The day after Jesus was crucified was a day of silence as His body lay in the tomb.
It’s a good time to look at the different individuals surrounding the events that unfolded that week and to ponder their reactions or responses to his death and resurrection. And to ask, “What is my response?”
Annas the former high priest, was also father-in-law of Caiaphas the current high priest. The interesting thing is that Annas still wielded much power through his son-in-law and other family members, including his five sons, who had also been high priests for various lengths of time (Josephus Antiquities of the Jews). Annas was the head of an established dynasty that was both corrupt and power hungry.
Caiaphas, the high priest, led the group in seeking false testimony against Jesus so that he could be put to death. He found none. Matthew 26 tells us that after questioning Jesus, they twisted what Jesus said and slapped a blasphemy charge on him – a charge punishable by death. “Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, ‘Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?'” Matthew 26:47-57
The chief priests, scribes and elders, who were religious leaders and authorities mocked Jesus, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (Matthew 27: 42-43)
When Pilate learned that Jesus belonged to Herod Antipas‘ jurisdiction, he sent Jesus over to Herod. Luke records a mock trial Jesus had to endure before him. Herod had no authority whatsoever (he was a puppet king under Roman rule and hated by the Jews). He questioned Jesus at length and Jesus maintained his silence. Ultimately, “Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.” (Luke 23:6-12)
Pontius Pilate asked, “What is truth?” He questioned and evaluated Jesus. Just as Herod Antipas, Pilate too could not find any reason to condemn Jesus to death but he found it difficult to say no to the Jewish leaders who cried out for blood. He first tried to find a way to appease the crowds by offering them Barabbas in exchange. Unable to follow his conscience and resist public pressure, he was unable to say no to the Jewish leaders who he knew full well were acting on behalf of their own interests. He thought the crowds would be satisfied if he had Jesus scourged, but they continued to demand the death penalty, crucifixion.
Pilate’s wife has had troubling dreams and warned him not to have anything to do with Jesus’ death. But with the Jews about to riot and peace of Jerusalem hanging in the balance, Pilate gave in. He handed Jesus over to the Jews to be crucified. Then, he posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” He washed his hands to symbolize his “innocence” in all this. He evaded responsibility, shifted blame to the Jewish leaders and mob, failed to take ownership for his part in all this. At the end of the day, he was motivated by popular opinion rather than the truth and satisfied the crowd by ignoring the truth. (Mark 15:15)
The mob that yelled, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” I’m guessing this would have been a mixture of all kinds of people – locals, pilgrims, visitors from the region and beyond, including devout Jews who had come to Jerusalem to make their sacrifices during Passover. It was customary during this festival season for the authorities to release a prisoner whom the people requested. When Pilate offers to release Jesus (because he knows that it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him) and crucify Barabbas, the chief priests stirred up the crowd (Mark 15:11) to demand Pilate release Barabbas instead. The mob quickly turned violent and played an active part in mocking Jesus.
Those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Matthew 27: 39,40)
The Roman soldiers mocked, beat, flogged and tortured him. They put a robe on him, forced a crown of thorns onto his head, handed him a reed, spat on him repeatedly, bowed down before him and mocked him saying, “Hail Jesus! King of the Jews!” After they crucified him, they sat at the foot of the cross and gambled to to see who would win Jesus’ robe.
After the brutal scourging (during which Jesus received 40 lashes with a whip laced with pieces of bone, metal, and sharp objects that tore his back open) Jesus struggled to carry the heavy cross through Jerusalem to the place where he would eventually be crucified. He fell repeatedly. The soldiers forced a man called Simeon the Cyrene to carry the cross on behalf of Jesus. We don’t know what Simon felt at the time, but we do know that Cyrene is what is Libya today. And Mark (Mark 15:21) mentions two of Simon’s sons, Alexander and Rufus, who later became missionaries.
When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsamne, he was filled with sorrow to find his disciples asleep rather than engaged in prayer. All of Jesus’ disciples fled when he was arrested in the Garden that night. They went into hiding or watched from a safe distance. Based on what the gospels record, John was the only one that stayed close to Jesus. He was also at the foot of the cross at the time of Jesus’ death.
Judas, betrayed Jesus, for thirty pieces of silver, with a kiss. Later, plagued by guilt, he hung himself.
Peter, who swore that he would never deny Jesus, denied he ever knew him or was one of his disciples, three times before dawn.
Mark is thought to be the “young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment,” with Jesus in Gethsemane at the time of his arrest. “When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind” (Mark 14:51-52)
John stayed with Jesus. Jesus saw him from the cross and asked him to take care of take care of his mother, Mary.
There was a great multitude of the people and of women mourning and lamenting for Jesus as he made his way to Golgotha. “But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.” (Luke 23:28)
Special mention is made of the women that followed Jesus stayed close to Jesus even after most of the twelve disciples had fled. The gospels mention Mary (mother of Jesus, widow of Joseph of Nazareth), Mary Magdalene, Salome who is possibly the mother of the sons of Zebedee (James and John who were Jesus’ first cousins), Mary (wife of Clopas)… They were at the foot of the cross, staying close to him. And after his death, they helped prepare his body for burial. The resurrected Jesus is revealed to them first.
The two thieves/rebels crucified with Jesus had two opposing responses to him. One mocked him, challenging his identity, “Save yourself and us!” The second one rebuked the first and added, “We are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man(Jesus) has done nothing wrong.” And then he said to Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:39-43)
Joseph of Arimathea is mentioned in all four gospels. (Matthew: 27:57-60; Mark 15:43-46; Luke 23:50-55; John 19:38-42) We know that he was rich; “a prominent member” of of the Sanhedrin (the council that condemned Jesus); and a secret follower of Jesus. He boldly asked Pilate for permission to bury Jesus’ body. “…Pilate gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.” (Mark 15:45,46) In doing this, he took a big risk and faced fallout with his peers in the Sanhedrin as well as his community.
Nicodemus is also mentioned in this context with Joseph of Arimathea. This “man who had come to Jesus at night” evidently followed Jesus and now went with Joseph to take care of Jesus’ burial. “He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth.” (John 19:39-40)
What is our response? Are we threatened by Jesus? Do we know what the truth is but choose to dismiss it? Do we shift responsibility or blame for our failure to deal with the truth? Do we betray or deny him? Mock him? Hate him? Do we flee or do we stay close by, willing to carry our own cross? Are we willing to risk being shunned by our community and peers? Are we willing to go against popular opinion? Are we willing to die for the One we believe in?
Easter isn’t just about believing that Jesus rose from the dead – even Lucifer and his cohorts believe that! Easter is about a vibrant relationship with our Creator that is transformational, that inspires us to bear His image in us well so we represent Him well. It’s about His transformation love for us and our love response back to Him.
It’s about being very aware of everything in us that separates us from an authentic, truthful, loving relationship with God. We realize that we cannot get past what holds us back inspite of our attempts to do so since we are flawed/corrupted. It is understanding our need for God. The belief that Jesus has done everything to break down the barrier that stood between us and God inspire us to live as resurrection people.
“…left to ourselves we lapse into a kind of collusion with entrophy, acquiescing in the general belief that things may be getting worse, but that there’s nothing much we can do about them. And we are wrong. Our task in the present… is to live as resurrection people in between Easter and the final day, with our Christian life, corporate and individual, in both worship and mission, as a sign of the first and a foretaste of the second.” –NT Wright
~shini abraham, ©2018, duco divina – contemplative doodling
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