Father Ray's Reflection on the Passion of the Christ

The Passion and Death of Jesus  (Download a PDF of the Essay here)

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Passion Narratives of all four Gospels - similar in many ways. They all speak about        

• His Arrest;     
• His Humiliation; 
• His Suffering;                       
• His Crucifixion & Death

There are also significant differences among them especially between the Synoptics and St. John.  In many respects, the three Synoptics agree with each other (since Matthew and Luke are almost certainly based on Mark), while John's account is quite different, especially in matters of chronology.  In other respects, while Matthew and Mark are nearly identical, Luke may differ from them and be much closer to John's account. Moreover, some well-known details, or even whole episodes, are found in only one of the four Gospels.
THE OVERALL EMPHASES:                 -           Of each Gospel  
Mark:            Disciple of Peter

• The purpose of his writing             -           To show Jesus as Servant/ as Prophet
• He mainly addressed to                   -           Romans
• Unique portion                                 -           only 7%
• The emphases on suffering of Jesus. - How he was tragically rejected, unfairly condemned, viciously beaten, horribly insulted, and cruelly mistreated by multiple groups

Matthew:      Disciple of Jesus (one of the Apostle)

• The purpose of his writing             -           To show Jesus as Messiah
• He mainly addressed to                   -           Jews
• Unique portion                                 -           42%
• The emphases on kingship of Jesus. - How the de-facto ruling powers (esp. Pilate & Caiaphas) conspired to get rid of someone they saw as a political threat

Luke:             Disciple of Paul

• The purpose of his writing             -           To show Jesus as Son of Man
• He mainly addressed to                   -           Greeks
• Unique portion                                 -           59%
• The emphases on innocence of Jesus. - How Pilate said he did not deserve death, and others (Herod Antipas, centurion, repentant thief) also recognized his innocence

John: Disciple of Jesus (one of the Apostle)

• The purpose of his writing             -           To show Jesus as Son of the Father
• He mainly addressed to                   -           Universe
• Unique portion                                 -           93%
• The emphases on exaltation of Jesus. - How he remains in charge, driving the all action, completing the will of the Father, and being glorified as he is lifted up

 
The Gospel of Matthew:     The passion narration begins in 26:1 and ends in 27:66 (2 full chapters)
Some of the highlights in Matthew:

• 26:2 Jesus says “You know that after 2 days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified…”
• First he finished all the sayings… (Completed the work)
• The anointing at Bethany takes place
• Judas gets 30 silver pieces to betray his master (only in Mt) … Mark and Luke – They agreed to give him money… How much is not mentioned…
• Why 30 silver pieces?        That was a prize for a slave (Ex 21:32) – “If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall pay to the slave-owner thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned”                                                                      (Gen 37:28) Joseph was sold only for 20 silver shekels 
• Jesus celebrates his last Passover with the disciples and institutes the Eucharist
• Jesus foretells the denial of Peter and later goes to Gethsemane to pray
• Judas comes with the army to arrest Jesus
• Night scrutiny before the High Priests (never in the history there was a night scrutiny) and Peter denies three times
• Jesus was brought before Pilate for the death penalty
• Pilot’s wife sends word – (only in Mt) “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him”
• Pilot washes his hands – (only in Mt) “I am innocent of this man’s blood…” People reply – “His blood be on us” 27:24-25 (why this element was inserted… why not in other gospels…)
• The suicide of Judas – only seen in Matthew
  • Mt 27:5          went & hanged himself
  • Acts 1:18       falling & bursting open
  • No contradiction – rather, two descriptions given by 2 different authors of the same event)
• Barabbas or Jesus – The release of Barabbas
  • Why Barabbas?
    • Mk 15:7         See him as a freedom fighter…
    • He was famous among the Jews…
    • Even Jesus also – On Palm Sunday entry…
    • Mk 15:11       Chief Priests stirred up the crowd…
    • No one was there on the side of Jesus… Apostles ran for their life… Most of Jesus’ followers did not know where Jesus was taken…
    • Among the people gathered there, many of them were arranged by the chief priests…
    • In Matthew the name is Jesus Barabbas – known also as Jesus Bar Abbas means Jesus, son of the father. Some of the ancient authorities lack “Jesus before “Barabbas”. Even the other three Gospels also mention simply ‘Barabbas’.
• The guard at the tomb – only in Matthew

Why guarding the Tomb?
Various precautions at the tomb

5. The Stone                  (a large one was rolled over)
5. The Roman Seal      (official and authoritative)
5. The Guard                (either Roman or Jewish guard)
   • The context shows as Roman guard –

 
Roman Guard means -       16 man unit… each one responsible of 6 square feet of space.
- They could not sit, or lean against anything.
- If a guard member falls asleep, he will be beaten and will be burned with his own clothes… Not he alone but all the 16 members will be burnt alive even if one person falls asleep.  
 
