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Jesus Before Pilate, the Second Time

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice “Jesus Before Pilate, the Second Time”

Matthew 27:15-31 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 27:15)

Mark 15:6-20 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 15:6)

Luke 23:13-25 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 23:13)

John 18:38 – 19:16 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 18:38)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice “Jesus Before Pilate, the First Time” click here

 

Psalm 17:5
My steps have held fast to Your paths. My feet have not slipped.

 

THE SPLICE

1 Pilate went out to the Jews, summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought this Man to me as one who 2 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. 3 No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold nothing deserving death has been done by Him. Therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” Now at the 4 feast the governor, Pilate, was 5 accustomed/obliged to release for the people any one prisoner whom they wanted. The crowd went up and began asking Pilate to do as he had been accustomed to do for them. So when the people gathered together, Pilate answered and said to them, “You have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews? Which of the two do you want me to release for you?  Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For Pilate knew that it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over. At that time the Romans were holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. The man named Barabbas, who was a robber, had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection at Jerusalem. But the chief priests and elders stirred up and persuaded the crowds to ask Pilate to release Barabbas for them instead and to put Jesus to death, and so they cried out all together, saying, “Not this man, but Barabbas. Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!” Answering again and wanting to release Jesus, Pilate addressed them a second time and said, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews? What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” The people in the crowds all shouted back, 6 “Crucify Him!” But Pilate said to them the third time he addressed them, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.”

And wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released 7 Barabbas for them, the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder. Pilate then took Jesus and 8 scourged Him/had Him scourged. After the scourging, the soldiers of Pilate took Jesus away into the 9 Praetorium, and the soldiers called the 10 whole Roman cohort to gather around Him. They 11 stripped Jesus of all His clothes, dressed Him up in a 12 purple/scarlet robe, twisted together a 13 crown of thorns and put it on His head as if it were a king’s crown, and gave Him a reed for His right hand to hold as a mock 14 scepter; and they began to come up, 15 mockingly kneeling and bowing before Him and saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and to give Him slaps in the face. They also took back the reed they made Him hold in His right hand and beat Him repeatedly in the head with it, all the while they were also spitting on Him. After these abuses, Pilate came out again said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple/crimson 16 robe. Pilate said to them, 17 Behold, the Man!” So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for 18 I find no guilt in Him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and 19 by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.” Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, 20 he was even more afraid; and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “ You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been 21 given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the 22 greater sin.”

As a result of this, Pilate made efforts again to release Him but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.” Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the 23 judgement seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, 24 Pilate’s wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.” Now it was the 25 day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the 26 sixth hour . And Pilate said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” They kept shouting all the more, they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified, saying “Crucify Him!” And their voices began to prevail, along with the voices 27 of the chief priests. When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd saying, 28 “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted. So he then handed Jesus over to them to be crucified. Pilate delivered Jesus to their (the chief priests, the rulers; the whole crowd of people) will. The soldiers of Pilate 29 Jesus’s own clothes back on Him and led Him out to be crucified.

 

Want to continue reading? To read the Splice “The Crucifixion: Part One” click here

 

NOTES

 

1  Pilate went out to the Jews:  At the time of Jesus’s trial, the chief priests, elders, disciples and Jesus had probably been awake all night. See Matthew 26:17-27:14; Mark 14:12-15:5; Luke 22:1-23:17; John 13:1-18:38) to read about the previous evening. During this last trip to Jerusalem, it was Jesus’s custom to spend His days teaching in the temple and to spend His nights on the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37) which is out by Bethany (Matthew 21:17; Luke 19:29). People were getting up early so they could listen to Him (Luke 21:38), which means Jesus was up early. He had been awake a really long time by the time He was crucified, assuming He took no naps, which He had done at least once before on a boat. See Luke 8:23; Mark 4:38; Matthew 8:24 regarding the boat. To read the Splice about that time on the boat, “Jesus Calms the Storm on the Sea of Galilee”, click here. (Back)

2  incites the people to rebellion: This is the human reason why Jesus was crucified. The ultimate reason is because it was God’s will (Isaiah 53:10, John 18:11) that Jesus die in this manner (Deuteronomy 21:23, Galatians 3:13) for the sake of those who would believe, for the forgiveness of their sins (Ephesians 1:4-7). Although anyone and everyone is invited and called to believe and receive this salvation (John 3:15-18), only those whom He has given the God-gifted faith can actually believe (John 6:44, Ephesians 2:8-9). This is because the idea of the cross, salvation or sin is foolishness to people without this faith that is God-instilled and not human conjured. (Back)

3 No, nor has Herod: Pilate sent Jesus to Herod when he found out that Jesus was a Galilean. To read about Jesus’s visit to Herod, see Luke 23:6-12. (Back)

4 feast: The Passover feast. (Back)

5 accustomed/obliged: Matthew 27:15 says accustomed (Greek word: ethó) and Luke 23:17 says of necessity (obliged) (Greek word: anagké). Mark 15:8 says as usually he did (Greek word: kathos) and John 18:39 says custom (Greek word: sunétheia). By the words used, we can know that Pilate was accustomed to releasing a prisoner for the Jews every Passover because he was forced to, not because he was a caring, considerate person. (Back)

6 “Crucify Him!”: Jesus had told His disciples that this would happen. Many times He mentioned that He would have to suffer and die, and told them that they too would have to take up their crosses, if they were going to follow Him. See Matthew 10:38, 16:21, 24, 17:22-23; Mark 8:31, 34, 10:32-34; Luke 9:22-23, 18:31-33; John 12:32-33. (Back)

7  Barabbas:  The Bible confirms that Barabbas was a violent person (John 18:40), and it says that he was jailed with the insurrectionists who had committed murder (Mark 15:7), that he was a notorious prisoner (Matthew 27:16), that he had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder (Luke 23:19). Acts 3:14 tells us (through Peter) that Barabbas was a murderer. What became of Barabbas? With this freedom granted by Pilate, did he become a repeat offender, meeting his end in a crucifixion anyway (robbers/thieves, insurrectionists, and murderers were crucified by the Romans)? Did he thank God for the release from prison and start learning about Jesus, perhaps from some of the disciples, themselves? Did Barabbas ever think about Jesus and what happened that day? Did he realize what was done for him, and respond to the call for repentance and salvation in Jesus? (Back)

8  scourged Him: Scourging was the usual pre-crucifixion punishment, in order to weaken the victim and humiliate him. The Romans used whips made of leather, with several strands of braided leather and those strands had bits of metal or bone attached to the ends of them. These whips were called “flagrum”. The person to be scourged was stripped naked and flogged across the entire backside of his body. This beating tore the flesh off very quickly and sometimes exposed the bones and organs.  (Back)

9 Praetorium: This was Pilate’s residence when he was visiting Jerusalem, as he normally ruled from Caesarea Maritima. Scholars debate on where the Praetorium was at in Jerusalem, some stating Herod’s palace and some saying it was at Antonia fortress. We don’t know, because the Bible doesn’t give coordinates, but a nice house (whether it was Herod’s palace or not is up for debate) is more in order than a military barracks for someone like Pontius Pilate. (Back)

10 whole Roman cohort: This could be the whole Roman cohort that was afforded to the Sanhedrin (John 18:3) or the entire cohort that was standing in Pilate’s court or possibly both of them; it’s even possible that they are one in the same. Just the same, it isn’t clear if the Sanhedrin’s cohort had accompanied Jesus, the chief priests, scribes and elders to the Praetorium. We only know that the Roman cohort was present for the arrest of Jesus (John 18:12). (Back)

11 stripped Jesus of all His clothes: Jesus had His clothes forcibly removed from Him several times that day. All floggings took place without clothes, so He was stripped then. He was then stripped afterwards when the Roman soldiers put a scarlet robe on Him (Matthew 27:28). He was then again stripped at the cross, before His crucifixion. Stripping was done for humiliation purposes. (Back)

12 purple/scarlet: Matthew 27:28 uses the word scarlet and the Greek word used for scarlet is kokkinos which means “crimson or scarlet”. Mark 15:20 uses the word purple and the Greek word for purple is porphýra which means “a purple garment indicating wealth”. Helps Word-studies© explains a little more in depth. There were three familiar shades of purple in the ancient world: deep violet, deep scarlet (or crimson), and deep blue. John 19:5 uses the Greek word porphyroús which means a purple (reddish-purple) cloth or dye. All three of these together tells us that the robe was a purple-scarlet color, maybe akin to red-violet or violet-red from a crayons box. We can only speculate on the exact color.(Back)

