HAPPY EASTER.

From All of us at:

Church Scene Investigation Team.

The Trial - Final Part

Jesus appears to His disciples in Emmaus

When: Sunday evening, April 16, 30 AD
Where: Upper room, Upper city, Jerusalem, Judea

THE CHRIST APPEARS FOR THOMAS:

The Apostles and disciples that remained in Jerusalem, gathered, whenever possible, in the upper room. They made the home of Mark their unofficial meeting place. The religious leaders did not seem to be out to arrest other followers. So often, during the week following the resurrection, the followers gathered for a meal together.

During the week in Jerusalem those who were gathered began to feel more confident. They began to appear in public. They went to the temple more and more often and began to speak, to some that they met, about The Messiah. But they were still nervous, both about the authorities and about the message. Yet, when they gathered for meal in the evenings, they discussed their attempts to proclaim the good news, and found support and guidance from their spiritual family.

Yet, since the death of Jesus, Thomas had been off by himself, considering what had happened. He had believed that Jesus was the Messiah, and had been willing to back that belief by offering to die in battle with Jesus when the other disciples had counseled caution. He was hard to convince, but was just as hard to dissuade.

Thomas had taken Jesus' death personally. Thomas now believed that Jesus had betrayed his trust. Thomas believed that Jesus had been wrong (either a liar or misguided). Jesus' death had made a fool out of Thomas. 'Never again will I allow myself to be deceived by a false prophet', thought Thomas.

Meanwhile the Apostles and disciples that had gathered in Bethany also followed the Lord's command. They packed up and got on the road back to Galilee. They left on Monday morning, traveling up the Jordan valley to Capernaum.

By Friday night, as the Sabbath began, the Apostles and disciples who had been at Bethany and were on their way back to Galilee, had arrived in the vicinity of Salim and Aenon. They set up a camp for Friday night and Saturday day [to observe the Sabbath], rested Saturday night, and then resumed their journey on Sunday morning.

In Jerusalem, on Sunday evening, Thomas went to the Jerusalem gathering to apologize for his own poor judgment and to help the others see that it was time to "get on with their lives".

But as he entered the room full of excited Apostles, he was surprised. When he had left them last week, they were scared, confused, and discouraged. Now the Apostles gathered around Thomas and told him about how The Christ had appeared to them alive.

But Thomas was in no mood to be swept away by any "unproven belief" or to be guided by emotion. 'I will not be led down that path again without absolute proof. Let ME see, and touch, the wounds and I will reconsider', said Thomas. Thomas wanted to believe, but would not move forward blindly.

The door was shut when The Christ appeared again. Many recognized The Christ and greeted their Lord. But Thomas remained sitting, and watching. And when The Christ walked directly to Thomas and stood in front of him, the room fell silent.

'Thomas', said the Christ, 'you wanted proof!? Look at my hands', said Jesus, extending his hands. 'Look at my feet', pointing down. 'Look at my side', as he pulled up his tunic. 'Go ahead and touch them if you need further proof. Do not convince yourself to disbelieve. Have faith, or proof, if that is what you need'.

Thomas looked at The Christ and his throat tightened. Tears welled up in his eyes. 'I do not need further proof', Thomas thought, 'this is The Messiah'. 'My Lord', he managed to say as he tried to focus his eyes. Then his eyes closed and his head nodded forward. 'My God', he said quietly.

'Thomas', said The Christ, 'welcome back. Blessed will be those who believe without needing proof.'

When: Sunday morning, May 6, 30 AD
Where: Sea of Galilee

APPEARANCE IN GALILEE:

The Apostles and disciples that had traveled from Bethany, Judea, arrived in Galilee by Monday April 17. Some went to Capernaum and others went back to Bethsaida. Over the next two weeks all went about reorganizing their lives. They began to work in order to support themselves and their families. They attended synagogue on the Sabbath. They met as often as they could, trying to make sense out of the last two and a half years. But they lacked a guide, a goal, and a vision. Everything they had believed depended on the person and leadership of Jesus.

But on Saturday night, following the Sabbath of May 4/5, the Apostles Peter [Andrew had decided to stay in Jerusalem], James and John, Thomas and Nathaniel, and two other disciples, went out fishing on the lake. Thomas and Nathanael were working for Peter rather then living in Cana, in order to be near each other. They had spent the night fishing in hopes of selling them at the morning fish market. But they had wasted their time. They had caught nothing that they could sell.

When they sailed southwest from the delta of the upper Jordan River, where they had been fishing, they went past Capernaum. They needed to clean and repair the nets, so when they were past Capernaum they came to the cove where they had often done this work, and where Jesus had taught the crowds from the boat.