 
 
 
 
The Gospel of John:                        in strict sense - The passion narration begins in 18:1 and ends in 19:42 (2 full chapters). In wider sense – it begins with washing of the feet in Chapter 13.
Some of the highlights in John:
Each year on Good Friday we read and reflect. John’s Gospel, was written much later than the other Gospels. John had plenty of time to reflect upon Jesus’ death and highlights a number of aspects that are not as evident in the other Gospels.

1. John’s narrative of Jesus’ death highlights his trial. The bulk of John’s account focuses on Jesus’ trial and the eventual judgment that he be put to death. John writes up the trial of Jesus in such a way that, while Jesus is the one being tried, everyone else is on trial except Jesus. Pilate is on trial, the Jewish authorities are on trial, Apostles and disciples are on trial, the crowds watching are on trial, and we who are hearing the story are on trial. Jesus, alone, is not on trial, even as his trial is judging everyone else. Hence when Pilate asks Jesus: What is truth? Jesus’ silence puts Pilate on trial by throwing Pilate back on his own silence, the truth of himself. It’s the same for the rest of us.

 

2. John emphasizes Jesus’ divinity in his passion account. John’s Gospel, as we know, emphasizes Jesus’ pre-existence with God and his divinity rather than his humanity.  This shines through in his narrative:  The Jesus being crucified in John’s Gospel is always in control. He is unafraid, shows no weaknesses, carries his own cross, dies in serenity, and is buried like a king (with a staggering amount of myrrh and aloes, wrapped in clothes saturated with aromatic oils). John’s Jesus does not need any Simon of Cyrene to carry his cross, nor does he cry out in agony and abandonment. John writes up the Passion of Christ from the point of view of Jesus’ divinity. 

John then employs some powerful images to help score these points:

3. He has Judas and the soldiers arrive to arrest Jesus carrying “lanterns and torches”. He intends strong irony here: Jesus is the light of the world and so the irony should not be missed in the fact that those opposing him come to him guiding themselves by artificial, flimsy lighting – lanterns and torches. This suggests, among other things, that they prefer darkness to light and that they know that what they are doing can only be done at night because it would be shamefully exposed in the full light of day. The powers that oppose God need the cover of darkness and artificial light.

 

4. At the end of the trial, Pilate brings Jesus out to the crowd and asks them whether or not they want to accept him as their king.  They respond by saying: “We have no king, but Caesar!” Historically for a Jewish believer to say this at the time of Jesus would have been in effect a renunciation of his or her messianic hopes. That is true for us too: Every time we do not recognize the power of God in the one who is being crucified we are renouncing our own messianic hope and admitting that the powers of this world are, for us, the deepest reality.

 

5. John’s passion narrative emphasizes that Jesus was sentenced to death precisely at noon, the very hour on the eve of Passover when the temple priests would begin to slaughter the paschal lambs. The inference is clear: Jesus is the real lamb who dies for sin. 

 

6. Finally, In John’s account of the passion, after Jesus dies, soldiers come and pierce his side with a lance. Immediately blood and water flow out. This is a rich image: First of all, it symbolizes birth. When baby is born, blood and water accompany the delivery.  For John, Jesus’ death is the birth of something new in our lives. What?

Christians have sometimes been too quick to take this image to infer the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist, with the outflow of blood symbolizing the Eucharist and the outflow of water symbolizing Baptism. That may indeed be valid but there is, first, something more primal in that image: Blood symbolizes the flow of life inside us. Water both quenches thirst and washes dirt from our bodies. What John wants to say with this image is that those who witnessed the death of Jesus immediately recognized too that the kind of love which Jesus manifested in dying in this way created a new energy and freedom in their own lives. They felt both an energy and a cleansing, blood and water, flowing from Jesus’ death.  In essence, they felt a power flowing out of his death into their lives that allowed them to live with less fear, with less guilt, with more joy, and with more meaning. That is still true for us today.
 
