The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ took place during the Jewish Passover feast of 29 or 30 AD. After Jesus and his disciples had observed the Passover meal, they traveled outside the city. There, in a garden known as Gethsemane, Jesus prayed to God the Father three times, pleading that God would provide a way other than the cross. After this series of earnest petitions and intense agony, it became apparent that there was no other way. Jesus thus determined to give himself up, and undergo death upon the cross (Matthew 26:36–46).
The Jewish leaders wanted this “teacher” to be taken out of the way. They believed that Jesus’ claims about himself would cause such a political upheaval that the occupying Roman army would seize the opportunity to destroy their nation. So, they bribed one of Jesus’ disciples named Judas to betray him. Judas betrayed Jesus by bringing the temple officials to the Garden of Gethsemane just after midnight, where they arrested him (Mark 14:43).
Jesus then went through a series of six trials, of various sorts, which extended through that night and well into the next morning. These trials were both unfair and viciously rigged. Between the trials Jesus was blindfolded, spat upon, struck in the face, beaten, mocked, ridiculed, and flogged. The effects of these attacks took a tremendous physical toll on him. Finally, after about eight hours of abuse and false trials, the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate, sent Jesus to be crucified.
According to the Jews his crime was blasphemy, because he claimed to be the “Son of God” (Matthew 26:63). According to the Romans, however, his crime was insurrection, because he claimed to be the king of the Jews (Mark 15:5). The evil intent and plans of human beings, however, were used by God to fulfill his own purposes of bringing the world back to himself through Christ’s death (Acts 2:22–36).
A few years ago the well known medical publication, Journal of the American Medical Association, published a scholarly account of the death of Jesus entitled, “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ.” In this journal, the authors had some interesting things to say about Jesus’ treatment during these trials. The Romans were experts at preparing their criminals for death. They had the preparation down to a science. The principle method used was flogging:
For scourging, the man was stripped of his clothing, and his hands were tied to an upright post. The back, buttocks, and legs were flogged either by two soldiers (lictors) or by one who alternated positions. The severity of the scourging depended on the disposition of the lictors and was intended to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse or death.
God sent his Son, born in a stable, to the earth to live in the flesh. He grew up in the humble home of a carpenter. He was rejected by the teachers and leaders of the time; and then, after being betrayed by one friend, denied by another, and abandoned by the rest, he underwent a series of beatings and trials which ignored true justice. Lastly, he was subjected to cruel punishment and death for crimes he did not commit.
Edwards and the other medical examiners comment further:
At the Praetorium, Jesus was severely whipped. (Although the severity of the scourging is not discussed in the four gospel accounts, it is implied in one of the epistles [1 Peter 2: 24]) … The Roman soldiers, amused that this weakened man had claimed to be king, began to mock him by placing a robe on his shoulders, a crown of thorns on his head, and a wooden staff as a sceptre in his right hand. Next, they spat on Jesus and struck him on the head with the wooden staff … The physical and mental abuse meted out by the Jews and the Romans, as well as the lack of food, water, and sleep, also contributed to his generally weakened state. Therefore, even before the actual crucifixion, Jesus' physical condition was at least serious and possibly critical.
Finally, the soldiers led Jesus out to be crucified; but by this time Jesus was so weakened by the severe flogging he was unable to carry his cross, so they compelled a man named Simon of Cyrene to carry it for him. Simon carried it out to a garbage dump where Jesus was crucified. (Mark 15:21)
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. It was one of the most disgraceful and cruel methods of execution and usually was reserved only for slaves, foreigners, revolutionaries, and the vilest of criminals. Roman law usually protected Roman citizens from crucifixion, except perhaps in the case of desertion by soldiers.
Jesus was secured to the cross by heavy iron nails driven into his hands and feet (5 to 7 inches long [13 to 18 cm] with a square shaft 3/8 of an inch [1 cm] across). Death by crucifixion could take from four hours to four days. The person being punished would experience great agony: excruciating bolts of fiery pain in both arms and legs, tremendous difficulty breathing, lacerated and bleeding flesh, all made for a horrible death.
While on the cross the onlookers hurled insults at him (Mark 16:25–32). Then, after six hours, he died. But before he died, Jesus said a prayer to his Father so that he would “forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). After his death, to make sure that he was dead, the soldiers pierced his side with a spear.
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association it was unsettled as to whether Jesus finally died of a heart attack (cardiac rupture) or by suffocation (cardio-respiratory failure).
After death, his body was taken and placed in the tomb of a man named Joseph of Arimathea (Mark 16:43). But by early Sunday morning something wonderful had happened:
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid … ” (Matthew 28:1–10)
By Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection God had forever paved the way for humanity to be “at one” with him. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus provided for the sacrifice of atonement that was necessary to restore the relationship between God and his people in eternity.
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