There is no credible historical or religious writing that makes any allusion to any other fact than that Jesus Christ died on the cross and was buried in a nearby tomb. He was not miraculously raised up to Heaven, he was lowered down from the cross, likely by his friends and followers, or by workers hired by Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph was a rich man who also had become a follower of Jesus and believed in his teachings. Joseph had stepped forward to donate a nearby tomb which he owned as the final burial place of Jesus, and thus had asked for the body. His wealth and his status in the community as a member of the 'Sanhedrin', a local governing council, impressed Pilate enough that he granted Joseph permission. When you think about this particular act, think a little more deeply. Roman law at the time was actually against this very type of action, because the authorities feared that such a tomb would become a shrine of pilgrimage. There has been some speculation through time that Pilate granted the request simply because of Joseph's status in the community, or possibly some bribe or payment from Joseph. There is also speculation that it was a simple matter of conscience. Pilate believed that Jesus was innocent of any crime, let alone one for which he should have been put to death. He stated this numerous times in the hours leading up to the crucifixion. At least a part of his decision to allow the burial at Joseph's tomb may have come simply from feelings of guilt. Approval for this act of charity was granted by Jesus' family as well, and so the cross was lowered and the battered, bloody, and lifeless body of Christ was removed from it. We think about the drama surrounding Jesus' passion and many of the events surrounding his death and resurrection, but we rarely contemplate the most minute details as Joseph and his friend Nicodemus would have dealt with them in the aftermath of the crucifixion. The reality would be that men had to remove the long nails from Christ's hands and feet. They would have had to untie his arms. Someone would have had to remove the mocking crown of thorns from his head. His body would have then been wrapped and carried away towards Joseph's tomb, which was not far from Golgotha. Items involved in the crucifixion such as the nails, the rope, the crown of thorns, and even the cross itself on which Christ hung were most assuredly taken by some of Jesus' followers or by others who believed these artifacts would have some material value as souvenirs, if not by Joseph and Nicodemus themselves. Before being laid in the tomb, Joseph and Nicodemus would have had the body brought to a room where they cleaned it, prepared it for burial with myrrhs and aloes, and wrapped it in a linen cloth. Jesus' mother Mary, and his close friend and follower Mary of Magdalene, were both present throughout the entirety of the process as he was lowered from the cross, transported to the burial place, prepared for burial, and finally laid in the tomb. It was likely their intention to both ensure that he receive proper treatment, and they also planned on returning to the tomb at some point to apply further oils and spices to the body, a process that normally took place over a few days. Finally, Christ's body was carried into the tomb, likely with a small, somber ceremony of simple witness and prayer possibly only involving Joseph, Nicodemus, and the two Mary's, as Jesus' other followers had fled into hiding. A large stone was then ordered to be rolled into place to seal the tomb. On the following day, the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate and asked that guards be posted at the sealed tomb for three days, because they understood the significance of the belief that Christ was the Messiah, and that it was foretold that he would rise on the third day. The officials feared that Jesus' followers would come by night, remove the body from the tomb, and then claim that Jesus had risen from the dead in fulfillment of the prophecies. Pilate granted this request, and either Roman centurions or Temple guards went to the tomb, ensured that it was secure, and then stood a vigilant watch. All through the day on Saturday, and through Saturday night into early on Sunday morning, Jesus' battered, cold, dead, wrapped body lay in that tomb in utter darkness.
Showing posts with label Sanhedrin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sanhedrin. Show all posts
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Christ Has Died
There is no credible historical or religious writing that makes any allusion to any other fact than that Jesus Christ died on the cross and was buried in a nearby tomb. He was not miraculously raised up to Heaven, he was lowered down from the cross, likely by his friends and followers, or by workers hired by Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph was a rich man who also had become a follower of Jesus and believed in his teachings. Joseph had stepped forward to donate a nearby tomb which he owned as the final burial place of Jesus, and thus had asked for the body. His wealth and his status in the community as a member of the 'Sanhedrin', a local governing council, impressed Pilate enough that he granted Joseph permission. When you think about this particular act, think a little more deeply. Roman law at the time was actually against this very type of action, because the authorities feared that such a tomb would become a shrine of pilgrimage. There has been some speculation through time that Pilate granted the request simply because of Joseph's status in the community, or possibly some bribe or payment from Joseph. There is also speculation that it was a simple matter of conscience. Pilate believed that Jesus was innocent of any crime, let alone one for which he should have been put to death. He stated this numerous times in the hours leading up to the crucifixion. At least a part of his decision to allow the burial at Joseph's tomb may have come simply from feelings of guilt. Approval for this act of charity was granted by Jesus' family as well, and so the cross was lowered and the battered, bloody, and lifeless body of Christ was removed from it. We think about the drama surrounding Jesus' passion and many of the events surrounding his death and resurrection, but we rarely contemplate the most minute details as Joseph and his friend Nicodemus would have dealt with them in the aftermath of the crucifixion. The reality would be that men had to remove the long nails from Christ's hands and feet. They would have had to untie his arms. Someone would have had to remove the mocking crown of thorns from his head. His body would have then been wrapped and carried away towards Joseph's tomb, which was not far from Golgotha. Items involved in the crucifixion such as the nails, the rope, the crown of