Some major differences between Matthew and John:

1. In Matthew Judas comes to kiss Jesus                - whereas in John: Judas is simply mentioned… Jesus takes over.. Jesus freely gave his life.
2. In Matthew in Gethsemane Jesus prostrates on the ground and prays           - whereas in John the ones on the ground are the soldiers and guards.
3. In Matthew the Disciples flee as soon as Jesus got arrested    - whereas in John they do not flee. Rather Jesus negotiates with the soldiers and guards –telling them ‘let them go, if you are looking for me’.
4. In Matthew Peter alone followed into courtyard at a distance (which is not the good character of a true disciple)             - whereas in John both Peter & John enter into the courtyard.

One major contrast between Jesus and Peter we can see here -
Jesus told the truth:             I am;               Peter told a lie:                     I am not.        
Why Jesus was not stoned to death?
At the time of Jesus, those who committed crimes worthy of capital punishment were stoned to death. (Jn 8: 1-11 Woman caught in adultery).
Crucifixion was not the Jewish form of execution. It was the Roman form of punishment. Why didn't they stone Him like they eventually did with the martyr Stephen?

Torah

The Jewish Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) serves as a common religious reference for Judaism. Stoning is the method of execution mentioned most frequently in the Torah. (Murder is not mentioned as an offense punishable by stoning, but it seems that a member of the victim's family was allowed to kill the murderer; see avenger of blood.) The crimes punishable by stoning were the following:

• Touching Mount Sinai while God was giving Moses the 10 Commandments, Exodus 19:13
• An ox that gores someone to death should be stoned,   Ex 21:28
• Breaking Sabbath,                                                                Num 15:32–36
• Homosexual practices, both parties should be stoned   Leviticus 20:13;
• Having a "familiar spirit" or being a "wizard",                Leviticus 20:27
• Enticing others to polytheism,                                           Deut 13:7–11
• Cursing God,                                                                         Lev 24:10–16
• Engaging in idolatry, or seducing others to do so,          Deut17:2-7;Deut13:7-12
• "Rebellion" against parents, after repeated warnings,   Deut 21:18–21
• Getting married as though a virgin, when not a virgin, Deut 22:13–21
• Sexual intercourse between a man and a woman engaged to another man in a town, together, since she did not cry out (extramarital sex), Deuteronomy 22:23–24; both parties should be stoned to death
• Sexual intercourse between a man and a woman engaged to another man in a field, forced, where no one could hear her cries and save her (rape),            Deuteronomy 22:25–27; the man should be stoned.

1. There is a curse associated with Crucifixion

One of the reasons may have been the curse associated with crucifixion. The Old Testament speaks of those being cursed who hang upon a tree.
When someone is convicted of a crime punishable by death and is executed, and you hang them on a tree, their corpse must not remain all night upon the tree; you shall bury them that same day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God's curse. You must not defile the land that the LORD your God is giving you for possession ( Deuteronomy 21:22 , 23 ).
By having Jesus crucified, the religious leaders may have thought that this would end any talk about Him being the Messiah - since the Messiah certainly would not have been cursed.

2. Only the Lowest Members of Society were Crucified

Another reason may have been the way the Romans used crucifixion. A Roman citizen was never crucified- they were put to death by the quick method of beheading. Only slaves, political rebels, and the lowest criminals were put to death by crucifixion. The cross was a symbol of shame for the Romans. The Roman writer Cicero wrote.
Even the word 'cross' must remain far, not only from the lips of the citizens of Rome, but also from their thoughts their eyes their ears.

3. His Suffering was not Overemphasized by His Disciples

The New Testament writers did not emphasize the physical suffering of Jesus upon the cross. The suffering that Jesus went through was more than physical agony - His death paid the penalty for the world's sins. Therefore the symbol of the cross does not have so much to do with the physical suffering of Jesus. It represents the "good news" that salvation has been obtained for those who come to God in faith.
 