It was almost half an hour after sunrise when they arrived off the shore of the cove. As they approached the shore, they saw a man on the beach waving at them. They did not recognize the man, but he did not appear threatening. Maybe he just wanted some fresh fish. Sounding disappointed, the man called out loudly, 'You didn't catch anything did you?'

Peter was frustrated. Here was easy money, but they had nothing to sell. Peter answered that they had no fish for sale and then went back to the task of bringing his boat safely to rest.

But the stranger cupped his hands around his mouth, spoke loudly, and suggested, 'If you want to catch fish, then cast your nets off the boat toward the rising sun.' Peter furrowed his brows. That sounded familiar. So he decided that it would do no real harm to try.

As they began to draw in the net, they found that they had captured a large school of fish. The net was filled to capacity. When John became aware of the "chill going up his spine", he looked at the stranger and said to Peter, 'It is the Lord!' Peter again looked at the stranger, remembered another large catch of fish, and agreed with John. Peter quickly put on his tunic, tucked it in, jumped into the water, swam and waded to shore. While he waded to shore the others on the boat finished bringing in the fish and brought the boats in to shore.

There, already prepared, was some bread and fish. The Christ wanted Peter to remember this catch, and so asked Peter to get some more fish for breakfast. Peter had to count them first so that later each man got his share of the profits from the sale. Peter was surprised that there were 153 large fish (he did not count the small ones that would not sell) and yet the net had held them all without breaking [The Church would hold people from all over the world and yet would not be destroyed]. The Christ, and the Apostles and disciples, ate their fill of fish and bread next to the Sea of Galilee where, to the south, the 5000 Jews had been fed, and, to the east, the 4000 Gentiles had been fed.

After breakfast, The Christ went walking alone with Peter. The Christ talked as they walked. God had granted The Christ full authority. Now it would be the mission of the Apostles to go to ALL nations and offer them the same opportunity that God had offered to them. To become aware of their sin, to ask for forgiveness, to repent, to be baptized into God's family, and to become disciples of the kingdom.

As Peter and The Christ sat down on the hill just north of the cove, and overlooking the lake, The Christ continued to instruct Peter. 'You Apostles and disciples must teach these new brothers and sisters what I have taught you,' said The Christ, 'to live by faith, and to serve God and love our neighbor, and thus live as a new family. Remember, I will always be with you in spirit.'

Then The Christ looked Peter in the eye. There were some things that Peter needed to understand. But first Peter had to come to understand that he was to be a leader, and would need a vision of the future.

'Peter, do you love serving God more than you love those people?' asked The Christ. Peter thought for a moment. 'Yes, I love God more', he said. The Christ responded, 'Then it will be your job to feed the spirits of these leaderless lambs.' To which Peter responded, 'I will.'

But The Christ asked Peter again, 'Are you sure?' and Peter responded immediately, 'Yes, I am sure.'

Yet, after a quiet pause, The Christ asked Peter, 'Do you understand what I am asking?' This brought back to Peter's mind the three times he had denied knowing Jesus. 'Lord', Peter said, 'you can be very sure if it.' The Christ pressed the point. 'Even if it means that you will ultimately follow me in every way?' he asked. Without a moments hesitation, and with a very serious look on his face, Peter responded, 'Yes Lord! In every way!'

The Christ and Peter sat together in the morning sun for a while. Peter noticed that John was walking toward them. Peter knew that John was strong in the faith. 'What about him?' asked Peter, nodding toward John. 'That is not your concern', said The Christ. 'He and I will work out his life.'

Then The Christ was gone. After some thought, Peter realized that The Christ had made it his responsibility to help the Apostles and disciples to form a new family and a new community, such as Jeremiah had spoken of.

To form that community, the Apostles and disciples needed to go back to Jerusalem immediately. There they would meet together with the Apostles and disciples who had remained there. And so they prepared to leave for the journey south. They would plan to leave in the morning of Tuesday, the 8th of May.

When: Wednesday morning, May 17, 30 AD
Where: Mount of Olives, Judea

THE CHRIST DEPARTS IN GLORY:

It was Tuesday night when Jesus again met with the Apostles and disciples in Jerusalem. The Christ reminded all the gathered Apostles and disciples that God's promise of a Messiah was now fulfilled. But he was interrupted. 'When will you restore the Kingdom of David that God promised?' he was asked.

The Christ told them that the timing of the revelation of the kingdom was up to the Father, and then continued. 'God's promise of a Messiah is fulfilled...just not in the way everyone expected. Not a physical kingdom...but a spiritual one. Not a king...but a servant. Not living by sight...but by faith. Not saved by obeying an external law...but by God's gift of forgiveness'.

