Some of the Guards Report to the Jewish Rulers
Matthew 28: 11-15
About 7:30 am on Sunday the seventeenth of Nisan

Some of the guards report to the Jewish rulers DIG: Why did the guards go to the Sadducees? Why were they both without excuse? What was their common interest to work together? How had the Jewish religious leaders and Satan try to get rid of Jesus since He was an infant? Why was their devised plan ridiculous? What other false theories have been invented? Would the apostles have allowed themselves to be martyred for something they knew was a lie?

REFLECT: How did the reality of Yeshua’s resurrection “dawn” upon you? Where you more of a “quick believer” or a “slow doubter?” Why? How would you argue against the ideas (some still believe) that the apostles stole the body? Or that the resurrection is merely a legend that has caught on?

While the women were on their way to tell the apostles that they had seen the Lord, some of the guards went into the City. Only some of the guards went into Tziyon and reported to the Jewish religious leaders, probably representatives of the whole group of guards, which may have numbered as many as a dozen. For them all to go together would surely have reached the ears of Pontius Pilate. If so, the governor would have had them arrested and executed immediately for leaving their post and failing to follow orders and protect the body of the Nazarene from being stolen from the tomb (Matthew 27:62-66).

They had been eyewitnesses to all the events on Sunday morning – the earthquake, the appearance of the angels, and the empty tomb. Yet they had been responsible to guard the tomb in order to avoid any potential problems. The penalty for a guard falling asleep and failing to protect a Roman seal was punishable by death. Because they were in the temporary service of the Jewish religious leaders, the soldiers wisely reported to the Sadducees everything that had happened (Matthew 28:11). They had much less to fear from the Sadducees than from Pilate, and they probably hoped the Jews could some how protect them from the Roman procurator. So a new conspiracy was invented. There is never enough evidence for unbelief.

But despite the firsthand, unprejudiced testimony and their own awareness that Yeshua claimed He would rise from the dead on the third day, the Sadducees showed no interest in verifying the guards’ story. It didn’t really matter to them that Messiah was raised from the dead, or that the Galilean Rabbi had performed marvelous miracles before their own eyes. Some of the Sadducees had stood beneath the cross, taunting Christ, saying: He’s the king of Isra’el! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him (Matthew 27:41-42; Mark 15:32a). But their treachery was now exposed, because the resurrection was a greater miracle than coming down from the cross would have been, and yet they still did not believe. As Father Abraham told the rich man in Meshiach’s parable: If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, then they will not be convinced even if someone raises from the dead” (Luke 16:31). The heart that is hardened to ADONAI will not be persuaded by any miracle or by any amount of evidence because there is never enough evidence for unbelief. The Sadducees were so evil, self-willed, and spiritually blind that they shut their eyes to the truth of Christ’s claims (Second Corinthians 4:4).

The Jewish religious leaders, with the Adversary behind them, had been trying to get rid of the Prince of Life since He was an infant. Herod tried to eliminate Yeshua by slaughtering all the male babies in his province in order to remove Him as a supposed threat to his throne (to see link click Aw – Herod Gave Orders to Kill all the Boys in Bethlehem Two Years Old and Under). The Sanhedrin had accused Him of being demon possessed (see Ek – It is only by Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons that This Fellow Drives Out Demons), of being associated with sinners, of breaking the Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law), healing on the Sabbath, and for blasphemy for claiming to be the Messiah and the Son of God. They perverted both biblical and rabbinical justice in order to convict Him, employed blackmail to get Him crucified, used armed force to try to keep His body in the tomb, and now they were going to be engaged in bribery to hide the truth of His resurrection.

The Roman soldiers’ news brought alarm, fear and confusion to the religious leaders, but it did not bring faith, trust or belief. They were informed about the resurrection but did not try to deny it. Their only concern was to keep that news from reaching their fellow Jews, fearing that many would accept Yeshua as the Messiah and that their own influence, power, and wealth would taken from them.¹⁶⁶⁸

When the Sadducees met with the Pharisees, they devised a coordinated plan called the “stolen body theory.” They gave the soldiers a large sum of money. The word money here is argurion, which literally means silver and is the same word used by Matthew in 26:15 for the bribe given to Judas to betray Jesus. They told them: You are to say, “His talmidim came during the night and stole Him away while we were asleep” (Matthew 28:12-13). This statement in itself is ridiculous. If the soldiers were sleeping, how could they know who took the body? Their own statement exposes their lie. They even admit that they were asleep. How ironic that the very problem that the guards were to prevent then became the story they were directed to tell!

Both the religious rulers and the Roman soldiers had reason to lie. The members of the Sanhedrin needed to save their positions in the Jewish community and the guards needed to save their own lives. If this report gets to the governor, the Sadducees reassured them, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble (Matthew 28:14). By threatening to make an unfavorable report to Caesar, the Jewish religious leaders had managed to have their way with Pilate. They knew he would not risk trouble with Caesar over the disposition of a Jewish corpse. If the Sanhedrin came to the soldiers’ defense, they knew the governor would probably give the soldiers no more than a reprimand.¹⁶⁶⁹

So, the soldiers took the money, overjoyed that they not only would not be punished but would even be rewarded. Thus, they put their lives into the hands of the Great Sanhedrin and did as they were instructed. In Matthew’s account, some thirty years after the resurrection, this story has been widely circulated among the Jews as the primary explanation for the empty tomb although there have been others (Matthew 28:15).

In an effort to deny the resurrection, some people have come up with the “wrong tomb” theory where the women went to the wrong tomb which happened to be empty; the “swoon theory” that states that Jesus did not die but merely fainted from loss of blood and was revived in the cool tomb. But in the final analysis, neither of these (or any other explanation) hold up under detailed information. But not only that, we can read about the dramatic transformation of the apostles in the following days. If they had conspired to steal the body, how can one account for their amazing spiritual change.

If the body of Yeshua had been stolen there would have been only two groups interested in stealing it: either Christ’s friends or His enemies. It would have been foolish for anyone else to risk their lives for no reason. If the body was stolen by His talmidim it seems almost impossible to believe that they would be willing to die on the cross for something they knew was a lie. Ten of the twelve apostles died a martyr’s death (see Cy – These are the Names of the Twelve Apostles). Only John died of natural causes. If His enemies had stolen the body, they had an easy way of stopping the continuing advance of the Gospel – merely produce the body! They didn’t produce the body because they didn’t have one. It takes more faith to believe in the stolen body theory than it does the written text of the Bible!

No, the most logical explanation for the empty tomb is that Christ has risen! He has risen indeed! More than 2,000 years later, we are still talking about it, and countless millions can attest to a personal relationship with Yeshua Ha’Meshiach.

The Appearance of Jesus to the Other Women
Matthew 28: 9-10
A little after 7:00 am on the seventeenth of Nisan

The appearance of Jesus to the other women DIG: Who did the women see earlier and what were they told to do? What was the reaction to their message? What was different about their reaction when they saw Yeshua than when Mary saw Him? How did they react? Why did John report in his gospel account that Mary was not to cling to Jesus, but in Matthew’s account the women took hold of Christ’s feet as they fell down in front of Him? What did it mean when Jesus called the talmidim His brothers?

REFLECT: What are the six basic truths of the resurrection? Do you think you would have responded to Yeshua – like Mary or the women? Why? Do you hold on to Messiah for dear life? Or do you let go to easily? Why? Is Jesus Christ your brother?

This was the second appearance of Jesus after His resurrection. Once again, this appearance is to women, which points against the account being fabricated.

The group of women who followed Mary to the tomb soon reinforced her testimony. Earlier Sunday morning when they went to the tomb of the Savior they saw two angels inside. One of the angels asked: Why do you look for the living among the dead? He isn’t here! He has risen from the dead, just as He said would happen (Matthew 28:6a NLT; Luke 24:5b-6a). The women were instructed: Go quickly and tell the other apostles and Peter, “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.” This was the second time that word came to the talmidim that they were to go to Galilee. “There you will see Him, just as He told you” (Mark 16:7; Matthew 28:7).

But when they reached the men, all of the apostles but Peter and John did not believe the women because their words seemed to them like nonsense (Luke 24:11). On their way back to the tomb, however, Yeshua suddenly met them and greeted them, saying: Shalom. But unlike Mary Magdalene, those women recognized Him immediately when they saw Him and heard His voice. Like Miryam from Magdala they demonstrated their devotion by prostrating themselves at His feet.

Filled with joy and awe, they came up and took hold of Christ’s feet as they fell down (Greek: proskuneo, meaning to kiss the face) in front of Him and worshiped (Matthew 28:9 CJB). There is an interesting contrast between the women taking hold of Yeshua’s feet, apparently without being repulsed, and His instruction to Mary: Stop clinging to Me, since I haven’t yet gone back to the Father (John 20:17a NASB). In his Gospel account, under the inspiration of the Ruach, Yochanan explained his prohibition of not clinging to the Messiah by speaking of His future ascension to heaven, but that is not Mattityahu’s theme. The women’s touch, like the invitation to touch Him and the eating of food (Luke 24:39-43), demonstrates to the reader the physical reality of the Lord’s risen body: He is not a ghost.¹⁶⁶⁵

Then they knew with certainty that Yeshua was the risen Messiah, the divine Son of God, and that praise and adoration were the only proper responses to His presence. They did what every person, unbeliever and believer, will do one day. When He comes again: Every knee [will] bow and every tongue [will] confess the Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11).

Then in the flurry of emotions, Jesus alleviated their fears and repeated the same message that angel had previously said to them: Do not be afraid. If the biblical account were fabricated, it would have pictured the women as heroic and strong, but Matthew’s account is very believable when we consider the reality of the situation.

At last the full reality of the resurrection was solidifying in the minds and hearts of those women. They had heard the angel’s proclamation of the resurrection, they had seen the empty tomb, they had beheld the risen Lord, and had even touched His glorified body. They could now do nothing but adore and worship Him.¹⁶⁶⁶

The Lord quieted their fears and then commissioned them, as He had commissioned Miryam: Go and tell My brothers (Greek: adelphos), the context clearly points to the apostles, as no family members are in view. The apostles were to go to Galilee and Christ said that there they would see Him (Matthew 28:10). This was the third time the talmidim were told meet Jesus in Galilee. The women then continued their journey, energized by their personal encounter with the risen Messiah.

The concept of the talmidim being Yeshua’s spiritual brothers was not new (Matthew 12:46-50 and 25:40). This time however, despite the apostles lack of faith, their cowardice, and their defection, the Lord graciously spoke of them as His brothers. When they arrived in Galilee their meeting would restore the family relationship that they must surely have thought they had lost at Gethsemane.¹⁶⁶⁷

The Bible’s view of the resurrection is without a doubt genuine and factual, completely lacking pretense or exaggeration. The Scriptures do not argue or beg the issues but simply place the truths before the reader to be accepted for what they are. There six basic truths of the resurrection.

First, it gives evidence that the Word of God is totally true and reliable. Yeshua rose from the dead precisely when and in the way He had predicted (Matthew 12:40, 16:21, 17:22-23).

Second, the resurrection means that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, as He claimed to be, and that He has the power over life and death. I AM the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).

Third, it proves that salvation is complete. On the cross Yeshua Messiah conquered sin, death, and hell . . . and rose victorious.

Fourth, the resurrection proves that the Church, comprised of Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:14-15) has been established. Yeshua Messiah had declared: I will build My Church and the gates of Sh’ol will not overcome it (Mattityahu 16:18). The gates of sh’ol is an idiom of the TaNaKh for physical death (Psalms 9:13, 107:18; Job 38:17; Isaiah 38:10; Jonah 2:6b). His resurrection proved that death itself could not prevent Christ from establishing His Church.

Fifth, it proves that judgment is coming. Jesus declared that the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son (John 5:22), and since the Son is now risen and alive, His judgment is certain.

Sixth, the resurrection of Messiah proves heaven is waiting. Jesus promised: In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you (John 14:2 NASB). Because Christ is alive by the resurrection, believers have the assurance that He is now preparing a heavenly dwelling place for us.

There was great joy and anticipation among the women; but as we will see next, the situation was quite the opposite for the religious and political authorities.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
John 20: 11-18
About 7:00 am on Sunday the seventeenth of Nisan

Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene DIG: Why did Jesus appear to Mary Magdalene even before He appeared to His own apostles? What finally breaks through her grief and confusion? How does her return to the Eleven contrast to that in John 20:2? What term does Jesus use for His talmidim here? What is new in their relationship from now on (John 15:15)? Yeshua Messiah clearly chose Miryam from Magdala to be the first to see Him after His resurrection. Why was His appearance to Mary so important and significant?

REFLECT: How has Christ spoken your name in a time of grief? How did it affect you? What does it mean to you that our Savior is your brother?

If this account of the resurrection was a fabrication, this would not be the way to do it. Under Jewish law the testimony of a woman was not accepted. This is why the talmidim do not believe the women right away. A person making up a resurrection lie would have told it as men, or a group of men, at least two or three, in accordance with the Jewish concept of testimony. Therefore, having the first appearance of the resurrection be seen by a woman actually authenticates the resurrection account.¹⁶⁶¹

By the time Mary Magdalene (art by Sarah Beth Baca: see more information on Links and Resources) made it back to the tomb, Peter and John had already come and gone. Alone now, feeling lost and beside herself with grief, her sorrow surged and she stood outside the tomb sobbing uncontrollably. Her Savior was dead, and someone had taken His body. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. Even though the angels had announced to her on the first visit to the tomb that Messiah had risen (Luke 24:5b-6a), Mary still did not understand. So in light of the previous announcement, they asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” If she believed their message that Yeshua had risen, there would have been no need for tears. Mary’s reply revealed her interpretation of the empty tomb. Through her broken-hearted sobs, Miryam cried out: They have taken my Lord away and I don’t know where they have put Him (John 20:11-13). To this the angels made no reply.

It was just then that she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. This was the first appearance of the resurrected Christ. At first, because of the radical difference in His resurrected body, she did not realize Him at all (John 20:14). Incidentally, she was not the only one who didn’t instantly perceive who He was after His resurrection. Later that day two of His disciples traveled some distance with Him on the road to Emmaus before their eyes were opened (Luke 24:13-35). His face was different – glorified. John would later describe Him like this: The hair on His head was white as wool, as white as snow, His eyes were like blazing fire, and His voice was like the sound of rushing waters (Revelation 1:14-15).

Yeshua repeated the angels’ question and asked her: Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for? Not only did she not recognize His appearance, she also did not recognize His voice. Jesus Christ was the last person Mary expected to see alive. Thinking He was the gardener, she said: Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him (John 20:15).

All He had to say was her name, and she instantly recognized Him. He calls His own sheep by name . . . and they know His voice (John 10:3-4 NKJV). Then Yeshua called her by name, saying: Miryam. When she turned to look at Jesus – really look at Him – she accepted the fact of His resurrection and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” or my Teacher (John 20:16). Mary’s grief instantly turned to inexpressible joy.

Why would the risen Lord start by appearing first to a grieving Miryam from Magdala? Why would He entrust this vital, history-altering revelation to a woman who, according to society’s rules, wasn’t even a credible witness? Just think, if He had only arrived a little earlier, He could have revealed Himself to two of the greatest apostles, Peter and John. Wouldn’t that have been better? Nevertheless, the Messiah chose Mary Magdalene, and from what we know of Jesus, neither His timing nor His choice was an accident. Miryam was a perfect person for the supreme honor of being first to see the risen Christ – fitting, strangely enough, because she was a woman.

After being held for who know how long in the power of seven demons, who else better than Mary Magdalene to be the first to witness Christ’s decisive victory over the Adversary? She knew from painful personal experience how the Enemy really operated. Jesus did far more for Mary than simply free her from demons. By His death and resurrection, Jesus not only broke the power of sin and death, He conquered her former tormenter, the devil.

The outcome of the war between the seed of the serpent and the Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15), was decided here. And how fitting for Jesus to ask Mary: Women, why are you crying? Although it seems like an odd thing to ask in a cemetery, in this case, the question is profound. Miryam was weeping over the empty tomb, the one historical event that brings hope to all our tears. If Mary found what she was looking for – a dead Messiah – we would all have reason to weep in despair. Instead, He was the victor! Hope is alive, no matter how grim things look, Yeshua has won the war, and the rest of history is merely mopping up. The Adversary is a defeated foe, and Mary’s, and our, liberation was complete.

We can only imagine the cheerful look of surprise of Mary’s face when she recognized Him. The worst of sorrows changed in an instant to the best of joys. We’re sobbing our hearts out. We can’t find Jesus. We’ve lost all hope. Then Yeshua comes. He speaks our name. Suddenly the cloud lifts and our troubles are bearable. We feel a rush of excitement. The Messiah seems so near, and so does our hope.¹⁶⁶²

When we put this information with what we gleaned from Luke’s gospel it tells us that Mary was one of the women who traveled with Jesus (to see link click Eg – Mary Magdalene and Some Other Women Supported Jesus Out of Their Own Means), it is clear that Miryam was a student in the school of Rabbi Yeshua. She was blessed with more than the average opportunities to hear His word and to observe and interact with Him. Once again, if this were a made up story you wouldn’t use a woman here, because women were unreliable witness in the Jewish culture.

At that point Miryam must have tried to hold Him as if she would never let Him go. But Jesus said: Stop clinging to Me, since I haven’t yet gone back to the Father (John 20:17a NASB). The Lord’s words testified in a unique way to Mary Magdalene’s extraordinary character. Most of us are too much like the apostle Thomas – hesitant, doubting, and pessimistic. Yeshua urged Thomas to touch Him, in order to verify the Lord’s identity (John 20:27). It is remarkable and sad (but true) that most of Christ’s disciples, especially in this postmodern age, constantly need to be coaxed nearer to Him. But Mary, by contrast, didn’t want to let Him go and held on for dear life!¹⁶⁶³

From what He says here and from what He says in Hebrews 9:11-12, 24 and 10:12, we know that Jesus offered His own blood in the Most Holy Place, the more perfect Tabernacle that is in heaven. So He could not be held until He had ascended to heaven. But instead go to My brothers (Greek: adelphos) and tell them that I am going back to My Father and your Father, to my God and your God (John 20:17b CJB). Adelphos can be used of physical brothers, or brothers in the Lord. The context determines how it should be used. Here the context is the apostles, so it would be brothers in the Lord.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses use this verse to prove that Jesus cannot be God because He is inferior to God the Father (to read more about this see Kr – The Holy Spirit Will Teach You All Things). The Witnesses are going to say that this is the resurrected Christ, not Jesus as a man ministering on earth, saying: I haven’t yet gone back to the Father. Could Jesus make such a statement if He Himself were not God? This verse reveals perhaps one of the most important features of the doctrine of the person of the Messiah.

Jesus Christ, when He walked this earth, combined two natures: a divine nature, on the one hand, which is the nature of God, and a human nature, or on the other hand, which is the nature of man. Jesus was both God and man at the same time. He was not fifty percent God and fifty percent man; He was one hundred percent God and one hundred percent man.

An interesting exercise to undertake is to go through the Gospels and note carefully the sayings and the activity of Christ and see how at times the divinity of Christ is emphasized, then at other times, the humanity of Christ is revealed. For example, in John 4, Jesus was sitting at the well talking with the Samaritan woman because He was tired from His journey. Only a man gets tired; God does not grow tired or weary (Isaiah 40:28). Another example of the humanity of Christ is seen when He was hanging on the cross. He was dying and He was saying His final prayers to His Father. Of course, when Christ died, it was the humanity of Jesus that died, not the divinity of Messiah, because the divine Christ could never die. Therefore, when Yeshua was resurrected from the dead, it was the humanity of Christ, the human Jesus that rose from the dead.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that when Jesus was resurrected He gave up His humanity forever. They believe that when Yeshua died and His human body went into the tomb it was dissolved by God the Father! They paint themselves into a theological corner because they believe that Christ was Michael the Archangel before he was somehow transformed into the human of Jesus in the womb of Mary. I am not making this up! So, after His is death on the cross, Yeshua had to rise from the dead as a spirit in order to become Michael the Archangel once again. Oh, what a tangled web they weave!

Therefore, to illustrate the divine nature and the human nature of Yeshua, we only need to look at the two special titles applied to Jesus throughout the Gospels: The Son of Man and the Son of God. Messiah Himself used those two titles. Yes, indeed! I tell you that there is coming a time – in fact, it’s already here – when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who listen will come to life. For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He has given the Son life to have in Himself. Also He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Don’t be surprised at this; because the time is coming when all who are in the grave will hear His voice (John 5:25-28).

Son of God is the title showing the divinity of Messiah, so notice the action that accompanies it. Those who hear the voice of the Son of God will live. Only God can give eternal life! On the other hand, when we look at verses 27 and 28 we see that God has given Christ authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man. His divine nature is the One who performs the miracle of giving eternal life (see Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer) and His human nature is the one who is associated with judging mankind. So here John was emphasizing the humanity of Christ when He identified Himself with His talmidim as My brothers (John 20:17b above).¹⁶⁶⁴

He would return to Galilee and the Eleven were to meet Him there. With the new joy that came from her understanding of the resurrection, Mary went to the apostles with the news, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that He had said these things to her (John 20:18). Hers was an extraordinary legacy. No one can ever share that honor or take it from her. But we can, and should, seek to imitate her deep love for Messiah.

The Empty Tomb
Luke 24:9-12 and John 20:2-10
About 6:30 am on Sunday the seventeenth of Nisan

The empty tomb DIG: What were the women feeling on their way to the tomb? What problems do they expect to find? How do you think they felt when they left the tomb? Why do you think the women met the angels before the apostles? How did the talmidim respond to the report of the women? How did Peter and John respond to Mary Magdalene’s report? Who challenged the report that the tomb was empty?

REFLECT: How does Mary’s story teach us that we are the messengers to others that the gospel of Jesus Christ – the good news that Yeshua has defeated the Enemy without and the enemy within – is one in which we follow a living Savior?

At that time the resurrection fell on the festival of Firstfruits (see the commentary on Leviticus, to see link click Ea – Resheet). On this day a delegation was sent out from Jerusalem in order to harvest a specially marked area of a barley field with Temple sickles. One sheaf from the standing harvest was brought to the priest. The lone sheaf was called “the sheaf of the first fruits.” The priest was then to take this one sheaf and wave it before ADONAI in the Temple. Later, these firstfruits of the barley harvest were threshed and winnowed. Then the collected grain was milled. The flour was then made into an unleavened meal offering and presented to ADONAI on the bronze altar as a burnt offering (see my commentary on Exodus Fe – The Burnt Offering) and a grain offering (see my commentary on Exodus Ff – The Grain Offering). Nowhere in Isra’el could barley be harvested before this had taken place.

According to the Torah the offering of firstfruits should occur the day after the Sabbath (Leviticus 23:15). As Roger Liebi asserts in his classic book The Messiah in the Temple, an argument over the interpretation of this statement was ignited between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. The Sadducees held that this feast should always take place on the first Sunday that fell in the week of Pesach. On the other hand, the Pharisees believed that the term Sabbath in Leviticus 23:15 had a special meaning, in other words, they believed it was “a special feast day.” By this they meant that the fifteenth of Nisan was intended by this expression in Leviticus 23:15 to be the day on which the Passover lamb was eaten. Therefore, according to the Pharisaic view, the principle of the festival of Reshit Katzir should always be celebrated on the sixteenth of Nisan.

The situation in the year of Messiah’s crucifixion, however, was very special. That year when the sun went down to start the sixteenth of Nisan – the Sabbath began. According to the Pharisaic interpretation, the firstfruits of barley should have been harvested that evening. But how could it be possible to harvest, to thresh, to winnow, to collect, to mill and to bake on the Sabbath? They had a problem.

So that year the fifteenth and sixteenth of Nisan together made up a double Sabbath; accordingly, in the year of the crucifixion, the firstfruits of the barley harvest could only be brought to the Temple on the seventeenth of Nisan, the day of the Lord’s resurrection! How is this a type of Christ?

In predicting His death, Yeshua says that putting grain in the ground is an image of dying: Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds (Yochanan 12:24). This is symbolic of plants shooting up after the dying seed produces a great crop. Therefore, the Temple feast of the resurrection fell on the very day of Messiah’s resurrection. This conclusion fully agrees with the fact that Rabbi Sha’ul repeatedly mentions this in his classic chapter on the resurrection: But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through one man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through one man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all we be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him (First Corinthians 15:20-23).¹⁶⁵⁶

Evidently once Mary Magdalene saw the tomb was empty, she did not wait for the other women to arrive, but ran back, taking another route, to alert Peter and John. As Scottish pastor A. Moody Stuart (1809-1898), wrote, “She was privileged to follow Jesus to Jerusalem, to look on His cross, to watch at His tomb, to be the first witness of His resurrection, and even to be sent by Him as the messenger of His word, an apostle to the apostles themselves.” When [she] came back from the tomb, Miryam from Magdala told John and Peter that Jesus had risen from the dead. When Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women arrived, they reported the message of the angels that the resurrection has occurred to all the other apostles (Luke 24:9-10). They said: They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him (John 20:2)!

The vacated tomb never resists honest investigation. Believer’s don’t have to check their brains at the door to follow Yeshua. Christ demands faith, but not blind faith. “Come and see,” the angels invite. Shall we? Take a look at the empty tomb. (I visited the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, October 2023. To see a video of Yeshua’s tomb click here. The first thing you will see is a small room for the preparation of the body to be wrapped in spices. Yeshua’s body would have been placed in the recessed area on the left hand side of the tomb). Do you know the opponents of Messiah never challenged its vacancy? No Pharisee or Roman solider ever led a contingent back to the burial site and declared, “The angels were wrong. The body is here. It was all a rumor.” They would have if they could have. Within a few weeks disciples occupied every street corner in Jerusalem announcing the risen Messiah. What quicker way for the enemies of the Prophet of Nazareth to shut them up than to produce a cold and lifeless body. Display the cadaver and messianic Judaism would be stillborn. But they had no cadaver to display.¹⁶⁵⁷

It is hard to imagine the extreme mood swing that Mary Magdalene and the other women experienced. They expected to see the tomb just as Joseph left it. So it was a terrific shock to see the heavy stone slab removed – lifted out of the groove and lying flat on the ground – and Jesus’ body missing. Immediately they assumed foul play.

