EASTER….. SO!
Easter is the most significant event is the history of the world. It is a celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christians celebrate the empty tomb and the fulfillment of the prophecies. The tomb is a symbol of Hope – it means God is who He said He is and that He can do what He said He can do.
Jesus died for the sins of the world, the movie The Passion, was an attempt to show the suffering Jesus endured. People found the images disturbing yet moving, though it did not really show everything Christ endured. I have attempted to provide an opportunity for you to do some research for yourself. I have tried to focus on the execution of Jesus and then look at the events of the Resurrection.
Matthew 26:65 - 68 “Then the priest tore his clothes and said, ‘He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?’
‘He is worthy of death,’ they answered.
Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him…”
This was before Christ was taken to Pilate, the priests were looking for a reason to have Jesus put to death. Earlier in the passage they were not able to find any witnesses to the crimes they were seeking. So the men were angry and frustrated – It is reasonable to believe Jesus was beaten by these men.
Now Jesus is before Pilate and the crowds are in a frenzy. They have just asked for Barabbas to be released instead of Jesus.
Matthew 27:23-26 “’Why? What crime has he committed?’ asked Pilate. But they shouted louder, ‘Crucify him!’
‘Why? What crime has he committed?’ asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, ‘Crucify him!’
When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said, ‘It is your responsibility!’
All the people answered, ‘Let his blood be on us and our children!’
Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed over to be crucified.”
Wow. The crowded accepted responsibility for Jesus’ blood and placed it on their children too. I cannot imagine the sea of faces Pilate saw, but I am trying to understand how a crowd could demand the release of a convicted terrorist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barabbas) facing crucifixion and have an innocent man condemned.
Do not gloss over the last sentence, as Pilate released Barabbas, Jesus was taken to be flogged. What was the flogging like? It is interesting to note that Romans did not flog their own citizens, it was too brutal.
In the Roman Empire, flagellation was often used as a prelude to crucifixion, and in this context is sometimes referred to as scourging. Whips with small pieces of metal or bone at the tips were commonly used. Such a device could easily cause disfigurement and serious trauma, such as ripping pieces of flesh from the body or loss of an eye. In addition to causing severe pain, the victim would be made to approach a state of hypovolemic shock due to loss of blood. The Romans reserved this torture for non-citizens, as stated in the lex Porcia and lex Sempronia, dating from 195 and 123 BC. The poet Horace refers to the horribile flagellum (horrible whip) in his Satires, calling for the end of its use. Typically, the one to be punished was stripped naked and bound to a low pillar so that he could bend over it, or chained to an upright pillar as to be stretched out. Two lictors (some reports indicate scourgings with four or six lictors) alternated blows from the bare shoulders down the body to the soles of the feet. There was no limit to the number of blows inflicted— this was left to the lictors to decide, though they were normally not supposed to kill the victim. Nonetheless, Livy, Suetonius and Josephus report cases of flagellation where victims died while still bound to the post. Flagellation was referred to as "half death" by some authors and apparently, many died shortly thereafter. Cicero reports in In Verrem, "pro mortuo sublatus brevi postea mortuus" ("taken away for a dead man, shortly thereafter he was dead"). Often the victim was turned over to allow flagellation on the chest, though this proceeded with more caution, as the possibility of inflicting a fatal blow was much greater. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flogging)
This is how one expert in the crucifixion, Dr. C. Truman Davis, describes the results of a flogging:
"The heavy whip is brought down with full force again and again across a person's shoulders, back and legs. At first, the heavy thongs cut through the skin only. Then, as the blows continue, they cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin, and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles. The small balls of lead first produce large, deep bruises, which the others cut wide open. Finally, the skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons, and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue." (http://www.ecstagony.com/eng/info/artinst/roma.htm)
Next by the accounts the soldiers began to mock Jesus. They clothed him in the scarlet robe, placed the crown of thorns on his head, placed a staff in his hand, and began to mock him. Then that spat on him and began to strike him on the head. Then they removed the robe and placed Jesus’ clothes back on him. Do not gloss over the robe… think about a cut or “rug burn” when you get your clothes in it and it begins to stick to your skin – the “pain” we feel as we remove the clothes. That is just a scrape – Jesus’ arteries were opened, flesh hanging, muscles exposed… then you put a robe on him – the blood clots and soaks the robe… then you rip it off him.
The rest of Matthew 27 tells of the crucifixion of Jesus. People died a slow and horrible death on the cross, they died of asphyxiation. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixion) After his death, Jesus was placed in the tomb.
This should be the end of the story, but in verses 62-66 the chief priests remembered that Jesus said he would rise in three days of his death. These are the same men that condemned him for claiming to be the Son of God, they beat him, mocked him as he was on the cross, and now they are scared? If he was not the Son of God, then why worry? Pilate had guards placed at the tomb.
The Resurrection is covered in Matthew 28 – just a few points to note. The guards reported to the chief priests everything that happened – that an angel appeared and moved the stone… The priests then bribed the soldiers to tell a different story. Again, if he was not who he said he was and he did not rise from the dead – why bribe the guards to lie? The tomb was empty!
I have only touched the surface on many of these issues, but Lee Strobel spent two years writing a book, The Case For Christ. He was an atheist when he began his research, I would encourage anyone with questions to take the time to read his book.
The empty tomb gives us hope – it affirms that Jesus died for our sins so that we may have eternal life. The Bible says the wages of sin is death – Jesus died for our sins, he took the beating and the horrific death that we deserve. He died so we might live, we only have to accept him and enter into a relationship with him…