The Christ showed how the suffering, death and resurrection, fulfilled the Spirit of the Hebrew scripture to have faith despite appearances. Now that the Apostles had begun to understand the truth of what had happened, they began to feel a new Spirit within them. More at peace. More convinced of God's true will. More bold.

All night they listened, questioned, and learned. 'What must we do now, Lord?' they asked excitedly. The Christ told them that they must shoulder the mission that the religious leaders had rejected. They must be God's light to the world, bring true justice to all, and draw all folks to God. 'Some of you must witness to the Jews in Jerusalem, telling them that ALL have fallen short of obeying God's law, that God loves them, that they must believe that it is God's desire to forgive their sins, and that they need to repent', The Christ told them. 'Then you shall witness throughout Judea and Samaria, and then to the whole world', said The Christ.

'You will be able to perform "signs" with the power of God, in order to attract the attention of non-believers. You must encourage others to believe (and if they believe, they will want to be baptized). Those who choose to disbelieve will not be members of our new family.'

The Christ told them that he was ascending and would not be personally leading them as he had in the past. Most had great difficulty visualizing how such a mission could be accomplished, until The Christ told them that if they stayed in Jerusalem eventually God would baptize them with the Holy Spirit, and that they would be guided and empowered for their mission.

At first light on Wednesday morning, the 40th day since the resurrection, The Christ led the Apostles and disciples out of the city, across the Kidron Valley bridge, and up onto the hill to the east of Jerusalem. They passed the garden of Gethsemane and climbed on toward the top of the Mount of Olives that oversees Jerusalem. A cloud covered the hilltop in the pre dawn light. The Apostles and disciples stopped and The Christ went just a bit further up the hill.

Then The Christ turned and faced the Apostles and disciples looking west to the city of Jerusalem. He raised his hands over them, and blessed them. At the rising of the sun, a breeze sent the cloud swirling around Jesus, and the Apostles and disciples saw him no more. All that the folks saw was the shining cloud, and they remembered that on Sinai, Moses had experienced the Shekina (the glory of God) as a cloud.

As the folks stared up at the cloud, two men in bright robes startled them. 'Folks, why stare at the cloud.' 'He will come again in the glory of God, just as you saw him go', they said.

And as the gathered followers realized that he was truly gone, they went back to Jerusalem more excited with each step. By the time the Jerusalem group entered the house, at around 7 am, they were actually singing psalms of praise to God.

The Trial - Part 4

When: Saturday, April 8, 30 AD
Where: Hinnon Valley, Jerusalem, Judea

GUARD THE TOMB:

After 6 am on Saturday the Sabbath, a representative of the Chief Priest, and a representative of the Sadducees, went to the Fortress Antonia where Pilate was staying. The Passover had been celebrated and the Sabbath begun. They could afford to be "unclean" now.

During the night, some of the Sadducees had remembered that the charges against Jesus had included a reference to 'raising the temple on the third day'. One Sadducee knew enough about Jesus' teaching to suspect that Jesus may have been referring to his own "Pharisee resurrection". If Jesus' body were taken, then the disciples could claim that Jesus had been raised (that God had put a "stamp of approval" on what Jesus taught) and then would claim that Jesus was a true prophet. This would present serious problems because the Sanhedrin had found Jesus guilty of blasphemy and had Jesus condemned to death.

Therefore they met with Pilate. They requested a Roman guard to watch the tomb until Monday night. Pilate did not want to be bothered anymore with this situation, yet Pilate realized that this was important to the Sadducees. So Pilate agreed, on the condition that they pay each soldier their regular pay and a bonus. 'And, of course, there would be administrative fees as well'. Once the arrangements had been agreed on, the soldiers were instructed and dispatched.

When the soldiers arrived, they removed the stone enough to check that the body was still there. Then they replaced the stone. They found a place on the tomb, laid a cord across it and dripped hot wax onto the cord and the rock surface. Then, keeping the cord tight and straight, they repeated the process on the stone "door". So they sealed the "door" just as the "door" to the lion's den had been sealed when Daniel was put in. If any part of this seal were cracked or broken, it would indicate a violation of the tomb.

Then they set up camp nearby and settled down to "guard" the tomb.

Meanwhile the followers of Jesus honored the Sabbath, and rested.

 

When: 6 am, Sunday, April 9, 30 AD
Where: Hinnon Valley, Jerusalem, Judea

APPEARANCES AT THE EMPTY TOMB:

On Sunday morning, the first day of the week, at first light [around 5 am], Mary Magdalene and another woman staying in Bethany, collected the spices and other things they would need to do their duty preparing the body of Jesus. At sunrise it would have been about 36 hours since Jesus had been laid in the tomb, and at sunrise, the beginning of the third day [Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday morning].