It was an awkward assignment, to say the least, for the woman who courageously stayed through the entire ordeal to address the men who succumbed to their fears and retreated into hiding. But when they reached the men, all of the apostles but Peter and John did not believe the women because their words seemed to them like nonsense (Luke 24:11). The statements from the other women went against the culture’s view of them. Yeshua clearly expected the men whom followed Him to see the situation from His perspective and to value the women as He did. The women weren’t second-class talmidim, but crucial to Jesus’ ministry. He didn’t give them small jobs. He gave Miryam two to of the most significant – as the first witness to His resurrection and as an apostle to the apostles.¹⁶⁵⁸

However, when Peter and John received the report of the empty tomb from Mary Magdalene, they got up and started running to investigate (John 20:3). The grey light of early spring had broken the heavy curtain of mist. Red and golden sunlight lay on the edge of the horizon. The garden was still, and the morning air stirred the trees that the dark night had seemed to keep watch over the dead. Then, with hearts pounding and out of breath, they arrived at the tomb.

The Greek language has no less than six verbs translated to see, but they have different nuances and specific uses. In John 20:5-8, Yochanan uses three different forms – blepo in verse 5, theoreo in verse 6, and eidon in verse 8 – to describe the different kind of “seeing” experienced by Peter and himself.

Upon hearing Mary’s report both took off running, but John, being the younger man, outran Peter and reached the tomb first. Bending over and peering in, he observed without understanding (blepo) Yochanan clearly saw that there was no body although the strips of linen were lying there by themselves. That means that Jesus was resurrected right through the strips of linen used to wrap His body. Therefore, there was no need to unwrap Yeshua as there was in the case of Lazarus (John 11:44). The point is that the strips of linen were wrapped around the body of our Lord, but after His resurrection they were still lying by themselves as if they were still around His body. But the body was no longer there. But John did not go in at first. Initially, he went away confused, wondering to himself what had happened (Luke 24:12; John 20:4-5).

Then Simon Peter came along behind him moments later and went straight into the tomb to investigate (theoreo) the curious condition of the burial clothes. He also saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. The fact that the strips of linen cloth were undisturbed and that the cloth that had been wrapped around Messiah’s head were neatly folded up by them was evidence that the body had not been stolen. Thieves either would have left the burial clothes in disarray in the tomb, or, more likely, have carried the body off wrapped, leaving no cloths behind. The condition of the cloths further indicates that there was no undue haste associated with the resurrection. Had there been, the cloths would not have been laid aside so neatly. Finally, John, who reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw . . . and left the tomb perceiving with understanding (eidon) and believed (Yochanan 20:6-8).¹⁶⁵⁹

Then John explains the reason for their slowness to comprehend the full meaning of what they saw (John 2:22). They still did not understand the necessity from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead (John 20:9). They were still struggling with the Jewish concept of two Messiah’s (see Mv – The Jewish Concept of Two Messiah’s). In the days and weeks to come, before Yeshua ascended back to the Father, they would come to the full meaning of what they had seen because Christ Himself would, like the two on the road to Emmaus (see Mh – On the Road to Emmaus), would explain everything to them.

These two men had not grasped the fact of the resurrection even though Jesus had repeatedly declared it. Even the news brought by Miryam from Magdala did not persuade them. It was not until they saw for themselves the empty tomb that they believed that Messiah had actually been raised from the dead. Then John and Simon Peter went back to where they were staying, firmly convinced of the fact of the Lord’s bodily resurrection for the dead (John 20:10).¹⁶⁶⁰

The Resurrection of Jesus: The Second Sign of Jonah
Matthew 28:5-8; Mark 16:2-8; Luke 24:1-8; John 20:1
Very early in the morning on Sunday
the seventeenth of Nisan

The resurrection of Jesus was the second sign of  Jonah DIG: What day did the women visit the tomb of Christ? What time of day did Mary visit Yeshua’s tomb? Why do you think she chose that time? How did Mary react when she saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance of the tomb? Who did the women meet and what did they say? What was their reaction?

REFLECT: How would our lives be different if Messiah had never died and risen again? Why do you think it is so hard for some people to believe that Jesus rose from the dead? What does Christ’s resurrection mean to you? What evidence helps you to believe that Yeshua rose from the dead? What keeps us from sharing the exciting new of the Lord’s resurrection with those who don’t believe? What objections do people have about Jesus’ resurrection? How can we respond to them?

On the third day the Lord Jesus arose victorious. Messiah died for our sins, in accordance with what the TaNaKh says; and He was buried; and He was raised on the third day, in accordance with what the B’rit Chadashah says (First Corinthians 15:3 CJB). From the Talmund Tractate thamid we know exactly which Psalm would have been sung on which day of the week in connection with the daily burnt offering in the Temple. It is breathtaking how closely each of the Psalms coincides with the singing of these daily readings. The Levitical choir sang Psalm 24 on this day, as they had done a week before. Again, the Temple singers proclaimed the message of the open doors for Messiah the King. The entrance to the garden tomb had been shut with a heavy stone (Matthew 27:60), sealed and guarded by motivated Roman soldiers (Matthew 27:65-66). But all that was no obstacle to the Supreme Commander of Life and Death, who came out of the tomb victoriously as the Risen Savior. The Levitical choir, accompanied by the Levitical orchestra, sang:

The earth is ADONAI’s, with all that is in it, the world and those who live there; for He set its foundation on the seas and established it on the rivers. Who may go up to the mountain of ADONAI? Who can stand in His holy place? Those with clean hands and pure hearts, who don’t make vanities the purpose of their lives or swear oaths just to deceive. They will receive a blessing from ADONAI and justice from God, who saves them. Such is the character of those who seek Him, of Jacob, who seeks Your face. Lift up your heads, you gates! Lift them up, everlasting doors, so that the glorious King can enter! Who is He, this glorious King? ADONAI, strong and mighty, ADONAI, mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates! Lift them up, everlasting doors, so that the glorious King can enter! Who is He, this glorious King? ADONAI Tzva’ot, the Lord of heaven’s armies – He is the glorious King (Psalm 24:1-10 CJB).¹⁶⁴⁹

Very early on the first day of the week, very early in the morning while it was still dark, the women left Bethany, which was about two miles from Jerusalem. They had prepared spices in preparation for going to the tomb (Mark 16:2a; Luke 24:1a-b; John 20:1a-b). In every sense they were waiting for the Light.

Then, just after sunrise, the women took the spices they had prepared and arrived at the tomb. And they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb” (Mark 16:2b-3; Luke 24:1c)? The verb is imperfect, showing continuous action. They kept on asking each other. It was the chief topic of conversation. They had no way of anticipating the resurrection.

Mary Magdalene being a nimble young woman, eagerly ran ahead and came to the tomb first (John 20:1c). Sunday morning, while it was still dark, she rose herself (if she had slept at all), rummaged around to get herself ready, gathered up the spices and perfumes she had prepared and set out for the tomb. Her devotion was never more plain than in response to His death. When she arrived, however, she saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance and left before seeing the angels; she assumed that someone had removed the body of Messiah. Immediately, she ran back to inform Peter and John.

Behind her was the second group of women. After completing their two-mile walk from Bethany they arrived at the tomb. When they looked, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away from the entrance of the tomb. The verb is anablepo, meaning to look up. They approached the tomb with downcast eyes and bowed heads. But when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus (Mark 16:4; Luke 24:2-3; John 20:1c). There can be no doubt that the tomb was empty.

He was buried and He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (First Cor 15:4). Some have said that Jesus rose spiritually, but His physical body stayed in the ground. But Sha’ul was a Jewish rabbi, and the Jews had no conception of a spiritual resurrection. In Judaism, the resurrection was the resurrection of the body (Ezeki’el 37:1-14)! So when Rabbi Sha’ul says that He was raised, he means the body was not there.

Judaism had long held to a belief in the resurrection (see my commentary on Revelation, to see link click Fd – The Resurrection of the Righteous of the TaNaKh). There has even been some debate among the rabbis about the possible resurrection of the Messiah Himself. Tractate Sukkah 52a tells us that some rabbis teach that the first Messiah, Meshiach ben Joseph, will be killed in the last battle, but he will be resurrected by the second Messiah, Meshiach ben David (also see Mv – The Jewish Concept of Two Messiah’s). A later commentary explains it this way, “When Messiah ben Joseph is killed, his body will remain cast out in the street for forty days, but no unclean thing will touch him until Messiah ben David comes and brings him back to life, as commanded by the LORD. And this is the beginning of the signs that he will perform, and this is the resurrection of the dead that will come to pass (Hai Gaon, Responsum as quoted in Patai, The Messiah Texts, page 169).¹⁶⁵⁰

In addition, the gospel could not have been preached in Jerusalem if the tomb had not been empty (Acts 2:14-41, 3:11-26, 4:1-12, 7:1-53, 26:1-23). There is no doubt that the Good News was being preached in the City. Josephus, the Jew who became a Roman historian, tells us that James, the brother of Jesus, was martyred in Yerushalayim. All the other apostles, save John, were also martyred (see Cy – These are the Names of the Twelve Apostles). People just don’t die for that which they know to be untrue. Human nature tells us that the tomb had to be empty!

While the women were wondering about this, suddenly two angels, who appeared as men, stood beside them. They were dressed in long stately white robes that touched their feet and gleamed like lightning. Once again, the gospel writers seemed to be at a loss for words as they tried to describe something incomprehensible – the Sh’khinah glory (see my commentary on Isaiah  Ju – The Glory of the LORD Rises Upon You). Quite naturally, the women were completely amazed. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground. The women’s response was essentially the same as that of the guards who watched an angel of the LORD come and roll away the stone (Matthew 28:2-4). One of the angels said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified (Matthew 28:5; Mark 16:5-6a; Luke 24:4-5a).

But the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He isn’t here! He has risen from the dead, just as He said would happen” (Matthew 28:6a NLT; Luke 24:5b-6a). This is the eternal fact about Messiah – He is not dead but alive! Many people think of Jesus as a great teacher who lived and died two thousand years ago: end of story! But the same documents that tell of His life – and not merely of a resuscitation only to die again later, but of a new creation by ADONAI (Romans 5; First Corinthians 15; Hebrews 7), therefore that He can never die but is our brother, savior, king and cohen gadol (Hebrew: high priest) forever. Faith in a dead Messiah is no faith at all. To trust in a risen Christ an intimate, continuing relationship with everyone in the congregations of ADONAI (see Kx – The High Priestly Prayer).¹⁶⁵¹

The use of the passive verb emphasizes the important truth that Jesus did not raise Himself as the Messiah, but it was God the Father – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – who performed the powerful miracle. The resurrection confirmed that Christ is indeed His Son, the Meshiach for Isra’el and all the Gentile nations. In the midst of their shock, the women were encouraged by one of the angels to “come and see the place where they laid Him” (Matthew 28:6b; Mark 16:6b-c). So, the stone had been rolled away so that the witnesses could enter the tomb to see for themselves.

Isra’el was to receive no more signs but the sign of Jonah, which was the sign of resurrection (see my commentary on Jonah As – The Sign of Jonah). This sign was to come to Isra’el three different times. The first sign of Jonah was the resurrection of Lazarus (Ia), which was rejected when the Sanhedrin plotted to kill Jesus (Ib). The second sign of Jonah was the resurrection of Christ (Mc), which was rejected when the Sanhedrin rejected the truth of the gospel and stoned Stephen in Acts 7:1-60. The third sign of Jonah will be the resurrection of the Two Witnesses (see my commentary on Revelation Dm – The Resurrection of the Two Witnesses: The Third Sign of Jonah), which will be accepted and all of Isra’el will be saved (see my commentary on Revelation Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ).

Remember how He told you. Although Yeshua’s teaching on His death and resurrection were primarily directed to the apostles, it is assumed that the women knew this teaching also. It is possible that they were present when Christ said these things or that they heard it from the talmidim. While He was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again. Then the women remembered His words (Luke 24:6b-8). But while the women remembered Messiah’s words, they did not understand the significance of them or the meaning of the empty tomb.

Therefore, one of the angels said: Go quickly and tell the other apostles and Peter, “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. This was the second time word comes to the talmidim that they were to go to Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you” (Mark 16:7; Matthew 28:7).

It is astonishing that the first witnesses to the resurrection were women. Although Jewish women had many civil rights and protections under the Torah, it was a commonly held cultural belief that a woman was not a credible witness in legal matters. This was deduced from a passage in the Torah: Then both the men who have the dispute shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days (Deuteronomy 19:17 NASB). Hence, the rabbis taught that witnesses needed to be men, not women or minors (Tractate Yoma 43b). This was not so much a judgment against women in that first-century patriarchal society, but the roles were very rigid and testifying in court was viewed as a man’s responsibility. The Jewish culture in general held that women were exempted from the positive commandments because of their difficult responsibility of being a homemaker (Tractate Kiddushin 1:7). This gives credence to the Gospel account, for anyone trying to fabricate a resurrection story would have never used women as witnesses, they would have used the apostles. The gospel writers, on the other hand, were only concerned with recording the actual events as they happened.¹⁶⁵²

Trembling and bewildered, yet filled with joy, the women went out and ran together to tell the Eleven and all the others. Since Judas was no longer alive and a replacement had not yet been found. Their combination of trembling and joy was a natural, and to-be-expected reaction. All the others probably included the one hundred and twenty of Acts 1:15. They must have also included the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Only Mark tells us: They said nothing to anyone else at first because they were afraid. But after they had collected their wits, they did a lot of talking (Matthew 28:8; Mark 16:8; Luke 24:9).

There is a theological significance of the resurrection to Christ, to believers and to all mankind. The resurrection proved that Messiah is the Son of God (Romans 1:4), and it confirmed the truth of all that He had said (Matthew 28:6). For believers, it proves our justification (Romans 4:24-25), empowers us for service (Ephesians 1:17-20), guarantees our resurrection (Second Corinthians 4:14), designates the Lord as head of the Church (Ephesians 1:20-22), insures us that Jesus has the power over death (Hebrews 2:9-18), and He is our sympathetic high priest in heaven (Hebrews 4:14-16). For mankind, the resurrection guarantees all will be raised again (First Corinthians 15:20-22), and judged with justice (Acts 17:30-31).¹⁶⁵³

It has been said that facts are stubborn things! And it is a fact that Jesus was raised to life and is seated at the right hand of God interceding for us (Romans 8:34). In fact, this is true whether you believe it or not. For example, say you don’t believe in gravity and someone throws you out of a plane at 10,000 feet. All the way down you could keep repeating to yourself . . . I don’t believe in gravity . . . I don’t believe in gravity . . . I don’t believe in gravity. But in the final analysis, it doesn’t really matter what you think. At some point you will have a serious encounter with the earth. It is also a fact that Buddha lies in his grave, Muhammad is still in his tomb, and Confucius is in his burial place, but the Messiah had risen. He has risen indeed. The same is true of the Great Rabbi. You can say to yourself . . . I don’t believe Yeshua is the Messiah . . . I don’t believe Yeshua is the Messiah . . . I don’t believe Yeshua is the Messiah. But at some point, either in this world or the next, you will have a serious encounter with the Truth (John 14:6).

I will not be including Mark 16:9-20 in the remainder of this commentary. There are many reasons for doubting it was an original part of the Greek text. It is very interesting to note that Muslims teach that since these verses are omitted, the resurrection is not true. The resurrection, however, is recorded in all four gospels, and the questionable part of Mark 16:9-20 is not about the resurrection. There are seven reasons for omitting these verses.

1. The Greek text does not appear in the oldest and most reliable manuscripts of the Gospel (It does appear, however, in some early manuscripts).

2. Many of the Greek words in this section are different from the vocabulary Mark uses throughout the rest of his gospel account.

3. The Greek style is much different from that used elsewhere in the gospel of Mark.

4. The transition between Mark 16:8 and 9 is very awkward. The subject of verse 8 is the women, but verse 9 assumes that the subject is Yeshua (the word Jesus in verse 9 does not appear in the Greek, which reads: having risen on the first day of the week).

5. Mary Magdalene is identified in verse 9 as the one out of whom He cast seven demons, as though the reader does not know who she is. However, she was just mentioned in Mark 15:40 and 47.

6. Mark 16:9-20 looks like a compilation of resurrection appearances from the other gospels. Verses 12 and 13, for example, summarize Luke’s account of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-25).

7. There is a third, shorter ending given in some manuscripts, suggesting that different copyists knew of the missing text and tried to add an appropriate ending.¹⁶⁵⁴

Doctor Frank Morison wasn’t the kind of person you’d find in church on Sunday morning, but he won the respect of everyone – a well-educated Brit, an attorney by profession, a supremely moral man, but a skeptic in matters of faith. By his own account, he was a man moved only by irresistible logic and verifiable fact. He preferred the theology of German critics, Dr. Matthew Arnold of Oxford, Charles Darwin, and Sir Thomas Huxley. Therefore, he rejected the possibility of miracles and the supernatural, and he supposed that all of Christian tradition should be stripped of its “overgrowth of primitive beliefs and dogmatic suppositions” to find the real Jesus, whom he considered “an almost legendary figure of purity and noble manhood.” Naturally, this meant he believed in the historical reality of a man named Jesus who died at the hands of Rome; but he denied the historical belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Determined to discover a Jesus stripped-bare of religion, Morison set out to study His last days and uncover the truth of the subsequent week. He chose to pursue the study from a purely intellectual point of view, using the documents of Scripture, history, and archaeology, committed to allow the facts speak for themselves. And with the dogged curiosity and relentless logic of Sherlock Holmes, he unraveled the mystery of Christ. The results of his findings and personal transformation are published in his book entitled: Who Moved the Stone? (London: Faber & Faber, 1958). In the preface, Morison writes,

“[This book is] the inner story of a man who originally set out to write one kind of book but found himself compelled by the sheer force of circumstances to write quite another.

It is not that the facts themselves altered, for they are recorded imperishably in the monuments of human history. But the interpretation to be put upon the facts underwent a change. Somehow my perspective shifted – not suddenly, as in a flash of insight or inspiration, but slowly, almost imperceptibly, by the very stubbornness of the facts themselves. The book that was originally planned was left high-and-dry.”

Obviously, there can be no resurrection without first having a corpse. The miracle of the empty tomb depends on the certainly of Jesus’ death. The need to substantiate this fact is made necessary by critics who declare He never died. Entire books have been written claiming that Jesus lapsed into a coma and lay unconscious in the tomb. Then, inside the damp cool of the tomb, He revived, pushed aside the stone, slipped past the guards, and then escaped into the night, claiming to have been raised from the dead.

John described and defended the resurrection of Jesus against other kinds of denial, but his words – inspired and preserved by the Holy Spirit – remain useful for us today. Not only for the sake of correct theology, but so that you also may believe (John 19:35).¹⁶⁵⁵

An Angel of the LORD Rolled Back the Stone
Matthew 28: 2-4
At dawn on Sunday the seventeenth of Nisan

An Angel of the LORD rolled back the stone DIG: What specific supernatural events does Matthew claim took place on that Sunday morning? Why was the stone rolled back? What did the angels look like? Where else in the Bible do we find others looking like that? What does that mean? Who else witnessed this miracle? How did they behave? How did they shake? What was ironic about the way they behaved?

REFLECT: What does the Lord need to do to get your attention? Do you need a spiritual earthquake or do you merely respond when He says: Peace be with you? Who moved the stone? Can you explain this to a seeking unbeliever? Have an answer ready!

On the eve of His crucifixion the Son had asked His Father to glorify Himself (John 17:1) by raising Jesus from the dead. In due time the Father answered this prayer of the Son. But there obviously needed to be human witnesses to substantiate this miracle. As a result, there was a violent earthquake (Matthew 28:2a). This earthquake, like the one at 3:00 pm the previous day (to see link click Lw – Accompanying Signs of Jesus’ Death), adds to the drama of the scene, and to the sense of divine intervention.

For an angel of the LORD came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone as Mary Magdalene and the other women were on their way, and sat on it (Mattityahu 28:2b). Why was it necessary to roll back the stone? It was obviously a sign of His resurrection. Who would have known that the tomb was empty if no one could get in! But was it open to let Messiah out? No. A week later though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among His talmidim and said: Peace be with you (John 20:26b)! Walls, wooden or stone, were no longer a hindrance to Him. By the time the stone was rolled back He was already gone. The tomb was not opened to let Him out but to let others in.

The angel’s appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow (Matthew 28:3). It is interesting to note the description of the angel because it is very unusual in Scripture (Dani’el 10:6; Revelation 10:1). The same kind of glory revealed in Christ at the Transfiguration (see Gb – Jesus took Peter, James and John up a High Mountain where He was Transfigured) was revealed through this angel sitting on the stone and two other angels seen inside the tomb (Luke 24:4).

The only other witnesses to this scene were the Temple guards. It said something about how intense the situation was when even those battle-tested men were so afraid of the angel that they shook and couldn’t even run. Matthew uses a play on words by using the root word for earthquake in Matthew 28:2 and the earth shook in Matthew 27:51, to describe how the Temple guards trembled. They became like dead men (Matthew 28:4). It’s quite ironic that that those assigned to guard the corpse themselves became like dead men! They were helpless in the presence of the angel. While the gospel writers did not record all the details of the resurrection, they did clearly state the accompanying events and the results of the resurrection.¹⁶⁴⁸

Mary Magdalene and Mary the Mother of James
Brought Spices to Anoint the Body of Jesus
Matthew 28:1 and Mark 16:1
At dawn on Sunday the seventeenth of Nisan

A golden dawn was streaking across the sky when Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body (Matthew 28:1b; Mark 16:1b). All of the evidence that the Gospel writers have marshaled to substantiate their claim that Yeshua is the Messiah, the Son of God, falls short of being the Good News without the conclusive fact of the resurrection. So, the reports of the event through the eyes of three women who were also firsthand witnesses of Yeshua’s crucifixion and burial were vital. Although women were not considered reliable witnesses, their corroboration could not be disclaimed.¹⁶⁴⁴ This is a summary statement of the events that would shortly unfold.

There was evidently no thought of resurrection in Mary Magdalene’s mind. She had seen up close the devastating effects of the bitter blows her Savior had received on His way to the cross. She had witnesses firsthand as His life ebbed from Him. She had watched as His lifeless body was unceremoniously wrapped in linen and hastily prepared ointment, and left alone in the tomb. The one thought that filled her heart was a desire to do properly what she had seen done so hurriedly and haphazardly by Nicodemus and Joseph. She thought she was coming to the tomb for one final expression of love to her Master – to whom she knew she owed everything.¹⁶⁴⁵

It wasn’t hope that led them to the Garden tomb. It was duty. Naked devotion. They expected nothing in return. What could Yeshua give them? He was dead! These three women were not going to the tomb to receive, they were going to the tomb to give. Period.

There is no motivation more noble . . .

Service prompted by duty. This is the call to discipleship.¹⁶⁴⁶

The Sabbath was over (Hebrew: Motza’ei-Shabbat) and it was the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1a; Mark 16:1a). Matthew actually uses the plural word (Sabbaths), which points to the extended length of the Sabbath of Passover (Thursday sundown to Friday sundown) and then the Sabbath of Unleavened Bread and the weekly Shabbat together on the same day.¹⁶⁴⁷  These women were part of the team of talmidim and wanted to show their respect to their dead Master. This was impossible to do at night after the close of the high holy Shabbat. But at dawn on the third day of Passover, Sunday, when the Sabbath was over, those women took the earliest opportunity to visit the tomb.

If Jesus died in our day, we would hold a memorial service, leave flowers and tender notes by His grave, organize a candlelight vigil – anything to express our feelings and get a little closure. Mary Magdalene and the other women from Galilee had a similar impulse. Here was one last change to minister to Yeshua, though with heightened security around His tomb even that was risky. They planned to return to His tomb as early as possible after the Sabbath to enclose His body with spices. After His burial, the women had gone home and prepared the spices and perfumes. Then there was nothing to do but wait.

The Resurrection of King Messiah

There were ten appearances of the Messiah after His resurrection.

The resurrection of Yeshua Messiah is the bedrock of our faith. It is the seal of all His claims of messiahship and divine Sonship. Without the resurrection, He could not be the Savior of mankind. Through His resurrection, however, He reached beyond the grave and proved His claim to be the giver of life and the judge of mankind. By His resurrection He became the first fruits of the eternal life that He guarantees to all His children.

The resurrection of Jesus is the most provable fact of the gospel accounts. On the basis of its historical validity rests the whole basis of Christ’s supernatural birth, sinless life, miracles, and substitutionary death. His whole life, from the cave to the grave, is unified by His glorious resurrection from the dead.

When Yeshua was laid in the tomb, the apostles were overwhelmed with grief and loss. They thought He was the One who was going to redeem Isra’el (Luke 24:21a). The apostolic group fled and hid. They did not seem to grasp the idea of the resurrection. Vast multitudes had flocked to Him and many thought He was the long-awaited Messiah. But He had flatly refused any offer or suggestion of an earthly Kingdom. After His death, utter helplessness possessed and held the small band of talmidim who had been loyal to Him. The crucifixion had disillusioned them. To the world, they appeared to be the fools of delusion.

But a vast change came in one day. They had a faith in Jesus as the Messiah that still inspired a flicker of hope in them. His substitutionary death was a climax and fitting close to His earthly life. The Eleven could not help but observe. He had told them many times of His death in Yerushalayim. Nevertheless, they were still confused and fearful. But the resurrection was the one thing that explained the necessity of His sufferings and death. It eliminated their fear and uncertainty. A dead Christ would mean nothing to sinful world, but a living Christ became the driving force of a movement that swept the globe. It is not surprising that the resurrection became the central subject of apostolic preaching. Rabbi Sha’ul said it best: If there is no resurrection of the dead, then the Messiah has not been raise; and if the Messiah has not been raised, then what we have proclaimed is in vain; also your trust is in vain; furthermore, we are shown up as false witnesses for God in having testified that God raised up the Messiah, whom He did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised either; and if the Messiah has not been raised, your trust is useless, and you are still in your sins. Also, if this is the case, those who died in union with the Messiah are lost. If it is only for this life that we have put our hope in the Messiah, we are more pitiable than anyone (1 Corinthians 15:13-19 CJB).

The Guard at the Tomb of Jesus
Matthew 27:61-66; Mark 15:47; Luke 23:55-56
Shabbat on the sixteenth of Nisan

The guard at the tomb of Jesus DIG: What was significant about Psalm 92 being sung on that particular Shabbat? What two extremely unusual things happened that Sabbath? What was the importance of the Roman seal on the tomb of Messiah? What would it cost the Roman guards if Jesus “escaped?” How did the precautions of Annas inadvertently lend more validity to the claims of the apostles that Jesus had risen, than if none had been taken at all?