 
 
Having said this, let us go little deeper into the Passion Narrations from 7 main areas –

1. OPPOSITION TO JESUS
2. EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE PASSOVER FEAST
3. THE LAST SUPPER
4. THE AGONY AND ARREST IN THE GARDEN
5. THE ACCUSATIONS AND CHARGES
6. THE CRUCIFIXION AND DEATH
7. THE BURIAL

 
 

1. OPPOSITION TO JESUS:  Why did the authorities find Jesus to be such a great threat?

The history proves either too good people or too bad people face the threat from the authorities… good people when they raise their voice against the authority and the bad people when they become a headache for the authority…
(We all know the life of Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador…. Majority of the saints…)

• The Synoptic Gospels:
  • In Matthew’s Infancy Narrative, King Herod already plots to destroy Jesus, the newborn “king of the Jews” (Matt 2:13-18 infancy narrative).
  • Opposition against Jesus arises early in the Gospels, mostly since he breaks the Sabbath laws (Mark 3:6; Matt 12:14 after curing a man with a withered hand).
  • Just after the incident in the Jerusalem Temple, the chief priests attempt to kill Jesus (Mark 11:18; Luke 19:47; cf. Matt 21:15 Triumphant entry).
  • The authorities want to kill Jesus again after He tells the parable of the wicked tenants (Mark 12:1-12; Matt 21:33-46; Luke 20:9-20).
  • The chief priests plot how to arrest and kill Jesus secretly before the Passover Feast (Mark 14:1-2; Matt 26:1-5).

 

• The Fourth Gospel:
  • During Jesus’ first visit to Jerusalem, he alludes to how the Jewish authorities will destroy the “temple of his body” (John 2:19 cleansing of the Temple).
  • The authorities want to kill Jesus not only for breaking the Sabbath, but also for calling God his own Father (5:18; cf. 7:1, 19-25).
  • The Jews try to stone Jesus when he says “I am” (applying God’s name to himself; 8:59; cf. 8:37-40) and when he says, “The Father and I are one,” which the authorities consider “blasphemy” (10:31-39; cf. 11:8).
  • The Sanhedrin (high priestly council) opposes Jesus because he performs many “signs” and they fear the reaction of the Romans; Caiaphas says it is better for one man to die than for the whole people to be destroyed (11:48-53).
  • The chief priests plan to kill Lazarus as well, since many people were believing in Jesus after he raised Lazarus (12:10-11).

 

2. EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE PASSOVER FEAST:  What happened shortly BEFORE Jesus died?

 

1. The Plot to Kill
2. Woman anoints
3. Judas Plans to Betray
4. The Plot to Kill Jesus:
   • The Synoptic Gospels all show the Jewish authorities (chief priests, elders and/or scribes) plotting to kill Jesus, but hesitant of people's reactions, esp. due to the nearness of Passover (Mark 14:1-2; Matt 26:1-5; Luke 22:1-2). Mark and Matthew say it was two days before Passover, while Luke less precisely says that the Passover "was near."
5. Jesus is Anointed by a Woman:
   • In all four Gospels, a woman anoints Jesus during a meal; but the woman's identity and the time and location of the event are very different.
   • In Mark 14:3-9 and Matt 26:6-13, two days before the Passover, in the house of Simon the leper in Bethany (near Jerusalem), an anonymous woman (not called a "sinner") anoints Jesus' head with expensive ointment. Some people complain about the waste, saying the ointment could have been sold and the money given to the poor; but Jesus commends the woman, saying the anointing was a preparation for his burial.
   • In John 12:1-8, the anointing also takes place in Bethany, but six days before Passover, and in the house of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. It is this Mary of Bethany (not Mary Magdalene, and again not called a "sinner") who anoints Jesus' feet and wipes them with her hair. Judas Iscariot is singled out as the one who complains about the waste, but Jesus' reaction again makes reference to his upcoming burial.
   • The only anointing story in Luke is not part of the Passion Narrative, but much earlier (7:36-50), while Jesus is still up in Galilee. An anonymous but sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet while he is eating in the house of an anonymous Pharisee, who complains not about the waste of the ointment, but that Jesus allows a sinful woman to touch him. In response, Jesus talks about love and forgiveness, not about his own death.
6. Judas Plans to Betray Jesus:
   • In all three Synoptics, Judas Iscariot agrees to betray Jesus to the chief priests (Mark 14:10-11, par.); but only Matthew specifies that it was for "thirty pieces of silver" (Matt 26:15; cf. 27:3, 9), and only Luke mentions the influence of Satan on Judas (22:3-6).
   • John's Gospel also mentions Satan's influence on Judas (6:70-71; 13:2, 27), but does not say that Judas ever met with the high priests.