Mary Magdalene, and the other woman who had seen the body of Jesus taken into the tomb, had agreed to meet at the western gate at sunrise. It would take Mary and her companion less than 30 minutes to walk to Jerusalem, through the city, and to the gate just north of the three towers of Herod's palace.

Meanwhile, the women who had watched Joseph and Nicodemus roll the "door" stone into place, and who had then returned to Jerusalem to the house of the mother of Mark, knew that they could not get the stone rolled away from the "doorway". Since they had not been able to get a message to Mary in Bethany during the Sabbath, they planned to simply "pay their respects" outside the tomb. They left in plenty of time to arrive at the west gate by sunrise.

Just before sunrise [around 6 am] the two groups of women, met at the west gate. The women from Jerusalem informed Mary and the women from Bethany that after they had left on Friday, a very large stone had been rolled into place in front of the doorway to the tomb and that they had no idea how they could move it. They all agreed to continue to the tomb anyway.

As the sun broke over the hills to the east, there was another earthquake. The earthquake moved the stone door enough to allow entry, and a figure of a man appeared sitting on top of the stone "door" dressed in a robe as bright as the morning sun. The Roman guard passed out at the sight. Other tombs were also opened and bodies came out, and the revived persons went into Jerusalem.

When the women arrived at the tomb, they saw some Roman soldiers lying on the ground seeming to be unconscious. But they also saw that the stone "door" had been moved, and that there was now an opening in the doorway to the tomb. The man with bright clothes, sitting on the stone "door" said, 'you seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified!? He is not here. He has been raised. Come and see where he was laid.'

Mary, and the women from Bethany, with more courage then the Jerusalem women, looked inside. Inside they saw another man with bright clothes, sitting on the right side of the rock shelf where Jesus' body had been laid. The women lowered their heads. 'Why do you look for the living here among the dead?' the angel asked. 'Remember how he told you this would happen? Go and tell the disciples that Jesus has been raised and will meet them in Galilee.'

Mary, and the women from Bethany, went out and briefly told the others that the body was gone and that an angel told them that The Messiah had risen, but neglected to mention that they were to go to Galilee. Then they all left the garden. Mary and the Bethany group hurried back to Bethany to tell the disciples that were there, while the Jerusalem women returned to the home of Mark.

By 6:15 am the Jerusalem women were hurrying home when Jesus appeared to them in person. He knew that Mary had not mentioned the angel's instructions to go to Galilee and that they were so frightened that they did not intend to say anything to anyone.

Jesus greeted them. They recognized him immediately. He was just as they remembered. Jesus instructed them to tell the disciples in Jerusalem to go to Galilee and that he would meet them there. But when the women were alone again, the doubt returned and they decided to tell no one when they arrived back at the house. 'No one would believe us anyway.' And the disciples in Jerusalem did not receive the instruction to leave the city.

But Mary Magdalene, when she arrived in Bethany around 6:30 am, found many of the disciples were gathered. The women told what had happened and what had been said, and that they were to go to Galilee. The disciples dismissed the story as emotional nonsense. The women could not even agree with each other on the details of what "had happened".

As the group broke up, Mary Magdalene made a special plea to Peter and John to whom she was able to speak privately. 'I don't understand what has happened', she said. 'But I do know that the body is gone, and I don't know where it is. Please, go back with me and find out what has happened.'

Meanwhile, after the women had departed from the tomb, the guards regained consciousness. They found the stone "door" had been moved and that there was no body inside the tomb. They decided to report what they knew to their employers. So they went to the home of Caiphas and told him that they had seen the body, sealed the stone "door", and kept watch. Then an angel had struck them down, and now the stone "door" was moved and the body gone.

Caiphas assembled his "advisors" to discuss what to do. They decided that the best thing they could do was to maintain peace, and that allowing the true story of the guards to "get out", would cause confusion and arguments. So they paid each soldier a sizable amount of money to say that they had all fallen asleep. The "advisors" also agreed to pay off Pilate when he heard the story, because the guards knew that the penalty for sleeping on the job was death, and no amount of money was of any use if Pilate had them killed.

So Peter, John, and Mary set off from Bethany, to return to the tomb. They had to be careful. If they were recognized, the religious leaders might have them arrested. So they traveled to Bethphage, up onto the Mount of Olives, then down to the city, and through the gate, always keeping their faces down.