REFLECT: When has Jesus surprised you? What caught you off your guard? Was it a good surprise or an unpleasant one? What did you learn? Did the lesson stick?

Singing at the Temple: The start and end of Shabbat was announced by a trumpet blast from the highest point of the Royal Stoa on the southwest corner of the Temple Mount.  From the Talmund Tractate thamid we know exactly which Psalm would have been sung on which day of the week in connection with the daily burnt offering in the Temple. Fifteen semicircular steps led from the Court of the Women, through the Nicanor Gate and into the Court of the Gentiles. At the great feasts these magnificent steps served as a podium for the choir and the orchestra. On the Sabbath day of rest, they sang a psalm, a song for Shabbat.

It is good to give thanks to ADONAI and sing praises to honor Your name, Elyon, Most High, to tell in the morning about your faithfulness, to the music of a ten-stringed [harp] and a lute, with the melody sounding on a lyre. For, ADONAI, what You do makes me happy; I take joy in what Your hands have made. How great are Your deeds, ADONAI! How very deep Your thoughts! Stupid people can’t know, fools don’t understand, that when the wicked sprout like grass, and all who do evil prosper, it is so that they can be eternally destroyed, while You, ADONAI are exalted forever. For Your enemies, ADONAI, Your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered. But You have given me the strength of a wild bull; You anoint me with fresh olive oil. My eyes have gazed with pleasure on my enemies’ ruin, my ears have delighted in the fall of my foes. The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon. Planted in the house of ADONAI, they will flourish in the courtyards of our God. Even in old age they will be victorious, still full of sap, still bearing fruit, proclaiming that ADONAI is upright, my Rock, in whom there is no wrong (Psalm 92:1-15 CJB).¹⁶³⁹

Stage 31 – The Preparation for the Embalming: The women who saw where the body of Jesus was laid, then prepared the materials for embalming. Remarkably, Mary Magdalene remained throughout the whole ordeal, until it was over, the lights were turned off and everyone else had gone home (to see link click Eg – Mary Magdalene Supported Jesus Out of Her Own Means). And the other Mary, the mother of James the Lesser and Joseph was also sitting there opposite the tomb, beginning the seven days of mourning that start at the burial of a loved one. They had followed Joseph of Arimathea and saw where He was laid. The two women had come with Yeshua from Galilee. If someone were going to make up this burial account they would not have used women in the story because in Jewish culture women were not considered reliable witnesses. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment (Mattityahu 27:57, 61; Mark 15:47; Luke 23:55-56).

Around the Temple, thousands of lamps were already being lit in anticipation of what was to be a doubly great Shabbat. The final sacrifice of the day was almost finished and men carrying sacrificial lambs seemed to be cascading down the rich marble steps. In an inner room, Annas sat in an informal discussion with other Sadducees who had seen Jesus die.

Annas was old and wise and he listened to the ranking Sadducees as they told him about the horrific actions of Joseph and Nicodemus. But the old man couldn’t care less. The heresies of a few members of the Great Sanhedrin were matters that he had witnessed again and again over a span of many years. In his time, Annas had seen new schools of rabbinical teaching become fashionable, fade and die. And he had seen the crowds rush to each new religious philosopher, bowing before him as though God Himself had sent him.

He did not believe this was any kind of new movement. Joseph and Nicodemus would soon come back to their senses. They would return to the Temple, contrite, or they would be challenged in a formal session of the Great Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court of the Land, and charged with promoting heretical doctrine. They would acknowledge their rebellion and be excommunicated (see Gt – Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind: Three degrees of excommunication), or deny it and keep their places among their honored fellows.

What worried Annas was that the mock Messiah had said, in His teachings . . . that He would rise again in three days. Now that He was dead, there was one more chore to do. The high priests would have to go to Pontius Pilate in the morning to ask for guards to be posted over the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea so that his scheming followers could not come and steal the body and later claim that He had risen from the dead.

So, when his son-in-law and the others had concluded their horrifying story of dishonor, Annas wet his aged lips and advised them to be more concerned with the promise of the troublemaking Rabbi to resurrect Himself from the dead. The high priests had not thought of this, and at once they began to murmur at the same time trying to think of what to do. But Annas held up his hand and quieted them all, and told them to delegate a committee to go Pilate at the praetorium and, if possible, have him post a Roman guard over the tomb. Caiaphas praised his father-in-law as a man of great wisdom.¹⁶⁴⁰

Stage 32 – The Sealing of the Tomb: The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the Sadducees and the Pharisees went to Pilate. It was not only the Sabbath, but also a high holy day (Matthew 27:62). Two extremely unusual things happened that day. First, it was highly unusual for Jewish religious leaders to meet with a pagan, secular ruler on any Sabbath, let alone on such a high Sabbath. Even more amazing they seem to have actually gone into Pilate’s council chambers in the praetorium. The day before, they had been careful not to go into the praetorium at all, but rather sent Jesus inside to see Pilate. In order to speak to the Jewish religious leaders, Pilate had to come out on the porch. But after His death, those pious leaders were so desperate to get the encounter with the pretender (in their minds) over and done with that they even violated the Sabbath! Since they had broken all of their own laws (see Lh – The Laws of the Great Sanhedrin Regarding Trails), they didn’t hesitate to violate the Sabbath for their own wicked purposes. Secondly, the Sadducees and the Pharisees were strong theological opponents. The Bible records only one other time that those two groups cooperating, and in both instances their only common motivation was the hated of the Nazarene.

Sir, they said: we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, “After three days I will rise again.” So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, His talmidim may come and steal the body and tell the people that He has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first (Matthew 27:63-64). The implication was the Jesus’ claim to kingship would then be verified in the eyes of the gullible people and, though dead, He would become an even worse threat to Rome than before. They were saying, in effect, “If the masses hailed Him as their Messiah and King on His entry into Yerushalayim just a few days ago, think how much more they will acclaim Him as their King if they are led to believe He has conquered death and risen from the dead. Even though the idea is preposterous, if they really believe He is alive, they will also believe Rome has no power over Him and that He is invincible. Then you will really have an uprising on your hands.”¹⁶⁴¹

It seems pretty ironic that those opposed to Yeshua believed more strongly in His possible resurrection that were His own apostles. While the Sadducees and Pharisees didn’t personally believe in that Jesus was the Messiah, they nevertheless were fearful that somehow His words would come true.

It is intriguing that in some later passages of the Talmud, Yeshua, or as they call Him there, Ben Stada, later identified as Ben Pandira (Jesus) is accused of deceiving Isra’el through some magic that He supposedly learned in Egypt (Tractate Shabbat XI.15; Shabbat 13d). The Talmud actually confirms that Yeshua worked miracles in Isra’el (and that His family visited Egypt at one point) but merely attributes those miracles not to ADONAI to the Adversary (Babylonian Talmud: Sanhedrin 67). With the same kind of logic, those first-century religious leaders in Isra’el speculated that some of Yeshua’s talmidim [might] come and steal the body as their ultimate deception. They couldn’t take the chance in the Jewish community and Pilate certainly didn’t want any more problems with the Jews.¹⁶⁴²

Pilate said to them, “Take a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” And, no doubt pleased with themselves for once again making the powerful Roman governor bow to their demands, they went and made the tomb secure. They took along a Roman guard (temporarily in the service of the Jewish religious leaders) and set the Roman seal pressed into wax on the stone (Mattityahu 27:65-66). The seal was probably furnished by Pilate and gave the warning that the tomb was under Roman law, and to break the seal was punishable by death. That should have been the end of it. The renegade Rabbi was dead. The Great Sanhedrin and Rome could rest easy. The Nazarene’s talmidim had seemingly scattered to the four corners of the earth. They had proven themselves timid and useless.

Pilate was also relieved. He could go back to Caesarea to govern in peace without the constant meddling from the Sanhedrin and the Jews. He was sick of their problems.

Jerusalem must have had a wide range of emotions that Shabbat of the Passover week. There certainly was incredible joy on the part of the hundreds of thousands of Jewish pilgrims who filled the City of David for that most holy week. The Seder was celebrated with family and friends, in addition to the delightful services at the Holy Temple. Some were aware of the controversial arrest and crucifixion of the maverick Rabbi from Galilee. But most were ignorant or unconcerned because they had their own spiritual responsibilities to be concerned with. The tranquil spirit of Shabbat on the sixteenth of Nisan saturated Yerushalayim, and, appropriately, Messiah’s body rested in the tomb on that day of rest.

Kefa, however, tells us that between Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection, our Lord was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. He was spiritually alive, but physically dead. Sometime during those three days He went and preached to the spirits in prison (First Peter 3:18-19), those He had kept in gloomy dungeons lower than sh’ol in tartarus (see my commentary on Jude Ak – The Angels Did Not Keep Their Positions of Authority).

Rabbi Sha’ul mentions the same thing when Messiah descended into the low, earthly regions of sh’ol (Ephesians 4:9). The TaNaKh refers to the place of the dead as sh’ol (Deuteronomy 32:22; Job 26:6; Psalm 16:10). One part of sh’ol was a place of torment and agony, occupied by the unrighteous dead and by the demons who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built (First Peter 3:20a). However, another part of sh’ol was a place of contentment and rest, inhabited by the righteous dead who had put their faith in God. Abraham’s side (Luke 16:22) was a common name for sh’ol at the time of Messiah. They resided there until Yeshua had paid for their sins on the cross. Then, after declaring victory over those very demons, the Lord of Life liberated the godly captives and led them to heaven when He ascended on high (Ephesians 4:8). Among those who went with Him were Adam, Eve, Abel, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah and all the righteous of the TaNaKh before the cross, including those mentioned in the hall of faith in the book of Hebrews (see my commentary on Hebrews Cl – The Hall of Faith).

Little did the world know that even those extreme measures by Pilate and the Great Sanhedrin would not be able to prevent the events of the third day that was quickly approaching. In fact, those precautions would actually lend more validity to the claims of the apostles that He had risen, than if none had been taken at all. The stage was set for Yeshua to conquer our greatest enemy – death itself.¹⁶⁴³

The Burial of Jesus in the Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea
Matthew 27:57-60; Mk 15:42-46; Lk 23:50-54; Jn 19:31-42
Friday afternoon, about 4 pm on the fifteenth of Nisan

The burial of Jesus in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea DIG: Some say Christ did not really die, but was revived in the tomb. How does John 19:1, 18, 32-34 and 40 argue against this idea? In asking for the body of Jesus, what risks did Joseph take with Pilate and the Sanhedrin? What risks did Nicodemus take as well? Why would both of them risk their reputations and status at this point?

REFLECT: What is the riskiest thing you have ever done because of your faith in Yeshua Messiah? Why did you do it? Jesus had apparently failed, but Joseph, Nicodemus and the women did not abandon the Master. What do you learn from this lesson for your life? How does your fear of others and your love for Yeshua sometimes conflict? What will you do this week to demonstrate your love for Jesus?

Now the race was on. And already evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, and Shabbat was about to begin at sundown. Isra’el was supposed to welcome the Sabbath as a bride. So as Queen Sabbath approached, her coming would be announced by three blasts from the priests’ trumpets from the highest pinnacle of the Temple about 3:00 in the afternoon.¹⁶³² It was to be a special Sabbath, or a high Sabbath because it was also the second day of Pesach (Mark 15:42a; Luke 23:54; John 19:31a). Mark explained this to his non-Jewish readers.

If they could, the Roman soldiers left the corpse on the cross to either rot or be devoured by predatory animals. However, the Romans often tried to cooperate with their conquered peoples by allowing them to follow their own local customs as much as possible. In this case, Jewish tradition dictated that any dead body, even a criminal, could not be left out in the open overnight (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). Roman law allowed the family of the condemned to take the body for burial, after obtaining permission from a Roman judge. Since no one was intended to survive crucifixion, the body was not released to the family until the soldiers were sure the victim was dead. By custom, one of the Roman guards would pierce the body with a spear. Traditionally, this had been considered a wound to the heart through the right side of the chest – a fatal wound probably taught to most Roman soldiers. The standard infantry spear, which was 5 to 6 feet long could have easily reached the chest of a man crucified on the customary low Tau cross.¹⁶³³

The centurion noticed a man – one who was dressed as a wealthy person – walking rapidly toward the Garden Gate. The Roman did not know him but had seen him in the last hour standing apart from the others, watching Jesus’ face with obvious compassion. This was Joseph of Arimathea. The centurion also saw two of Pilate’s guards conversing with the high priests. He wondered about this and returned to his post.

Stage 27 – The Breaking of the Bones and the Piercing of Christ: Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken to speed up the death process so that the bodies could be taken down (Yochanan 19:31b). Once the Sabbath started no Jew could touch their bodies or they would be ceremonially unclean.

The guards came across the Golgotha and told the centurion that Caiaphas had been to see Pilate. They had told him that once the Sabbath started no Jew could touch their bodies or they would be ceremonially unclean. The procurator had been in a mood to be done with the whole matter of this Nazarene. He had called two guards and had told them to accompany the priests back to Golgotha and there put an end to it.

The centurion nodded toward the three crosses and ordered the guards to do their duty. One of the soldiers was armed with a spear. The other carried a big plank of wood, about one inch by three inches and about four feet long. The soldiers got to work. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Yeshua so he could not push up and breathe, and then those of the other. When the second criminal sank to the bottom of his cross and showed no sign of trying to pull himself up again, the two soldiers moved on to Christ.

But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water (John 19:32-34). Traditionally, it has been assumed that the Lord’s right side was pierced because the large flow of blood would be more likely from the peroration of the distended and thin-walled right atrium or ventricle, than the thick-walled and contracted left ventricle. Some skeptics bring up the difficulty in explaining, with medical accuracy, the flow of both blood and water. But, in the Greek, the word order does not matter. The words generally denoted importance, not sequence. So it seems that John emphasized the prominence of blood rather than the blood coming before the water. The water probably represented pleural and pericardial fluid and would have preceded the flow of blood, and would have been smaller in volume than the blood.

John was a witness to all of this. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says: They will look on the one they have pierced (Yochanan 19:35-37).

Stage 28 – A Request for Jesus’ Body Was Made: Now at the last drop of daylight, as evening approached, there came a rich man named Joseph from the Judean town of Arimathea. This fulfilled the prophecy from Isaiah, when the prophet said: In His death He was with a rich man (Isaiah 53:9b CJB). He was a member of the Great Sanhedrin (to see link click Lg – The Great Sanhedrin),who was a good and upright man, waiting for the kingdom of God. But more importantly, he was a disciple of Jesus who did not agree with the Sanhedrin’s decision to crucify his Savior, but objected secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders (Matthew 27:57; Mark 15:42b-43:a; Luke 23:50-51; John 19:38a). This proves that there was even disagreement among even the top rabbis.

Later, after Christ had died, because of his status Joseph of Arimathea went boldly to Pilate and asked him for the body of Messiah (Mattityahu 27:58a; Mark 15:43b; Luke 23:52). This required a degree of courage to do what Joseph did that afternoon. He hurried to Fortress Antonia and requested an audience with Pontius Pilate and asked for permission to bury Jesus of Nazareth at once. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead because it usually took two or three days to die on the cross. In fact, some victims died of starvation rather than their wounds. The Greek words for he was already dead, are in the perfect tense, indicating a past, completed action, with continuing, and in this case, permanent results. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, Pilate gave the corpse to Joseph (Mattityahu 27:58b; Mark 15:44-45; John 19:38b), not out of any feeling of generosity, but because he could get rid of his most inconvenient and troublesome affair.

Most who witnessed Messiah’s crucifixion from a distance have left the dreadful scene. Mary, the Lord’s mother, and Mary Magdalene are among those who remain. In addition, Nicodemus, by the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night (see Bv – Jesus Teaches Nicodemus), accompanied Joseph of Arimathea (John 19:39a). Joseph was a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin, and a secret disciple of Christ. He was one of the few dissenting voices during the sham of a trial. Another one of those voices was Nicodemus the Pharisee.

It is an almost melodramatic irony that, when Jesus died, His burial was arranged – not by Peter, or John, or the others who, only that previous night, had beat their chests at Pesach and argued about who loved the Master the most – but by a Sadducee (Joseph of Arimathea), a Pharisee (Nicodemus) and a Gentile pagan (Pontius Pilate).

Although Joseph and Nicodemus had hidden their devotion to the Messiah throughout His life, now, in His death, they were bringing down on themselves the condemnation of their peers for the rest of their lives. The elite of Jerusalem could never forgive these men for assisting a scoundrel who had been crucified.

It was Nicodemus who sent a servant to his home for about seventy-five pounds of spices, a mixture of myrrh and aloes – which were necessary for the final anointment of the body. Joseph purchased wide bands of fine linen to be used as funeral clothes.¹⁶³⁴

Stage 29 – The Removal of the Body from the Cross: The soldiers then went about their job of taking Jesus’ body down off of the cross. This was crucifixion in reverse. Once again, Yeshua was laid flat. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus then wrapped the Lord’s body with the spices, in strips of clean linen cloth.This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs (Mt 27:59; Mk 15:46a; Lk 23:53a; Jn 19:40). The picture may be completed by comparing what is said of Lazarus in John 11:44, and the account of the grave clothes in John 20:7. The hands and feet were bound with strips of linen, and the face covered with a face cloth.

By doing so, both Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea knowingly made themselves ritually unclean when they touched the dead body of Messiah. However, they did so with joy, and did not consider it a burden to be unable to participate in the festivals of Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits for eight days until they could purify themselves the water for purification mixed with the ashes of a red heifer (see the commentary on Numbers – The Red Heifer).

This is a summary of the extremely elaborate details of traditional burial in first-century Isra’el. The Torah simply states that we all came from dust and, therefore, should return to dust. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust your are and to dust you will return (Genesis 3:19). The implication is that the body must not be altered, and burial should be in the earth. In a traditional Jewish burial even to this day, the body is clothed with a white robe or shroud called the takhrikhim. It is significant that the garment has no pockets, illustrating the reality that we can take nothing with us from this life!¹⁶³⁵

Somewhat shockingly, both Joseph and Nicodemus publicly declared their faith in Christ. In fact, Joseph took Jesus’ body to his own private family tomb, a brand-new man-made cave carved out of the soft Jerusalem rock in a garden nearby. The rabbis taught that a criminal’s presence in a tomb would desecrate it. The few Sadducees who were watching from the wall of Tziyon were shocked to the point of momentary muteness when they saw Joseph and Nicodemus touch this blasphemer. When they realized that the Nazarene would be buried in Joseph’s own tomb, they muttered against them and hurried to confer with Annas. The three Marys expressed a desire to send someone into the City to buy rare spices and perfumes. It was the custom for women to do this. The men wanted to agree, but there was no time for the normal ritual washing and anointing of the corpse with oil. They pointed out that Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds (John 19:39b), but the women were not impressed. They had offered nothing but tears. They too wanted to be a part of the last loving-kindness. John suggested that they could return tomorrow on Sunday with perfumes.

However, John insisted that he should perform the final act of loving-kindness for his Meshiach. Mary could be left with the other women. He was ashamed that the other apostles were not present. As the Master had prophesied, they had scattered like sheep when the Shepherd was stricken. It grieved Yochanan to think that his beloved friend might still be in the hands of strangers in these final hours. He said that he would help Joseph and Nicodemus. He insisted on it. Who better to lay loving hands on the body than the one to whom the Savior had entrusted His mother?

The three men proceeded with their urgent work. Mary, the mother of Jesus, could not be persuaded to turn away. When she started to weep again John left the body and hurried to Mary’s side. Softly pleading, he reminded her that her Son said the His death was not a defeat, but a glorious victory. But as he talked, Yochanan also began to weep.

Hastily, the three men washed the body as best they could. Two had to hold the body on its side while the third washed the back, from the bloody head down to the pierced heels. Nicodemus unrolled some linen sheeting and placed it on the ground beside the body. The three men lifted Yeshua, and set the corpse on the linen. The little party of women remained near the gate. There was no one else.

Stage 30 – Jesus is Laid in the Tomb: When this was completed, the men carried it slowly and tenderly about 120 feet north-northwest to the middle of the low garden. In the tomb, the body was laid on a slab of stone. Swiftly, they arranged the body so that it appeared to be in proper repose. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and the Sabbath was about to begin, they laid Jesus there since the tomb was nearby. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden there was a new tomb, or cave, cut out of the rock, in which no one had ever been laid (Matthew 27:60a; Mark 15:46b; Luke 23:53b-54; John 19:41-42). Burial space close to Tziyon was always in high demand, but a rich man like Joseph could afford such an expensive tomb.

A large white linen cloth was fitted down over the body and the three men cut it a few inches beyond the tips of the toes. Narrow strips – or bandages – were cut from the remainder. The big shroud was tied with these bandages, at the neck, at the waist, and around both ankles. The upper part of the shroud covered the head, but the bandage around the neck enabled anyone at any time to flick the head covering off to identify the body. In the first week or two after burial, the cloth was usually turned down from the head to expose it. The bandage around the waist was to keep the hands from slipping from the body. The third one was to prevent the ankles from separating.¹⁶³⁶

Jesus was born in a cave and wrapped in burial cloth (see Aq – The Birth of Jesus) and, when He died, He was buried in a cave and wrapped in burial cloth. This was no accident. These two incidents are like book ends to His life. The story written in between is the most remarkable ever told.

There are two important theological points regarding His burial. First, it marked the end of His humiliation. This was death of the God-man. None of those who are close to Him are involved in the burial – only two secret disciples. Secondly, it marks the beginning of His exaltation. He was not buried in a common grave (which would normally have been the case because He died a criminals death), but He was buried in a new and rich man’s tomb. Also it is important to note that the tomb was inside a garden. In one garden, the first Adam brought death; but in the another garden, the Last Adam brought life (First Corinthians 15:45-49).¹⁶³⁷

Then, consistent with the first-century tradition, Joseph of Arimathea rolled a big stone in front of the entrance of the tomb and went away (Mattityahu 27:60b; Mark 15:46c). The entrance was less than five feet high and was closed by a millstone sixty inches in diameter and nine inches thick. The weight of this stone was beyond the strength of one man to move. It sat in a curved groove and, when two or more men tried to rock it away from the entrance, another man had to crouch below with a heavy stone to use as a wedge. Whether it was rolled to the left or to the right of the entrance, the groove turned upward. This is an indisputable evidence for the resurrection. The fact that a specific man, Joseph of Arimathea, is mentioned as the owner of the tomb is a detail that gives credence to the entire burial account (First Corinthians 15:3-5). With sagging shoulders and a heart of lead, Joseph retreated into the night. The sound of his footsteps grew fainter in the distance, along with the glow from his lantern, until all was still and dark.

Jesus had previously said: For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a whale (see my commentary on Jonah At – Jonah’s Prayer), so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (see Eo – The Sign of Jonah). Jesus was in the tomb for three days, and during that time He went and preached to the spirits in Sheol (see my commentary on Genesis Cb – But Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the LORD). If He died on Friday afternoon and rose Sunday morning, how could that be three days? It is critical to understand two important facts: First, the Jewish way of calculating time is quite different than the Gentiles. The Jewish day begins at sundown, not midnight; therefore, the Jewish night always precedes the day. Secondly, it is also necessary to know that any part of a day is counted as a whole day.

All of the Gospel accounts concerning the time of His death and burial use typical Jewish terminology. For example, the Gospels state more than once that the Messiah died on preparation day (Mattityahu 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54), or the day of preparation (Yochanan 19:42). This is standard Jewish language found in all rabbinic literature, and it always means the sixth day of the week, or Friday. The Gospels also state several times that the Lord was buried just before the Sabbath began. Such statements, when not qualified, always refer to Friday.

We know that the first night of the Passover occurred Thursday after sundown, or to the Jewish way of calculating time, the beginning of Friday because the night precedes the day. Using the Jewish way of calculating part of a day as a whole day, then, we know that: Messiah was in the tomb part of Friday before sundown. Because the Jewish day begins at sundown, that counts as an entire day (day 1); He was also in the tomb all of Saturday (day 2), and part of Sunday, counting as a complete day (day 3). The phrase three days and three nights does not require three twenty-four hour periods. Consequently, the supreme Commander of life and death arose after three days.¹⁶³⁸

Accompanying Signs of Jesus’ Death
Matthew 27:51-56; Mark 15:38-41; Luke 23:45b and 47-49
At 3 pm on Friday, the fifteenth of Nisan

Accompanying signs of Jesus’ death DIG: What were the six accompanying signs of Jesus’ death? Why was Yeshua’s sacrifice necessary to restore the relationship between God and mankind? What was the significance of the torn curtain in the Temple leading into the Most Holy Place at the time of Jesus’ death?

REFLECT: What is your impression of these first century signs? What signs does God give you today so that you are without excuse (Romans 1:19-20)? How do you feel about the concept of ADONAI as daddy? Does it bother you or make you feel closer to Him? The curtain is torn for you now. How often to you take advantage of your free access to your heavenly Father? Can you explain the significance of Christ’s death and resurrection to an unbeliever over coffee? Practice, you may get that chance.

In Messiah and through faith we may approach ADONAI with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3:12).

Jesus bowed His head. The crown of thorns hangs rigidly. He lapses into unconsciousness. He neck relaxes. His entire body rolls forward, pulling His neck and shoulders away from the cross. Only the nails in His wrists and heals hold Him in place.¹⁶²² Consequently, there were six accompanying signs of Jesus’ death.

First, at that moment the curtain (Hebrew transliteration: paroketh) of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51a; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45b). This was the curtain separating the holy place from the most holy place where the ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat where housed in the Jerusalem Temple. Even to this day, much of the ancient Temple format is still seen within the modern synagogue. The Bema (raised platform) is usually the place where the ark is located on the east side of the building in synagogues in the Western world. This is a reminder of the place of the messianic hope, the city of Jerusalem. The modern ark (a large cabinet) contains one or more Torah scrolls. Between the doors of the ark and the scrolls is usually a curtain that is still called a paroketh, which reminds us of the enormous curtain in the Holy Temple. The enormity of the Temple and its furnishings is well documented in Jewish literature. We are told that the main paroketh before the most holy place was some 60 feet tall and 30 feet wide, made up of four colors (fine linen, blue, scarlet and purple) It was made up of a pattern of 72 squares, and was the thickness of the palm of the hand. So the statement that it took 300 priests to manipulate the paroketh (Tractate Yoma 54a; Ketuvot 106a) may reflect some artistic exaggeration (but maybe not).¹⁶²³ It was as if the hands of heaven had been gripping the curtain, waiting for that moment. No delay. No hesitation. God has removed the barrier.