HELPS Word-studies taken from The Discovery Bible, available at discoverybible.com, copyright © 2021, HELPS Ministries Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

13 crown of thorns: The crown of thorns is mentioned in Matthew 27:29, Mark 15:17, and John 19:2. All three accounts use the word akanthinos or akantha meaning “thorns/thorny bush” or “prickly plant”. There is speculation that these thorns were date palm thorns. Assuming that date palms haven’t changed in the past 2,000 years, date palms have strong spine-type thorns at the base of the leaves. The spines are around 4 inches long. There was even a relatively recent study done on date palm thorn injuries! The Bible does not specify what type of thorns were used. (Back)

14 scepter: Jesus’s next scepter will be made of iron, and He will shepherd the nations with it. Iron scepters would be a symbol of strength (iron) and authority (scepter) (Revelation 19:15). (Back)

15 mockingly kneeling and bowing before Him: There will be a time, when every person will bow down on their knees and confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord. See Philippians 2:9-11. (Back)

16 robe: The Greek word for robe, used in Matthew 27:28 is chlamus which was a short cloak, worn by military officers and soldiers. The Greek word for robe used in John 19:5 is himation and means “a long, loose and flowing outer robe or cloak”. It’s possible that they are both meaning the word “cloak”. It’s also possible that they dressed Jesus in two garments—the one from Herod which is mentioned in Luke 23:11, and uses the word esthés meaning “clothing” or “robe”, and then they threw the cloak on over that. (Back)

17 Behold, the Man: Pilate was probably hoping that the crowd, seeing Jesus beaten, scourged, spit on, and mocked, would be satisfied with that and stop asking for His crucifixion. It didn’t work, if that was what he was aiming for. (Back)

18 I find no guilt in Him: This is proof of Pilate’s sin of murder. He knows Jesus is not guilty of any crimes, making the crucifixion a murder (Exodus 20:13, Leviticus 24:17). (Back)

19 by that law He ought to die: The law that the Jews are referring to is Leviticus 24:16. This law requires stoning, though, not hanging. Regardless, if it had been anyone else that had claimed to be God, they would be correct—a blasphemy against God deserving death had occurred. However, Jesus is God (John 1:1). (Back)

20 he was even more afraid: From John 19:8. In English we might take this to mean that Pilate was afraid to begin with. However, the Greek word used for more is mallon and although its meaning does mean “more”, it also means “much” or “rather”.  Perhaps a better translation (for modern English readers) for this sentence would be “he was very afraid”.  (Back)

21 given you from above: All authority on earth is granted by God. See Romans 13:1. (Back)

22 greater sin: That is, the Jews had the greater sin. Pilates’s sin was lesser because he was placed there in authority by God, and was given the authority as judge. Those bringing Jesus to him have the greater sin in presenting Jesus to Pilate in the first place. However, Pontius Pilate will put to death an innocent Man, see note 18. (Back)

23 judgement seat at a place called The Pavement: The Greek word for judgment seat is béma and it means “an elevated place” and has the feeling of the judge looking down on the accused. God also has a béma seat of judgment. See 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Romans 14:10 which should be read with the understanding of Revelation 20:11-15. In reading the aforementioned verses, it’s important to understand that the only good that anyone can do is submit, repent and have faith in Christ (Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:9, 2 Peter 3:9, James 4:6-7), as Christ removes all sin from the person who believes, “as far as the east is from the west”, see Psalm 103:10-14 (this is the Psalm to read when you are feeling weary and downtrodden from your own sins). The bad that people commit is rejection of Him (John 3:18). Therefore, those who reject Jesus have the full weight of the Law and therefore the full weight of all their sin. The penalty for rejection of Jesus is eternal damnation (Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:15). (Back)

24 Pilate’s wife sent him a message: We only hear about Pilate’s wife in Matthew 27:19. It is unknown what her dream was about, or how she suffered, but here was a chance for Pilate to stop the judgment, to take a step back and consider his wife’s advice. He fails to listen. (Back)

25 day of preparation for the Passover: The day of preparation for the Passover is only called so in John 19:14. It is called the day of preparation before the Sabbath in Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54 and John 19:31, 42. It is both things at once. John also mentions that this Sabbath was a high day (John 19:31). The high day refers back to Exodus 12:14-21, where God instructs Israel (through Moses and Aaron) that on the 14th day of the first month (Nisan) until the 21st day of the same month, no one eats leavened bread. On the 15th day is the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6). On the 14th is the day that the Passover lambs are slain and eaten, along with the 1st day of observance of no leaven. This particular Sabbath is a high day, as it is during the Passover’s/Feast of Unleavened Bread’s observance. See Leviticus 23 for more on the laws of the Jewish religious feasts and festivals. (Back)

26 sixth hour: Mark 15:25 tells us that Jesus was crucified at 9 am or the third hour. Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44, tell us that darkness falls over the land from about the sixth hour until the ninth (noon to 3pm). John can’t possibly mean noontime, because of these times as recorded.  John is possibly using Roman time-keeping whereas, Matthew, Mark and Luke are using Jewish time-keeping. Jewish time-keeping began at sunrise and Romans began counting the hours of the day at midnight, so the sixth hour would be 6am. This would fit with the rest of the time-keeping, as recorded. It’s also possible that John means it was the sixth hour since the trials began or sixth hour since Jesus’s arrest. (Back)

27 of the chief priests: From Luke 23:23. This part of the sentence “and of the chief priests” was in the original Greek, but some English translations omit it.  (Back)

28 “I am innocent of this Man’s blood: Not true. God will hold him accountable for killing an innocent man (Exodus 23:7, Proverbs 6:16-17) (Back)

29 Jesus’s own clothes back on Him: His clothes must be full of blood and gore from the flogging He endured, and the subsequent beating. These will be the clothes that the soldiers will divide up (the outer clothing into 4 pieces) and cast lots for (they cast for the under-tunic) later on (Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34; John 19:23-24), as prophesied in Psalm 22:18. (Back)

Jesus Before Pilate, the First Time

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice “Jesus Before Pilate, the First Time”

Matthew 27:1-2 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 27:1 )

Matthew 27:11-14 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 27:11)

Mark 15:1-5 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 15:1 )

Luke 23:1-12 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 23:1 )

John 18:28-38 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 18:28)

 

Need to catch up? To read the Splice “Jesus Before the High Priest and Peter’s Denial”, click here.

 

Psalm 17:8
Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings.

 

THE SPLICE

Early in the morning, all the chief priests, scribes, the whole Council, and the elders of the people immediately held a consultation and 1 conferred together against Jesus to put Him to 2 death. Then the whole body of them got up, they bound Him, and led Him away from Caiaphas, into the 3 Praetorium and delivered Him to Pilate the governor. 4 They themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be 5 defiled, but might eat the Passover, so Pilate came out of the Praetorium to this crowd of priests, scribes, elders and the whole Council. Pilate said to them, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” 6 They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.” So, they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this Man misleading our nation and 7 forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.” So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death,” to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke, 8 signifying by what kind of death He was about to die. Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, 9 “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” Now Jesus stood before the governor, and 10 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. It is as you say. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. 11 Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, 12 “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he a went out again to the Jews, to the chief priests and the crowds and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him, this Man.” The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, 13 “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?  Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!”  And 14 He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so the governor was quite amazed at Jesus’s refusal to defend Himself. But the crowd of Jews kept insisting, saying, 15 “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee even as far as this place.” When Pilate heard that Jesus started in Galilee, he asked whether Jesus was a Galilean. And when he learned that Jesus belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, 16 he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because 17 he had been hearing about Him and was 18 hoping to see some sign performed by Him. And he questioned Him at some length; but Jesus answered him nothing. And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a 19 gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.

 

Want to keep going? To read the Splice “Jesus Before Pilate, the Second Time”, click here.