Once through the west gate they walked faster, past Golgotha and toward the garden and the tomb. Mary pointed out the tomb on the face of the western hill, and the men started to run. John outran Peter and around 7 am arrived first at the tomb. He bent down and looked in. He saw the ledge where the body was supposed to be, but saw only the linens.

Peter arrived, panting, and without hesitation, boldly entered. He noticed that the linens that had wrapped the body looked as though the body had just vanished and the clothes had collapsed. However the scarf that had covered the face of Jesus, lay in the correct place but, it lay rolled up off by itself. The whole thing made no sense to Peter. 'If grave robbers had taken the body', he said aloud to himself, 'why not take the linens? Why would they leave the wrappings?'

Then John entered behind Peter. He saw the same things. He heard Peter ask his questions out loud. But at that moment John put together what Mary had told them, the things he had now seen, and some of the things that Jesus had said, and BEGAN to perceive that this was some sort of really significant event. He still did not understand the details, but he began to believe that Jesus had been raised.

Peter and John turned around and went back outside. When they met Mary, Peter said, 'you were right, the body is gone'. Then Peter and John walked away from the entrance of the tomb. Seeing Mary was weeping, they told her that they would wait for her out of sight. Then they continued walking away while deep in conversation. Mary remained by the entrance of the tomb.

Mary felt troubled. She had noticed the expressions on the faces of Peter and John. Not the anger that she had expected, but instead there was confusion and concentration. What had they noticed? Mary dried her eyes and remained outside of the tomb. She was allowing herself time to grieve. She had loved Jesus as a teacher and friend, and her memories brought forth her tears again. Jesus was dead and gone.

Still weeping, Mary went to the entrance of the tomb and looked in. This time she saw two men in bright white robes. She rubbed her eyes. One sat beside where the head had been, and one sat where the feet had been on the preparation table.

'Why are you so sad?' asked one. To this messenger from God, she could organize only a simple response. 'They have taken my lord and I do not know where they have put the body.'

Receiving only silence from the messenger, she turned her back to the tomb and her face toward the risen sun. In front of her she saw the form of a man surrounded by the light of the sun. He also asked why she was so sad. Thinking that maybe this was the caretaker of the tombs, she repeated her request to find the body of Jesus.

But his response electrified her to the core. Her throat constricted when she heard the man say her name. Every fiber of her being responded to his voice, and the way he spoke her name. 'JESUS', her mind screamed. From her throat was ripped the title she had always used. 'Teacher,' she gasped. He was back! He was alive! Things would be as they were before [But she was wrong. Things had changed.].

Mary reached out to touch the "Teacher" who had so changed her life that it was as though she had died and been born a new woman. But Jesus looked her straight in the eyes. 'Mary. Do not cling to what I was. Things are not as they were, and they never will be again. Mary, tell my new brothers that I am going to be with our true Father.' When she hesitated to leave he gently said, 'go'. And she left and met Peter, and John, and then returned to Bethany, arriving before 8 am, and told those disciples everything.

When: 3 pm, Sunday, April 9, 30 AD
Where: Emmaus, Samaria

EMMAUS:

By 3 pm Cleopas, one of the followers who had joined the Bethany group, left for his home in the village of Emmaus [7 miles northwest of Jerusalem], with another disciple. He agreed to stop in at the upper room in Jerusalem to deliver the message that some of the Bethany gathering would join them in Jerusalem for the evening meal.

After Cleopas delivered the message, he, and his companion, continued their journey north toward Emmaus. They expected to arrive well before dark [after all it was only a two to three hour walk]. They were confused, and were discussing the events of the last few days in order to try to understand what had happened and what it meant for them and for Israel.

They passed many people on the road, and some even passed them because they were not in a hurry. They finally became aware that one man, who seemed to be walking at the same pace they were walking, seemed to be paying attention to their conversation. When Cleopas looked directly at the man, the man said, 'What is all this talk about this fellow Jesus?'

Of course they were surprised that anyone did not know about the turmoil and crucifixion. So they summarized for the stranger all the events related to the death of Jesus, and to the confusion following his death. But they confessed that they did not have the wisdom to understand what it all meant.

So The Christ, the Word of God, God's Wisdom made visible, enlightened their minds as to the meaning of these events that had been prophesied. Just as the sun remained in the sky an extra day to help Joshua see [in the nearby Valley of Aijalon], now the "Light of the World", took the time to began to dispel the spiritual darkness.

After walking north from Jerusalem for about an hour, they came to the crossroad where they needed to turn west to Emmaus. The stranger appeared to be planning to continue north toward Galilee, but Cleopas urged him to come to Emmaus, only an hour detour, and spend the night with him and his household. After all, the sun was about to set. So The Christ went with them and continued to enlighten them.

