Reflections On The Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ: a series of biblical studies for

From the series: Sound Doctrine: A Biblical Study of the Doctrines in the is not simply the facts of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, but . Isaiah uses a series of questions to make this point: the penitent would reflect on.
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Jesus is stripped and nailed to the Cross. Above his head is placed a sign that says 'King of the Jews'. Two criminals are crucified alongside him. After some hours the soldiers check that Jesus is dead by stabbing him in the side. Blood and water gush out. The first 3 often called the Synoptic Gospels have much in common, while St John's Gospel tells the story rather differently. Many Bible scholars would say that the Gospels are not primarily a historical record of what happened because:. The Gospels are a combination of historical fact with theological reflection on the meaning and purpose of Christ's life and death.

They also look back to show how Christ's suffering and death followed the prophecies of the Old Testament in order to demonstrate that he was the long-expected Messiah. The Gospel accounts of the Passion are very simple; other accounts of Christ's suffering and death have embellished the story with additional details. The historical evidence for the Crucifixion supports the bare facts of Jesus' death on the Cross, but little else.

At this time there appeared Jesus, a wise man, for he was a doer of astounding deeds, a teacher of people who receive the truth gladly. He won a following both among many Jews and among many of Greek origin. When Pilate, because of an accusation made by our leaders, condemned him to the cross, those who had loved him previously did not cease to do so.

Up until this very day the tribe of Christians named after him has not died out. Testimonium Flavium, as edited in R. Joseph Hoffmann, Gerald A. Larue, Jesus in History and Myth, Christus, from whom their name [Christians] is derived, was executed at the hands of the procurator Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius Some accounts of the Passion use elements from Old Testament passages to provide additional material:.

One of the most widely known of these applications is the phrase Bestul, Texts of the Passion: Latin Devotional Literature and Medieval Society, Several passages from the Book of Isaiah also provided details that have been added into the Passion story.

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It wasn't just the Old Testament material that was used to augment the Passion story. Gospels not included in scripture, such as the Gospel of Nicodemus, provided additional material. Ephraem, for example, added many physical details of the Passion They, indeed, stretched out His limbs and outraged Him with mockeries. A man whom He had formed wielded the scourge. He who sustains all creatures with His might submitted His back to their stripes.

John's description of the arrest in the garden states only that the band of soldiers with the tribune and the leaders of the Jews took Jesus and bound him John In some of the late medieval treatises on the Passion, this description is elaborated with the additional detail that Christ's hands were tied so tightly that blood burst from his fingernails. His naked breast gleamed white, his bloody side grew red, his stretched out innards grew dry, the light of his eyes grew faint, his long arms grew stiff, his marble legs hung down, a stream of holy blood moistened his pierced feet.

Emmerich believed she had seen Christ's suffering - and her visions added to the Gospel version of the story. So for example, where the Gospels merely refer to Jesus being flogged, Emmerich adds much detail:. What the Gospels state matter-of-factly and without narrative elaboration is luridly expanded by Emmerich: First they used "a species of thorny stick covered with knots and splinters.

The blows from these sticks tore His flesh to pieces; his blood spouted out Then she describes the use of scourges "composed of small chains, or straps covered with iron hooks, which penetrated to the bone and tore off large pieces of flesh at every blow" p. Emmerich's visions paint a very negative portrait of the Jews, and give them a much greater role in the suffering of Jesus than is found in the Bible. The Seven Last Words formed the basis of a famous composition by Haydn.

Composed in , it was first performed on Good Friday in Cadiz, Spain.

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Each of the work's seven sections is based on one of Jesus' final utterances. Haydn described the piece as These Sonatas are composed on, and appropriate to, the Words that Christ our Saviour spoke on the Cross Each Sonata, or rather each setting of the text, is expressed only by instrumental music, but in such a way that it creates the most profound impression on even the most inexperienced listener.

Dr Rowan Williams , Archbishop of Canterbury, reflects on the completion of Jesus' purpose in his death. The Stations of the Cross are numbered stages in the events of the Passion, from the condemnation of Jesus to the placing of his body in the tomb. The Stations of the Cross are often found in churches as a series of statues or other works of art placed along the walls or on pillars. Christians can use the Stations of the Cross as the basis for a structured meditation on the last hours of Christ's life. The Via Crucis Way of the Cross takes the faithful on a journey through the final stages of the Passion, as explained in this Roman Catholic guidance note:.