 

NOTES

 

1  conferred together against Jesus: They had been planning this day for a long time, with the help of the Herodians. This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. See Matthew 12:14, 26:3-5, Mark 3:6 for examples. (Back)

2 death: In order to condemn Jesus to death, the Council tried to find some false witnesses to say Jesus called Himself God, but the witnesses couldn’t shore up their stories. Finally the high priest just asked Jesus Himself, “Are You the Son of God?” and Jesus answered “Yes, I am.” After tearing his robe, the high priest and the rest of the Council settled on death for Jesus.  See Matthew 26:59-66; Mark 14:55-64; Luke 22:66-71. (Back)

3  Praetorium: the Roman governor’s official residence, when in Jerusalem. (Back)

4 They themselves did not enter:  Jesus already celebrated the Passover and ate the Passover meal; John tells us this is the case, as do the other gospel writers (Matthew 26:19; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7-8, 13-15; John 13:1,2). John also tells us that after the Passover meal night, the next day, the priests were afraid to enter Pilate’s Praetorium, because they didn’t want to be defiled so they could eat the Passover (John 18:28), with no distinction that this is the Passover meal with the lamb. The Passover meal with the lamb was eaten on the 14th, and could not be eaten twice, (“leftovers” in current jargon) as the lambs had to be eaten that same night and nothing could be left over (Exodus 12:8-10). There are some simple explanations. The first explanation, and most logical to me, is that the entire seven days of the Passover is called “The Passover” (Ezekiel 45:21), and John is making this generalization. This particular day, the 15th, is called the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6) and John is possibly referring to this observance, which is a part of Passover. Another explanation that some people see as plausible, was that there was more than one Passover observation going on, due to the different Jewish sects. See this article for more information on that possibility.  (Back)

5 defiled: It is not clear what defilement the priests are trying to avoid. It is possible that they have in mind Numbers 9:1-14, where “due to a dead body” some men had to wait a month to celebrate the Passover. It’s a bit of a stretch, but since the priests were intent on killing Jesus, it’s possible they had it in their collective minds that entering the Praetorium would “defile” them. Whatever it is, they are ignoring God’s law by seeking to kill an innocent Man (Exodus 23:7), plus  all the false witness stuff they tried to pull earlier (Matthew 26:59; Exodus 20:16). To read about defilement and the priesthood: Leviticus 21:1-22:16.  (Back)

6  They answered: It seems the chief priests were trying to pressure Pilate into just condemning Jesus to death without any accusation or explanation at all. Three possible reasons would be as follows:
A: They had an unsteady relationship with Pilate, and so anything could and did spark resistance and an argument, and the statement (which I think was made by a spokesman but agreed upon by the entire Council—people simply don’t speak in unison like that) was a hot-headed reply in annoyance at being questioned for a reason as to why they brought Jesus to Pilate.
B: Very unlikely, but they knew that they were lying and making stories up and it tugged just a little bit on some of the priests’ hearts, and they were hoping not to have to bring up the accusations. It seems that if this was the reason, the guilt wore off pretty quickly.
C: A third reason would be a combo of the first and second reasons. Click here to read about Pontius Pilate from a historical view. (Back)

7  forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar: This is an outright lie. See Matthew 17:24-27 and Matthew 22:15-22 on what Jesus said about paying taxes, for the temple and to Caesar. (Back)

8  signifying by what kind of death: There was only one type of punishment/death for insurrectionists or those trying to displace Caesar: crucifixion. (Back)

9  Are You the King of the Jews:  Pilate’s starting question seems to be a testing of the waters, to see if Jesus is an insurrectionist. If Jesus had been a regular person and then said, “Yeah, and soon Rome will be under Israel’s feet!”, then that would be some proof of insurrection-type intentions. (Back)

10  Jesus answered: Jesus’s answer gives Pilate enough information so that he can be sure that Jesus wasn’t trying to incite riots to take over Caesar’s position. Jesus is stating that since His kingdom isn’t here on earth, He isn’t vying for a kingship and therefore, He is not trying to overthrow Rome. (Back)

11 Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice: This is because God’s Word, His laws, His ways, are all foolishness to anyone but those who have been given the God-gifted faith that it takes to believe Him. That faith is continuous, through the Holy Spirit, Who is the promise and pledge that is our proof to believe; He is that reassurance that you have all the time, knowing your Savior has you close to Him and won’t let go. Those who were chosen by God for this incredible grace and blessing, were chosen in eternity past, before the foundations of the world. See 1 Corinthians 1:18-24; Ephesians 1:4, 5, 13, 14; 2:8, 2 Timothy 1:9. (Back)

12 What is truth: Pilate is done questioning Jesus on the insurrection charges. Despite Pilate’s cynical and sarcastic answer and despite the weird politics of today, there is truth. Human beings are (in)famous for twisting facts, “softening” words, leaving out information, giving “alternate facts”, and changing the details to fit an agenda, regardless of the truth. God is the truth. The Bible is the truth. Beyond that, if human beings are involved, you can never be sure. (Back)

13 Do You not hear: Pilate is amazed at Jesus’s silence to all of these harsh accusations. Pilate probably saw most of the accused that were brought before him panicking, doing everything possible to combat accusations and defend themselves. People would probably try to plead Pilate in every way possible. Jesus’s dignity truly stands out here. He’s not on His knees begging, He’s not crying, He’s not panicked, He’s not grasping at straws to stay alive. Silence was certainly not the way most people faced a trial with the result of crucifixion as the most-assured sentence. (Back)

14 He did not answer him: This was to fulfill Isaiah 53:7. (Back)

15  He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee even as far as this place: “as far as this place” means Jerusalem. And, these “accusations” are actually true! Jesus began His ministry in Galilee (Matthew 4:12-17), had been teaching all over Judea and as far as Jerusalem (Matthew 4:25), and He certainly “stirred up” the people (Matthew 4:24-5:1; 8:1; 8:34; 9:31;14:35, 36; 15:30-31, and 21:10 for examples), but not for the purposes of overthrowing the Roman government, which is what the priests were implying. (Back)

16 he sent Him to Herod: Only Luke tells us about the visit to Herod and what happened there. See Luke 23:6-12. It is interesting that there is no mention of Herodians being present at Pilate’s since the Herodians were helping to orchestrate the plot to kill Jesus (see Mark 3:6) and had an interest in the outcome, as Herod seemed to want Jesus dead, too (see Luke 13:31), possibly due to his fear that Jesus was John the Baptist back from the dead (Matthew 14:1-2). The Herodians weren’t mentioned by name at Jesus’s arrest in Gethsemane or at the trial in front of the high priest, either. It is possible that they were present at those two places, but just not specified. Herodians would have had no business with Pilate and would have had zero influence with him, because Pilate and Herod were enemies until later that day (Luke 23:12). (Back)

17 he had been hearing about Him: Possibly through Chuza, his steward. Chuza’s wife, Joanna, was following Jesus in His ministry and contributing monetary support (Luke 8:3). Many women (and probably men, too) were giving money for the ministry. All this money was being turned over to Judas to hold onto, which he pilfers (John 12:4-6). (Back)

18  hoping to see some sign: This is what most people seem to want from Jesus. They also want Him to fix their lives. True Christianity is not about getting something from God. It is about the created beings (humans) worshiping the Creator. It is about God’s glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). God does give His elected believers eternal life to be with Him eternally (John 3:16). But a true believer would still worship Him, even if they got nothing from Him, because He is God. If you can go through horrible events in your life (see Paul’s examples! 2 Corinthians 11:23-27) and at each event say “I’m not separated from God, so this is nothing”, that’s one point (among many) to help you figure out if your faith is real or not. This kind of faith is a gift from God and not conjured by humans themselves (Ephesians 2:8-9). (Back)

19 gorgeous robe: See Luke 23:11. The Greek text says “apparel splendid”. The Greek word used for apparel is esthés and means “clothing or robe”. The Greek word used for splendid is lampros and means “radiant, splendid, bright”. (Back)

Jesus Before the High Priest and Peter’s Denial

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice “Jesus Before the High Priest and Peter’s Denial”

Matthew 26:57-75 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 26:57)

Mark 14:53-72 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 14:53)

Luke 22:54-71 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 22:54)

John 18:12-27 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 18:12)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice “The Betrayal and Illegal Arrest of Jesus”, click here.