They were passing the village of Gibeon. It was in Gibeon that Solomon had made his request to God for Wisdom. Now God's Wisdom, as seen in the resurrected Christ, was enlightening these disciples.

After sundown, around 6 pm, supper was served at Cleopas' home in Emmaus. The stranger had earned the respect of all, for his wisdom. So the stranger began the meal with the "blessing over bread". He broke it and handed it to Cleopas. They suddenly realized that this stranger was no less then The Christ [Jesus returned]. Yet the moment they realized who he was, he was no longer physically present with them.

Now that they understood what had happened, they decided to immediately return to Jerusalem and tell the combined gatherings what had happened.

So it was about 6:30 pm when they grabbed a handful of food and began their return to Jerusalem, where they knew many Apostles and disciples would be meeting. It would still take them about two hours to make the journey, but when they arrived they were welcomed.

When: 8 pm, Sunday, April 9, 30 AD
Where: Upper room, Upper city, Jerusalem, Judea

FIRST APPEARANCE TO THE APOSTLES:

Members from both groups gathered in Jerusalem, in the upper room, that evening, though they were very much afraid that the religious leaders might want to arrest some of the more "well known" followers of Jesus. So they had the door closed and locked.

The folks that had gathered had very mixed feelings. Jesus had all but told them that he was the Messiah that would establish God's kingdom and then rule forever. But the religious leaders had turned him over to the Romans before Jesus could organize an army. Now he was dead. What could they do? They had been such fools to fall under the spell of such a fraud.

But what was all this talk about an empty tomb? Mary Magdalene, Mary the wife of Clopas, and other women claimed to have seen Jesus alive. Peter and James also claimed to have seen Jesus alive. Even Peter claimed that Jesus had appeared. What did all this mean? What should they do?

Suddenly, around 8 pm, there came a knock on the door. Everyone went silent and looked at each other. But when Cleopas came in, everyone was relieved. When Cleopas told his story, some got excited and again tried to come to an understanding of what all of this meant. Yet most still could not figure out what had happened.

They were about to settle down to eat when they became aware of a presence among them. Everyone backed away from it. Once again the room was suddenly quiet. Superstitious fear gripped many. What sort of spirit might this be? 'Shalom', it said. Immediately Cleopas recognized The Christ. 'Lord', he said. And then the room filled with whispers. Was this The Christ? What proof is there?

The "spirit", understood their concern and said, 'Look at my hands, feet and side, and be convinced.' And some were. 'It would have been better if you had faith enough to believe without proofs', said The Christ.

But some still believed The Christ to be a disembodied spirit, or an illusion, or a hallucination. So The Christ asked if he might join them at meal [because everyone knew that a spirit did not eat solid food]. And as they sat down to eat, The Christ did eat some fish.

Then The Christ tried to open their minds to understand some of what had happened and what must happen.

,,,,, Continues............

The Trial - Part 3

Peter Denies Jesus Christ

When: 9 am, Friday, April 7, 30 AD
Where: Jerusalem, Judea

PROCESSION TO CRUCIFIXION:

Pilate's order was carried out almost immediately. An execution squad of four solders was organized. Since Jesus was to be crucified now, the Romans decided to execute two "other" criminals at the same time. There had been some concern that Pilate was crucifying them during the Judean Passover, but Pilate believed that it sent a strong message, and that there was little chance of a riot because the Judean Jews would be busy celebrating their Passover.

The squad gathered the three criminals to be crucified and assigned the 100-pound wooden crossbeams for each to carry. The beams were tied to their shoulders, and then the criminals were lined up. Then began the procession, with Jesus, as the most important criminal, to be the first of the prisoners leading the procession.

As the procession moved through the streets of Jerusalem, some people lined the way. Some were supporters of the religious leaders, and they verbally assaulted Jesus. Some had been followers of Jesus, and they cried with this injustice. Some shopkeepers and their customers were curious, while others who just happened to be walking down the street, were forced to stop and wait until the condemned went past.

As the procession left the "Seat of Judgment" in the public square west of the Fortress of Antonia western gates, it became quickly obvious that Jesus was far too weak. The guard had not been sufficiently careful. Jesus staggered repeatedly and the wood gouged his exposed muscles. Jesus was kicked to "encourage him" to get up and keep moving, but though he tried, and did in fact go a short distance, he eventually fell down and could not rise.

So one of the guards picked a man from the crowd, who looked strong, to carry the crossbeam of Jesus to the site of the execution. They happened to pick a foreign Jew who had come to Jerusalem for the festival, from the North African city of Cyrene, west of Egypt. He had rented a place outside the city and had come into Jerusalem today to worship at the temple.