Therefore, there is no longer any separation between the believer and the throne of ADONAI, as we cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15b). Abba is an informal Aramaic term for Father, implying intimacy, tenderness, dependence and a complete lack of fear or anxiety. Modern equivalents would be daddy or papa. Because we now have personal access to Him, we can call out daddy, just as children do to their earthly fathers. We are His adopted children (to see link click Bw – What God Does For Us at the Moment of Faith), and have direct access to God the Father through Yeshua Ha’Meshiach.

God accomplished this reconciliation on behalf of mankind. When that curtain was torn in two from top to bottom, it symbolized a change in our relationship where a state of hostility and estrangement was justly replaced by one of peace and fellowship. For if we were reconciled with God through His Son’s death when we were enemies, how much more will be delivered by His life, now that we are reconciled (Rom 5:10 CJB)!

This does not mean that God changes. He has always loved mankind. All He needed was a just basis on which to show or display the mercy and love He already had. So, while it doesn’t mean God changes, it also does not mean that God was already reconciled to us before the cross and that only our attitude needs changing.

Our sin must be dealt with. Unregenerate mankind is the enemy of God. Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God (James 4:4 NLT). To believe that ADONAI is reconciled to us ignores His wrath and misses the real purpose of the cross. Atonement and wrath must go hand in hand. The cross delivers us from Divine wrath, and we are reconciled with God.

Reconciliation comes by the death of Christ, and it means that our state of alienation from God had changed so that now we can be saved. Do you have peace with God? If you are a believer, God is not angry with you anymore because of your sin. The wrath is not there anymore. You may displease Him by sinning, but His wrath is not for you. It was taken out on His Son. What an incredible gift. What incredible love! Where do you find that kind of love? Philosophy? People? Other religions? Nowhere but ADONAI. The sin issue has already been dealt with (Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:15-18; Colossians 1:19-22).

Second, there was a tremendous earthquake. The earth shook, the rocks split (Matthew 27:51b). In early writings of the church fathers, Jerome in a Letter to Hedibia relates that the huge beam of the Temple was broken, splintered, and fell. He connects this with the tearing of the curtain. The lintel was part of a gate, and it would seem that the earthquake aided in the breaking it, which was an enormous stone, being at least thirty feet long and weighing some thirty tons!¹⁶²⁴ This earthquake, which will be followed by another in Matthew 28:2, is a well-known symbol of God’s mighty intervention in the affairs of His world (Judges 5:4-5; Psalm 114:4-7), especially in judgment (Jeremiah 10:10; Joel 3:16; Nahum 1:5-6), and it provides the context for the opening of the tombs which follow.¹⁶²⁵

Third, there was a restoration back to physical life. Many bodies of the righteous of the TaNaKh who had recently died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Messiah’s resurrection and went into the Holy City and appeared to many people that they knew as a witness (Matthew 27:52-53). Of course this would not be the final resurrection of Jewish believers the end time (see my commentary on Revelation Fd – The Resurrection of the Righteous of the TaNaKh), as we continue to wait for the return of the Meshiach. Rather, they were temporary resurrections (because they died again sometime later in their lives) like some other others that took place during unusual circumstances in Jewish history. Elijah raised the son of the Shunammite woman from the dead (Second Kings 4:8-37), Rabbi Sha’ul raised Eutychus who had fallen asleep while sitting in a window and fell three stories to his death (Acts 20:7-12), and Jesus raised His friend Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-44).

Those righteous of the TaNaKh did not appear in Jerusalem until after the Lord’s own resurrection because He was divinely appointed to be the firstfruits of those who are asleep (First Corinthians 15:20). And just as Messiah Himself only appeared to those who already believed in Him after His resurrection, it would also seem that the many who like Abraham had believed in ADONAI (Genesis 15:6), only appeared to fellow believers as a testimony to the resurrection of Christ and to God’s promise to raise all of those who put their faith in the Savior of souls.

The rabbis themselves never mention the tearing of the curtain of the Temple. They do, however, acknowledge some strange events that did happen in conjunction with the Temple when Yeshua was crucified. They mention it as being forty years before the destruction of the Temple.

Fourth, the massive doors of the Temple, suddenly and inexplicably, opened by themselves. Both Josephus and the Talmud (a Jewish commentary on the Hebrew Scriptures) mention that the very heavy Temple doors that always took twenty men to open, suddenly and inexplicably opened on their own accord. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakki, one of the leading Sadducees of that day said this when he witnessed the opening of those doors: O Temple, O Temple, there is no need for you to say anything. I know that you are destined for destruction (Tractate Yoma 39b).¹⁶²⁶ What is especially pertinent to these accompanying signs was the mysterious opening of the Temple doors. The Talmudic rabbis interpreted it as a sign foreshadowing the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. It was as if the Temple doors, (which were made from cedars from Lebanon) opened themselves to receive the destructive fire of the Romans.

Fifth, there were some unexplainable changes in the Yom Kippur ceremony. Another interesting development had to do with the legend of Azazel. Azazel is the Jewish name for the scapegoat (see my commentary on Exodus Go – The Day of Atonement). The rabbis describe some changes in the Yom Kippur ceremony of the two goats (Leviticus 16). Whereas the lot would always come up in the correct way, this changed at the time of Christ’s death. Likewise, the crimson strap on the scapegoat, which would normally turn white on Yom Kippur, suddenly ceased to change.¹⁶²⁷ According to the Jewish writings of this period, a custom developed in which the Jews tied a red ribbon around the scapegoat, which, when it was sent into the wilderness, turned white (Isaiah 1:18). They believed that this meant that God had forgiven the sins of Isra’el for that year. The Jewish legend goes on to say that the red ribbon stopped turning white forty years before the destruction of the Temple.¹⁶²⁸

Sixth, there was a sudden mysterious extension of the middle of the seven lights of the golden lampstand in the holy place (see my commentary on Exodus Fn – The Lampstand in the Sanctuary: Christ the Light of the World). Josephus told us of this.¹⁶²⁹

The Gospel writers could not leave the subject without pointing out that even the Roman centurion and the soldiers around him were struck by the uniqueness of Christ’s death. When the centurion who stood there in front of Jesus and those with him who were guarding the Lord saw how He died and the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified. They came to the front of the cross and looked at Him and at the darkened sky and the crack across the big rock. The centurion bowed his head. “Surely,” he exclaimed to the others, “This was a righteous man and the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47). For Mark, this was the climax of his revelation of Yeshua’s identity. This confession by a Gentile Roman officer said volumes to his Gentile Roman audience. The centurion was troubled, and he turned to look at the friends and family of Jesus – perhaps to ask a question – but he saw that they had moved the mother of the Messiah back toward the crossroads near the Garden Gate. All of them seemed to be weeping.

When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew Jesus, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee to care for His needs (Luke 8:1-3), stood at a distance, watching these things. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and Salome, the mother of Zebedee’s sons (Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41; Luke 23:48-49). It would have been difficult for any woman to get very close to the actual crucifixion area, but evidently this group of loyal Jewish women from Galilee stayed as close as they could, while the apostles had fled.

Through those six accompanying signs the Father was saying that the cross is the only hope of eternal life (see Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). When one’s sin is carried away by Christ’s atoning death, the wrath of God is appeased for that believer, and he or she is delivered from the death and condemnation that the Lord endured on his or her behalf. For those who believe in the Son, access to God is open wide, and they are assured of living in His eternal and indestructible Kingdom in eternal and indestructible bodies.¹⁶³⁰

Rabbi Sha’ul’s second prayer in Ephesians is followed by this blessing: Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His powers that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21). Remember that Jesus has provided you free access to the heavenly Father; you can have a private audience with Him twenty-four hours a day for the rest of your life!

For this reason I come to You, Abba Father, from whom Your whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of Your glorious riches You may strengthen me with power through Your Ruach ha-Kodesh within me, so that the Messiah can live in my heart through faith. And I pray that I may have power, together with all believers, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is, and to know this love that passes all understanding. May I be filled to the brim with all of Your fullness. Amen.¹⁶³¹

Jesus’ Second Three Hours on the Cross:
The Wrath of God
Mt 27:45-50; Mk 15:33-37; Lk 23:44-45a and 46; Jn 19:28-30
From Noon to 3 pm on Friday, the fifteenth of Nisan

Jesus’ second three hours on the cross was the wrath of God. DIG: What character traits did Messiah exhibit during the six hours before His death? Why did He submit to God’s plan of salvation for the world?

REFLECT: How do you feel when you think about the pain and agony Jesus endured for you? Who is the one person you can tell about Christ’s work on the cross?

He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son. It is through His Son that we have redemption – that is, our sins have been forgiven (Colossians 1:13-14 CJB).

A woman told her husband that it was becoming difficult to see. He looked into the sky, and others looked up as well. There were no clouds. But the heavens had deepened from a pale blue to a deeper blue. The sky continued to darken. It was not a sudden thing, but it was definitely getting darker.

The people forgot for a moment the three men on crosses, and many in the gathering pointed to the sky. Some said that a storm was coming. The crowd began to break up, and many hurried toward the gates, the women flinging shawls over their heads and running with their children to get to shelter before the storm broke.

But there was no sound of thunder. There were no lightening flashes. There were no clouds. The sky darkened until the sun could be stared at with the human eye. The blue deepened until the darkness of dusk descended over all.

The people were afraid, and many asked what this was. And some, calmer than others, said that it must be gigantic dust storm that had flung millions of sand particles between the land and the sun. But others said that even the oldest living Jew had not seen a sandstorm of more than minor proportions over Jerusalem. Some said it must be an eclipse of the sun, although the more learned knew that this could not be true because the sun was now in the western side of the sky and the moon would rise in the east after sundown.¹⁶¹¹

Stage 18 – Darkness That Covers the Entire World: From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land, for the sun stopped shining (Matthew 27:45: Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-45a). The Greek word for came over all the land, means the whole inhabited world. We have several secular sources that speak of the same darkness. Dionysius of Egypt wrote that he experienced the same thing. Another writer, Diogenes, wrote something very interesting. As a scientist in Egypt, wrote that he saw “a solar darkness of such likeness that either the deity himself suffered at that moment or he sympathized with one who did.” There was some insight there. Also Phlegon of Tralles, a freedman of the Emperor Hadrian in the fourth year of the 202 Olympiad, which was 30 AD said, “There was a great and remarkable eclipse of the sun above any that had happened before it. The day turned into dark night, so that the stars were seen in the sky, and an earthquake in Bithynia toppled many buildings of the city of Nicaea.” He called this an eclipse, but it could not be an eclipse because stars do not come out in an eclipse. This unique darkness was recorded in various parts of the Greek world.

ADONAI was using the darkness to make a spiritual statement. And it wasn’t the first time He had done so, as one only needs to remember the ten plagues of Egypt (see my commentary on Exodus, to see link click Bs – Total Darkness Covered All Egypt For Three Days). From that point on, the Bible often pictures darkness as being associated with the judgment of the LORD at the Second Coming (Amos 8:9; Joel 3:14-15).

Those three hours of darkness mark three hours of spiritual death. This was the cup that Yeshua did not want to drink, but would drink it if it was the Father’s will (see La – Jesus Prays for All Believers). For three hours, for the first time in all eternity, Jesus Christ is spiritually dead and suffers the wrath of God. During that time God the Father turned His back on God the Son as the Messiah became sin on our behalf (see my commentary on Isaiah Jb – Yet We Considered Him Punished, Stricken and Afflicted by God). YHVH made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). Peter said it this way: He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed (First Peter 2:24).

Messiah’s sacrifice satisfied every requirement of a righteous God. His anger for our sin has already been paid. ADONAI Himself provides the means by which He can remove God’s own wrath from us. Propitiation is the averting of God’s wrath be means of the vicarious (substitutionary, performed by others) and efficacious (producing the desired effect) sacrifice (death) of Jesus Christ (the atonement). Propitiation is the work of Christ that satisfies every claim of God’s holiness and justice so that God is free to act on the behalf of believers (Isaiah 53:4-11; Second Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; Romans 3:23-26; First Peter 2:24). This concept is not found in any other religion.

Even though Mary was at His feet watching Him die, her personal suffering did not represent any kind of participation in His atoning work. Her grief saved no one. It was Messiah who was bearing the sins of the world in His body. She could not help with that. Nor did He need her to, for there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:5). Mary herself never claimed to be, or pretended to be, anything more than a humble believer in God. She was special because God used her in a special way. However, she clearly thought of herself as ordinary and never encouraged anyone to believe that she could be a mediator like the Catholic Church teaches today. It is regrettable that religious superstition has, in effect, turned Miryam into an idol. No doubt she would be appalled to think that anyone would pray to her. Jesus Christ was the one she recognized as Lord and worshiped. We should do the same.¹⁶¹²

Stage 19 – Christ’s Fourth Words from the Cross: Yeshua quotes the first part of Psalm 22:1 and cries out for help as David once did. And at three in the afternoon Jesus painfully pushed Himself up. Because His legs were rotated laterally, the weight of His body came down with full force on the single nail driven through both heels. For a moment His head hid the sign that told of His crime. When His shoulders were level with His wrists, breathing was rapid and easier. He fought the pain in His heels in order to breathe, and cried out in a loud voice: Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani? which means My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34)? The call to God was in Hebrew, while the second part of the cry to ADONAI was in Aramaic, the common language of the day.

It is important to note here how Jesus addresses God the Father. He says: My God, My God. This is the only time in the life of Christ that God the Son addresses God the Father in this manner. In all four gospels Christ says, Father, 170 times and My Father, 21 times, but never God. This is unique. In the TaNaKh the term, Father (in relationship to God) is only used 14 times. It is never used in relationship to a person, but always to Isra’el. The concept of Fatherhood as it relates to individuals is unique to the New Covenant. There is no prayer in the TaNaKh that addresses God as Father, or Jewish prayer in Judaism today that addresses Him as such.¹⁶¹³  At this point, Yeshua uses, My God, My God, because He is no longer in a parental relationship with the Deity, but a judicial relationship because Jesus had become sin (Second Corinthians 5:21; First Peter 2:24), and was suffering the wrath of God.

In addition, it is obvious that Christ quoted directly from Psalm 22 because of its messianic overtones.The rabbis have different interpretations of this Psalm, but one of them is that King David was agonizing over the suffering of the future Son of David (see Mv – The Jewish Concept of Two Messiah’s) King Messiah. It was because of the ordeal of the Son of David that David wept, saying, “My strength is dried up like a [piece of broken pottery]” (Psalm 22:16 as quoted in Pesikta Rabbati 36:2). Therefore, it was no accident; more accurately, Yeshua intentionally connected His death with the prophetic suffering of the Meshiach.¹⁶¹⁴  But Jesus had not called the prophet. He had called His Father.

Then, unable to bear the pain in His heels, which cramped His legs and thighs, the Suffering Servant let His torso sag lower and lower. Christ’s knees, being rotated laterally, sagged, a little at a time until, with a deep sigh, He felt Himself once again painfully hanging on His writs. This process was repeated over and over and over . . . again and again.

Stage 20 – The Reaction of Those Standing By: When some of those standing there heard “Eloi, Eloi,” they said, “He’s calling Elijah” (Matthew 27:47; Mark 15:35). The Hebrew phrase could easily have been misunderstood because either form of the name of God – Eli or Eloi, could sound something like Elijah if not heard clearly enough. The rest said: Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take Him down and save Him (Matthew 27:49; Mark 15:36b). Because he never experienced death, Elijah it has long been a Jewish tradition that he might appear to help those in need. Even today, Jews and Gentiles attending the Passover Seder set a place with a special cup with the expectation that Elijah might appear and announce the arrival of King Messiah.

The whole purpose of crucifixion was progressive weakness under increasing pain. But the weakness of the two criminals with Him did not keep up with Christ’s because He had been severely flogged and had no food or water since about eleven the night before at the end of the Seder. The mouths and throats of all condemned men cried out for water and, as the victim went deeper into shock, He lost more fluids and His skin became increasingly moist to the touch. Yeshua was closer to death than were the zealots on either side of Him.

Stage 21 – Christ’s Fifth Words from the Cross: Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said: I AM thirsty (John 19:28). Literally in the Greek: I thirst. There is significance in this word because the rich man in Luke 16:24 says basically the same thing after suffering the torments of hell. Thus, for three hours, Christ had suffered the wrath of God, which is the torments of hell and He said: I AM thirsty. Although Yeshua had not tasted the last cup of the Seder on the previous night, it is clear here that He willingly tasted the terrible death on the cross for the Father’s divine purpose.¹⁶¹⁵

Stage 22 – Vinegar to the Lips of Jesus: Behind the Lord, a soldier immediately ran and got a sponge. He picked up a stalk of the hyssop plant and stabbed it into the sponge, then dipped it into a jar of posca. This was a common drink for laborers and Roman soldiers made of vinegar and wine diluted with water.¹⁶¹⁶  Then dripping sponge was lifted up to the lips of the Messiah (Matthew 27:48; Mark 15:36a; John 19:29). This moistened Christ’s lips so that what He says next will be distinctly and clearly heard.

The Messiah – who was dying as a man and with the physical limitations of a man – found himself in a multiplicity of pain. Slowly, steadily, he was being asphyxiated as surely as if he had two hands around his throat. The loss of blood had not been fatal. No arteries in the wrists or feet had been severed, though there was considerable loss from the thorns on his head and from the flogging on his back. The cause of death, in Roman crucifixions, was never loss of blood. It was almost always asphyxiation.¹⁶¹⁷

Stage 23 – Christ’s Sixth Words from the Cross: When He had received the drink, Jesus said in Aramaic: It is finished (John 19:30a). He said “It” is finished, not “I” AM finished. The Lord will speak these same words again at the end of the Great Tribulation when He will say: It is done (see my commentary on Revelation Eh –The Seventh Bowl: A Tremendous Earthquake)! Jesus spoke in Aramaic, but the Bible is written in Greek and this is one word in Greek, tetelestai, and it is in the perfect tense, indicating a past, completed action, with continuing, and in this case, permanent results. Tetelestai was a Greek word used in accounting. Archeologists found an enormous amount of invoices at a dig in Egypt. Many Jews had fled Jerusalem before the Roman destruction and settled in Alexandria. There they translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, the international language of the day. In Alexandria, Egypt, archeologists found a large quantity of invoices with tetelestai, written on clay tablets. In accounting terms, it means paid in full. In other words, what Messiah was saying, was that the price for sin (see propitiation above) had been paid in full.

Stage 24 – Christ’s Seventh Words from the Cross: Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice: Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit (John 19:30b), just about same time when the evening sacrifice was being offered. The Lord did not die the ordinary death of a man who was crucified. Normally, a person would suffer extreme exhaustion and in most cases, lose consciousness. But Yeshua was fully conscious to the end. This was a voluntary death. Proving what He had said earlier: No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord (John 10:18a). Jesus was in control the entire time, and He personally dismisses His soul from His body. From His perspective, His death was not a surprising tragedy but a divine completion of the Father’s will.

As the hours passed, Caiaphas became worried. The water clocks were nearing three o’clock and these executions needed to end soon. The priests did not want to appear callous about the matter of time, but, in a little more than a couple of hours Shabbat would be upon all of them. So after some discussion, they sent a messenger hurrying back into Yerushalayim to ask the Pontius Pilate to order the centurion to put an end to these three criminals, so that they might be buried before sundown.

Stage 25 – Physical Death: When Yeshua had said this, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit (Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46; John 19:30c). The words gave up are translated from the Greek word ekpneo, meaning to breath out one’s life, to breathe one’s last or to expire. He most certainly died on the afternoon of the first day of the Passover, the fifteenth of Nisan. The Talmud, Jewish commentaries on the TaNaKh, indicates that Jesus died on Friday afternoon at 3 pm. This was the common time for the afternoon Temple sacrifice, or minchah prayers, offered by the Levites. How much more so on that holy day of Peach as the levi’im were preparing the annual sacrifice of the national Passover lamb. Like the Chagigah offering at the morning Temple sacrifice, it was an important and well-established tradition to offer one single sacrificial lamb on behalf of the whole nation of Isra’el. It is no coincidence that the Gospel writers mention that it was at three in the afternoon when Yeshua died, the very time of the lamb offering in the Temple. Less than a mile to the east, a finely clothed priest leads a lamb to the slaughter, unaware that his work is futile . . . and that the darkness that had engulfed them from noon until three in the afternoon had subsided and it became light again. Heaven was not looking at the lamb of man but at the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (Yochanan 1:29).

There were probably several causes for the physical death of Messiah: dehydration, irregular heartbeat, and congestive heart failure. But the two most important were probably shock due to blood loss and exhaustion asphyxia, or the lack of oxygen (or an excess of carbon dioxide), due to the inability to exhale. Death by crucifixion was, in every sense of the word, excruciating.

Many times it is inaccurately portrayed that “the Jews” rejected Jesus, as if not one Jew followed Him in the first century. If that were true, we would like to know how we even got the New Covenant? Who were the apostles and the tens of thousands who called on His name in Acts 21:20? Quite frankly, these were not “Christians” converting to a new religion, but they were all Jews who followed Yeshua as King Messiah.¹⁶¹⁸

There are eleven important results from the death of the Messiah. Firstly, it was a ransom and paid the price for the penalty of sin (Matthew 20:28; First Timothy 3:6); secondly, it was a redemption (Galatians 3:13 and First Peter 2:24); thirdly, it was a reconciliation (Second Corinthians 5:18-19); fourthly, it was a propitiation (First John 2:2); fifthly, it was a substitution (Second Corinthians 5:21 and First Peter 3:18); sixthly, it was proof of the love of God (Romans 5:8); seventhly, it was judgment of the sin nature (Romans 6:1-10); eighthly, it marked the end of the Torah as a means of salvation (Romans 10:4; Colossians 2:14 and Second Corinthians 3:7-11); ninthly, it is the basis for the cleansing of believers passive and active sin (First John 1:3-9); tenthly, it was the basis for the removal of sin before the cross (Romans 3:25 and Hebrews 9:15); and lastly, it is the basis for the judgment of Satan and his demons (John 12:31 and Colossians 2:15).¹⁶¹⁹

To the casual observer the six hours are mundane . . .

God is on a cross. The Creator of the universe is being executed.

Spit and blood are caked to His cheeks, and His lips are cracked and swollen. Thorns rip His scalp. His lungs scream with pain. His legs knot with cramps. Taut nerves threaten to snap as pain twangs its morbid melody. Yet, death is not ready. And there is no one to save Him, for He is sacrificing Himself.

This is no normal six hours . . . it is not a normal Friday.

Let me ask you a question: What do you do with that day in history? What do you do with its claims? If it really happened . . . if God did orchestrate for His own crucifixion . . . if He did turn His back on His own Son . . . those six hours were no normal six hours. They were the most critical hours in history.¹⁶²⁰

If you believe that, here is a simple prayer you can pray to God. Saying this prayer is a way to declare to God that you are relying on Yeshua Messiah for your salvation. The words themselves will not save you. Only faith in Yeshua Messiah can provide salvation!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for rescuing me from the domain of darkness. Because of Your grace, I announce that I am no longer a child of darkness but a child of light, and I choose to walk in the light and ask that You would enable me to do so by the power of the Holy Spirit. I renounce the lie that I am merely of product of my past, and I announce the truth that I am a product of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Please forgive me of my sin. I invite You to take control of my life and to reveal to me anything that would keep me in bondage to my past or to the lies of Satan. I ask for the grace to renounce all former activities of darkness and the lies of the evil one. I now commit myself to You for all eternity. In the precious name of Jesus and through His shed blood I pray. Amen.¹⁶²¹

If you were to die right now, where would you go? That’s right, heaven.

Why should God let you into His heaven?

That’s right, because Yeshua died to pay for your sins.

If you have prayed this prayer, see my commentary on The Life of Christ Bw – What God Does for Us at the Moment of Faith.

Jesus’ First Three Hours on the Cross: The Wrath of Man
Matthew 27:35-44; Mark 15:24-32; Luke 23:32-43; Jn 19:18-27
From 9:00 am to Noon on Friday, the fifteenth of Nisan

Jesus’ first three hours on the cross was the wrath of man DIG: Explain the significance of Yeshua’s death on the cross. How would the world view Miryam, and how would she view herself after her son’s crucifixion? How do Jesus’ words to His mother sound to you (see Mark 3:31-35 and Luke 11:27-28)? How does He challenge your own sense of what gives you meaning and identity? How do Yeshua’s words to His mother encompass the lives of every woman from early childhood to old age? How do we, like Mary, find true blessedness? In what ways should believers try to imitate Messiah’s attitude toward forgiveness?

REFLECT: A sacrifice should be just that – a sacrifice. Sacrifices may be inconvenient and are costly. By definition, a sacrifice almost always involves some kind of death or loss. Think of a time when you gave something up for a friend. In what way did your sacrifice help that person? Why is it important to accept Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf? Why do people refuse God’s gift of salvation? Do you know someone who seems beyond help today? Perhaps you think you are without hope. The God of the Bible specializes in giving help to those regarded as so old, so guilty, or so weak as to be beyond help.¹⁵⁹⁸

It was nine in the morning when they crucified Him (Mark 15:25). The Romans calculated the hours from midnight, a fact which explains the apparent discrepancy between John 19:14, where, at the sixth hour (of Roman calculation), Pontius Pilate brought Jesus out to the Jews, while at the third hour when calculating the same incident by Jewish time. As a result, this was Friday at exactly nine o’clock in the morning, the same precise time of the Chagigah offering taking place in the Temple compound.

