Easter: Jesus Lives Again!

Then Jesus was taken before Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea. The religious leaders added a false accusation saying that He had encouraged the people not to pay taxes to Caesar (compare Luke 20:22-25 with Luke 23:2). They never gave the real reason that they wanted Him dead. They also accused Jesus of declaring Himself to be a king (Luke 23:1-2). The accusations were designed to characterize Jesus as a political rebel who was a potential problem for Rome. But Pilate did not find Jesus worthy of death and declared that Jesus was without fault (Luke 23:2). Then the religious leaders insisted that He deserved death. Under pressure, Pilate sent Jesus to King Herod who later returned Him to Pilate because he, Herod, found Jesus to be innocent too!

Pilate finally declared Jesus to be innocent because neither King Herod (Luke 23:15) or himself found Jesus to be deserving of death.

Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. (NASB) Luke 23:13-14

Jesus was not guilty of the public accusations brought against Him. The real objections of the Jewish religious leaders to Jesus were not given. Pilate, the wise old politician, decided to let the people vote for the release of a notorious thief called Barabbas or Jesus. He had concluded that the crowd would release Jesus. What could the members of the Sanhedrin do then? But the Jewish religious leaders were politically savvy too! These influential men motivated the crowd standing before Pilate to shout for the release of Barabbas and when they did, Pilate had no choice but to crucify Jesus Christ.

The Cross. Jesus was ordered to carry the weapon of His own death - the cross. Eventually, He stumbled and fell to the ground. Simon of Cyrene was ordered to carry the wooden cross. Jesus could no longer carry the cross because He had been beaten, whipped, mocked, and abused. A crown of thorns had been mushed down onto His head. His back and sides with deep cuts were bleeding. Jesus was now extremely weakened.

Finally, the solders nailed His hands and feet to the cross and dropped the cross into a hole so that He was upright. A sign was placed on the cross that said He was King of the Jews (John 19:21). He was hung on the cross sometime in the morning hours. We are not sure exactly when. His mother along with some other women and Jesus' disciple John stood nearby (John 19:25). The solders gambled for His clothes (Mark 15:24). In Pilate’s historic report to the emperor in Rome, he wrote that Jesus’ hands and feet were nailed to a cross, the solders gambled for His clothes, and eventually He died by crucifixion.[5] Other historical records confirm that Jesus died in this manner.[6] Pilate also wrote that Jesus had healed the blind, the lame, those who could not speak, and had raised the dead.[7]

After Jesus was hanging from the nails for some time, a thief on an adjacent cross rebuked Him (Luke 23:39) and challenged Him to get down off the cross, but another thief asked for mercy (Luke 23:40-43). Jesus promised the latter that he would enter paradise. In all of His agony and suffering Jesus showed mercy.

The solders and religious leaders also shouted insults and abuses (Matt. 27:41-43). Then at about noon or 12:00 PM (1200 hours) darkness covered the land until 3:00 PM (1500 hours). At 3:00 PM, Jesus shouted loudly,

And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.” Having said this, He breathed His last. (NASB) Luke 23:46

. . . He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. (NASB) John 19:30

He had accomplished His mission - His purpose. He came to die for our sins so that He could forgive our sins and allow those who believe in Him to live with Him eternally.

When the Roman soldiers who were standing nearby saw and heard these things, they were surprised,

Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent.” (NASB) Luke 23:47

Yes, Jesus was innocent. He had spoken only the truth. The charges were false. He had given honor to the unbelieving Caesar. He had encouraged people to pay their taxes to Caesar. He was also King of the Jews. The magi from the east who had visited Jesus at His birth knew more than the members of the Sanhedrin.

Matthew adds some other events that occurred at Jesus’ death.

And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. (NASB) Matt. 27:51-53

These were supernatural events that must have disturbed many. The afternoon darkness that covered the land was an event that was observed throughout the Middle East. Several secular writers record that this event did occur and they attempted to explain why it happened, but they were unsuccessful.[8] The knew about solar eclipses and full moons. But the cause of the darkness remained a mystery, because the Passover was always scheduled to occur during a full moon. When a full moon occurs, a solar eclipse cannot occur.

Sometime later one of the solders thrust a spear into His side and out gushed blood and water (John 19:34). Jesus died just as He had predicted. He voluntarily gave up His life.

For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. (NASB) John 10:17

His Burial. Since the Sabbath day was about to start at 6:00 PM (1800 hours), the Jewish leaders asked that Jesus’ body and those of the thieves be removed from the crosses. Therefore, the soldiers broke the legs of the thieves to speed up their deaths but they did not break Jesus’ legs since He was already dead. The Jewish Talmud supports the gospel accounts with these words,

Jesus was buried Friday afternoon just before the Jewish Sabbath began (John 19:31). Jesus’ body, not His spirit, was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (John 19:38-42). Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, the Pharisee who had visited Jesus in John 3, along with some of the women helped to prepare the body and place it in the tomb (John 19:38-42). After they had wrapped the body in linen with spices, they left. A group of Roman soldiers placed a huge stone at the entrance to the tomb, placed a Roman seal on it, and remained on guard to prevent anyone from entering (Matt. 27:62-66).

6. Cornelius Tacitus, Annals 15.44; Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 18.3.3

8. The Extant Writings of Julius Africanus 18; Origen Against Celsus; Phlegon. De. opif. mund. II21