The solders untied the crossbeam from Jesus, and Simon picked it up and joined the procession right behind Jesus. Simon had a vague sense of who Jesus was, but little suspected that this "random selection" would radically change his life as well.

Most of the people were sorry that the Romans were executing these Jews. The local women expressed their anguish with loud cries and other physical displays, such as hitting themselves with their hands. Jesus became aware of these expressions of sorrow, and he tried to reach out to them. As he walked past them he tried to warn them. 'My suffering is ending, cry for Jerusalem. A time is coming, soon, when you will wish for death to release you from the suffering.'

Jesus led the convicted through the gate in the west wall, just north of the three towers near the Palace of Herod, to the site where the crucifixion would occur. The place was called Golgotha, the place of the skull [Gordon], which was the site of a rock quarry. Golgotha was at the northern extension of the Valley of Hinnon that had served as the city dump.

When: 10 am, Friday, April 7, 30 AD
Where: Golgotha, Jerusalem, Judea

SATAN TEMPTS JESUS:

Once the crossbeam was in place, a different kind of pain began for those who had been crucified. Gravity pulled the body downward, which put pressure on the nerves of the wrists and resulted in shooting pain. But when the condemned tried to relieve that pain by pushing himself upward, the pressure on the nerves of the feet also resulted in shooting pain.

The representatives of the Sanhedrin arrived to be certain that Jesus had been crucified. They were overheard saying to each other, 'He claimed to be the Messiah, the son of God, but since he suffers this way he must have been the son of Satan.' Shaking their heads side-to-side, as folks had done for centuries, they said to Jesus, 'You who would rebuild the temple in three days, come down and save yourself if you are the Son of God.'

Now, in reality, the representatives of the Sanhedrin were, themselves, acting as the mouthpiece of Satan. Once again Satan was tempting Jesus to doubt God. The same question that was asked after his baptism was put to Jesus again. 'Prove to everyone that you are the Messiah, by coming down from the cross.' But Jesus was determined to live by faith, not by sight.

Others were overheard saying, 'You saved Lazarus, now save yourself', and 'If you are the king of the Jews, then save yourself', and 'He said he was God's son, let see if God will rescue him'. These kinds of comments were overheard by some of the women who had followed Jesus, and who were gathered not far from the cross. One of the women was Mary, his mother, and another was Mary Magdalene.

As Jesus watched, he realized that even looking at his mother was a temptation of Satan. Why should she suffer so? 'I could call on the Father', thought Jesus, 'and come down from the cross so that she will know that I am The Messiah.' Instead, he saw that John was quietly standing with the women. Jesus wanted to be sure that his mother was cared for by someone who was a disciple, so he looked his mother in the eye, nodded toward John, then looked John in the eye and nodded toward his mother, took a breath and said 'Behold your son, your mother'. Thus Jesus established her "adoption" by John.

Even one of the men that was being crucified at this time, had been mouthing the words of Satan. 'If you are the Messiah, save yourself and us, and we will fight for you.' But the other condemned man, despite what he saw, believed in Jesus, and asked that Jesus remember him when Jesus began his reign in the Kingdom. And Jesus promised that they would be together.

When: 12 noon to 3 pm, Friday, April 7, 30 AD
Where: Golgotha, Jerusalem, Judea

DARKNESS AND DEATH:

Around noon, as the three crucified men hung on their crosses, the sky became darkened as the clouds thickened and blocked the sun. This was the time when the powers of evil seemed to be in control. Minute by minute the three crucified men suffered. Slowly the minutes passed. Then an hour passed. And then another hour passed.

Around 3 pm, the ram's horn was sounded and the lambs began to be slaughtered in the temple for the Judean Passover festival. Jesus, knowing that to his followers this would appear to be a time of hopelessness, pushed himself upward to get a bigger breath. Through a dry mouth, Jesus began to recite a psalm of confidence in God despite the seeming failure. "My God, My God [Eloi, Eloi], why have you forsaken me (…For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations)", but could say no more. Too little energy. Too much pain.

Someone nearby put a sponge on the end of a shaft of wood and dipped it into a bucket of vinegar [sour wine], and was about to give Jesus a sip so that he could speak clearly. The guards wondered what Jesus was trying to say and asked about "Eli". One had heard of a prophet Elijah, so they asked the Jews why Jesus was calling for Elijah. They were told that it was believed that Elijah would come to help the righteous when they suffered. The Romans wanted to wait to see if help would come, so they told the man with the vinegar to wait.