The commandments of the Passover sacrifice were found in the Torah. Of the six hundred and thirteen commandments that Moses gave, sixteen of these had to do with the Passover. Four of these are positive and twelve are negative commandments. Five had to do with the Chagigah, or Second Passover, meaning the Passover Lamb that was slaughtered on the morning of the first day of Passover in the Temple compound as part of the morning burnt offering. It represented one lamb slain for the entire nation. So exactly at 9:00 am when the Roman soldiers were driving the nails into the wrists and heels of the Lamb of God to crucify Him, the priests were slaughtering one lamb for the entire Jewish nation just as Caiaphas had prophesied (John 11:49-51).¹⁵⁹⁹

When the daily burnt offering was presented by the Levites in the Temple in Jerusalem, at the same time Israelites of all the other tribes would gather in the four hundred or so synagogues throughout the Land in order to read portions of the creation account. The readings were divided up over the six working days. It is remarkable to see how the events of the creation week line up with those of the Holy Week. The synagogue reading for Friday was from Genesis 1:24-31. On the sixth day of creation, when the first human, Adam, as the crown of creation, received life from the Creator’s hand (Genesis 1:24-31), Adam’s descendants killed the Messiah, the last Adam (First Corinthians 15:45).¹⁶⁰⁰

Stage 6 – The Crucifixion: They crucified Jesus there, along with two robbers – one on His right and the other on His left. The Romans kept a busy schedule of executions, so it should not come as any surprise that two other men, both criminals,were also led out with Him to be executed (Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:24a; Luke 23:32-33; John 19:18). It was common for insects to land upon or burrow into the open wounds or the eyes, ears and nose of the dying and helpless victim. Birds of prey would also tear at those areas. In addition, with each breath, the painful flogging wounds would be scraped against the rough wood of the cross as the victim pushed up to breathe, then slumped down from exhaustion. Back and forth, up and down, again and again. As a result blood loss from the back would probably continue throughout the crucifixion ordeal.¹⁶⁰¹

Stage 7 – Messiah’s First Words from the Cross: Jesus said: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34a). Christ spoke seven times from the cross. These are His first words. For Luke, as well as other writers of the B’rit Chadashah (Romans 2:4, 10:3; Ephesians 4:18; First Peter 1:14), ignorance does not mean a deficient mentality or lack of information, but a sinful moral state. This prayer is answered by the death of Messiah, which brings the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).¹⁶⁰² Since speech occurs when you exhale, but on the cross these short, terse statements must have been particularly difficult and painful.

Stage 8 – The Dividing Up of His Clothes: There were always four soldiers assigned to a crucifixion. After they had nailed Him to the stake, they divided up His clothes among them by throwing dice to determine what each man would get. And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there (Mt 27:35-36; Mk 15:24b; Lk 23:34b CJB). Under Roman law, the effects of all condemned people were confiscated by the state. They divided them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided My clothes among them and cast lots for My garment” (Ps 22:18). So this is what the soldiers did (Jn 19:23-24). Jewish garments were normally made up of five pieces of clothing. An outer garment, a head covering, shoes and a robe or coat. That was four shares of clothing for the four soldiers. The fifth was a seamless undergarment that they cast lots for. This means that the Lord was naked. This was the shame of the cross.

Stage 9 – The Notice that Jesus was King of the Jews: Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, the most common language in Palestine at that time, Latin, and Greek. In normal circumstances what was erected over the head of condemned one was the crime for which he was to be executed. But Pilate did not want to condemn Nazarene to be crucified, but he had buckled under the pressure from the Jewish religious leaders. In a not too subtle way, he had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. Above Jesus’ head they placed the written charge against Him: THIS IS JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. This didn’t sound like an accusation, but a title. The Sadducees recognized this and protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.’ This was Pilate’s own personal revenge against them and he refused to change the wording. Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written” (Matthew 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19-22).

Stage 10: The Crucifixion of the Two Criminals: Two zealots were crucified with Him, one on his right and one on his left (Mattitahu 27:38; Mark 15:27). They might have been zealots and members of the insurrection of bar-Abbas.

Stage 11: The Fifth Mockery: Because the crucifixion was so public, people stood watching. Those who passed by hurled insults at Him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the Temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God” (Mt 27:39-40; Mk 15:29-30; Lk 23:35a)! This savage sarcasm seemed appropriate to them because every time the body of Jesus sagged, it looked as though he could hardly lift himself up, let alone the Temple. There was no reply from the cross. It must have seemed impossible to think that the rebel Rabbi hanging on the cross could have been the true Messiah. Surely the curse of such a death (Deut 21:23) couldn’t be carried out on the real King Messiah.¹⁶⁰³  But they just didn’t understand the concept of the two comings of the Anointed One (to see link click Mv – The Jewish Concept of Two Messiah’s). This was the first attempt to get Jesus to come down from the cross. Of course Yeshua never said that He would literally destroy the Temple, but in rabbinic midrash form, used similar language to describe own death and resurrection in John 2:19.

Stage 12: The Sixth Mockery: In the same way the Sadducees, and the Torah-teachers mocked Him among themselves. They said, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One” (Mark 15:31; Luke 23:35b)! The second attempt to get Jesus to come down from the cross. He’s the king of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him (Matthew 27:41-42; Mark 15:32a). Did He not say, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father?” Let God deliver him.” The third attempt to get Jesus to come down from the cross.

Some of them were so smug that they threw some scripture in His face. They said: He trusts in God? Let God rescue Him now if He wants Him, for He said, ‘I am the Son of God’ (Mattityahu 27:43). They quote from Psalm 22:8 where it says: He committed Himself to ADONAI, so they thought, “let the LORD rescue him! Let God set him free if He takes such delight in him! To them it seemed so logical. The fact that the Son of God stayed on the cross proved (in their minds) that he was an imposter. The fourth attempt to get Jesus to come down from the cross.

Stage 13 – The Seventh Mockery: Then one of the soldiers joined the mocking. He walked around to a position in front of the cross, and, placing his hands on his hips, looked up into the agonized face of Jesus and said: If You are the king of the Jews, save yourself. Then the other soldiers came up and offered Him wine vinegar and also mocked Him (Luke 27:36-37). The fifth attempt to get Jesus to come down from the cross.

Like the other two who were crucified with Him, Christ’s head was lowered at times, with chin touching chest. Again, moved by sudden spasms, His head tossed from one shoulder to the other and His eyes looked directly up into the sun as His lips moved. When His body sagged, in fatigue, its weight hung on the nails in His wrists and His knees bent far forward.

Stage 14 – The Eighth Mockery: In the same way the criminals who were crucified with Him also heaped insults on Him (Matthew 27:44; Mark 15:32b). One of the robbers who hung there hurled insults at Him as if he had a secret grievance against the stranger who was dying with him. He kept glaring across his right shoulder and at last, pushing himself up and exploded in anger: Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us (Luke 23:39)! He believed all of Christ’s messianic claims were lies, and he challenged the Lord to come down from the cross. Jesus said nothing. This was the ancient Serpent’s final attempt to keep Christ from dying for the sins of the world, past, present and future. The sixth attempt to get Jesus to come down from the cross.

Stage 15 – The Conversion of One of the Criminals: But the other zealot rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:40-41). Did the criminal on the cross become a believer? Jesus said He was (see below). His theology was crystal clear. He knew he was a sinner; he knew Christ was sinless; he knew Christ could save him and he knew Christ would come into His Kingdom. Was this robber baptized? No. Did he have a ministry? No. Did he comply with the 613 prohibitions and commandments of the Torah? No. Was he a member of a synagogue member? No. He was saved purely by his faith: Salvation = faith + nothing.

Stage 16 – Messiah’s Second Words from the Cross: Then the criminal took an extra deep breath before he started to sink again, and he said in humble desperation: Jesus, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.
We are guilty and He is innocent.
We are filthy and He is pure.
We are wrong and He is right.
Christ was not on the cross for His sins. He was there for ours.

And once the zealot understood this, his request seems only natural. As he looked into the eyes of his last hope, he made the same request any believer has made: Yeshua, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom. No stained-glass sermons. No excuses. Just a desperate plea for help.

Jesus raised Himself up, breathed painfully and performed the greatest miracle on the cross. Greater than the earthquake; greater than the tearing of the Temple curtain. He performed the miracle of forgiveness when He said: Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise (Luke 23:42-43).¹⁶⁰⁴ Salvation for that man was immediate (see Bw – What God Does for Us at the Moment of Faith). He knew that instant where he would spend eternity (Second Corinthians 12:4; Revelation 2:7). And the same is true for us. When we realize we are sinners and place our faith/trust/belief (Greek: pistos) in Yeshua’s death and resurrection, this assures us that we can immediately know where we will spend eternity (see Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (Second Corinthians 5:8 KJV). There is no such thing a purgatory, where the Catholic Church teaches that the sinner must suffer the full punishment due him or her before being allowed to enter heaven. That is a lie from the Enemy of souls.

The major physical effect of crucifixion, apart from the excruciating pain, was a significant interference with normal breathing, especially the ability to exhale. The weight of the body, pulling down on the outstretched arms and shoulders, would hinder passive exhalation. Shallow breathing from the diaphragm would result. It is likely that this breathing would become insufficient and that carbon dioxide would build up in the blood, which would hinder breathing even further. As a result, the ability to exhale would require the victim to push up on his feet, while flexing the elbows and lifting the shoulders. But that would place the entire weight of the body on the heels and would produce searing pain.

Flexing the elbows would cause rotation of the wrists where the nails had been driven and cause fiery pain in the arms. Lifting the body would also painfully scrape the flogged back against the rough wooden cross and would cause searing pain in the heels at the victim pushed up to try to breath. Muscle cramps and a burning sensation due to nerve damage in the outstretched, uplifted arms would add to the discomfort. As a cumulative result of all of this, the condemned would find it increasingly difficult to breathe. This up, down, up, down, up, down to try to breathe would eventually render the victim unable to push up to catch a quick breath. Each breath would become more agonizing and tiring, leading to lack of oxygen, and ultimately suffocation.¹⁶⁰⁵

Stage 17 – Messiah’s Third Words from the Cross: Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother. In the back of her mind, Mary had probably always suspected that this day would come. She had surely heard Jesus speak of His own death. The cloud of inevitable reality had probably hung over her mind since Yeshua was an infant. It was no doubt one of the things she pondered in her heart ever since Simeon had told her, “a sword will pierce your own soul” (Luke 2:35b CJB). Years later, when she stood and watched a Roman soldier thrust a sword into her son’s side, she must have truly felt as if a sword had pierced her own soul. At that very moment, she might well have recalled Simeon’s prophecy, and suddenly its true meaning came home to her with full force.

Just before He died, Jesus saw Miryam standing nearby with a small group of women and the apostle John. In addition to Yeshua’s mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene were also at the foot of the cross. Out of the depths of Messiah’s misery, He reached out to Miryam one last time. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the talmid whom he loved standing nearby. He pushed Himself up on the cross, so that He could speak. Clenching His teeth against the pain in His heels, using an economy of words, He said to her: Mother, this is your son, and to the talmid He said: This is your mother (John 19:25-27a CJB). Young Yochanan fastened his arm around Mary a little tighter. He looked into the eyes of his Messiah and nodded. He understood.

In her book Lost Women of the Bible, author Carolyn James describes Mary’s spiritual journey in more detail. Who was the broken woman leaning on John, the beloved apostle, at the foot of the cross? She had no husband. She was losing her firstborn, the pride and joy of the family. Had Miryam’s blessedness come to this? This certainly wasn’t the scene she envisioned when Gabriel spoke that glorious announcement to her more than thirty years before. The disgrace she feared at His birth paled against the shame and disgrace of a mother whose son was executed like as common criminal. Now instead of a jubilant chorus of angels heralding the Savior’s birth, she heard a savage mob demanding His death.

But really, who was this broken woman? She was Jesus’ first disciple. She had been one from the beginning – as a thirteen year old. She was a hearer and doer of God’s Word. Faced with the hard and costly choice, she blazed a path of faith and courage for all women – young and old – and demonstrated the power of a woman who will risk everything to advance God’s cause. Miryam is a hero in anyone’s book. She offers teenage girls today a stronger role model than most of the alternatives that call out to them. She sets an example for those of use who are adults also. Mary was the first to believe and lay down her life for the Gospel. She was the first to leave all and follow Jesus, first to love Him and minister to His body, first to hear and treasure His words, and the first to share in His sufferings. Incredible as it sounds, for a brief period of time, Miryam had Jesus all to herself.

In the epilogue of Mary’s story we find her right where she belongs – with John and the other disciples of the resurrected Lord, waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Shavu’ot (see my commentary on Acts Al – The Ruach Ha’Kodesh Comes at Shavu’ot). She had no prominent place. Like her Son, she was focused on her Father’s business. She was a widow, and her son was absent. But she still knew who she was. She was the blessed disciple – firmly established as a sister and a mother in the growing family of the Messiah. She was at peace. Her life hadn’t turned out as she expected, but her identity and mission were intact.¹⁶⁰⁶ Once the first messianic congregation was born, you never hear her name mentioned again in the B’rit Chadashah. Never again. It is clear that the early congregations of God never thought of praying to Mary, or even thought that she could help Jesus in His work of redemption like the Roman Catholic Church does today. As a mother, she had once taken care of all His needs; but in the final analysis, He was her Savior and provider. He should be no less for us today.¹⁶⁰⁷

His arms were now in a V position, but death was not ready. Yeshua Ha’Meshiach became conscious of two unendurable circumstances: the first was that the pain in His wrists was beyond bearing, and that the muscle cramps that knotted His forearms, upper arms and shoulders screamed with pain; the second was that His pectoral muscles at the sides of His chest were momentarily paralyzed. This induced in Him an involuntary panic; for He found that while He could draw air into His lungs, He was unable to exhale.¹⁶⁰⁸

The cross of Christ has moved many people – artists have painted the picture, songwriters have written music about it, and authors and preachers have sketched those moments with words. But there is a danger of dwelling on His death in a sympathetic way. The Messiah did not die to elicit anyone’s sympathy. He does not want your sympathy, He wants your trust. When the Lord was on His way to the cross, some women began to weep. Jesus turned to them and said: Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me; weep for yourselves and for your children (Luke 23:28). If you have tears for Jesus, save them for yourself and your family. Do not weep for Him, because He does not want any of your sympathy. Yeshua Meshiach wants your faith.¹⁶⁰⁹

Fifteen semicircular steps led from the Nicanor Gate and into the Court of the Women.  At the great feasts these magnificent steps served as a podium for the choir and the orchestra. From the Talmud Tractate thamid, we know exactly what Psalm would have been sung on which day of the week in connection with the daily burnt offering in the Temple. It is exceedingly impressive how the daily psalms astonishingly agree with each of the daily events during Holy Week. So as Jesus hung on the cross, the Levitical choir, with instrumental accompaniment from the Temple orchestra, sang Psalm 93:1-5.

On this Friday the united Roman and Jewish enemies rose like surging waves of the sea against the Son of God. ADONAI, the deep is raising up, the deep is raising up its voice, the deep is raising its crashing waves. More than the sound of rushing waters or the mighty breakers of the sea, ADONAI on high is mighty (Psalm 93:3-4 CJB). Yet they could do nothing against the sovereignty of God that stood exalted over them. ADONAI is king, robed in majesty; ADONAI is robed, girded with strength. The world is well established; it cannot be moved. Your throne was established long ago; You have existed forever (Psalm 93:1-2 CJB). Rather, in their blind rage they inadvertently fulfilled God’s plan of salvation, just as it was determined in His Word (Acts 4:27-28). Your instructions are very sure; holiness befits Your house, ADONAI, for all time to come (Psalm 93:5 CJB).¹⁶¹⁰

The Crucifixion
First Corinthians 1: 18

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (First Corinthians 1:18).

Crucifixion probably first began among the Persians. Alexander the Great introduced the practice to Egypt and Carthage, and the Romans appear to have learned of it from the Carthaginians. They had tried death by spear, by boiling in oil, impalement, stoning, strangulation, drowning, burning – and all had been found to be too quick. The Persians impaled the condemned (see my commentary on Esther Bf – So They Impaled Haman on the Pole He Had Set Up for Mordecai). That could be quick. They wanted a means of punishing criminals slowly, excruciatingly slowly – sometimes taking days to die – so they devised the cross. A secondary consideration was nudity. This added to the shame of the evildoer and, at the same time, made him helpless before the thousands of insects of the air, while carrion birds and the small animals usually held back until the crucified was dead.

Although the Romans did not invent crucifixion, they perfected it as a form of torture and capital punishment that was designed to produce slow death with maximum pain and suffering. The Roman world was largely unanimous in their belief that crucifixion was a horrific and disgusting business. The relative scarcity to references in Roman literature reflects their disgust for it. The cultured world wanted nothing to do with it, and as a rule kept quite about it. The Romans had taken away the right of the Jews to exercise the death penalty by stoning by the time Jesus was born.

Crucifixion was also a means of waging war and securing peace, of wearing down rebellious cities under siege, of breaking the will of conquered peoples and of bringing mutinous troops or unruly provinces under control. It was one of the most disgraceful and cruel methods of execution and usually was reserved only for slaves (Rome had a huge slave population that it needed to keep in check), foreigners, revolutionaries, and the vilest of criminals. Roman law usually protected Roman citizens from crucifixion, except perhaps in the case of desertion by soldiers or high treason by others.¹⁵⁹⁴

When man elevates his own wisdom he automatically attempts to lower God’s wisdom, which looks like foolishness, because it conflicts with his own thinking. That ADONAI would take human form, be crucified, and raised in order to provide forgiveness for our sins and entrance into heaven is an ideas far too simple, foolish and humbling for the natural mind to accept. That one man (even the Son of God) could die on a piece of wood on a nondescript hill in a nondescript part of the world and thereby determine the destiny of every person who has ever lived seems foolish. It allows no place for our merit, our attainment, our understanding or our pride. This message of the cross is foolishness (moria, from which we get moron). It is moronic, absolute nonsense, to unbelievers who rely on their own wisdom – to those who are perishing. Human wisdom can never understand the cross.¹⁵⁹⁵

The cross was also a highly offensive matter for the first believers and imposed a burden on them in their preaching. The enemies of the Way (Acts 9:2, 19:9 and 23, 22:4, 24:14 and 22), always referred to the death of Jesus Christ with great emphasis and pleasure. Gnosticism, which threatened the first believers, eliminated the problem of the cross by saying that the Son of God had only seemed to be crucified. But in reality, He did not really suffer. So the cross was both scandalous and a paradox at the same time.

It should be noted that the Torah in particular, and Jewish values in general, strongly condemned execution on the stake. Even in the Jewish court cases in which forty lashes might be fairly given, the religious authorities often held back one symbolic lash to reflect the Torah’s call for mercy (Deuteronomy 25:3; Second Corinthians 11:24). In the most extreme capital cases, the Talmud (based upon the Torah) specified only four possible means of execution – stoning, burning, strangling, or slaying by the sword (Tractate Sanhedrin 52a). In addition, these could be used only if they did not desecrate the physical body since all people, even criminals, are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). They were just a means of execution. Even burning was usually done only after the person had already been executed. There could be no cruel or unusual punishment, a value carried over in our Western society today.

Since capital punishment was such an egregious practice, the Sanhedrin ultimately stopped implementing it altogether, as reflected in the declaration of Rabbi Tarfon and Rabbi Akiva that, “Had we belonged to the Sanhedrin, during Judea’s independence, no person would ever have been executed” (Tractate Makkot 1:10). Of course, under the first-century Roman occupation, the right to carry out capital punishment was taken away from the Great Sanhedrin.

It is important to understand that Jews did not physically carry out the crucifixion of Yeshua, for two simple reasons. First, they lacked the authority to do so, and second, crucifixion was not the Jewish means of execution. Clearly there was a plan in place by the Great Sanhedrin (to see link click Lg – The Great Sanhedrin) to hand Messiah over to the Romans, and for that they must be held accountable (were they ever!). But it would not be Jews who drove the nails into the cross.¹⁵⁹⁶

Dear Heavenly Father: I thank You that You have purchased me from the slave market of sin and darkness, and brought me into Your own Kingdom of light. I joyfully announce I belong to You. I renounce the lie that I’m unworthy to be Your child and that You don’t love me. I accept and proclaim the truth that You loved me and died for me while I was still a sinner. I am now alive in Christ, I have been bought with a price, and I belong to You for all eternity. I commit myself and my body to You as a living sacrifice, that I may glorify You. In Jesus’ precious name I pray. Amen, He is faithful.¹⁵⁹⁷

1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given

Then They Brought Jesus to Golgotha,
the Place of the Skull
Matthew 27:31-34; Mark 15:20-23; Luke 23:26-31; John 19:16b-17
About 8:00 am Friday morning, the fifteenth of Nisan

Then they brought Jesus to Golgotha, the place of the skull DIG: What are the patibulum, the stipes and the titulus? Why was Simon needed to carry Messiah’s crossbeam? How did that affect him? Why did Jesus tell the women of Yerushalayim to weep? What did Yeshua mean when He said: For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry (Luke 23:31)? What was Golgotha, where was Golgotha, and what did it mean? Why did Jesus refuse to drink the wine mixed with myrrh (gall)? What did the cross mean to the lower classes?

REFLECT: It is human nature, when we have an unpleasant assignment ahead of us, to try to think of a way out of it. Yeshua knew from all eternity past that this day would come, but He resolutely set out for Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). When you read about the indescribable physical and emotional pain that the Suffering Servant endured, how do you feel about that? If Jesus could turn the titulus (the sign above His head) around and write a personal message to you on it, what do you think it would say? If you could write a personal message to Christ, what would you say to Him?

Yeshua’s sham trials are over. The verdict has been passed. The accused makes His way to the place of execution. Last-minute details take on particular importance – a passerby recruited to help carry the cross, women watching and weeping, and two other death-row criminals almost forgotten in the crowd, and a mocking sign – all these create a haunting scene of sacrifice. As you revisit this scene, what will you learn from the cross of Christ?¹⁵⁸⁷

There are 32 distinctive stages from the procession to Golgotha, to the sealing of the tomb.¹⁵⁸⁸

After the Roman soldiers had mocked Him, they took off the purple robe and put His clothes back on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him (Matthew 27:31; Mark 15:20). Jesus was led through the Gennath (Garden) Gate to Golgotha. There, outside the city walls of Yerushalayim, the crucifixion took place. Just as the sin offering was driven out of the Temple and the City, so it happened with the Lord Jesus Christ. The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the Camp of Isra’el. And so Yeshua also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through His own blood (Hebrews 13:11-12).

Stage 1 – Christ carrying the cross by Himself: So the soldiers took charge of Yeshua, making Him carry His own cross (John 19:16b-17a). It was customary for the condemned man to carry his own crossbeam (called the patibulum) to the waiting vertical post (called the stipes), if he was physically able after the flogging. Weighing from 75 to 125 pounds, it was placed across the nape of the victim’s neck and balanced along the shoulders. Its splinters quickly found their way to open the wounds on Christ’s shoulders. A complete Roman military guard, headed by a centurion, led the processional to the site of crucifixion.

One of the soldiers carried a sign, or titulus, on which the condemned man’s name and crime were displayed. Later, the titulus was attached to the top of the cross so that any passerby would know who was being executed and why. So if sedition was the charge, then that’s what the sign should read. But Pontius Pilate doesn’t forget a score to be settled. In a last attempt to get the better of Caiaphas, the governor had the inscription written in charcoal: THIS IS JESUS OF NAZARETH: KING OF THE JEWS. People on the rooftops gathered near the edge to watch the mournful march, to see the faces of the condemned and to try to read the signs of their offense. The men moved slowly because Jesus could not be urged to go faster than at a staggering gait. Along the sides of the road, pilgrims pressed against the walls and argued loudly for guilt or innocence as the parade meandered by. The soldiers moved the crowds back, when necessary with their spears, and the soldier who led on the horse shouted continuously for the people to make way for the soldiers of Rome.

Stage 2 – Simon of Cyrene: Jesus was apparently so weakened by the severe flogging that He could not carry the crossbeam from the praetorium to the site of the crucifixion. As the soldiers led Him away they seized Simon, from Cyrene, a city of Libya, the father of Alexander and Rufus, who was on his way in from the country. Libya is on the northern shore of Africa just opposite the Grecian peninsula. Jerusalem had received a Jewish settlement in the time of Ptolemy I, and the Jews formed an influential section there. At Zion, the name of Cyrene was associated with one of the synagogues (Acts 6:9), and we know that Jewish inhabitants of Cyrenaica were among the worshipers at Shavu’ot in the year of the crucifixion (Acts 2:10). If Simon had become a resident of the City, or was merely a visitor at the Passover, it is impossible to know for sure.¹⁵⁸⁹

The Roman soldiers put the crossbeam on him and made him carry it behind Jesus (Mt 27:32; Mk 15:21; Lk 23:26). The Lord had been up all night – first at His Seder and then at the garden of Gethsemane. From there, He was taken to Caiaphas, then to Annas, and then sent back to Caiaphas. Once convicted by the Sanhedrin, He was taken to Pilot, then to Herod Antipas, and back to Pilot to be condemned to the cross. By this time he probably hadn’t eaten in about twelve hours. As a former carpenter, Jesus knew how to carry lumber, but as a result of the flogging, the blood loss and the emotional stress, He was so weakened that He could not carry the crossbeam to Golgotha.¹⁵⁹⁰ The centurion must have become concerned as Jesus repeatedly stumbled. Should the prisoner die before reaching the cross, he would be held responsible. So, the pilgrim bystander, the African Jew named Simon, was recruited to carry the crossbeam for Yeshua. In Romans 16:13 Rufus is mentioned because he was then living in Rome and the believers there knew him. So this incident led to the conversion of Simon, his wife and his two sons Alexander and Rufus, mentioned in book of Romans.

The horseman started forward again, as slowly as possible. Simon followed behind Jesus and knew that this bleeding Jew was close to the point of total exhaustion because he had trouble moving his feet even with no crossbeam to carry. The pathetic parade moved down the street to the south, and then turned right.

Ahead was a formidable hill, leading to the Gennath (Garden) Gate. The walk to the cross was a little more than half finished. The spectators were not so numerous on the hill because it was a residential district. Many who read the signs asked, in forlorn sorrow, “Why did you do these things?” Jesus did not answer; the criminals walking behind Him did not answer.

Stage 3 – The Lament Over Jerusalem: A large number of people followed Him, including women who mourned and wailed for Him (Luke 23:27). Under Roman law, sympathy toward someone accused of a crime was permitted, but sympathy toward one condemned to death was forbidden. However, there was a society of charitable women. They presented gifts at circumcisions, betrothals and weddings, and gave money and tears when death visited poor families. As Jesus dragged His feet up the long hill, He was in such acute pain that the people who were standing by could hear His breathing, and among them were these charitable women. Their hearts were moved and, when one of them burst into tears, all began to sob. Many could no longer bear to look at Him.