 

Isaiah 53:7
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

 

THE SPLICE

1 The Roman cohort, their commander and the officers of the Jews 2 arrested Jesus and bound Him. 3 Peter and another disciple followed after Jesus at a distance. Those arresting Jesus took Him to the house of the high priest. The high priest that year was 4 Caiaphas. Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was 5 expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people. All of the chief priests, scribes, and elders were gathered there with Caiaphas at his house; 6 Annas, a previous high priest and Caiaphas’s father-in-law, was also there.  Those who arrested Jesus led Him to Annas first. During this time, Peter and 7 the other disciple had followed Jesus all the way up to the courtyard of the high priest. The other disciple was known to the high priest, and he was able to enter with Jesus into the high priest’s court, but Peter was standing at the door, outside. So the other disciple went over and spoke to the doorkeeper (who was a female slave) and 8 he brought Peter in. Then the doorkeeper said to Peter, “You are not 9 also one of His disciples, are you?” Peter denied it and said, “I am not.” Now the slaves and the officers were sitting there, in the courtyard, having made a charcoal fire in the middle of it, for the night was cold and they were all warming themselves. 10 Peter was below in the courtyard, amongst them, 11 sometimes standing/sometimes sitting and warming himself, awaiting the outcome of Jesus’s trial before the high priest. Now during this time, Jesus was before Annas, and Annas then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret. Why do you question Me? 12 Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; they know what I said.” When He said this, one of the officers standing nearby struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer 13 the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. (The rest of Peter’s denial of Jesus and Jesus’s time before Caiaphas probably happened simultaneously). While Jesus was before Caiaphas, Peter was below in the courtyard, still warming himself by the fire with the officers and some of the slaves. Now a servant-girl of the high priest came to him, seeing him in the firelight, warming himself, and she was 14 intently looking at him and said directly to Peter, “You too were with Jesus the Nazarene, the Galilean.” And she said to the others around “This man was with Him, too”. But 15 denied it before all of the officers and slaves, saying to her, “Woman, I do not know Him. 16 I do not know, nor do I understand what you are talking about.” Then Peter went out onto the porch. When he had gone out to the gateway, the servant-girl saw him again and with another servant-girl, said to the bystanders who were there, “This man is one of them! He was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And again, he denied it with 17 an oath, 18 “I do not know the man.” And during this exchange with the servant-girls, another man was also there who was saying along with the servant girls, “You are one of them too!” And Peter answered him directly and said, “Man, I am not!” After about an hour had passed, the bystanders from earlier saw Peter and one of the men in the group said to the others, in Peter’s hearing, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” And this group then addressed Peter directly, saying, “Surely you too are one of them for you are a Galilean too; for even the 19 way you talk gives you away.” Then he began to 20 curse and swear, addressing the individual man and the whole group saying, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about; I do not know the man, this man you are talking about!” One of the slaves of the high priest, who was a relative of 21 Malchus, who may have been with the group of bystanders, was in near proximity to Peter at this time. He said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” Peter then denied it again, and immediately, while Peter was still talking, a rooster crowed for the second time. The Lord Jesus turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “22 Before a rooster crows today, crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Meanwhile, the chief priests and the whole Council/Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death, and they were not finding any testimony that they could use.  Even though many false witnesses came forward and many were giving false testimony against Him, their testimony was not consistent. But later on, 23 two false witnesses came forward, stood up, and gave false testimony. One said “This man stated, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’” And the other said, “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another 24 made without hands.’” 25 Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent.   The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” But Jesus kept silent and did not answer. 26 When it was day, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Jesus away to their council chamber. They were saying to Him, “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “27 If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I ask a question, you will not answer.” And again, the high priest was questioning Him, and said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God. Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; I am; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter, from now on, you will see 28 THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER of God, and COMING WITH THE 29 CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “Yes, I am.”  Then the high priest 30tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy. What do you think? How does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Jesus to be deserving of death and answered, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth. He deserves death!” Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him, and then some began 31 spit at Him, they spat in His face and then blindfolded Him, beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him, and said, “Prophesy to us, You Christ; who is the one who hit You?” And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming. Then the officers received Him with slaps in the face.

 

 

 

Want to continue reading? To read the Splice “Jesus Before Pilate, the First Time” click here

 

NOTES

 

1  Roman cohort: Although there have been debates as to whether or not the Romans were involved in the arrest of Jesus, John 18:12 is clear that there were Roman soldiers present. The Greek word used in John 18:3, 12 for cohort is speira which means “a body of soldiers”. The Greek word used in John 18:12 for the word commander is chiliarchos which means “a commander of a thousand”. Mark 14:54, 65 and Matthew 26:58 uses the word officers which is the Greek word hupéretés meaning “officer, underling, attendant”. It is unknown how the Pharisees came into possession of this Roman cohort in the first place, but it certainly could have been the Herodians that arranged for it. The Herodians had been in partnership with the Pharisees, plotting Jesus’s murder (see Matthew 22:15, 16; Mark 3:6, 8:15, 12:13). The Jews and Pontius Pilate had a shaky relationship, but it is possible that at some point Pilate had given the guard to the Sanhedrin/Pharisees just to make them happy.  (Back)

2 arrested Jesus: The arrest happened in the Garden of Gethsemane, after the Last Supper. To read about Jesus’s time right before the arrest, see Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:40-46. To read the Splice about Gethsemane, click here. (Back)

3  Peter and another disciple followed Jesus at a distance: Peter and the unknown disciple were at a distance because all of the disciples had run away when Jesus was being arrested (Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50). At some point, Peter and the other guy returned and decided to follow Jesus to the high priest’s house (Matthew 26:58; Mark 14:54; Luke 22:54; John 18:15). It is unknown what happened to the other 9 disciples at that time and we don’t know where traitor Judas went, either. We do know that at the very least, John shows back up at the foot of the cross (John 19:26) and all of Jesus’s friends were there at His death, looking on from a distance (Luke 23:49).  (Back)

4 Caiaphas: Having the office of high priest was quite a position to have, reaping respect and deference from the Jewish people. As high priest, Caiaphas would be responsible for entering the Holy of Holies and making atonement for the people of Israel once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). Leviticus 16 gives information on this holiest of days. The reason why we no longer observe this holy day, as Christians, is because Jesus is our High Priest (Hebrews 4:15; 5:9-10) and His sacrifice was once and for all; atonement never needs to be made again (Hebrews 10:1-18; Romans 6:10). As a side note, the very first high priest of Israel was Aaron, Moses’s brother (Exodus 28:41; 29:9). (Back)

5  expedient for one man to die: This conversation happened when the Pharisees had gone to Caiaphas because they had were quite upset by Jesus’s miracles, particularly the raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-46). They went to the high priest, complaining that if Jesus went on performing miracles then everyone would believe in Him, and they feared that if this happened, then Rome would take their nation away. Caiaphas basically gave the stamp of approval for killing Jesus, to save the nation of Israel. See John 11:47-52 to read about this meeting. (Back)

6  Annas: It is unknown whether or not Annas lived with his daughter and son-in-law, Caiaphas. It is unknown whether or not his daughter was still alive. We do know that Annas was high priest at one time, in conjunction with Caiaphas, at the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry (Luke 3:2), during the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (Luke 3:1). Annas and Caiaphas show up again, in Acts 4:1-23, when John and Peter are preaching about Jesus’s resurrection. They even recognized John and Peter as having been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).  (Back)

7 the other disciple: Many people assume that the “other disciple” has to be John the disciple/apostle and writer of the gospel of John (as well as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd letters of John and Revelation). Only John records that Peter had a fellow disciple with him, following Jesus to the high priest’s house (John 18:15). John may or may not have been the apostle accompanying Peter to Jesus’s trial. Why would John mention this disciple if it wasn’t him? On the other hand, John does not refer to the “other disciple” with Peter as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (see John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:20-24). John’s usage of  “the disciple whom Jesus loved” is the only confirmed reference to himself throughout his book, as he explains in John 21:24, in reference for John 13:23; 21:20-24 and therefore by relation for 19:26 and 20:2. Another thing to think about is that John and Peter (along with James and Andrew) were fishermen at the Sea of Galilee and therefore probably not highly esteemed among the upper classes in Jerusalem, nor were they probably wealthy. Why would John be known to the high priest of the Sanhedrin at all (John 18:16)? The high priest had the top job over the Sanhedrin, which was the high court of Israel, and he was highly esteemed and wealthy. Back then (just like all through history), common/poor did not mingle with esteemed/wealthy. It is more probable that the relationship that the “other disciple” had with the high priest would have existed before this person became a disciple of Jesus. The word used for known John 18:15 is the Greek word gnóstos which means “known; an acquaintance”. This does suggest an actual relationship, even if a shallow one, and not just “known” by reputation. Besides these two disciples, we can also wonder if traitor Judas was there for the trial proceedings at the house of Caiaphas. The Bible never mentions Judas’s presence at any of the trials of Jesus (there were 5), except possibly in Matthew 27:3 by saying that Judas “saw” that Jesus had been condemned.  The Greek word used for saw in Matthew 27:3 is horaó which means to “see, look upon, experience, perceive”. The word can be used literally or metaphorically, so we can’t know for sure if Judas was physically present at Jesus’s illegal trial. (Back)