 
 

3. THE LAST SUPPER:  WHAT is the significance of Jesus' last meal with his disciples?
4. The Synoptic Gospels:
   • Jesus sends some disciples (only Luke says it was Peter and John) into Jerusalem to prepare for his last meal; in all three Synoptics, it is clearly a Passover Meal, which commemorates the Exodus of the Jews (Mark 14:12; Matt 26:17; Luke 22:7-8, 15).
   • All three Synoptics show Jesus speaking the blessing prayers, and saying the bread and wine is his own body and blood (Mk 14:22-25; Matt 26:26-29; Luke 22:15-20; also    1 Cor 11:23-25).
   • Only Luke (and Paul) has Jesus explicitly say, "Do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19b; cf. 1 Cor 11:24, 25).
   • Only Luke gives evidence of the Passover tradition of blessing multiple cups of wine (Luke 22:17, 20).
   • Luke also has much more dialogue during the Last Supper, including Jesus' prediction of Peter's denial (Luke 22:31-34; cf. John 13:36-38).
   • In Mark and Matthew, Jesus' prediction of Peter's denial takes place just after the supper, as they are on their way to Gethsemane (Mark 14:26-31; Matt 26:30-35).

 

• The Fourth Gospel:
  • Jesus' Last Supper is not a Passover Meal, but takes place just before the Feast of Passover (John 13:1);
  • In John, Jesus will die on the same afternoon that the Passover Lambs are slaughtered (cf. 19:31-37).
  • The "Eucharistic" words of Jesus are not recorded in John 13, but were already spoken earlier (6:22-59).
  • During this final meal in John's Gospel, Jesus washes all of his disciples' feet (John 13:2-16).
  • Then he tells them, "I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you" (13:15).
  • During the meal, Jesus foretells Judas' betrayal (John 13:21-30) and Peter's denial (13:36-38).
  • During the meal, Jesus also gives a "Farewell Discourse" (13:31—16:33) and addresses a long prayer to God (17:1-26).

 
 
 
 

4. THE AGONY AND ARREST IN THE GARDEN:  WHERE and HOW was Jesus captured?

• The Synoptic Gospels:
  • After the Passover meal, Jesus and his disciples go out to the "Mount of Olives" (Mark 14:26; Matt 26:30; Luke 22:39).
  • The place where Jesus prays is called "Gethsemane" (Mark 14:32; Matt 26:36), but it is not explicitly called a "garden."
  • Luke greatly shortens Jesus' prayer and his challenges to the disciples (11 verses in both Mark & Matt; only 6 verses in Luke).
  • In all three Synoptics, Judas identifies Jesus with a kiss (Mark 14:43-46; Matt 26:47-50); but in Luke, Jesus interrupts this action by asking, "Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" (Luke 22:48).

 

• The Fourth Gospel:
  • After Jesus finishes his discourses and prayer, they go "across the Kidron Valley" and enter a "garden," but this is not explicitly identified as "Gethsemane" (John 18:1).
  • There is no "agony" or any prayer of Jesus in this garden; it is only the scene of Jesus' arrest (18:2-12).
  • Jesus remains in control of the scene; the soldiers hesitate to arrest Jesus when twice he says "I am" (18:6, 8).
  • All four Gospels say that one of Jesus' disciples cut off the ear of the high priest's slave; but only in John are these two individuals explicitly named: Simon Peter and Malchus (18:10).

 
 

5. THE ACCUSATIONS AND CHARGES:  WHY was Jesus condemned to death, and BY WHOM?

 
The Religious Inquest                    The Political Trial(s)

• The Religious Inquest:  The Jewish High Priest and Sanhedrin (council of elders) find Jesus guilty of blaspheming God.
  • Mark 14:61-64 and Matt 26:63-66 explicitly use the word "blasphemy," while Luke 22:67-71 and John 18:19-23 use slightly different expressions.
  • The word "blasphemy" in ancient Greek literally means "insulting or saying bad things about God."
  • The punishment prescribed in the Hebrew Bible for blasphemy is to be stoned to death (Lev 24:10-23).
  • Jesus directly admits that he is "the Christ, the Son of the Blessed" (i.e. God) in Mark (14:61-62) while his answer is slightly vaguer in the other Gospels (Matt 26:64; Luke 22:67-68; cf. Mark 15:39; John 19:7).