Jesus stopped. His chest heaved with the effort to breath, and His gaze turned shakily from one woman to the next until He had seen them all and had seen their tears – the first shed for His death. It seemed for a moment that He would weep with them. Instead, His voice strained, He warned the women of the impending doom of Yerushalayim. And said to them: Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, “Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!” Then they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry (Luke 23:28-31)?

The centurion came running back and urged the column to continue its march. The women were staring at Jesus through wet eyes. They had heard the words, but they did not understand them. But it was if Yeshua was saying, “If they treat Me like this who is innocent, how will they treat you who are guilty?” This will be because of the curse of the blood when the people of Jerusalem cried out: His blood is on us and on our children (Matthew 27:25)! The finality of that curse will be the destruction of Yerushalayim in 70 AD. Then, mechanically, our Lord began the effort of lifting one foot in front of the other, trying to move forward again.

Beyond the horseman up ahead, Jesus could see the Gennath (Garden) Gate. The centurion hurried ahead of his column and tacked up a notice on the outside of the gate, which explained who would be executed that day at the pleasure of Tiberius Caesar, and for what crimes. It had been a long and difficult road for the Son of God, and it was almost a consolation to know that fifty more steps would bring Him to the pinnacle of His promise. The chance to die for everyone.

A tide of people squeezed through the Garden Gate. The horseman sat astride his animal between the giant doors and ordered the people to stand aside. The pilgrims arriving for the eight-day festival of Pesach and Unleavened Bread grumbled. Most of them had come from far away – this was the crossroads of Joppa-Jerusalem road and the north-south Samaria-Jerusalem road. They did not welcome further delay, because many of them had remained on the road all night to ensure getting to the Holy City before Shabbat began. Besides, they had made this trip in joy; but now it was so painful to see Romans putting Jews to death.

Stage 4 – The Arrival at the place of the skull: Then they brought Jesus to the place of the Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha, meaning the place of the skull (Mattityahu 27:33; Mark 15:22; Luke 23:33a; John 19:17a). The initial floggings took place within the walls of Yerushalayim, but the crucifixions themselves took place outside the City. It was a stone quarry, and therefore a place where the Jews stoned people to death. But the Romans had taken the death penalty away from them. So, instead of stoning, the Romans used the same site to execute their special kind of justice on the Roman cross. On a rocky bank nearby the execution site, there appeared to be a skull formed naturally out of rock. This picture was taken around 1900. Today the nose has collapsed and the mouth has been removed due to construction. Yeshua’s cross was a very short distance from Jerusalem’s city wall. In fact, anyone standing atop those walls would be able to view Jesus’ crucifixion at almost eye level and will be so close that they can hear every word He said if spoken loudly enough.¹⁵⁹¹  In the little descent behind it was a garden, bursting now with pink and red wild flowers. And about one hundred feet northwest, was a tomb newly hollowed out by Joseph of Arimathea.

A stranger could not mistake the fact that this was a place of execution, because three vertical wooden posts stood naked against the sky. Sometimes there were more, but there were never fewer than three. These were ordinary cypress posts, like those carried by the condemned men, except, at the top, they had been planed down so that the crossbeams could dovetail across them.

Jesus looked at them wearily. As tortured as He was physically, the worst was yet to come . . . spiritual separation, for the one time in all eternity, from the Father and the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. A crowd gathered, and in the front He saw the ceremonial hats of the Sadducees. The soldiers formed a perimeter line inside the roads, and, when they permitted a small group of people to come through onto Golgotha. Messiah tried to form His face into a smile because, among them He saw His mother.¹⁵⁹²

As the procession arrived atop Golgotha, the soldiers sent Simon away and he dropped the crossbar onto the dirt. Once the supervisor gave the signal, the death squad took control. The soldiers moved in quickly around the prisoners and began to strip them of their clothes. The executioner laid the crossbeam behind Jesus and brought Him to the ground quickly by grasping His arm and pulling Him backward. As soon as Christ fell, the crossbeam was fitted under the back of His neck and, on each side, soldiers quickly knelt down on the inside of the elbows. Jesus offered no resistance and said nothing, but He groaned as He fell on the back of His head and the thorns pressed against His torn scalp.

There were normally four Roman soldiers assigned to kill each criminal. His flogging wounds most likely would become torn open again and contaminated with dirt. Once begun, the matter was done quickly and efficiently. One of the four soldiers wore an apron with pockets. He placed two iron nails between his teeth and, hammer in hand, knelt beside the right arm. With his right hand, the executioner probed the wrist of Jesus to find the little hollow spot, directly behind where the so-called lifeline ends.

With arms outstretched, but not taut, the wrists were nailed to the crossbar as two soldiers put all their weight on each arm to hold it down. Although scriptural references are made to nails in the hands, these are not at odds with the archeological evidence of wrist wounds, since the people of that time period normally considered the wrist to be part of the hand. Hand washing, for instance, was from the tip of the fingers to the elbow. The archeological remains of a crucified body, found in an ossuary near Jerusalem and dating from the time of Christ, indicate that the nails were tapered iron spikes approximately 5 to 7 inches long with a square shaft about 3/8^th of an inch across. It has been shown that the ligaments and bones of the wrist can support the weight of a body hanging from them, but the palms cannot.

Then the executioner raised the hammer over the nail head and brought it down with force. Driving the nails into the wrists would avoid any bones and pass all the way through to the wood in just a few sharp swings of the hammer. But it would also crush or sever the rather large sensorimotor median nerve that would produce excruciating bolts of fiery pain down both arms. That, in turn, would produce a claw like grasp of the hands. When the cross was hoisted upward the victim’s body weight would be suspended from those two spikes. The bones kept the thin layer of muscle from ripping, preventing the person from falling forward.

The executioner then jumped across Jesus’ outstretched arms to the other wrist . . .

As soon as the soldier was satisfied that the Lord could not, in struggling, pull Himself loose and perhaps fall forward off the cross itself, he brought both of his arms up in rapid succession. This was the signal to lift the crossbeam.

Two soldiers grabbed each side of the crossbeam and lifted. As they pulled up, they dragged Jesus by the wrists. When the soldiers reached the upright post, they began to lift the crossbeam higher until the feet of Messiah were off the ground. Four soldiers could accomplish this with relative ease. But nevertheless, Jesus’ body writhed in pain. They kept pushing upwards until the crossbeam fit in the mortise joint of the wooden post. With every breath, He groaned. Caiaphas looked at the other Sadducees and said that this was a very poor example of a Messiah. In his time, the high priest said, he had seen much better.

When the crossbeam was set firmly, the executioner reached up and set the sign that listed the name of the prisoner and the nature of his crime. Next, the feet were nailed to the cross. Two soldiers hurried to help, and each took hold of a leg at the calf. This was probably the most difficult part of the work. If the feet were pulled downward, and nailed too close to the foot of the cross, the prisoner always died quickly. Over the years the Romans learned to push the feet upward on the cross, so that the condemned man could lean on the nails in his feet and push himself upward. To accomplish this, flexion of the knees may have been exaggerated and the bent legs were probably rotated laterally and a single seven-inch nail was driven through the Achilles’ tendon of both heels at the same time. A piece of acacia or pistacia wood was placed between the nail head and the heels to make sure they were pinned firmly to the wooden cross. Although there would be considerable blood loss during the crucifixion because of the flogging and the rubbing of the open wounds on the back against the splintery wooden cross as the criminal pushed up for air and then slumped down in exhaustion, the wrists and heels did not bleed very much since no major arteries were hit, other than perhaps the deep plantar arch.¹⁵⁹³

If the Romans wanted a victim to suffer for a longer period of time, they place a small seat called the sedecula, that jutted out halfway up the vertical post. This was nailed beneath the pelvis of the criminal and, as his fatigue increased, he tended to try to rest on the small seat. It prolonged the agony of the victim by preventing collapse. However, because the Romans usually tried as much as possible to respect the local laws of the people they had conquered, they knew they had to do their work relatively quickly. The Sabbath would begin at sundown on the same day.

The soldiers moved to the other two zealots, and went thru the same ritual with each.

Stage 5 – The Refusal to Drink Wine Mixed with Gall: There they tried to offer Jesus wine to drink, mixed with myrrh (gall); but after tasting it, he refused to drink it (Mattityahu 27:34; Mark 15:23). In an act of mercy, Roman law gave the victim given a bitter drink of wine mixed with gall as a mild painkiller. But the Lord refused it because He wanted to be in total control over His senses for what will happen next. He had to feel the fullness of the pain.

Because slaves where crucified more than any other group in the Roman empire, slaves, especially slaves, knew the horror of the cross in a more personal way than it was for members of the middle or upper class. As a result, to the natural mind, an alleged Son of God who could not save Himself at the time of His greatest need (Mark 15:31), and who rather required His followers to take up the cross, was also hardly attractive to the lower classes of Roman and Greek society. The lower classes knew all too well what the cross meant, to be paraded throughout the City disgraced, and then to be nailed to it. They feared it, and consequently, also wanted to get away from it at all costs.

Death on the cross was the penalty for slaves and everyone knew it. But He made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a slave, being made in human likeness (Philippians 2:7). The cross symbolized extreme humiliation, shame and torture. When Paul spoke of the crucified Christ (First Corinthians 1:23 and 2:2; Galatians 3:1), it would be equivalent to the death penalty by the electric chair today. How would you feel today if believers went around with little electric chairs around their necks? How about making the sign of the electric chair? Electric chairs would be on the tops of churches. We would sing the Old Rugged Electric Chair, or Old Sparky. Is this offensive to you? That’s the point.

The cross never became a symbol of suffering for Isra’el. Deuteronomy 21:23b said: Anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse (see the commentary on Galatians, to see link click Bk – Cursed is Everyone Who Hangs on a Tree). So crucifixion was taboo as a form of capital punishment and became especially scandalous when the Romans imposed it on them. Therefore, a crucified Messiah could not be accepted either!

For the early messianic community, becoming more like Christ in His sufferings and death on the cross called for a revolutionary new element in the preaching of the Gospel (Philippians 2:8). It caused offense, but the very offense itself was the heart of the Gospel message. It was, and is, impossible to separate Christianity, or Messianic Judaism, from the cross. The tip cannot be broken off of the spear for it to be of any use at all. Rabbi Sha’ul said in his letter to the church at Corinth: I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified (First Corinthians 2:2).

A crowd watched from the base of the hill. Among them were Messiah’s faithful disciple Mary Magdalene and His mother, Miryam. John had forewarned her what was going to happen to her firstborn son, but she chose to come anyway. She knew she had to be there. But now all she can do is look upon Him in agony.

And so it was that Jesus of Nazareth hung on the old rugged cross.

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame; and I love that old cross where the dearest and best, for a world of lost sinners, was slain.

So I’ll cherish that old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross and exchange it some day for a crown.

George Bennard, 1913 (Second Corinthians 1:22-25)

The Soldiers Mock Jesus
Matthew 27:27-30; Mark 15:16-19; John 19:2-3
About 7:30 am on Friday morning, the fifteenth of Nisan

The soldiers mock Jesus DIG: Why were the soldiers so cruel in this case? Why do you think all of them came out to watch the Nazarene being flogged? What physical effects were starting to become evident? What did the crown of thorns represent? What prophecy did the soldiers unwittingly fulfill?

REFLECT: Have you ever done something you thought would please God but turned out to have just the opposite effect? Messiah had been beaten to a pulp and mocked. When He gave Himself up in the garden of Gethsemane, He knew this would happen. Humanly speaking, do you think He experienced fear, abandonment, even desperation? Why do you think His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground in the Garden (Luke 22:44)? Which do you think was worse, the physical pain or emotional pain? Why?

The tribune took Jesus by the arm and led Him into an adjourning enclosed courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard were three small stone pillars, each about three feet tall. Each one had embedded in it two big iron rings. After stripping Yeshua, He was taken to the nearest post and pulled down so that both wrists were tied to a ring, making Him unable to move. Stripped naked, His back, buttocks and legs were exposed.¹⁵⁸⁰

Roman flogging was called the halfway death because it was supposed to stop this side of death. The dreaded verberatio always preceded the crucifixion. Two Roman soldiers stood behind Him, one on each side. Each held a wooden handled whip called a flagrum, from which there hung three strips of leather, each about three feet long. Knotted leather thongs caused the least damage, while metal weights braided into the straps caused deep contusions and even rib fracture. Some flagrum braided small shards of sheep bone into the straps, which tore the victim’s flesh with each lash. Victims who didn’t die immediately of shock often succumbed to infection later.¹⁵⁸¹ A third soldier stood by holding an abacus so he might keep track of the number of blows inflicted. A fourth soldier was responsible for tying and chaining the victim to the flogging pole. He stood ready to replace any soldier who tired of his duty and watching over all of them was the supervisor.

So after being manacled and stripped, it began. The Son of God felt the lash. Unlike a woman giving birth, there was no time to rest between contractions. The instant one soldier pulled back his whip – the other struck with full force. The leather strips with the braided weights or sheep bones would cut into and beneath the skin. Then, as the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering muscles and bleeding flesh. Many times bones were exposed. It would not take more than three minutes. Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock.

Quoting Isaiah, Peter wrote: By His wounds [or stripes NKJV] you have been healed (First Peter 2:24). This gives us a vivid picture of how our Lord’s back looked after flogging. The word translated wounds or stripes is singular in the Greek. It refers to a bloody disfiguration trickling with blood that came as a result of the flogging. Yeshua’s back was so lacerated by the verberatio that it was one mass of open, raw, quivering flesh trickling with blood, not a series of wounds or stripes.¹⁵⁸²

The severity of the flogging, however, depended on the disposition of the soldiers and was intended to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse. The amount of blood loss may well have determined how long the victim would survive on the cross. The length of survival on the cross generally ranged from three or four hours, to three or four days depending on the severity of the flogging. Afterwards, the soldiers often taunted their victim.¹⁵⁸³ Many died from the flogging itself, never living to be crucified.

After the flogging, Jesus was unchained and helped to His feet and they got him dressed. The severity of the flogging, with its intense pain and appreciable blood loss, most likely left Him in a pre-shock state. The lash marks extend from Messiah’s back, down to His calves. One cannot imagine carrying a heavy wooden cross on top of the wounds that He suffered. The Roman soldiers had clearly done their job. Striking with surgical precision, they had almost beaten the Lord to death. But the governor had made it crystal clear that they were not to kill Him. That would be left for another team of Roman executioners.

Although the soldiers of the governor were under Pilate’s orders have Yeshua flogged, they exhibited their own wickedness by far exceeding what basic duty required. The soldiers probably shared the procurators’ hatred of Jews and took this opportunity to vent their anger on a Jew condemned by fellow Jews. Although in an extreme way, they expressed the natural wickedness of every human heart that is ignorant of ADONAI.

The tribune ordered a soldier to help Jesus stand. He could not remain standing without two hands under His arms. Yeshua was held in this position until He felt a slight return to strength. Then He was permitted to sit on the stone column. Little by little, His entire body began to throb with pain. It began as a pulsing thing, dull and debilitating, and it continued to build until His entire body screamed with agony.

No one felt pity for Him. To the soldiers’ way of thinking, any man who permitted himself to get into this position was either stupid or corrupt. And considering how they had been treated by the Jews, they would not have felt pity even if they had understood the emotion. Just as the high priest sincerely felt that the Great Sanhedrin was striking a blow for ADONAI in plotting against Jesus, so too these soldiers were certain that, in beating Him half to death, they were performing a routine duty.

The Roman soldiers were amused that this weakened man had claimed to be a king, so they would dress Jesus like a king . . . a comic king. It would be in the same manner as Herod’s joke, but exaggerated. As they prepared, the victim sat, thin and bearded and subject to shivering, which started in spasms and shook His whole body and rattled His teeth. He looked up into the sun and His face was a suffering mask.

Then the governor’s soldiers had taken Jesus into an enclosed courtyard of the praetorium. Once inside they summoned the whole Roman cohort and gathered around the perimeter to watch in amusement. Normally, a cohort was 500 soldiers, but Matthew may not be using the term in its technical sense.¹⁵⁸⁴ The Greek word speira often means cohort, but it can also signify the Roman manipulus, the smallest tactical unit within the Roman army and roughly one-third that number. So this may have been a manipulus of about 200 soldiers that had accompanied the Roman governor to Jerusalem from Caesarea (Matthew 27:27; Mark 15:16). However, whatever the number, it was quite the show for the bored soldiers.

After the brutal torture of the flogging Jesus would have been in no state to resist even if He had wished. They stripped Him again, and to further amuse themselves, they put their own purple robe (the color of kings) on Him. Then the soldiers twisted together their own crown of thorns and set it on His head (Matthew 27:28; Mark 15:17; John 19:2). That day, the crown, which is normally a symbol of royalty and honor, was turned into a tool of mockery and hate. Yet, our Savior willingly wore that thorny crown for us, bearing our sin and shame. The One who deserved the best of all crowns took the worst for us.¹⁵⁸⁵

Little did those soldiers realize that the crown of thorns pictured Jesus bearing the curse of Adam. Messiah did, in fact, come to Isra’el and the whole world to be King and also to reverse the curse on a fallen world (see my commentary on Genesis, to see link click Bg –Cursed is the Ground Because of You, Through Painful Toil You Will Eat of It). Over and over again the prophets said that one of the main works of Messiah would be the restoration of a fallen paradise. As a result, the crown of thorns that the mocking soldiers gouged into the head of the Suffering Servant demonstrated a remarkable spiritual truth and a painful reminder of work of redemption that He would ultimately fulfill.

The soldiers stepped back to admire their handiwork. Then they put a staff in His right hand. Then they knelt in front of Him and mocked Him. They began to call out to Him again and again, saying, “Hail (Rejoice), king of the Jews,” which paralleled the formal Roman praise, “Ave, Caesar.” And they slapped Him in the face (Matthew 27:29; Mark 15:18; John 19:3)! What a tragic figure Jesus presented at that moment. This was the fourth mockery. When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges rightly (First Peter 2:23). Through it all, the Lord suffered in silence, knowing that it was all part of His Fahter’s plan of purchasing lost sinners through the shedding of His blood.

Falling on their knees, they mockingly paid homage to Him. But Jesus did not answer, and had not said a word since the flogging began. Then they spit on Him and slapped Him in the face. But the soldiers weren’t done yet, as they took the staff and struck Him on the head again and again (Matthew 27:30; Mark 15:19; John 19:3)! The words again and again reflect the imperfect tense of the Greek verbs. They kept on slapping Yeshua in the face, spitting on Him, and they continually struck Him on the head. It was not unusual for a convicted criminal to actually die from the torture even before reaching the point of death on the cross. Seven hundred years before our Lord’s suffering, Isaiah had a vision of Jesus’ face after the inhuman treatment of those frenzied soldiers. Isaiah tells us that His face was so disfigured that He was hardly recognizable. There were many who were appalled at Him – His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man His form marred beyond human likeness (Isaiah 52:14). Unwittingly they had fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy.

The severe flogging, with its intense pain and appreciable blood less, most probably left the Lamb of God in a pre-shock state. The physical and mental abuse given out by the Romans, as well as the lack of food, water and sleep, also contributed to His generally weakened condition. So, even before the actual crucifixion Jesus’ physical condition was at least serious and possibly critical.¹⁵⁸⁶ Then they led the prisoner back to Pilate for sentencing.

Jesus Sentenced to Be Crucified
Mt 27:15-26; Mk 15:6-15; Lk 23:13-25; Jn 18:39 to 19:1, 4-16a
About 7:00 am Friday morning, the fifteenth of Nisan

Jesus sentenced to be crucified DIG: Why do the people, after witnessing Yeshua’s miracles, hearing His teaching, and praising Him with hosannas, now demand that Jesus be crucified? Why does Pilate grant their request? What insights into the gospel do you see in the release of bar-Abbas in exchange for Christ (Mark 8:37 and 10:45)? What mental, physical, and emotional brutality do the soldiers inflict on Messiah? Why? Did their mockery stem from fear, anger, unbelief, or what?

REFLECT: When, if ever, have you been caught up in the enthusiasm of a group and done what, in hindsight, you knew was wrong or sinful? What would you think if your ancient relatives make an oath that you were held responsible for? How does the story of bar-Abbas illustrate what Jesus has done for you? In our journey through life, we come to forks in the road. Our decision to trust in Christ is the most crucial choice we make, but it is the first of many. Each day we must choose which kingdom we will serve. Do you feel like you usually submit to truth or succumb to power?¹⁵⁶²

If Pontius Pilate thought he had escaped from Caiaphas’ snare he was wrong. For soon the entire Jewish group that he had previously tried to get rid of a short time ago managed to find their way back on his doorstep again. He had hoped that Herod Antipas would have taken the problem off of his hands but that plan hadn’t worked. He was going to have to deal with this unpleasant issue himself. The procurator tried several times to release Jesus, but was blocked at every turn by the Jewish religious leaders and the providence of God.

Pilate noticed at once that Herod Antipas had mocked Jesus’ claim of being a king by returning Him with a purple robe draped over His shoulders. The governor interpreted this to mean that, to Herod at least, the Nazarene was comical. A clown among kings.

The party arrived under the double arch of the praetorium and word was sent in that Antipas had interviewed the prisoner and had found Him innocent of any crime against Galilee. In a few minuets Pilate came out for the third time with his men and again sat in the curule chair in the courtyard. He smiled faintly as the parties to the action assumed their places because the procurator thought that he had won a victory. He had acquitted Jesus once and Herod Antipas had come to the same conclusion. The spiteful little man was ready to squeeze a small triumph from his enemies.

Pilate called together the Sadducees, the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion.” Then, trying to release Him, Jesus, Pilot continued: I have personally examined Him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against Him. Neither has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; as you can see. Then this is my verdict. He has done nothing to deserve death (Luke 23:13-15). Over and over again the governor declared Jesus to be innocent of the charges against Him. But the mob, on signal, began to cry for vengeance.

He stood, having pronounced a second verdict. But the amount of venom from the crowd was so shattering that, for an instant, Pilate lost his poise and turned and looked at the people. For a moment, his eyes showed that he was more frightened than he was the governor. So they cried out again, saying, “Not this man, but bar-Abbas.” Now bar-Abbas was a robber (John 18:40 NASB). Out of the roar of the crowd, the procurator heard parts of words or phrases, and realized that some were asking a Passover pardon for a prisoner named bar-Abbas. Pilate suddenly realized he could resolve his problem. The potential solution sat in a cell roughly two thousand feet from the praetorium: a well-known robber. He wasn’t merely a petty thief. The Greek term describes what we would call a terrorist, a zealot. Rome hated robbers and pirates who disrupted trade over land and sea. But in Judea, robbery and murder came with a political agenda.¹⁵⁶³

Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival of Pesach to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd (Matthew 27:15; Mark 15:6). This action would be doubly symbolic for this festival, which, at its core, is a celebration of freedom from slavery. Without question, the Romans followed this custom with the hope that the compassionate gesture would foster a good relationship with the people that they had conquered.¹⁵⁶⁴

At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was bar-Abbas. It is ironic that bar-Abbas was guilty of the very crime that Jesus was being accused of – sedition against Rome. He was in prison with the zealots who had committed murder in the uprising. But the irony goes even further. We know from secular sources that his full name was Yeshua bar-Abbas, which means salvation, son of the father. So while bar-Abbas was actually guilty, true salvation, Son of the Father, Yeshua the Messiah, was not guilty. Therefore, the crowd forced its way up to the praetorium and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did (Matthew 27:16; Mark 15:7-8).

So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate declared: It is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the festival [of Passover] (Matthew 27:17a; John 18:39a). This is the fourth of four Passovers mentioned in the ministry of Christ. The first is mentioned in John 2:13. The second mentioned in John 5:1, the third is referred to in John 6:4, and the fourth in John 11:55, 12:1, 13:1, 18:28 and here in 18:39, and 19:14 see below. By dating these, we are able to conclude that His public ministry lasted three-and-a-half years.¹⁵⁶⁵

So Pilate decided to use the Passover pardon to close the case on Jesus. He thought he could tempt the mob into releasing the Nazarene by giving them a less attractive option. If the Jews chose to release bar-Abbas, a genuine enemy of Rome, they risked damaging the good will of Tiberius. Certainly, they would choose to release the innocent man rather than invite the wrath of Caesar. But the governor underestimated the Sanhedrin’s hatred for Christ.¹⁵⁶⁶ He turned to the crowd and held up both hands for quiet, and then he said: Which one do you want me to release to you? Yeshua bar-Abbas, or Yeshua who is called the Messiah? This was a truly fatal question poorly phrased. The crowd was made up of two factions: a vast majority who backed the Great Sanhedrin and wanted Jesus dead, and a minority of disciples who wanted Yeshua freed. The procurator promised that whomever the people chose, he would punish him and then release him (Mattityahu 27:17b; Mark 15:9; Luke 23:16; Yochanan 18:39b).

The Roman governor knew it was out of self-interest that the Sadducees had handed Jesus over to him (Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10). The Greek word knew is eginosken, meaning it gradually dawned on him. Their pretense of loyalty to the emperor was too flimsy for him to believe. Like a political shark, he knew the real reason was what it always came down to in his mind, self-interest, and they were swimming in his waters.

Just before the Messiah was brought before the masses of people, Pilot received a disturbing message from his wife (art by Sarah Beth Baca: see more information on Links and Resources). While he was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of Him” (Matthew 27:19). But the Sadducees and the elders stirred up the crowd to ask for bar-Abbas’ release and to have Yeshua executed on the stake. “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. The response surprised Pilate because he didn’t realize that the mob in front of him didn’t represent the true feelings of the approximately one million people who had crowded into Jerusalem for the Passover. But it seemed like the whole crowd shouted back almost in chorus: Away with this man! Give us bar-Abbas. By this time the priests didn’t have to prompt the people.

Besides the obvious sovereignty of God, quite likely the Jerusalem crowd preferred bar-Abbas because he was a zealot, committed to active resistance against Rome. He had been thrown into prison for an insurrection and murder in the City of David (Matthew 27:20-21; Mark 15:11 CJB; Luke 23:18-19; John 18:40). When this failed, Pilate made another attempt to release Jesus.