8  he brought Peter in: The other disciple is never mentioned again, after this verse in John 18:16.  (Back)

9 also one of this man’s disciples: The Greek word used in John 18:17 for also is kai which means “and, even, also, namely”. In saying “also”, she might have known the other disciple and known about his conversion to becoming a disciple of Jesus’s (another possible indication that perhaps the disciple knew the high priest before his days of following Jesus). But this asks the question: why was Peter afraid, if the other disciple wasn’t? Perhaps Peter didn’t feel he had the same immunity or protection that the other disciple might have had, since this other disciple was known to the high priest (John 18:15). However, there probably wasn’t any protection for anyone from this angry, vengeful mob. Even members of the Sanhedrin who believed in Jesus were afraid of saying so out loud because of the Pharisees and their ire (John 12:42-43). Also, it’s possible that the other disciple was just as afraid as Peter, but had decided he didn’t care anymore if he was arrested for his affiliation with Jesus. (Back)

10 Peter was below in the courtyard: The Greek word used for below in Mark 14:66 is kató meaning “beneath, bottom, down, under”.  This wording suggests that the trial before the high priest was held on an upper floor that looked out and down into the outside courtyard. We know the courtyard is outside because Matthew 26:69 says the courtyard is outside using the Greek word exó meaning “outside or without”. This courtyard is large enough to hold at least some of the officers from the crowd that arrested Jesus, some slaves, and possibly some animals (the Bible only mentions a rooster alongside Peter’s denials, but we don’t know if the rooster is in the courtyard). The room where Jesus’s trial is held must be big enough to hold some more officers and the Council and some false witnesses. This gives us the picture that the high priest’s house is larger than a common house.   (Back)

11 sometimes standing/sometimes sitting: Matthew 26:69 and Luke 22:55 say that Peter was sitting and John 18:25 says he was standing. Logic dictates that he did both while he was there. (Back)

12 Question those who have heard: This answer of Jesus’s, if acted upon, would have done a remarkable thing: given first-hand eyewitness testimony of what He actually said and taught. However, no one at this ridiculous excuse for a trial was truly interested in real testimony. The Council were interested in their agenda and the agenda was killing Jesus (Matthew 26:59; Mark 14:55, John 11:47-53).  (Back)

13 the high priest: Although it is stated that Caiaphas was that year’s high priest (John 18:13), perhaps it was also a title of respect kept for the rest of one’s life, after serving officially as the high priest. Maybe they meant “former high priest”, but the “former” is implied. In any case, Annas had some sort of perceived authority to the Jews (see note 6).  (Back)

14 intently looking at him: The Greek word for intently used in Luke 22:56 is atenizó and it means “to direct the gaze at; to look steadfastly” and has the feel of being “completely fixed” on someone. (Back)

15 Peter denied it: In each of the accounts, the word denial uses the Greek word arneomai and it means to “reject, disown, deny”. Jesus also uses the word deny in the accounts, but He uses a stronger version of the word: aparneomai. It means a strong rejection, or the act of disowning someone. See Matthew 26:70, 72, 75; Mark 14:68, 70, 72; Luke 22:57, 61; John 18:25, 27. (Back)

16 I do not know, nor do I understand: Mark 14:68. The Greek words used here for know (eidó) and understand (epistamai) show us that Peter is saying he has no concept or perception of Jesus. He wants the courtyard folks to believe that he is there, dressed not like a solider or a slave (legitimate people who would be there besides the Sanhedrin) and speaking in a Galilean accent, awaiting the results of Someone’s trial when he has no perception of that Person being in existence. No one is buying it. (Back)

17 an oath: Peter is “swearing to God” or “swearing by God”. Oaths or vows were taken very seriously in Jewish culture. They were used to prove honesty and truthfulness. A false oath is a serious offense against God and this was most certainly a false oath. See Leviticus 19:12; Zechariah 8:17. See Matthew 5:33-37 where Jesus says we are not to make any oaths at all. (Back)

18 “I do not know the man.” See note 15 for usage of the Greek word eidó (Back)

19 way you talk: Peter was from Bethsaida (John 1:44) in Galilee. He had a house in Capernaum, also in Galilee, see Mark 1:21-29; Luke 4:31-38. Galileans were probably plain folk, Galilee being a fishing region, and therefore probably not especially elegant, particularly in speech. The dialect used in Galilee may have sounded a bit rustic to finely tuned ears and/or it had a specific “Galilean” accent.  (Back)

20 curse and swear: See Mark 14:71. The Greek word for curse used in Mark 14:71 is anathematizó and it’s simple definition is to “invoke a curse” and “to devote someone or something to destruction”. A human curse (not divine curses) in its most simplistic idea, wishes evil and bad things upon someone or something. The Greek word for swear used in Mark 14:71 is omnuó, and its simple definition is “to promise with an oath”. Peter did not necessarily use obscenities, but he was invoking curses upon himself, perhaps even Jesus, and promising under an oath that he did not know Jesus. To summarize, Christians shouldn’t be cursing, which is an expression of wrath and vengeance. See Romans 12:14, 17, 19, 21 on curses and vengeance. We should not be taking oaths (Matthew 5:34-37; James 5:12), nor using obscenities (Ephesians 5:4, Colossians 3:8). For a few more verses about the tongue/what we say, see Proverbs 18:6-7; Proverbs 21:23; James 3:3-12.  (Back)

21 Malchus: Malchus was also a slave of the high priest (John 18:10). In summary, Peter had cut off Malchus’s right ear with a sword while the arrest of Jesus was about to happen in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus told Peter to put his sword away because He would allow this arrest to happen and then He healed Malchus’s ear. See Matthew 26:51-54; Mark 14:47; Luke 22:50-51; John 18:10-11. Only Luke tells us that Jesus healed the cut off ear.  (Back)

22 Before a rooster crows today, before a rooster crows twice: The accounts about the prediction of the rooster and the actual crowing of the rooster are found in the following: Matthew 26:34, 74; Mark 14:30, 72; Luke 22:34, 60; John 13:38, 18:27. Only Mark tells us that the rooster crowed twice. It should be understood that the Greek word used for twice in Mark 14:30 is dis which means “twice, utterly or entirely” and in Mark 14:72 the Greek word for second is deuteros which means “afterward, again, secondarily, second, in the second place, the second time”. It should also be understood that in none of the accounts is the word “rooster” actually proceeded by “a” or “the” because there is no distinction. It could be “the rooster” (specific rooster or a representative rooster for all roosters) or it could be “a rooster” (unspecific rooster). Roosters begin crowing before sunrise, sometime between 4am and 6am, called Anticipatory Predawn Crowing, and it’s not just one “crow”.  If there is more than one rooster in a flock, there is a pecking order for when each rooster is allowed to crow. What does all this mean? I think it means that Jesus meant that before the main rooster of the high priest’s courtyard finished his morning announcement of the impending sunrise, Peter would have denied Him three grouped-up times (with several denials per grouping, as several people were accusing him). I think Mark is making the distinction that this rooster crows twice for his morning hello, maybe even after all the other roosters have had their turn. The other 3 gospel writers just tell us that the rooster crowed, giving us the finished product without any of the crowing details, so to speak (Back)

23 two false witnesses: Both of these witnesses were misquoting Jesus. To see what Jesus actually said, see  John 2:18-22. Jesus said He would “raise up” the temple in three days. He uses the word egeiró to mean “raise up, arouse, to waken”. The witnesses are saying rebuild in Matthew 26:61 and Mark 14:58, using the Greek word oikodomeó, which means “to build, to build a house”. As a side note, Jesus will have two witnesses again, this time testifying for Him. See Revelation 11 (Back)