 

• The Political Trial(s):  The Roman procurator of Judea (Pontius Pilate) finds Jesus guilty of sedition, rebellion, or treason.
  • Luke's Gospel describes the nature of the charges against Jesus in the greatest detail (Luke 23:2, 5, 14).
  • Jesus is accused of calling himself and/or letting others call him "King of the Jews" (Mark 15:2, 9, 12, 18, 26, 32, and parallels; cf. also John 18:33-37; 19:12-15).
  • Only in Luke, Pilate interrupts the trial by sending Jesus to Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, who was also in Jerusalem for the Passover (Luke 23:6-12).
  • In Matthew and Mark, Pilate fairly quickly agrees to the Jewish authorities' request to have Jesus condemned (Mark 15:2-15;
  • In Luke and John, Pilate repeatedly asserts Jesus' innocence (Luke 23:4, 13-15, 22; John 18:38b; 19:4, 6, 12; cf. Matt 27:24-25).

 

6. THE CRUCIFIXION AND DEATH:  HOW was Jesus executed?

 
 

1. Condemnation to Death
2. Beatings and Scourging
3. Road to Golgotha
4. Manner of Crucifixion
5. Cause of Death
6. Seven Last Words
7. The Witnesses to the Crucifixion

 

• Condemnation to Death:

 

• In lands occupied by the Romans, the death penalty could only be carried out with the approval of the local Roman governor (cf. John 18:31).
• Mark and Matthew explicitly say Jesus was handed over to Roman soldiers to be crucified; but Luke and John (using ambiguous pronouns) make it seem like Pilate handed Jesus over to the Jewish authorities to carry out the crucifixion (Luke 23:25; John 19:16).
• Beatings and Scourging:
  • Before being crucified, condemned prisoners were often beaten, scourged, mocked, and mistreated in other ways.
  • Prisoners might already die from this maltreatment, so Jewish law limited floggings to thirty-nine lashes (cf. 2 Cor 11:24).
  • Since Jesus was condemned for claiming to be "King of the Jews," the soldiers mock him with the symbols of royal power and authority, including a scarlet (or purple) cloak, a crown (of thorns), and a reed (instead of a scepter).
• Road to Golgotha:
  • Condemned persons would usually be forced to carry their own cross beams to the place of their crucifixion (as Jesus does in John 19:17);
  • In contrast, Simon of Cyrene is compelled to help carry Jesus' cross in the Synoptics (Mark 15:21; Matt 27:32; Luke 23:26).
  • Only Luke tells of Jesus speaking with women along the way to the cross (Luke 23:27-31), but none of the Gospels contains the full fourteen "Stations of the Cross" that later became popular in Christian devotions.
  • Golgotha, meaning "Place of the Skull" (Mark 15:22, par.) was probably an abandoned stone quarry just outside of the walled city of Jerusalem; however, the city was enlarged and new walls built to the North and West shortly after the death of Jesus.
  • Thus, the site of Jesus' crucifixion and burial has been inside the city of Jerusalem since the late first century (at the location of the 4th-century Church of the Holy Sepulcher); in contrast, some people propose that the actual site of the crucifixion is at the so-called "Garden Tomb" (slightly North of the Damascus Gate).
• Manner of Crucifixion:
  • The cross was usually T-shaped, with the cross beam placed on top of an upright post already set in the ground.
  • The victim might be tied and/or nailed to the cross beam and to the upright post; only John explicitly mentions "nails" and "nail marks" (John 20:25; cf. Col 2:14), while Jesus may well have been tied to the cross, based on the Synoptics (cf. Acts 5:30; 10:39; 13:29; which use the phrase "hang on a tree"; cf. also Deut 21:22; Gal 3:13).
  • Crucified persons had to be guarded by soldiers, to prevent family or friends from rescuing them before they died.
  • The charge would often be affixed over the head of the condemned criminal, to serve as a warning to any onlookers:
    INRI = Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum, Latin for "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews" (John 19:19-22; cf. Mark 15:26).
  • Only John gives this full inscription, and says it was posted in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek; it is briefer in the Synoptics
    ("This is Jesus the King of the Jews" in Matt 27:37; "This is the King of the Jews" in Luke 23:38; only "The King of the Jews" in Mark 15:26).
• Cause of Death:
  • Some victims might bleed to death fairly quickly, but some could survive for several days before succumbing to a combination of dehydration and asphyxiation.
  • To prolong the victims' agony, their feet would be tied or nailed to the post, so that they could push themselves up to breathe.
  • To hasten the victims' deaths, their legs might be broken, so that they could no longer breathe (cf. John 19:31-36).
• "Seven Last Words of Christ":