Then, in an effort to appease the crowd, Pilate had Jesus cruelly whipped (John 19:1). This was the third mockery. At that time the Romans used three forms of punishment: the fustigatio, was a less severe whipping meted out for relatively light offenses such as criminal activity; the flagellatio, a more serious, cruel whipping for greater offenses; but the verberatio, a flogging, was the most terrible of all and the one that always preceded the crucifixion. It was so terrible that it was not unusual for a man to die from the flogging before reaching the cross to be crucified. Consequently, it appears the Jesus was abused twice on Friday, the fifteenth of Nisan – first, here, with flagellatio, a cruel whipping in an effort to appease the Jewish mob; and then secondly, when that didn’t work, the dreaded verberatio in preparation for the cross.

For the fourth time Pilate came out and sat in his chair. He had hoped that seeing Jesus mocked, humiliated and beaten would satisfy the angry crowd in his courtyard. But they would accept nothing less a sentence of crucifixion. This time he seemed impatient. He glanced angrily at the crowd and, raising his right hand high, he said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against Him” (John 19:4)! This was another declaration of His innocence.

But the concession by Pilate to have Jesus cruelly whipped had failed. Wanting to release Christ, Pilate appealed to them again, saying: What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the king of the Jews? Pilate asked them. What do you do with a man who claims to be God, but hates religion? What do you do with a man who calls himself Savior, yet condemns systems? What do you do with a man who knows the place and time of His death, yet goes anyway? You can either accept Him or reject Him. Perhaps the crowd resented his desire to dictate their answer, and, with fickle cruelty, the mob all kept shouting, “Crucify Him!” “Crucify Him” (Matthew 27:22; Mark 15:12-13; Luke 23:20-21)!

Shocked, Pilate dropped the prisoner’s hand and continued to speak to them. Still reluctant, he asked: Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have Him punished and then release Him. But as soon as the Sadducees and their officials saw Jesus, they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him,” “Crucify!” “Crucify!” But Pilate answered: You take Him and crucify Him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against Him (Matthew 27:23; Mark 15:14; Luke 23:22; John 19:6). But it was useless.

Then the Jewish leaders came up with the real reason they wanted Him crucified. They insisted:We have a commandment, and according to the Torah He must die, because He claimed to be the Son of God (John 19:7). This caught Pilate off guard. The title “Son of God” was especially meaningful to the Romans. In fact, Caesar Augustus declared himself the son of god because he was heir to the power and title of Julius Caesar, who had been declared god. The governor was at his wit’s end.

When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid. He turned on his gilded sandals and walked quickly back inside to his headquarters for a second private interview with Christ. Once inside, it was the procurator who seemed pressured. “Where do You come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. Insolence! Do You refuse to speak to me? It seemed like he was trying to save a man who wasn’t interested in being saved. Agitated, Pilate spoke slowly through his teeth: Don’t you realize I have power either to free You or to crucify You? But Yeshua let the Roman governor know who was really in control. With dry broken lips He answered in a hoarse voice: You would have no power over Me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore, the one who handed Me over to you is guilty of a greater sin (John 19:8-11). Pontius Pilate was running out of time and options.

The governor continued to try his best and set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar” (John 19:12). This got his attention. Unfortunately for Pilate, two years earlier in 31 AD Tiberius had discovered his good friend Sejanus (to see link click Lo – Jesus Before Pilate) had poisoned the emperor’s son Drusus and executed the traitor. So Pilate would find no help from Rome. The last thing he needed was someone who claimed that he was no friend of Caesar. Then to release someone who claimed to be king of the Jews, and a competitor to Caesar, was unthinkable. He wasn’t going to risk his life for this Jew, even if He did claim to be the Son of God.¹⁵⁶⁷

On the other hand, the procurator didn’t really have to make an immediate judgment. He could merely sent Jesus to the Antonia Fortress to be held until further notice. In fact, Pilot could hold Yeshua there until after the Passover – perhaps long after the Passover, when he had already left town. But he could also tell the Jews were intent on action and action immediately. Otherwise there would be trouble with them and for his own sake he didn’t need trouble with the Jews. What was this Jewish prisoner to him? So, he finally sent Caiaphas on his way and reluctantly accepted custody of the Nazarene. The fate of Messiah was then in the hands of Rome.

One might think there were tens of thousands of people shouting at Pilate. But recent archaeological discoveries have confirmed that the area was only large enough to hold little more than a hundred people. So the crowd that passionately opposed Jesus was comparatively small and surely didn’t represent every Jew in the City, let alone the entire Jewish world! Obviously their actions in the heat of the moment can’t be applied to all future Jewish generations.¹⁵⁶⁸

It was the day of Preparation of the Passover, and Shabbat would begin at sundown that late afternoon. Preparation day is, therefore, the day before the Sabbath. This is standard Jewish language found in all rabbinic literature, and it always means the sixth day of the week, or Friday. They were starting to mentally prepare themselves for Queen Sabbath. In other words, it was Friday, the fifteenth of Nisan during the Passover celebration. It was to be a special Sabbath, or a high Sabbath, because it was also the first day of Pesach (Mark 15:42a; John 19:14a, 31a 23:54).

It was about the sixth hour (John 19:14b NASB). According to the famous messianic Jew Alfred Edersheim, in the Fourth gospel time is reckoned not according to the Jewish mode, but according to the Roman civil day, from midnight to midnight.¹⁵⁶⁹  Here, John speaks of the trial as still not being completed at about the sixth hour, or 6:00 am as the Romans calculated time.¹⁵⁷⁰ We have estimated Pilot’s sentencing to be about 7:00 am. So that puts us in about the right time frame.

When Pilate heard the crowd shout, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar,” he immediately brought the Nazarene out and he himself sat down on the judge’s seat called the bema (John 19:12-13a). It was a raised platform from which official decrees were read, including verdicts and sentences in criminal trials.¹⁵⁷¹ It had the advantages of a private entrance for Pilate, and it also provided a place where prisoners such as Jesus could be led out and tried, then quietly walked back to their prison cells. Yeshua was judged at the bema seat of Pilate, and as believers, we will be judged at the bema seat of Christ (see my commentary on Revelation Cc – We Must All Appear Before the Judgment Seat of Christ).

At a place known as the Pavement of stone, which in Aramaic is Gabbatha (John 19:13b). It was an open-air courtyard paved with flagstones within the praetorium, which served as military housing for the Romans guarding the procurator. The courtyard was next to Pilate’s residence, so the Jewish delegation didn’t technically violate the Sabbath and were permitted to enter on the day of Preparation of the Passover. That explains the presence of the Sadducees who, representing Caiaphas, made sure the sentence handed down by the Sanhedrin was carried out.

Then Pilate had the tribune take Jesus out to be flogged (at this point, please stop and read Lr – The Soldiers Mock Jesus).

The crowd was hushed and Pilate was about to speak when he saw the prisoner return from His flogging. Caiaphas also looked across the polished stones to the left and saw a tribune and some soldiers leading Jesus out of the adjacent courtyard. The prisoner could not be seen, because two of the soldiers in front blocked the view. But the slowness of the procession indicated that the prisoner was not in good condition. The group drew up close to the arches beside the procurator. Then the soldiers pulled away, and Jesus was left standing, with but two soldiers flanking him and holding him erect.

The Son of God came out wearing the crown of thorns and [the soldiers] own purple robe. Some in the crowd gasped. Their eyes showing the horror set before them, and some turned away in disgust. This man was a shocking sight. The hair, under the thorns, was damp and discolored. The face was so marred that individual features were almost indistinguishable, and the body teetered slowly backward. The soldiers leaned closer to keep Him erect. His eyes were glazed over as He stared straight ahead.¹⁵⁷²

Pilate said to the crowd, “Here is your king!” Their response was predictable. With loud shouts they insistently demanded that Jesus be crucified, “Take Him away! Crucify Him! Execute Him on a stake like a common criminal.” Pilate asked: Shall I crucify your king?” The Sadducees answered: We have no king but Caesar. These were the very ones who tried to trap Jesus with their question about paying taxes to Caesar (see Iz – Is It Right For Us to Pay Taxes to Caesar or Not?). Now they themselves rejected the Jewish king and accepted a Gentile one when they cried out: We have no king but Caesar. And their shouts prevailed (Luke 23:23; John 19:5 and 15).

When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, and seemed a little perplexed by the crowd’s choice. But when he saw where all the turmoil was leading, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. This was a Jewish symbol, not a Roman one. Moshe had established it in Deuteronomy 21. In its original form, it concerned the action to be taken in the atonement for an unsolved murder. The elders and judges of the nearest town from which the body was found had to kill a heifer and wash their hands over it, saying: Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done.” Then the bloodshed will be atoned for, and you will have purged from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood (Deuteronomy 21:1-9).¹⁵⁷³ This declaration of innocence was the most strategic because it came right from the judgment seat itself. I am innocent of this man’s blood, he declared. It is your responsibility (Matthew 27:24)!

All the people in the small courtyard answered, including the religious leaders, saying: His blood is on us and on our children (Mattityahu 27:25)! But unwittingly they took upon themselves the curse of the blood. This curse, however, does not go beyond 70 AD (see the details of this curse in It – The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem as the Passover Lamb). If the Jews were the only ones who killed Jesus, then He didn’t die for anyone else. But He died for all, not just the Jews. Everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, is a sinner. By sinning, everyone killed Him. So everyone, not just the Jews, is guilty of His death (Yochanan 3:16; Romans 3:23, 5:7-8; First John 2:1).¹⁵⁷⁴

Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate decided to grant their demand and released bar-Abbas to them. He was the zealot who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder (Matthew 27:26a; Mark 15:15; Luke 23:24-25a). Some argue that Pilate’s protests against putting Yeshua to death show that he did not want to do it, and therefore little blame rests with him. To this is added the argument that Messiah Himself says there is one whose blame in the matter is greater than Pilate’s (John 19:11). If these arguments are true, they support anti-Semitism: the Jews and not the Gentiles (as represented by Pontus Pilate) are responsible for the death of Jesus.

But these verses above take pains to show just how weak-willed and unconcerned for justice the procurator was. The yelling and shouting of the mob prevailed over him. He decided (the Greek can mean passed judgment) to grant their demand rather than the righteous demand of justice. He released a man whose black character Luke paints with the words insurrection and murder. Consequently, Pilate not only surrendered his feeble intentions but his commission under Roman law and under God (for Genesis 9:5-6, which establishes human government to protect human life, applies to Gentiles as well as to Jews), not to do the will of the Jewish people as a whole but to do the will of an unruly mob.¹⁵⁷⁵

Whether he knew it or not, Pilate stood at the crucial juncture in his life. He had to decide which kingdom he would serve. Tiberius or Jesus. The kingdoms of earth or the kingdom of heaven? Power or truth? But as most politicians do, public popularity trumped personal integrity. When forced to choose, he elected to trust in power, and to serve Rome. He did what was politically expedient. If he had rendered a “not guilty” verdict and released Jesus, it would have destroyed his political career and probably would have invited severe punishment from Rome. So, instead of submitting to kingdom of God, Pilate set the truth aside for the sake of power, earthly success and short-term comfort.¹⁵⁷⁶

Although Pilate believed he was washing his hands of this matter, he is far from innocent. The responsibility belonged to him alone. Only the Roman governor possessed the ius gladii – “the right of the sword,” or, as it is also known, the right to execute.¹⁵⁷⁷ Pilate’s washing of his hands did not dismiss his role in Christ’s death. This washing was a futile gesture. In the book of Acts his role in the crucifixion is clearly stated by both Peter and Paul (Acts 3:13, 4:27 and 13:28). Nor has the Church ever forgotten his role. Among the earliest creeds of Church, the Apostle’s Creed, says, “He suffered under Pontius Pilate.” In 36 AD Pilate was banished to Gaul, by Emperor Caligula, and there he committed suicide. He paid dearly for his role in the death of the Messiah.¹⁵⁷⁸

Caiaphas and his colleagues from the Sanhedrin could not help looking pleased. Once more they had beaten this stubborn Gentile and beaten him soundly. Pilate correctly judged the temper of the crowd to be getting out of hand. He didn’t want to have a riot at the gates to his headquarters and he surely didn’t want to be known as the instigator. So, he gathered what dignity he had left, and, turning from the gates, ordered the tribune to release bar-Abbas at once.

Then Pontius Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified (Matthew 27:26b; Luke 23:25b; John 19:16a). It was about 8:00 am. Yeshua, the real Son of the Father, would die, while bar-Abbas, the one who claimed to be the son of the father, was released. The one deserving of death was freed, and the innocent One was crucified.

In 1915 Pastor William Barton started to publish a series articles. Using the archaic language of an ancient storyteller, he wrote his parables under the pen name of Safed the Sage. And for the next fifteen years he shared the wisdom of Safed and his enduring spouse Keturah. It was a genre he enjoyed. By the early 1920s, Safed was said to have a following of at least three million. Turning an ordinary event into an illustration of a spiritual truth was always a keynote of Barton’s ministry.

I rode upon a Railway Train, Somewhere in Kansas, and the Train stopped Thirty Minutes for Lunch. And at one end of the Station was there a little Park, with two great Sun Dials, where one showed Central Time and the other showed Mountain Time. And the Park was attractive, and had Cost the Railway Some Coin, and the result was worth it.

Now there stood in the little Park, right by the Train, a strong White Post, about four feet high. And there was a framed in the top of the post an old-time Drawbar, with a Coupling-Pin and a Link. And upon the Post was painted in Black Letters: Lest We Forget.

And I said to myself, It may be that this is the town where the man lived who first invented the Safety Coupler.

And I entered the Station, and I asked the Young Man who was the Clerk of the Station Hotel. And I ask of him, saying: Why is that Post with the old Drawbar erected in this Town rather than in another?

And he said, Where is it at? For I have never seen it.

And I inquired of another, and he said, Search me; for I have never noticed it.

And I inquired of the Station Agent, and he said, I once knew, but I have forgotten.

Then the Conductor said, All Aboard, and I got on board.

And I considered the days of my boyhood, when I played about the Railroad Cars, and I knew the men who worked on them; and many of them had lost fingers that were crushed in coupling cars. And many lost their hands, and others lost their lives.

And I said, See, there was one who considered all these things, and sat up nights, and by chance pawned his Shirt that he might invent a method of avoiding all this. And here is his memorial, marked: Lest We Forget. And some pass by it every day and never see it; and others once knew its meaning but they have forgotten.

And I looked out of the train window as we moved along, and I beheld a Church, and upon the Church was a Steeple, and upon the Steeple was a Cross.

And I thought of the multitudes who continually pass it by,
and I was grieved in my heart; for I said, Among them
are those who say, I have never seen it; and
others say, I have seen it, but what it
means, I do not know. And
others say, Wow, I once
knew, but I have
forgotten.
¹⁵⁷⁹

When Herod Saw Jesus, He Was Greatly Pleased
Luke 23: 8-12
About 6:30 am Friday morning, the fifteenth of Nisan

When Jesus saw Jesus, He was greatly pleased DIG:What does Pilate’s referral of the case to Herod show about the seriousness with which he viewed Christ as a threat? What do you learn about Herod’s character? What did he want from Jesus? Why didn’t Messiah answer him at all? How do you account for the new friendship between Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas?

REFLECT: When was the last time you were mistreated? Mocked? Abused? Were you a doormat? Should you be a doormat? Was Christ a wimp? What did Rabbi Sha’ul say about that (Second Corinthians 12:10)? Is it wrong to stand up for yourself? Can you be assertive and yet reflect the image of Messiah?

The priests could hardly believe their ears. Pilate had been aware of this troublemaker and His origins and, if it were a matter of jurisdiction, he could have told Caiaphas last night that the prisoner properly belonged to Herod, who was in Jerusalem for the Passover. This amounted to dangerous meddling in the internal affairs of Judea. The mock Messiah was a Jew, charged with a religious crime in Tziyon, to which was added a crime against Rome. How then could he be brought before Herod, whose jurisdiction was confined to Galilee?

In the back of his mind, Caiaphas was terrified by the delay that this might cause. This death sentence needed to be wrapped up by sundown. If Jesus had not been put to death by then, the holy day that could not be defiled by a dead body that would be upon them. Of course, to the Pharisees, Pesach was already a holy day. But to the Sadducean priest it was not. The high priest thought that Pilate was deliberately delaying any judgment so that nothing could be done that day. If the execution were to be postponed until after the Sabbath, it would have to be delayed until after the eight-day Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread festival. And by that time the proponents of Yeshua would rally by the thousands against the authorities of the Temple and there would be bloodshed and perhaps a division within Isra’el herself. Caiaphas was not going to let that happen.

Pilate stood. He wasn’t going to argue about it. He had first acquitted Jesus, and then reconsidered and ordered Him to be sent to a man Pilate had offended a long time ago. The procurator nodded to the soldiers to take charge of the prisoner and bring him to Herod. The sweet balm of belated pleasure twisted the face of Pilate into a smile as he walked back across the court and up the steps to his quarters.

The Roman governor was pleased with himself. Pilate and the ruler of Galilee had not spoken since the procurator’s soldiers had mistakenly killed Herod’s subjects on the Temple grounds. The procurator was now making a gesture of friendship . . . or respect. Herod could not interpret it any other way. So the breach between them would be healed over a worthless Galilean. Not only that, the gesture forced the Galilean ruler to become a part of the trial of Jesus, and now no matter what happened, Herod Antipas could hardly write any lying, poisonous letter to Tiberias about Pilate, when it would be so easy to prove that the whole case had been turned over to the ruler of the Galileans for full disposition. In one brilliant stroke Pilate had removed himself from a highly sensitive case, had embroiled Herod in it, at the same time made a friend of him, and had placed Annas and Caiaphas in a dangerous, almost untenable position. Yes, he was very pleased with himself.

At the double gate of the praetorium the priests argued among themselves about what should have been said to Pilate. Outside the gates people who were not disguised Temple guards had been attracted by all the commotion, and among them were also followers of Jesus. The high priest worried because just a few hours ago this had been a small, secret case. But now it threatened to become public. Caiaphas could not allow a debate about the pros and cons of executing this criminal. When the Nazarene was dead the priests would not mind a discussion because the issue would be moot and would go away in a few days. Besides, if Jesus were put to death, His followers would be silenced. How could anyone argue that the renegade Rabbi was God if a man had put him to death?

There was nothing to do but to proceed to Herod. Caiaphas dispatched a courier to run ahead and acquaint the Galilean ruler with the circumstances, and to tell him that the prisoner and priests would be there with all speed. Once again, the Messiah is paraded through the streets in the early morning hours of upper Yerushalayim. There is no sign of the Passover pilgrims from Galilee or any other poor Jews that would rush to His defense. They would have no reason to be meandering through wealthy neighborhoods of the Upper City at such an early hour. Everything looked normal. Slaves were performing their menial tasks, while their wealthy owners ate their morning meals.

They started toward the palace of Herod Antipas. They passed the gate at the top of the hill that led to Golgotha, the place of the skull, the Roman ground of crucifixion. It awaited Him. This was why He took on human flesh. When He was a child and God the Father would wake God the Son morning by morning and teach Him of His destiny: Adonai ELOHIM has opened My ear, and I neither rebelled nor turned away. I offered My back to those who struck me, My cheeks to those who plucked out My beard; I did not hide My face from insult and spitting. For Adonai ELOHIM will help Me. This is why I have set My face like a flint, knowing I will not be put to shame (Isaiah 50:5-7 CJB).

Herod and his court had come down from Galilee three days before to sacrifice at the Temple. The ruler of Galilee was not a righteous Jew, but needed to keep up appearances. According to his custom when he was visiting the City of David, he stayed in the Hasmonean Palace. His real name was Herod Antipater, but he was known by his nickname . . . Antipas. He bore the title of tetrarch, meaning ruler of the quarter. When his father, Herod the Great, died Antipas’ older brother Archelaus (Matthew 2:22) was to become ethnarch (not a king), meaning the ruler of a homogenous ethnic group, of Judea, Idumea (biblical Edom) and Samaria, while Antipas would rule Galilee and Perea with the lesser title of tetrarch. His half-brother Philip was tetrarch of Gaulanitis (the Golan Heights), Batanaea (southern Syria), the Iturean and Trachonian region (Luke 3:1a), and Auranitits (Hauran). Then Doctor Luke mentions Lysanias as tetrarch of Abilene (Luke 3:1b).

When Herod heard the news from the courier he was elated and at once resolved to heal the breach between himself and Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate became friends – before this they had been enemies (Luke 23:12). The source of their hatred for each other started when Pilate became procurator. He erected the Roman shields on the Temple walls in violation of the strict teaching of the Oral Law against any images in the Temple compound. As a result Herod Antipas sent a letter of complaint to Cesar Tiberias, and he ordered the shields removed. But once Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, recognizing his authority over Galilee, and Herod sent the Nazarene back to Pilate, who saw it as quiet a show of solidarity with him, they became friends. For Herod, a Jew, had clearly chosen to back Rome instead of Caiaphas and the Sadducees. But life was not kind to either one of them.

The tetrarch thought it was unusually diplomatic of the procurator to send the Galilean to the ruler of the Galileans. Then, too, he welcomed the chance to meet the man who had once referred to him as that fox (to see link click Ho – No Prophet Can Die Outside Jerusalem). Herod Antipas went to his quarters and waited eagerly for the party to arrive. Word was left with the gatekeeper to escort the Sadducees, the Torah-teachers, the Roman guard and the prisoner to the royal presence at once.

The tetrarch used the time to discuss what he knew of the case with his royal advisers. He knew a great deal, and he announced at once that, unless someone could give him a good reason why he should sit in judgment of this case, he planned to merely see Jesus and then send him back to Pilate for final disposition. Herod’s reasoning was succinct and sensible: Yeshua had many followers in His home province of Galilee. Why alienate these people? Let the onus of the rebel’s death be on Caiaphas and Pilate here in Jerusalem. No one in the royal entourage argued against Herod’s reasoning. The case against Jesus and the evidence came from Jerusalem. Let the culprit be brought into his presence as a token of respect from the Romans, and then let him be sent back to Pilate.

Now he was about to confront the man who, in Herod’s eyes, resembled John the Baptist. He could partially atone for what he had done to the Immerser by sparing the life of this one. In any case, he was as eager to see Jesus, as a child would be to watch a fire-eater. The palace was magnificent, but Christ was not impressed. The things He knew about Antipas had engraved themselves on His mind. The tetrarch was the murderer of His cousin John. He was a coward who would remain loyal to no one and an adulterer who had stolen his own brother’s wife. And he would do nothing in this case except for ask for a show of power.

When Herod Antipas saw Yeshua, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had wanted to see Him (Luke 23:8a). The group went into the palace and Herod treated the prisoner as a guest. He offered chairs to all, but Christ stood. The Sadducees and the Torah-teachers were nervously excited and they also wanted to stand. They considered all this a waste of time. They could not prove charges of blasphemy in Galilee, and they hoped to secure the support of the Galilean ruler so that they could go back to Pilate and announce that the Nazarene was also a blasphemer within the jurisdiction of Herod.

Herod Antipas sat. He was cordial and admitted that he had heard much about Jesus. The Lord said nothing. Messiah looked at the tetrarch, but His mouth remained closed. From what he had heard about Him, Herod hoped to see Him perform a sign of some sort. Would Yeshua mind performing? There was no answer. A small feat of magic, perhaps? A little miracle? Could he make water pour from the walls or thunder toll through the sky? He went at Him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer (Luke 23:8b-9).

Silence. “It might help Your case,” the tetrarch said, “if You were more cooperative.” Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great (see Aw – Herod Gave Orders to Kill all the Boys in Bethlehem Two Years Old and Under), had no fear of Caiaphas or the Sadducees, for they had no power over him. So even when the Sadducees and the Torah-teachers were standing there, vehemently accusing Him, hoping to sway Antipas over to their side (Luke 23:10), he refused to listen. The tetrarch wasn’t about to get in the middle of a spat between Rome and the Jews. Besides, he was still haunted by the death of the forerunner (see Fl – John the Baptist is Beheaded). The last thing he needed was the blood of another holy man on his hands.

Herod waived his hand for silence. He couldn’t care less about the charges or legalities. He had called his friends and his entourage into the room with a promise that they would see things from the Galilean that they had never seen before. Now Jesus not only refused to perform for the tetrarch, but also had the nerve not to answer when spoken to.

Antipas tried one more time. Tick. Tick. Tick. The Suffering Servant stood staring at Herod, the lines of fatigue under his eyes had deepened. Herod’s words were sweet and friendly. The Meshiach did not answer. Herod waited. He asked Yeshua if He could hear him. Silence. The ruler of the Galileans grew angry. The behavior of Jesus was an affront to royal dignity. Not only that . . . the magician had disappointed and humiliated him.

Herod stood. When Jesus didn’t perform for him, the second mocking took place. Then tetrarch and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked Him. Herod Antipas himself walked around the prisoner, making personal remarks about His shabby appearance, His lacerated face, His dirty clothes, now-unwashed feet, and swollen eyes. A king indeed!

Then Antipas had an idea. He called one of his assistants and whispered to him. The he winked at the Sadducees and the Torah-teachers, and everyone waited in silence. After a few minutes, the aide returned with a beautiful robe. But it was more theatrical than kingly. Herod took it in his hands and shook the dust from it, to the laughter of his friends. Jesus may not have given them a show, but tetrarch was going to make sure they got one anyway. Then, with a friendly smile, the ruler swung it over the shoulders of Christ. It was comic. Even the Jews had to smile. This Nazarene made the most sorrowful and ridiculous king they had ever seen. After dressing him in the elegant robe, Herod Antipas ordered the prisoner sent back to Pilate at his headquarters at the praetorium (Luke 23:11).¹⁵⁵⁸

Six years after washing his hands of Christ’s execution, Pontius Pilate had trouble with another messiah – and this time he lost everything. A Samaritan preacher had entrenched himself in a mountaintop sanctuary on Mount Gerizim. According to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, he made a major error and suppressed a small uprising in Samaria. “But afterward, the Samaritan senate sent an embassy to Vitellius, a man that had been consul, and who was now president of Syria, and accused Pilate of the murder of those that were killed . . . So Vitellius sent Marcellus, a friend of his, to take care of the affairs of Judea, and ordered Pilate to go to Rome, to explain his actions to the emperor. Pilate thought his friend Emperor Tiberias would hear his appeal. But by the time the procurator reached Rome, Tiberias was dead and replaced by the unstable twenty-four year old Caligula.