24 made without hands: The Greek word used for this phrase is acheiropoiétos and it is meant to be interpreted as divine design. The false witnesses are proclaiming that Jesus called Himself God. This would be a problem if any other person said they were God (Isaiah 44:6); we know that Jesus is God (John 10:30). Regardless, He didn’t actually use these words. See  John 2:18-22 (Back)

25 Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent: This is the crime that the Sanhedrin want to pin on Jesus, that He called Himself God. In reality, they are envious of Jesus (Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10) and the miracles He has performed and the following He had acquired (Matthew 4:24-25). Jesus was also healing on the Sabbath, which they didn’t like (John 5:18) and Jesus didn’t mince words regarding the Pharisees’ hypocrisy to everyone (Matthew 23:1-36; Luke 12:1-3). To make the charge more palatable for Pilate, they tell him that Jesus is a troublemaker, stirring up the general population to revolt against Rome, calling Himself the King of the Jews (Luke 23:2, 5, 13, 14). (Back)

26 When it was day: It is possible that it took all night to find the false witnesses and it turned to day when they took Jesus to their council chamber. It is also possible that Jesus waited in prison while the council dispersed for a bit and when the council regathered a couple of hours later, it was considered “day”.  (Back) (Back)

27 If I tell you, you will not believe: It’s a worthless effort, trying to talk someone into believing about Jesus. We can only pray for people who do not believe Him and we can present the truth of the Bible. (Back)

28  THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER: Jesus is referring to Psalm 110:1.  (Back)

29  CLOUDS OF HEAVEN: Jesus is quoting from Daniel 7:13. I do not believe that the “clouds of heaven” are ordinary clouds, such as a cumulus cloud—something we would normally see in our atmosphere. I believe that there will be no mistaking these as supernatural clouds when they are seen.  (Back)

30 tore his robes: This was a traditional way to show mourning or grief. Many Jewish people still practice this tradition. In Joel 2:13, God instructs those who would turn to Him to rend their hearts, not their garments. This is what the repentance of sin is about. (Back)

31 to spit at Him: It was a disgrace to be spit on, particularly in the face (Numbers 12:14). Jesus was spit on, to fulfill the prophesy of Isaiah 50:6. (Back)

The Crucifixion: Part Two

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice Series “The Crucifixion”

Matthew 27:31-56 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 27:31)

Mark 15:20-41 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 15:20)

Luke 23:25-49 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 23:25)

John 19:16-30(Greek Text Analysis starting with John 19:16)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice “The Crucifixion: Part One”, click here.

 

Isaiah 53:6
We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.

 

THE SPLICE

And 1 the people stood by looking on. Standing by the cross of Jesus were 2 His mother Mary, and His mother’s sister Mary the wife of Clopas, John the disciple, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother, and 3 John, the disciple whom He loved, standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He said to John, “Behold, your mother!” From  that hour John took Mary into his own household.

And those passing by were hurling abuse at Jesus, wagging and shaking their heads, mocking Him, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to 4 destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! 5 If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the 6 Jewish rulers, the chief priests, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and 5 we will believe in Him. 7 HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God. Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, 5 so that we may see and believe!” They also said,  “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.”  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” 8 The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words. But at some point, 9 one of the robbers had a change of heart because when the other robber was hurling abuse at Jesus, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”. The other robber answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

It was now about the 10 sixth hour, and 11 darkness fell over the whole land until the 12 ninth hour, because the sun was obscured; About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, 13 “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, 14 “I am thirsty.” And the rest of the onlookers said, “Let us see whether 15 Elijah will come to save Him.” Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, 16 he filled it with sour wine from a jar of sour wine that was standing there. They put the sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of 17 hyssop/reed and brought it up to His mouth and gave Him a drink, and said “Let us see whether 15 will come to take Him down.” After this when Jesus had received the sour wine, Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, uttered a loud cry and He said, 18 “FATHER, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT. 19 It is finished!” And He bowed His head and 20 gave up/yielded His spirit; 21 He breathed His last.

And behold, the 22 veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. 23 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. Now the centurion, who was standing right in front of Jesus, 24 saw the way He breathed His last, saw what had happened with the earthquake and the other things that were happening, began praising God, as well as becoming frightened, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent. Truly this man was the Son of God.”  And those who were keeping guard with the centurion also became frightened and 25 also said that Jesus was the Son of God.  And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, 26 began to return, beating their breasts. All of His acquaintances and many women who came up with Him to Jerusalem were there looking on from a distance, seeing these things. Also among them was Mary Magdalene (who had been at the foot of the cross earlier), Mary the mother of James the Less and 27 Joseph/Joses, the mother of the 28 sons of Zebedee, and Salome. When Jesus was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him.

 

Want to continue reading? To read the Splice “The Burial of Jesus”, click here.

 

Notes

1 the people stood by looking on: The people standing around were the chief priests, the scribes, the elders/rulers, and possibly some general rubberneckers who enjoyed a gruesome scene. (Back)

2  His mother: What must have been going through Mary’s mind this entire time, while her Son was being crucified? When Jesus was a baby, Simeon told Mary that “a sword will pierce even your own soul…” and these words must have come to her mind watching Jesus suffer. See Luke 2:25-35 to learn about Simeon and his message to Mary. (Back)

3 John, the disciple whom He loved: This is John, the writer of the gospel of John, as well as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd letters of John and the book of Revelation. After all the disciples scattered to their homes, John must have come back. Some think that he came back with Peter (John 18:15-16). But the truth is we don’t know which disciple came back with Peter; we don’t even know if it was one of the remaining 10 out of the 12 disciples (minus Peter and Judas), as anyone who was learning from Him and following Him could be a disciple. We know that the “disciple that Jesus loved” is John because of John 21:20-24, and this connects it with any other verse that states “disciple that Jesus loved”. But John 18:15-16 does not use that phrasing. It is possible it was John; it is possible it was another disciple. And, although John is mentioned at the cross (did he walk beside Jesus to Golgotha?), we do not know if he was the only disciple there. (Back)

4 destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days: This is a twisting of Jesus’s words. See John 2:18-22. Jesus said He would “raise up” the temple in three days. He uses the word egeiró to mean “raise up, arouse, to waken”. The Jews are saying rebuild in Matthew 27:40, using the Greek word oikodomeó, which means “to build, to build a house”. The difference between the two words is important. (Back)

5 If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross: Jesus performed many miracles and showed many signs that the Jews, scribes and Pharisees were witness to. They wouldn’t have believed Him to be the Messiah, even if He chose to disobey God and come down off the cross. It’s the same way with people today. We are all given enough in our lives in order to believe Him (Romans 1:18-20).  No miracle or even a visitation from the dead will change any person’s mind (see Luke 16:30-31) . I think that a person who doesn’t want to believe God would attribute such a miracle of visitation from the dead to mental hallucinations, the bad sushi they ate last night, anything but a miracle from God. For a sampling of miracles witnessed by the Jews and religious elders, see Matthew 8:1-3; 9:2-8; 12:10-15; Luke 13:10-17; 14:1-6; John 6:1-14; John 9:1-34, 11:1-46. (Back)

6 Jewish rulers: These people had been up late into the night and up in the early morning (it is possible they were up all night), arresting Jesus, trying to catch Him in some sort of blasphemy, consulting with each other, obtaining false testimonies (Matthew 26:47-68; Mark 14:43-65; Luke 22:54-71; John 18:2-13, 19-24 ) and then convincing Pilate to crucify Him (Matthew 27:1-2, 11-26; Mark 15:1-15; Luke 23:1-5, 13-24; John 18:28-40, 19:4-16). Their hate for and jealousy of Jesus never runs its course. It is still fueling them, through that day, to ridicule and mock Him. (Back)

7 HE TRUSTS IN GOD: This is in reference to Psalm 22:8. (Back)

8 The robbers who had been crucified: These robbers walked with Jesus, presumably carrying their cross beams/walking in front of a conscripted beam-bearer (Luke 23:32-33). Were they in cahoots with Barabbas, who was also a robber (but also a murderer and insurrectionist, see Mark 15:7; Luke 23:19, 25; John 18:40)? Was Barabbas supposed to be crucified with these two that very day? Very possible, but the Bible doesn’t specify. (Back)