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In the Via Crucis, various strands of Christian piety coalesce: The Five Precious or Sacred Wounds are the wounds in the hands, feet and side of Christ that were inflicted at the Crucifixion. These wounds have been the subject of spiritual devotion, mostly among Roman Catholics, for many centuries. A number of churches are dedicated to the Five Precious Wounds, and many prayers have been written on the theme. Some altars are decorated with five crosses - one in the centre and one at each corner - to represent the Five Precious Wounds. In mediaeval times it was calculated that Jesus received a total of 5, injuries during the Passion.

The actual date of the Crucifixion is not known, but the evidence narrows it down to dates with the following properties:. Other dates that have been suggested include 7th April 30, 3rd April 33 and 30th April 28 AD, but some recent articles have argued that 18 March 29 AD is the most likely date. From quite early the Passion was chanted in a dramatic way, with the reader representing the different voices in the story: But now they knew they were partially wrong.

The hand of God was indeed against the sufferer, but the sin was not his, but theirs. It was penal--but he did not deserve it. In the first set we see that he endured the suffering, we had the sins that deserved the suffering, and so his sufferings were vicarious--for others. The second set shows that the sufferings were also redemptive: Thus, the suffering was not only vicarious, but now redemptive.

This truth is confessed by Israel in verse 6. In every family, in every nation, innocent people often suffer for the guilty. So vicarious suffering is not unique to the Messiah.

Death and Resurrection Passages in the New Testament

It is part of human life. Vicarious suffering is not a curse; it is part of the service we have to God and to mankind. People like Daniel, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah went into the captivity with the sinners and the idolaters--they did not deserve to go. Even on a lesser note we know that parents who suffer for their children when they are sick or in need understand the impulse of vicarious suffering.

People in a country suffer because of the mistakes of leaders or previous generations. We may suffer because we deserve it; but we may also suffer because of others, or out of love for others in service to other people. That is noble and magnificent: But it is limited--it cannot save another person. So then, as great as vicarious suffering can be, it is not redemptive when we do it. What is pictured here is that the suffering of our Lord Jesus also removed sin.

Resurrection of Jesus

When Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he became the sin-bearer for us. No other suffering could have done this. It took the suffering of God incarnate, the holy one who knew no sin, to remove the sins. What is remarkable is that this suffering servant accepted his affliction in silence.


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This is almost unheard of. In the Old Testament, especially in the Book of Psalms, the sufferers either confess their sins that brought on the sufferings, or cry out that they are suffering and do not deserve it. They either confess of complain.

The Burial and Resurrection of Christ | leondumoulin.nl

But not the Messiah: How could he remain silent? He knew the truth; he dealt wisely.

The Death, BURIAL, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

If anything will enable a person to accept suffering silently it is this--the knowledge that the suffering is a service to God and will help others who are suffering. The prophet affirms that this sufferer has done no wrong; there was no guile in him. Yet he was taken to judgment by tyrannical powers. It was a judicial murder. On this note the stanza ends: But nothing could be further from the truth. It appeared to many that the death of this servant was an awful tragedy. Surely here passed into oblivion the fairest life that ever lived.

This is the one truth that can render any pain tolerable--God willed it. So, anyone that God calls to suffer for him must make it his or her purpose to please God with it. Therein is success with God. This suffering was powerful to effect its intended results i. God made his innocent sufferer a guilt offering Lev. Those who know him, those who come to personal faith in him and acknowledge their sin and his salvation, are justified. Paul explains that the Father made the Son to be sin for us, that we might become righteous in his sight 2 Cor.

We, the guilty sinners, have been declared righteous because of his vicarious sufferings. With this note the passage comes full circle. The rest of the Bible explains that his exaltation involves his resurrection from thje dead, his ascension to heaven, and his coming in glory.

We shall return to this when we focus on the belief in the resurrection. Using military figures, Isaiah says that he will divide the spoil, that is, celebrate victory. But there is a hint here to of his coming to conquer evil see Ps. So in his suffering the servant was closest to his glory; he may have been despised and rejected by people, but he was pleasing to God, and that assured his exaltation in glory. These events led up to Good Friday. Pilate tried to compromise with the religious leaders by having Jesus beaten, but this act didn't satisfy them, so Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified Mark Jesus was mocked by the soldiers as they dressed Him in a purple robe and a crown of thorns John It was at Golgotha that Jesus was crucified along with two criminals John Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb.

He then rolled a big stone in front of the entrance. Good Friday — Was it Friday? The Bible does not tell us exactly the day of the week Jesus was crucified. Most scholars believe it was either Friday or Wednesday. There are others who compromise and say it was a Thursday. If Jesus was crucified on a Friday, how can there be three days before Sunday? Proponents of a Friday crucifixion say that in a Jewish mindset, a part of a day was still considered to be a full day.