Eusebius, one of the early Church fathers, reported that Pontius Pilate committed suicide during the reign of Emperor Caligula, who had banished him to Leon, France. Eusebius records the following for us, “It is worthy of note that Pilate himself, who was governor in the time of our Savior, is reported to have fallen into such misfortunes under Emperor Caligula, whose times we are recording, that he was forced to become his own murderer and executioner; and thus divine vengeance, as it seems, was not long in overtaking him. This is stated by those Greek historians who have recorded the Olympiads, together with the respective events which have taken place in each period.” The quote reveals that many Greeks considered Pilate’s misfortunes to be divine justice for the death of Jesus Christ. Tradition adds that Pontius Pilate died in Gaul (Vienne, France).

With Pilate out of the picture, Caiaphas was left without a Roman political ally. He had cultivated many enemies in Yerushalayim over the years and was soon replaced as the Temple high priest. He then faded into history, with the date of his death left unrecorded.

Herod Antipas didn’t fare well either. Although he thought he was well schooled in political intrigue, it eventually brought him down. His nephew Agrippa was a close friend of the Roman emperor Caligula. Once again Josephus tells us that when Antipas foolishly asked Caligula to name him king, instead of tetrarch (at the suggestion of his wife, Herodias, who continued to get him into trouble). It was Herod Agrippa, Judean monarch, son of Herod the Great, and son of Aristobulus IV and Berenice, who charged Antipas with wanting to assassinate Caligula. As proof, Agrippa pointed to the massive arsenal of weapons Antipas’ army had at its disposal. As a result, Caligula banished Herod to Gaul for the rest of his life. Herodias joined him there. But his fortune and territories were handed over to his treacherous nephew Agrippa.¹⁵⁵⁹

The apostle John thought that the best way of circulating the tragic news of the Sanhedrin taking Yeshua to Pontius Pilate for judgment would be to go to a few key places and to ask them to spread the news. He called first at the home of Mark’s father; then he met Peter and one or two of the other apostles and told them that the Messiah had been condemned to death and, so far as he knew, the Romans had Jesus at Pilate’s headquarters at the praetorium. Then young John ran out to Bethany to tell Lazarus, Martha and Mary, but most of all to break the news as gently as possible to Miryam, the mother of Jesus. This was a special assignment that John had undertaken. He realized that Miryam had heard from her son’s lips what would be happening to him, but Yochanan knew that even the warnings of Christ himself would not stop the grief in the heart of a mother. At Bethany John sat panting, and in halting phrases told all four of them in detail of what he had just seen. Yochanan told them about the Passover supper, and what he could remember about Gethsemane. He told them of the raid, the arrest and the verdict.

His listeners wept quietly, but there was no loud lamenting. They listened, the tears came, they asked questions, and they bowed to the will of the Father. Miryam was especially determined that she should not cause any more anguish than John would be already in with a display of emotion. When Yochanan finished no one could think of any more questions to ask. Jesus’ mother said that she would accompany John back to Jerusalem.

The young man, however, was hesitant. He did not want to expose the gentle woman, whom he had learned to love and respect, to the harsh cruelties that were going to be imposed on her son. He asked her to stay with Mary and Martha and he promised that he would be back before the Sabbath started to relate everything to her.

Miryam shook her head. No. She would go. If, as her Lord had prophesied, He would die in Zion, then she wanted to be with Him. John looked to Lazarus for help. But Lazarus looked away. Argument, however polite and logical, would do no good. She had been with her son when he drew his first breath, and she wanted to be with Him when He drew His last.¹⁵⁶⁰

Yeshua was led back to the praetorium. It was obvious to the guards that this man was fatigued. His steps were slower. The face was weary with pain. The mouth was open a little to make breathing easier. The eyes moved from side to side.

The Sadducees and the Torah-teachers were in a dilemma. Their only consolation was that Pilate was in a much deeper one. He refused to dispose of this case and had sent it to Herod, the tetrarch of the Galileans, hoping that he would take it off his hands. But not if was coming back to his doorstep, and he would be forced to judge . . . one way or the other. The dilemma of the priests was that having started this action against the prisoner they must see it through successfully. There was no way they could turn back now. This matter had started, to their way of thinking, as stark blasphemy. In their minds, the big lie had grown and grown until now the Temple and the whole nation was threatened.

Had Pilate, who had sent the Roman cohort to aid in the arrest of the criminal in the garden of Gethsemane, listened to the charge and followed the Roman custom of permitting local authorities to try and judge local offenses, he would have endorsed their findings without argument and crucified the prisoner immediately. But no – because he was irritated with Annas and Caiaphas, the governor preferred to pretend ignorance.

On the way back, the ranking Sadducees agreed that Pilate would not be persuaded to confirm a death sentence on the Nazarene by logic on their part, but he could be persuaded by an angry public outburst. If Pilate thought he was making his case by embarrassing Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, they could turn the tables on him by directing the crowd to scream for the blood of Jesus. This would throw the dilemma back into Pilate’s hands, because he could hardly dare to defy public opinion in an internal affair that was, as far the Roman Empire was concerned, a small matter. So the word was passed from mouth to mouth to wait for the signals from the priests and to demand the death of the prisoner.¹⁵⁶¹

Jesus Before Pilate
Matthew 27:2, 11-14; Mark 15:1b-5;  Luke 23:1-7; John 18:28-38
About 6:00 am Friday morning, the fifteenth of Nisan

Jesus before Pilate DIG: What was Pilate’s overriding concern in this trial? What insights into Pilate and Jesus’ character do these scriptures offer? Or the procurator’s conscience? What new charge does Caiaphas and the Great Sanhedrin bring against Messiah? Why was He silent before His accusers?

REFLECT: What is truth to you? Without Jesus, all truth is relative. You are a ship without a rudder? Do you have a morale compass? Why? Why not? Do you believe in situation ethics? Since both Peter and Pilate “caved in” under pressure, why do we tend to scorn Pilate but honor Kefa? Isn’t that pretty hypocritical? Do you see any of Pilate’s qualities in you? Do you want to change? How can you change?

The pale grey light had passed into that of early morning and Yerushalayim was just waking up. Judas had already come before Pilate before midnight and presented the official charge so that the Roman cohort could be released for Yeshua’s arrest.

Pontus Pilate was in the City of David. He normally resided seventy miles (113 km) northwest of Jerusalem in Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea, but his presence was always required in the City at times like this. So when visiting Yerushalayim, Pilate occupied the official residence of the procurator, called the praetorium, which had been the palace of Herod the Great. Pilate was a personal friend of Lucius Sejanus, during Emperor Tiberius’ extended retirement on his lavish villa on the isle of Capri. Sejanus had earned the emperor’s trust by transforming a small regiment of the imperial bodyguard into the Praetorian Guard, a kind of secret police force that became an influential factor in Roman politics. Furthermore, Sejanus shrewdly eliminated all of his political rivals through slick maneuvering and violent intrigue. One of the rivals he destroyed was none other than Drusus, the emperor’s own son, whom he slowly poisoned with the help of the unfortunate man’s wife.

With Drusus dead of seemingly natural causes, Sejanus enjoyed ruling as the de facto leader of Rome, and he saw to it that his friend Pontius Pilate received one of the most coveted posts in the empire: procurator of Judea. While extremely challenging, the post offered unlimited potential for political greatness in the empire. Sejanus wanted a strong ruler to keep Judea peacefully subservient, despite the Jews’ mounting discontent.

The historian Philo of Alexandria describes the procurator as “ a man of very inflexible disposition, and very merciless as well as very obstinate.” Pilate’s inflexibility had served him well in the past, but it nearly became his undoing in Judea. Where he brought brute force, finesse was required. He failed to understand the delicate balance between autonomy and control needed to govern Jews. Soon after taking command from his headquarters in Caesarea-by-the-Sea, Pilate sent a clear message to Jerusalem, letting the Israelites know he was in charge. Normally, the procurator’s army wintered in Caesarea, but Pilate ordered his soldiers to spend the winter in the City of David. Not only that, but he ordered them to bear Caesar’s image on their shields and to display it in key locations throughout the Holy City. He had determined that Tziyon should be treated like all other conquered nations. But this, of course, violated the Torah which said: Watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman (Deuteronomy 4: 15-16).

Before long, a large delegation of members from the Great Sanhedrin (to see link click Lg – The Great Sanhedrin), marched en masse to Caesarea to protest. The resulting standoff became a test of wills. For Pilate to remove the images would be a humiliating show of weakness, yet keeping the peace was his sole responsibility. The Jewish leaders refused to go home until the images were removed, which prompted Pilate to respond with brute force. The Jewish historian Josephus described the procurator’s means of breaking the stalemate.¹⁵⁴⁵

“On the sixth day of the protest he ordered his soldiers to have their weapons hidden while he came and sat on his judgment seat. It was so prepared in the open place of the city that it concealed the army that lay ready to oppress [the Jews]. And when the Jews petitioned him again, he gave a signal to the soldiers to encompass around them, and threatened that their punishment should be no less than immediate death unless they stopped bothering him and go home. But they threw themselves onto the ground, and laid their necks bare, and said they would rather die than that the wisdom of their laws should be violated. Pilate was deeply affected by their firm resolution to keep their laws inviolable. So he commanded the images to be carried back from Jerusalem to Caesarea.”¹⁵⁴⁶

Then the Jewish leaders rose from their illegal trial in the Royal Stoa,  bound the Suffering Servant and led Him to the palace of the Roman governor Pilate. Caiaphas demanded an immediate audience with Pilate. He stood outside the double gates with Jesus, the disguised Temple guard, and the at least a quorum of the Great Sanhedrin. By now it was early morning, and they did not enter the praetorium because it would defile them and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover (Matthew 27:2; Mark 15:1b; Luke 23:1; John 18:28 NLT). The festive offering, or the Chagigah, was offered at 9:00 am on  Passover. Ironically, it was a peace offering, which they had to offer undefiled. Therefore, here we see the strangest contradiction. They who had not hesitated in breaking every commandment of God and every law of their own making (see Lh – The Laws of the Great Sanhedrin Regarding Trials), would not enter the praetorium least they should defile themselves and be unable to participate in the Chagigah offering.¹⁵⁴⁷ Consequently, Caiaphas requested that the governor come down to the double gates where the two had met earlier that morning. He knew that Pilate would understand.

It took a while to wake the Roman governor up, to tell him about the Jewish assembly outside, and for him to dress and make his way down to the gate. But once he got there, he could not have been very pleased to see a large crowd, extravagantly dressed Sadducees, plainly dressed Pharisees and a prisoner who had clearly been beaten up.¹⁵⁴⁸

So Pilate came out to them. This is the first time he came down the steps. A servant brought out a regal chair and the procurator walked down the right-hand stairway and, five steps up from the praetorium, sat on a chair that was placed on a stone landing. Jesus saw through swollen, purple eyes. His wrists were tied behind His back and a rope was tied around His neck. He stood alone, in front of the mob, and Pontius Pilate looked at the Nazarene for the first time, as Yeshua, for the first time, looked at Cesar’s governor.

What each one saw was hardly earth-shattering. The Messiah looked at the Roman and saw a short, patrician-looking man of about fifty years of age. He appeared to be nervous. His eyes shifting from side to side, swinging quickly to anything or anyone that moved. His hair was graying and he wore an expensive toga and gilded sandals. Pilate stared at Jesus and saw a rather average looking Jew with puffed lips and discolored cheeks. There were flecks of blood on His robe. He was dirty. Behind the Nazarene, the Procurator saw Caiaphas, some of the ranking priests, deferential, but still uneasy in the presence of Gentiles. And behind them, people jammed the arches, some even hanging from the wall-bracket lamps.

Pontius Pilate held his right hand aloft. In a few seconds, the babbling of the crowd subsided. A tribune marched forward from the rear of the court, followed by four legionaries and took his post by the side of the prisoner. The Temple guards dropped back. From now on, the disposition of this case of the Meshiach versus pharisaic Judaism was squarely in the iron fist of Rome. What charges are you bringing against this man, asked the Roman governor loudly (John 18:29)? He pointed to Yeshua.

Caiaphas appeared to be shocked at Pilate’s question. The high priest had been there early that morning to discuss the case with the Procurator, to explain to him the seriousness of the matter in its relation to Jewish law. Not only that, but the Temple guard knew that the tribune who had led the raiding detachment to Gethsemane had surely returned and briefed Pilate on everything that had gone on there. Why, then, this pretense of no knowledge of the renegade Rabbi?

The priests exchanged uneasy glances. This could mean that the cruel oppressor was ready to have Jesus tried before him – and, in that case, might dismiss the charges against Him for lack of evidence. Outside, Pilate’s question was passed on to the gathering crowds, who roared so much that Caiaphas had to wait for silence before he answered. If He were not a criminal, they replied: we would not have handed Him over to you (John 18:30).

Take Him yourselves, shouted Pilate, standing and preparing to leave, and judge Him by your own law (John 18:31a). With no accusation there would be no condemnation, and with no condemnation there would be no sentence. Ultimately, the Great Sanhedrin was successful in having the Romans execute Yeshua, but Pilot had the last laugh. He used these very charges to infuriate the Jews with the sign that he had placed above the head of Jesus on the cross: THIS IS JESUS, KING OF THE JEWS. They asked him to take it down, but he would not (Matthew 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19-22).

He knew, of course, that the Great Sanhedrin had already tried this blasphemer and had condemned him to death, but the coldly angry procurator was determined to have the final say in this semantic swordplay. To bring the high priest to his knees, symbolically, all Pilate had to do was to pretend innocence of the entire matter and walk off the scene.

But several of the priests cupped their hands together and shouted together: We have no right to execute anyone (John 18:31b). They did not say that they had no power to condemn a prisoner to death; only that they could not carry out their own sentence. This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die (John 18:32). The Mishna and the Talmud, commentaries on the TaNaKh, tell us the exact date that the Romans took away the death penalty from the Great Sanhedrin. It was 40 years before the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. Thus, 30 AD, the very year of this trial, the Roman government took away the right to enact the death penalty by stoning. This demonstrates the providence of God. It shows He made sure that Jesus would die by crucifixion. Because the Jews would never have crucified Him, they would have stoned Him to death. And if they had stoned Him, there would not have been any atonement for sin.¹⁵⁴⁹

Caiaphas had dreaded that moment. Though he wanted the Romans to execute Yeshua, the charge of blasphemy was a Jewish offense and the Romans couldn’t care less about it. Not only that, Pilate could hardly tolerate Jews and was not about to risk his career by allowing Jewish laws determine whom he crucified.¹⁵⁵⁰

The governor did not answer. He turned his back on the priests and started to walk up the steps inside his quarters in the praetorium. The accusers were dismayed. It looked as though the hearing was over. The crowd of disguised Temple guards were stunned! One of the ranking priests shouted: We caught this man subverting our nation (not true). He opposes the paying of taxes to Caesar (not true), and passes Himself off as the Messiah (true), a king (true) (Matthew 22:21; Luke 23:2). They took their religious charge against Christ and turned it into a political charge.

Halfway up the steps to his quarters, the procurator paused and looked around. He pulled his long toga up off the stones and thought about what he had just heard. The idea of a Messiah wouldn’t have bothered the Romans too much, but the idea of a king meant opposition to Rome – someone other than Caesar as their king. The last thing Pilate needed was a Jewish rebellion. Really, all three charges had their roots in sedition. Therefore, the Jewish leaders attempted to force Pilate to sentence Jesus without a witness because they couldn’t seem to find Judas anywhere.

Pontius Pilate studied the little knot of priests and was forced to show a brief smile of admiration. They had rid themselves of Yeshua as a local problem and had thrown Him to the procurator as a menace to the Empire. Pilate could hardly put himself in the position of defending Jesus. That was not his job. He was the highest judge and the top administrator of the country. However, there was still a little room for maneuver. Not much. Just a little.

He summoned a servant to go out into the courtyard and tell the tribune to bring Jesus to him in his quarters. The prisoner was brought in and stood in the center of the room. Pilate studied him carefully. But there was nothing to see except a pathetic figure of a man, stripped of his dignity. Pilate looked at his staff of officers . . . they just shrugged.

Once an accusation was made, the defendant was interrogated. This was his opportunity to tell his side of the story. Pilate asked Yeshua the pertinent question, presumably because he already knew the official charge against Him. It’s likely that the procurator had witnessed Messiah’s triumphal entry just days earlier. He wanted to know if the Nazarene was, in fact, in the process of overthrowing the government in Judea.¹⁵⁵¹  The governor stood up and walked over to Yeshua and asked Him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate wants to know if Jesus was a competitor to Cesar. The words are yours, Christ replied (Matthew 27:11b; Mark 15:2b; Luke 23:3a; John 18:33). While this response might seem a bit evasive to some, it was really the most fitting to answer his question. To merely say “yes” would imply that Messiah sought an earthly Kingdom at that time. To say “no” would deny the fact that He is, in reality, the KING of kings and LORD of lords (Revelation 19:16). Yeshua’s answer covered both interpretations of the question; in essence, He is the King of Isra’el but not in the sense that Pilate could understand.¹⁵⁵²

The swollen lips began to move. Are you asking this on your own, Jesus inquired, or have other people told you about Me? The words do not convey the intended shadings of meaning. What Jesus really meant was this, “Did you, as a Roman governor, observe Me acting as king of the Jews or have others told you about My spiritual Kingdom?” Pilate misunderstood the interrogative reply and stood before the Messiah and asked: Am I a Jew? The Gentiles in the room howled with laughter. Your own nation and high priest have handed you over to me. What have you done (Matthew 27:11b; John 18:34-35 CJB)? The tone now was soft and sympathetic. The procurator looked at the prisoner hopefully. All he needed was a denial. He knew that Jesus had not pretended to be the temporal king of the Jews and had not aspired to it. He also knew the story about the coin with Caesar’s image, because he had spies everywhere. He knew that self-preservation is critical to all human beings and he was giving the Nazarene the chance to save His life.

My Kingdom, Jesus said slowly, almost as though He was selecting the words with special care, is not of this world. It was as if Yeshua was saying, “I’m not a competitor to Cesar.” Then He offered simple proof of this. If it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jewish leaders. But My Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36 NLT). This is not to say that the messianic Kingdom and the Lord’s rule is only “spiritual,” not to be expressed really and physically in this world, fulfilling the prophecy that Isra’el will become the head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13); but that the present aspect of His Kingdom is in the hearts and lives of believers, not in international politics (which was the basis of Pilate’s question). Therefore, Christ, without denying His office as the Messiah, claimed that He was no threat to Rome and could not be condemned on a charge of treason.¹⁵⁵³

Unhappiness on earth cultivates a hunger for heaven. By gracing us with a deep dissatisfaction, God holds our attention. The only tragedy, then, is to be satisfied prematurely. To settle for earth. To be content in a strange land . . . We are not happy here because we are not supposed to be happy here. We are like foreigners and strangers in this world (First Peter 2:11). And you will never be completely happy on earth simply because you were not made for earth. Oh, you will have your moments of joy. You will catch glimpses of light. You will know moments or even days of peace. But they simply do not compare with the joy that lies ahead.¹⁵⁵⁴

Pilate was annoyed with the foolishness of the pious faker. He said: You are a king, then! He wanted to know if Jesus was a king in any sense. Our Savior answered saying: You say that I AM a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me (John 18:37). The days of guessing and groping and half-truths are gone. Jesus came to tell us the truth. That is one of the great reasons why we must either accept or reject Yeshua Messiah. There is no halfway house about the truth. We either accept it or reject it. Christ is the truth.¹⁵⁵⁵

Pontius Pilate drew himself up to his full height. His lips were curled with scorn and he snapped: What is truth (John 18:38a)? The problem was he was looking right at the Truth, but didn’t recognize Him. And many people still ask that question today. Many have become disillusioned with life because they don’t recognize the existence of truth. In the absence of solid, basic truth, we are adrift on a churning sea of ideas with no compass to tell us which way to go. But Jesus taught there this is truth. Not only that, He made the bold claim: I AM the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6). Yeshua presented Pilate with a choice – the same choice He offers us – compromise truth and advance your status in the kingdom of Tiberias, or walk in the light of truth and receive unseen glory in God’s Kingdom.¹⁵⁵⁶

With this . . . the governor motioned for the soldiers to take the prisoner back outside to the Jews gathered there (John 18:38b). The soldiers and Jesus led the way, followed by Pilate and his officers. The crowds at the twin gates watched tensely as the procurator came all the way down the steps for the second time and across the courtyard of the praetorium to a point in front of Caiaphas and the Sadducees. A servant carried the Roman curule chair and placed it behind him. It was a special chair on which the Roman governor sat when he was about to render a judgment.

The people watched, almost breathlessly, as Pilate sat. The Messiah stood at his right side and some of the soldiers stood between the judgment chair and the crowd with their swords drawn. The governor wasted no time and announced to the Sadducees and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man” (Luke 23:4; John 18:38c). There was a moment of stunned silence, and then a riotous roar resounded from the crowd. Caiaphas and the other priests repeatedly struck their foreheads and turned to the people in mute appeal with their arms extended to the heavens and their mouths open wide. The snarl of the crowd grew louder. Some of the off-duty soldiers ran into the garrison room and retrieved their body armor and swords and ran to the praetorium. This is the first declaration of innocence. There will be others.

Pilate sat. He smiled a small smile as he looked at the frenzied faces. Caiaphas and the others of the Sanhedrin knew that he was turning Jesus loose to confound them. The Lord looked out at the mob under the arches and all the eyes He saw were on fire with hatred for Him. God the Son was not alone; however, because God the Father and God the Spirit were with Him. The soldiers began to make threatening gestures. The crowd quieted.

However, the Sadducees and the elders were not satisfied. They wanted the troublemaking Rabbi dead, so they accused Him of many other things. But He gave no answer. So again Pilate asked Him, “Aren’t You going to answer? Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against You?” But Jesus still made no reply, not even to a single charge – to the great amazement of the governor (Matthew 27:12-14; Mark 15:3-5). Yeshua was not going to answer those charges. Caiaphas and the Great Sanhedrin had invented a political charge to disguise the real source of their fury . . . the Nazarene claimed to be the long awaited Messiah, but did not believe in the Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law)! And yet He was performing miracles, so they claimed He was demon possessed (see Ek – It is only by Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, that This Fellow Drives Out Demons). Since the procurator had already declared His innocence and the Sanhedrin had already declared His guilt, there was no reason for the Lord to answer any accusations.

But the Jewish leadership kept on insisting. They bowed formally and said: He stirs up the people, pointing to them, all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here. On hearing this, the governor, who had been listening with annoyance, suddenly grabbed the arms of the curule chair and sat up. He had forgotten that the prisoner originally came from the north. Pontius Pilate began to look pleased.

Pilate asked if the prisoner was a Galilean (Luke 23:5-6). Certainly, the priests said. Everybody who knew this mocker of God was aware that He came from the little town called Nazareth. Indeed, His name was Jesus of Nazareth, son of Joseph the carpenter. This gave Pilate the opportunity to get off the hook because Herod Antipas was in Jerusalem for the Passover. Therefore, the Roman governor refused to accept custody of Yeshua. When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction and just a short distance away at that time (Luke 23:7), he said, “Well then, this is not my case to decide. It should be under the jurisdiction of Herod, Tetrarch of Galilee . . . send Him to Herod.”¹⁵⁵⁷

The Civil Trial

Pilate was Roman, and Caiaphas was Jewish. They worshiped different deities, ate different foods, had different hopes for their future, and spoke different languages. Pilate served at the will of a supposedly divine emperor, while Caiaphas supposedly served at the will of ADONAI. They both shared a command of the Greek language and a belief that they were entitled to do anything to stay in power.

That being said, in the final analysis, nothing happened without the approval of Pontius Pilate, the Roman procurator (Perseus: Tacitus, a Roman senator, The Annals Book XV, 62-65 AD, 15.44). As if a symbolic reminder, Pilate held the clothing of the high priest (see my commentary on Exodus, to see link click Fw – The Clothing of the Levitical Priesthood) in an ornate chest at Fortress Antonia. Under Roman control, Pilate unlocked them on the morning before high holy days and gave them to Caiaphas with the understanding that he would return them to Pilate after the Festival of Unleavened Bread and the Passover were over.

The civil trial took place in the former palace of Herod the Great, then called the praetorium, the headquarters of Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:27; John 18:28 and 33). In time of peace one of the best buildings of any city were selected for the residence of the procurator. Thus, in Jerusalem he took up residence in the praetorium. It was big and lavish and the courts were trimmed with alabaster. This was the most exclusive section of Jerusalem and Pilate was accustomed to the size and comfort of such a royal palace, not the stark military conditions of Fort Antonia. He commanded the Roman soldiers in Jerusalem, but he did not live with them. Plus, his wife had accompanied him. Would he have her tolerate her visit among rough and tumble Roman soldiers? Never!

The statements of Josephus make it almost certain that the headquarters of the procurator were at Herod’s palace. This was a building whose magnificence Josephus can hardly sufficiently appraise (Wars, I, xxi, 1; V, iv, 4). It was in this palace that “Florus, the procurator took up his quarters, and having placed his tribunal in front of it, held his sessions and the chief priests, influential persons and notables of the city appeared before the tribunal” (Wars II, xiv, 8). Later on, “Florus . . . brought such as were with him out of the king’s palace, and would have compelled them to get as far as the citadel (Antonia); but his attempt failed” (II, xv, 5). The soldiers led Jesus away within the palace (that is, the praetorium).

The actual site of the praetorium cannot have been far removed from three Hasmonean towers: the Tower of Hippicus, the Tower of Phasael and the Tower of Mariamne. Byzantine Christians in the fifth century eventually replaced them with a much larger, more massive tower, today called the Tower of David. They borrowed the name from the Song of Songs, attributed to King Solomon, King David’s father, who wrote: Your neck is like the tower of David, built with courses of stone; on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors (Song of Songs 4:4).

It is interesting to note that for many years two stations of Turkish garrison occupied the same spot as did the Roman garrison of Christ’s time. In 2011 the old Turkish prison built by the Ottoman Turks in the mid 1800s opened briefly. It sits next to the Tower of David. It is needless to point out how much this more recent information about the praetorium must modify the traditional claims of the “Via Dolorosa,” the whole course of which depends on the false theory that the “Way of Sorrow” began at Fort Antonia.