9 one of the robbers had a change of heart: Matthew 27:44 says that both robbers were insulting Jesus, but Luke clarifies that at least one of the robbers changed his mind about Jesus after some time on the cross (Luke 23:39-43). Horrible experiences can do two things, spiritually speaking: they can drive you to Jesus or drive you away from Him. (Back)

10 sixth hour: or, 12pm. (Back)

11 darkness fell over the whole land: We can consider this darkness as a supernatural event, not a natural event such as an eclipse. It brings to mind what the Egyptians experienced as the last plague before God struck down the first born of every household. See Exodus 10:21-23. (Back)

12 ninth hour: or, 3pm. (Back)

13 MY GOD, MY GOD: Jesus is repeating Psalm 22:1. (Back)

14 “I am thirsty.”: The Scripture that was fulfilled was Psalm 69:21. (Back)

15 Elijah: Elijah was a prophet, who had a chariot of fire take him to heaven in 2 Kings 2:11. Perhaps these people think that Elijah will come back down in the chariot to take Jesus to heaven. You can read about Elijah in 1 Kings 17-19; 2 Kings 1:1-2:11. (Back)

16 he filled it with sour wine: This was a cheap wine kept for the soldiers to drink. They didn’t care if Jesus was actually thirsty; this was just a way to extend the life of the sufferer. For anyone who would take part in hammering people to crosses, it was probably amusing to them, as well. You could say that they didn’t have a choice (everyone has a choice), as they were lowly soldiers with a centurion over them (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47) but they seem to be gleeful as they mocked Jesus and beat on Him (Matthew 27:27-30; Mark 15:16-20; Luke 23:36) and nonchalant as they gambled for Jesus’s clothing (Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34; John 19:23-25). And the soldier who pierced Jesus’s side didn’t have to stab Him—they could see He was already dead (John 19:33-34). (Back)

17 hyssop/reed: Matthew 27:48 and Mark 15:36 say reed, using the Greek word kalamos which means “a reed, reed staff, measuring rod, a reed pen”. John 19:29 says hyssop, using the Greek word hussópos which means “hyssop, a stalk of hyssop”. Reed is a general term and hyssop is specific. It’s a stalk/reed of hyssop. (Back)

18 FATHER, INTO YOUR HANDS: Jesus references Psalm 31:5 (Back)

19 It is finished: John 19:30. The Greek word used for finished is tetelestai and it means “to bring to an end, complete, fulfill, I pay, to discharge a debt”. (Back)

20 gave up/yielded His spirit: Matthew 27:50 uses the Greek word aphiémi for the word yielded or gave up. Luke 23:46, and John 19:30 use the same word for yielded. The Greek word they use is paratithémi and it means “to hand over, pledge, deliver, commit”. It’s important to understand that Jesus gave His life—it wasn’t taken from Him. This was all part of the work that He was born into the world to fulfill. See John 10:18; 18:37. (Back)

21 He breathed His last: He breathed His last with quite a bit of strength left, as He was using a loud voice (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34; Luke 23:46). After a scourging that left His entire back flesh-less, the loss of blood, carrying a cross beam weighing around 100lbs for about 1/2 a mile, being nailed to the cross and hanging for 6 hours in an awkward position, pushing Himself up for each breath, Jesus still had the strength for a loud voice. Most victims of crucifixion would have no strength to talk at the end of all of this trauma. Jesus could talk and could do so loudly.(Back)

22 veil of the temple was torn in two: The importance of this imagery cannot be stressed enough. The veil was the partition between the Holy Place and Holy of Holies (Exodus 26:33). The Holy of Holies was where God was present, above the mercy seat which was on the top of the Ark of the Covenant. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies and only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-34). The veil was torn from top to bottom, as God (top) is granting freedom to people (bottom) to come into His presence through Christ. To read about the veil and mercy seat, see Exodus 26:31-34. To read about the purposes and ceremony of atonement, see Leviticus 16. The ceremony itself was quite intricate. (Back)

23 The tombs were opened: Only Matthew tells us this detail. He says that the bodies of the saints were raised, but they only came out of the tombs after Jesus’s resurrection, appearing to many in Jerusalem. See Matthew 27:52-53. (Back)

24 saw the way He breathed His last: With strength. In the modern era, we cannot appreciate what a crucifixion or flogging entailed . See Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34; Luke 23:46. (Back)

25 also said that Jesus was the Son of God: This is only the beginning of walking towards a God-gifted faith in Christ. Even the demons recognize God as God (James 2:19) and knew Jesus was the Son of God (Matthew 8:29). It’s not enough to just “know” this. God’s faith that He gives as a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9) is different than human-conjured faith. This article has a nice layout of the evidence of salvation and as does this piece. (Back)

26 began to return, beating their breasts: This is a fulfillment of Zechariah 12:10. (Back)

27 Joseph/Joses: Matthew 27:56 says Joseph, Mark 15:47 says Joses. Both names are similar, although not exactly the same. It is possible that Joseph went by the nickname Joses. It’s also possible that they are two different people. (Back)

28 sons of Zebedee, and Salome: Because we are not told specifically that Salome is the mother of James and John or the wife of Zebedee, I treat her as a separate person. Many writers and pastors insist that Salome was the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee and therefore, she was the wife of Zebedee. It’s possible, but there isn’t a shred of proof for that, in the English or the Greek. Places where James and John are mentioned as the sons of Zebedee: Matthew 4:21; 10:2; Mark 1:19; 10:35; Luke 5:10; John 21:2. Mentions of their mother: Matthew 20:20-23; Matthew 27:56. Mentions of Zebedee himself: Matthew 4:21; Mark 1:20. (Back)

The Crucifixion: Part One

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice Series “The Crucifixion”

Matthew 27:31-56 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 27:31)

Mark 15:20-41 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 15:20)

Luke 23:25-49 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 23:25)

John 19:16-30(Greek Text Analysis starting with John 19:16)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice “Jesus Before Pilate, the Second Time” click here

 

Psalm 22:14
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within me.

 

THE SPLICE

And Pilate released 1 Barabbas who had been thrown into 2 prison for 3 insurrection and murder, but Pilate delivered Jesus to the Jews’ will, that is, to have Him 4crucified. Pilate gave Jesus to the soldiers and 5 after they had mocked Him, they took the 6 scarlet/purple robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him. Sometime during the start of the walk to the site of the crucifixion, the soldiers seized and pressed into service, a passer-by coming into Jerusalem from the country, 7 Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), 8 to bear His cross. The soldiers put the cross on Simon so he could carry it behind Jesus.

And following Jesus was a large crowd of the people, and 9 women who were mourning and lamenting Him. But Jesus, turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 10 ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin 11 TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS, ‘FALL ON US,’ AND TO THE HILLS, ‘COVER US.’ For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Two others, also, who were 12 criminals/robbers, were being led away to be put to death with Him.  And Jesus went out, 8 bearing His own cross, and when they came to a place called 13 Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, the soldiers tried to give Him wine to drink mixed with 14 gall/myrrh; and after tasting it 15 He was unwilling to drink; He would not take it. And there 16 they crucified Him and the criminals/robbers, one robber on the right side of Jesus and the other robber on His left side. And by being crucified with the robbers, the Scripture was fulfilled which says,17 “And He was numbered with transgressors.”. But during this time, Jesus was saying a prayer, concerning the  soldiers carrying out this duty of crucifying Him, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross, above His head. Pilate’s inscription was the charge against Him and it said:

“THIS IS JESUS THE NAZARENE THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said , ‘I am King of the Jews.’ “ Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

It was the 18 third hour when they crucified Him. After the soldiers had nailed Jesus to the cross, then put Pilate’s inscription above Jesus’s head, and lifted the cross up off the ground in order to stand it upright, the soldiers took Jesus’s outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”; this was to fulfill the Scripture: 19 “THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.

After dividing up Jesus’s clothes, they sat down, and they began to keep watch and guard over Him there.