Mary Magdalene, and some other women, who had been standing not very far away, moved in closer, in order to hear what Jesus would say. The Romans did not interfere. Jesus knew that his body would not last much longer, and there were things that he needed to say, and he did not want to be misunderstood. He needed to speak clearly. So he forced out the words, "I thirst".

The Romans laughed and gave permission to the man with the stick, to give Jesus some vinegar to wet his tongue. Jesus sipped enough to clear his mouth. He lifted his head, pushed himself upward, got a breath, and cried out in victory, 'My mission is finished'. Then he bowed his head, and to God he said, 'I trust fully in you and commit my spirit into your care'. Then he sagged down on the cross, closed his eyes, let out his last breath, and died. The glory of Jesus was his total faith in the faithfulness of God.

At that time the ground began to shake, and the centurion who was overseeing the execution, was impressed by the way Jesus died. 'Surly this was a innocent and righteous man'.

At the same time, God announced his judgment on Israel. The religious leaders had rejected God's call to be his light to the world. That part of the agreement was ended. So God ripped apart the great curtain in the Temple and threw the worshipers in the temple into a panic. Now others would become his messengers. Through the faith of Jesus others would bring the "Gentiles" to faith.

When Judas, who had been watching from a distance, saw that Jesus was dead, he lost all hope. Judas went away, found a tree and hung himself.

When: 5-6 pm, Friday, April 7, 30 AD
Where: Hinnon Valley, Jerusalem, Judea

BODY PLACED IN THE TOMB:

For almost an hour and a half the body of Jesus hung limp on his cross while the other two continued to suffer. But around 4:30 pm the other two showed no sign of dying quickly, so the representatives of the Sanhedrin went to Pilate and requested that their deaths be hastened, so that they would be off the crosses by 6 pm and therefore not defile the land on Friday night, the Passover Sabbath.

Pilate agreed, and sent instructions to the guards, that the legs of the condemned be broken so that they could no longer push themselves upward for a breath, and would suffocate fairly soon.

It was now around 5:00 pm. The soldiers broke the legs of the two, but since Jesus already appeared to be dead, they did not break his bones. Instead, one of them drove a lance point through the rib cage to pierce the lungs and heart. The disciple John watched this and saw water and blood come out of the wound.

There was a wealthy Pharisee called Joseph, originally from Arimathea (about 20 miles northwest of Jerusalem) who planned to be buried near Jerusalem. He was a good and righteous man who had heard of Jesus and knew the prophesies about the coming kingdom. He was looking forward to God's ruling the coming kingdom.

Someone had to see that the body of Jesus was buried. Joseph took on that responsibility. He did not agree with the Sanhedrin decision to hand Jesus over to the Romans. So, risking the suspicion of the religious leaders and the Roman authorities, Joseph went to Pilate and asked that he be allowed to oversee the burial of the body of Jesus.

Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead, considering that the soldiers could only have broken his legs a few minutes ago. Was this some trick to get a man, not yet dead, off the cross quickly? So Pilate sent for the centurion in charge and asked if Jesus was already dead. Within ten minutes the centurion had come to Pilate and told him that Jesus had been dead for almost two hours, and that he had been lanced to be sure. So Pilate gave Joseph permission.

Joseph immediately went back to Golgotha, got the body down, and had it carried to a tomb nearby [Garden tomb], that Joseph had previously had dug into the side of a limestone hill in the upper end of the Valley of Hinnon [the southern end had been the city dump, and the smoke from the burning garbage led to the description of hell].

Mary Magdalene and others followed at a distance, to see what these men would do with Jesus' body. They watched as Joseph and his servants carried the body into the tomb.

Nicodemus had already arrived at the tomb. Nicodemus had brought a skin of water, seventy-five pounds of spices (including myrrh), and fresh linen, and had them waiting inside the tomb. When Joseph arrived with the body, he and Nicodemus took the body into the tomb, and laid it on the stone preparation shelf. They cleaned the body as best they could. Then they wrapped the body in linen with the spices between the linen layers.

Around 5:30 pm Mary Magdalene had to leave. She had to get back to Bethany for the beginning of Passover. Not aware of what Joseph and Nicodemus were doing inside the tomb, Mary hurried away in order to purchase the necessary spices to prepare the body properly after the Sabbath was over and still get back to Bethany before the Sabbath was too far begun.

It was almost 6 pm when Joseph and Nicodemus finished, and the Sabbath was only minutes away. When they came out of the tomb they had the rock "door" rolled in front of the entrance. Then they left the area, and each went to his own home.

The women that were staying in Jerusalem had stayed to watch the tomb when Mary had left. They watched while Joseph and Nicodemus "closed the door" and left the tomb. Then they also went home to "rest" on the Sabbath.

                                                                              ... Continues....