thorns, and even the cross itself on which Christ hung were most assuredly taken by some of Jesus' followers or by others who believed these artifacts would have some material value as souvenirs, if not by Joseph and Nicodemus themselves. Before being laid in the tomb, Joseph and Nicodemus would have had the body brought to a room where they cleaned it, prepared it for burial with myrrhs and aloes, and wrapped it in a linen cloth. Jesus' mother Mary, and his close friend and follower Mary of Magdalene, were both present throughout the entirety of the process as he was lowered from the cross, transported to the burial place, prepared for burial, and finally laid in the tomb. It was likely their intention to both ensure that he receive proper treatment, and they also planned on returning to the tomb at some point to apply further oils and spices to the body, a process that normally took place over a few days. Finally, Christ's body was carried into the tomb, likely with a small, somber ceremony of simple witness and prayer possibly only involving Joseph, Nicodemus, and the two Mary's, as Jesus' other followers had fled into hiding. A large stone was then ordered to be rolled into place to seal the tomb. On the following day, the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate and asked that guards be posted at the sealed tomb for three days, because they understood the significance of the belief that Christ was the Messiah, and that it was foretold that he would rise on the third day. The officials feared that Jesus' followers would come by night, remove the body from the tomb, and then claim that Jesus had risen from the dead in fulfillment of the prophecies. Pilate granted this request, and either Roman centurions or Temple guards went to the tomb, ensured that it was secure, and then stood a vigilant watch. All through the day on Saturday, and through Saturday night into early on Sunday morning, Jesus' battered, cold, dead, wrapped body lay in that tomb in utter darkness.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Conspiracy, Betrayal, Denial
We are now just three weeks away from Easter Sunday, which along with Christmas Day is the celebration of one of the two greatest events in the history of mankind. On that day of Easter we will celebrate the great victory of Jesus Christ over death, his rising from the grave into which he entered as a repentance for the sins of man. But besides that sin for which his death was payment, there was a human process of actual conspiracy and betrayal that served as the mechanization leading to his crucifixion. And near that end there were a series of denials from his most beloved and respected friend and follower. As the Bible tells it in the New Testament gospel of Luke, with the Passover festival about to begin the chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to put him to death. They feared Jesus' popularity among the people, and that many of his teachings were outside the bounds, some directly in conflict with, the tenets of the Jewish faith. The Gospel of Matthew tells that they assembled in the palace of the high priest, Caiaphas, and consulted on how best to effect his arrest and eventual execution. Their initial plan was to have this plot carried out after the festival was over, because as both Matthew and Mark tell us, they feared "a riot among the people", such was Jesus' popularity. Their plots against him came together more suddenly than they wanted because the fact is they were not in charge of things. As Luke tells it, Satan "entered into" one of Jesus' twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot, who approached the temple guards and the chief priests with an offer to betray Jesus and turn him over to them in exchange for money. When the chief priests agreed to pay him 30 pieces of silver, the conspiracy was in place, and Judas began to seek an opportunity to lead them to Jesus when there would be no crowds around to cause a disturbance. When the time came to celebrate the Passover meal, Jesus gathered with his disciples in the large upper room at the home of a Jerusalem man who was a supporter of their group. During the meal, Jesus instituted the Sacramental expression of the sharing of His body and blood. In breaking bread and passing it among his friends he said "This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me." After they ate, the Lord then took the cup of wine and said to them "This cup is the new covenant of my blood, which will be shed for you." As they further celebrated the meal, an argument broke out among them as to who was the greatest of Jesus' followers. Rather than select anyone of them, Jesus instead told them that true greatness comes not from lording it over others, but through service, saying "I am among you as the one who serves." When his closest follower and dearest friend, Simon Peter, told Jesus that he was prepared to go to prison and die for him, Jesus replied that "Before the cock crows this day, you will deny three times that you know me." He also told the twelve friends that one of them sitting among their group would betray him saying "It would be better for that man if he had never been born." As we know through history, late that very night while his followers slept in the garden at Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives, Judas saw the opportunity to turn him over. He led a group of soldiers to that location, approached Jesus, and identified him to the soldiers by kissing Jesus on the cheek. Jesus was taken into custody and brought before the Sanhedrin, the council of elders, chief priests and scribes who would begin the process of a sham legal proceeding leading to his death. While Jesus was in custody, three different times that day his friend Peter was approached and accused of being one of Jesus' followers, and all three times Peter denied that it was so, just as Jesus had foretold. As the celebrations of Easter approach we should all be reminded of these moments when the very Savior of mankind was conspired against, betrayed, and denied by his very closest friends and followers. We need to remember that while our friends and family are important, no one is beyond Satan's grasp, and no one is beyond doing the exact same thing to each of us. In the end, we hope to count on the people in our lives at the most important moments. But the fact is that in the end the only one whom we can really count on is Jesus Christ himself. He was the one who stayed faithful to us. He is the one who went to the cross so that your sins would be forgiven. He was the one who suffered and died for each of you reading this. Do not turn your back on him as his followers did. Use the approach of this holy and blessed season to set your lives on a path that draws you closer to Jesus Christ.
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