 

 

Sketch of a branch

 

Want to continue reading? To read the Splice “The Crucifixion: Part Two” click here

 

COMMENTS

 

1 Barabbas: This is what we know about Barabbas: He was a notorious prisoner (Matthew 27:16) and he was a robber (John 18:40). Some English translations say that Barabbas was an insurrectionist in John 18:40, but the Greek word used is léstés and it means “robber, thief”. But he did also take place in an insurrection as we learn in (Luke 23:19), as well as commit at least one murder. Barabbas was in prison at this time, being jailed with other insurrectionists who had also committed murder (numbers unknown) during this uprising (Mark 15:7). Acts 3:14 confirms (through Peter’s narration) that Barabbas was a murderer. (Back)

2 prison: Prison was synonymous with misery. To read a quick run-down on prison life in ancient Rome, click here. (Back)

3 insurrection and murder: It is important to understand that during Jesus’s time, the Romans ruled quite a bit the world, including Israel. Many Jewish people were resentful over this invasion of Roman power and the polytheism they brought with them. Therefore, there were many insurrections and consequently, murders, committed by the Jewish people during this time. All this unrest eventually led up to the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Jesus never became involved with these acts of violence and never sanctioned them. The Bible pointedly tells us to pay our taxes, pray for our government officials, obey the laws of the land (as long as they don’t conflict with God’s laws) and that any authority or ruler on earth was put into power by God. See Matthew 17:24-27, Mark 12:13-17, Romans 13:1-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-3, Titus 3:1-2, 1 Peter 2:13-15. (Back)

4  crucified: Why did God allow Jesus to be crucified? Jesus was ultimately crucified because God the Father deemed it right as the substitute payment for the sins of the elect He calls to be His own (see Galatians 4:4-5). But what about the human justification for Jesus’s crucifixion? The human reason and human method of death was political. The chief priests told Pilate that Jesus called Himself a King and Rome didn’t like self-styled kings (especially with faithful followers) or anyone else who made a move towards overthrowing the government. Therefore, even though Pilate knew Jesus to be innocent of the insurrection charges, Jesus was “officially” murdered for insurrection/conspiring to get others to take part in an insurrection. Insurrectionists/enemies of the state were crucified. (Back)

5 after they had mocked Him: See Matthew 27:27-30; Mark 15:16-19, and John 19:1-3. He had also been mocked by Herod and his soldiers when Pilate had sent Him over there (Luke 23:11). (Back)

6 scarlet/purple robe: Strong’s concordance tells us that Matthew 27:28 uses the Greek word kokkinos which means “crimson or scarlet”. Mark 15:20 uses the word porphýra which means “a purple garment”. Helps Word-studies© explains a little more in depth. There were basically three shades of purple used for this idea in the ancient world: deep violet, deep scarlet (or crimson), and deep blue. John 19:5 uses the Greek word porphyroús which means a purple (reddish-purple) cloth or dye. All three of these together tells us that the robe was a purple-scarlet color, maybe akin to red-violet or violet-red from a crayons box. We can only speculate on the exact shade of purple. (Back)

HELPS Word-studies taken from The Discovery Bible, available at discoverybible.com, copyright © 2021, HELPS Ministries Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

7 Simon of Cyrene: It is unknown if Simon was a true disciple of Jesus. Simon is mentioned in Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26. Mark tells us that Simon was the father of Rufus and Alexander. It is possible that the Rufus mentioned in Romans 16:13 is the same person as Simon’s son, but we can’t know for sure. There are mentions of Alexander, as well, in Acts 4:6, Acts 19:33, 1 Timothy 1:20, 2 Timothy 4:14. It is unknown if any of the Alexanders mentioned in these verses are Simon’s son. (Back)

8 to bear His cross: John 19:17 says that Jesus went out bearing His own cross to Golgotha. Luke 23:26 says that when the soldiers led Him away, they conscripted Simon and Matthew 27:32 says “as they were coming out” they took hold of Simon to bear the cross for Jesus.  Mark doesn’t really clear up when Jesus carried His cross or when Simon does in Mark 15:20-21. The simplest answer is that when the soldiers were leading Jesus out, seeing Simon, they forced him to take up the cross at first, thinking Jesus would be too weak to carry it on His own. Perhaps it was just something they customarily and automatically did because victims of flogging were too weak to carry the heavy beams themselves. But Jesus was not weak; He cried out in a loud voice even at the very end of this flagrant injustice (Luke 23:46). How He took the cross back is up for grabs, (maybe He told the guards He could carry it Himself), but He definitely carried His own cross, by Himself, all the way to Golgotha, as John pointedly says. Why bring Simon into the story at all, then? I think Mark 15:21 clears that up: Simon’s sons were prominent members of the early Christian church, and people could identify with this information. It is unknown if Simon was involved with the Christian church at all.  (Back)

9 women who were mourning: We don’t know who the women are. We can guess that they were Jesus’s female followers, perhaps even His mother included, but it is only speculation. We only know from Luke 23:28-31 that Jesus spoke to them directly, with a warning. (Back)

10  Blessed are the barren: Jesus is referring to the tribulation at the very end of the current era, where He says that the blessed women would be the ones not nursing or pregnant. This is quite a change from the common view of the day that shame accompanied women who had no children (Luke 1:25). To see Jesus’s warnings concerning the end times, see Matthew 24:3-51, Mark 13:3-37, Luke 17:20-37, 21:7-36. (Back)

11  TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS: Jesus is quoting from Hosea 10:8. (Back)

12 Criminals/robbers: Matthew 27:38 and Mark 15:27 say “robbers” and Luke 23:32-33 says “criminals“. John 19:18 says “two others”. (Back)

13 Golgotha: There is no current-day Golgotha. It’s ancient whereabouts is speculated upon, but we don’t know exactly where it stood. (Back)

14 gall/myrrh: Matthew 27:34 says “gall” and uses the Greek word cholé which means “gall, bitter herbs”. Mark 15:23 says “myrrh” and  uses the Greek word smurnizó which means “mixed with myrrh” or “to be like myrrh” “to embitter (as a narcotic)”. This concoction of myrrh/gall was given to help deaden pain. It was made of wine (unknown what kind of wine) and then the painkiller. No drink or drug available back then (or now) would deaden that kind of pain— enduring a flogging and a crucifixion. This concoction was probably all that could be done for a crucifixion victim, other than not using such a cruel form of capital punishment. Also, since it couldn’t make much difference in the torture being inflicted, it may have been given in mockery, for the amusement of the soldiers, to see a desperate soul drinking it in hope. (Back)

15  He was unwilling to drink: Jesus refused the help of this laced wine, because drunkenness/being out of one’s senses (such as with narcotics or alcohol) is not Godly, but sound mind and soberness of mind is (see Ephesians 5:18, 1 Peter 4:7). Jesus was strong, even up to the very end (Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37, 39;Luke 23:46), and He still had work to do on the cross, such as giving His mother over to John (John 19:26-27) and speaking to the repentant criminal (Luke 23:39-43). It would only be fitting that Jesus would face His death in all consciousness and sagacity. (Back)

16  they crucified Him: Crucifixion was the worst way to die in Roman times, and a most disgraceful curse to the Jews (see Deuteronomy 21:22-23; 1 Corinthians 1:23). What is important to know is that Jesus became the disgraceful curse in our place, by His death on the cross, in order to reconcile us with God (Galatians 3:13). To read about the horrors of crucifixion, click here. (Back)

17  And He was numbered with transgressors:  This is a reference to Isaiah 53:12. Isaiah 53 contains a lot of information about the Messiah. (Back)

18  third hour: Mark 15:25 tells us that Jesus was crucified at the third hour (9am). Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33, Luke 23:44 says that from 12pm to 3pm there was darkness over the land and Luke 23:45 says it was because the sun was obscured. Jesus died around 3pm (Matthew 27:46-50, Mark 15:34-37; Luke 23:44-46). Darkness is symbolic of judgment from God. For a sampling of this symbolism see Isaiah 5:30; Job 5:14; Nahum 1:8; Matthew 22:13; 2 Peter 2:17 and Revelation 16:10. Also, there seems to be a discrepancy in the time keeping, as John 19:14 says it was the sixth hour while Jesus was still with Pilate. John is possibly using Roman time-keeping or keeping track of how many hours passed by since Jesus’s arrest. Matthew, Mark and Luke are using Jewish time-keeping. See this article for a great explanation. (Back)

19  “THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS: This is from Psalm 22:18. (Back)