Traditional Good Friday devotions recall the seven "utterances" (Greek logos = "word, phrase, sentence, speech") that Jesus spoke while hanging on the cross; none of the Gospels contain all seven phrases, however, but only one, or at most three of them:

1. Regarding those crucifying him: "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
2. To his mother: "Woman, here is your son"; and to the beloved disciple: "Here is your mother." (John 19:26-27)
3. To the repentant thief: "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43)
4. At the ninth hour:  "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mk 15:34; Mt 27:46)
5. In order to fulfill scripture: "I am thirsty." (John 19:28)
6. After receiving a drink of vinegar: "It is finished." (John 19:30)
7. As Jesus is dying: "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." (Luke 23:46)
8. The Witnesses to the Crucifixion:
   • In the Synoptics, many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee were "looking on from afar" (Mark 15:40; Matt 27:55; cf. Luke 23:49).
   • Mark names three women (Mary Magdalene; Mary the mother of James and Joses; and Salome); Matthew names the same three (?) slightly differently (Mary Magdalene; Mary the mother of James and Joseph; and the mother of the sons of Zebedee); but in Luke the women remain anonymous (until 24:10).
   • A Roman centurion who witnessed the scene declares, “Truly this man was the son of God” (Mark 15:39; Matt 27:54), or “…was innocent” (Luke 23:47).
   • In John 19:25-26, four women (his mother; his mother's sister; Mary the wife of Clopas; and Mary Magdalene--or three, if #2 = #3?) as well as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (not named, but called "son") are "standing beside the cross" (i.e. very close to it).

 

7. THE BURIAL:  BY WHOM & WHEN and HOW and WHERE was Jesus buried?

 

1. Who buried
2. When Jesus was buried
3. How the burial took place
4. Where Jesus was buried

• Who buried Jesus?
  • A certain Joseph, from the Judean town of Arimathea (exact location unknown); he is called a "respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God" (Mark 15:43); "a rich man" and "also a disciple of Jesus" (Matt 27:57); "a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their purpose and deed " (Luke 23:50); and "a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews" (John 19:38).
  • Only John mentions that Nicodemus, who had previously encountered Jesus, also helped with Jesus' burial (19:39; cf. 3:1; 7:50).
• When Jesus was buried?
  • After Joseph secures permission from Pontius Pilate to retrieve Jesus' body (Mark 15:43 & par.). After Pilate was assured that Jesus was dead, based on the testimony of a centurion (Mark 15:44-45) and/or the piercing of Jesus' side (John 19:31-37).
  • On Friday afternoon just before sundown (when the Sabbath begins), so the burial was done hurriedly (Mk 15:42; Lk 23:54; John 19:42).

 

• How the burial took place?
  • By wrapping Jesus' body in a linen cloth (Mark 15:46 & par.), placing it in a rock-hewn tomb, and rolling a large stone against the entrance (Mark 15:46 & par.).
  • In John 19:40, they also wrapped the body with a large mixture of spices (myrrh & aloes), according to Jewish burial customs.
  • But in the Synoptics, they did not use spices right away (evidently for lack of time before sunset); rather, the women prepared spices after going home (Luke 23:56), and intended to embalm the body properly after the Sabbath (Mark 16:1).
• Where Jesus was buried?
  • The Synoptics do not mention the location of the tomb, but only say that it was hewn out of rock (Mark 15:46 & par.).
  • Luke 23:53 and John 19:41 add that no one else had been buried in this tomb before, while Matt 27:60 claims that it was Joseph of Arimathea's own new tomb.
  • Only John 19:41-42 says that the tomb was in a "garden" near the place where Jesus had been crucified.
  • Only Matt 27:62-66 says that some soldiers were stationed to guard Jesus' tomb, lest the disciples steal his body (cf. 28:11-15).