Name. We are Yahweh’s people, His followers.
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His Name is Yahweh, the website, is a companion of the book His Name is Yahweh.
To download His Name is Yahweh: Revised Edition for free in PDF format, click on the title below:
- His Name is Yahweh: Revised Edition in PDF format
His Name is Yahweh has been downloaded and shared in congregations all over the world. Please take advantage of this opportunity to read and share essential information about Yahweh.
You have my permission to copy and print His Name is Yahweh: Revised Edition as many times as you want. Please, don’t sell it. Give it away.
To purchase His Name is Yahweh: Revised Edition in paperback or in eBook, click here.
To see videos that explain the importance of Yahweh’s Name, click here.
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SnyderTalk Comment:
You never know what to expect in Jerusalem. It’s my favorite city in the world.
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“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17: 22-24)
See “His Name is Yahweh”.
[1] Clover, R. The Sacred Name Volume I Third Edition, Qadesh La Yahweh Press, Garden Grove, California, 2002, p. 151.
[2] Sanhedrin 7: 5.
[3] Sanhedrin 7: 5.
[4] Matthew 26: 59.
[5] Matthew 26: 61.
[6] Matthew 26: 63.
[7] Matthew 26: 63.
[8] Matthew 26: 64.
[9] Luke 22: 69.
[10] Luke 23: 70.
[11] Clover, R. The Sacred Name Volume I Third Edition, Qadesh La Yahweh Press, Garden Grove, California, 2002, p. 158.
[12] Clover, R. The Sacred Name Volume I Third Edition, Qadesh La Yahweh Press, Garden Grove, California, 2002, p. 158.
[13] Matthew 26: 65.
[14] Matthew 26: 66.
[15] Sanhedrin 10: 11, J. Sanhedrin 7: 16 (25c, d), and B. Sanhedrin 43a and 67a.
[16] B. Sanhedrin 43a and 107b.
[17] Herford, R. Travers. Christianity in Talmud and Midrash. Reference Book Publishers, Inc., New Jersey, 1966, p. 55.
[18] Clover, R. The Sacred Name Volume I Third Edition, Qadesh La Yahweh Press, Garden Grove, California, 2002, p. 162. Also, see John 10: 25.
[19] John 10: 25.
