This being the week of Palm Sunday to First Fruits / Easter Sunday, I though it was appropriate to republish this 2009 post, as we turn our minds away from the ills of the world and toward Christ and the Life and World to come for those of us who believe into Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior.
The original Festival of Easter Sunday is titled First Fruits in Leviticus 23,
- Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: Leviticus 23:10
- But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.1 Corinthians 15:20
However, to pursue along those lines, well, that is (perhaps, and LORD willing) for another topic and posting for another day.
In the meanwhile, regarding the Resurrection of Jesus: An Historical 4 Gospel Account:
The ff. is a Four Gospel Abridged Historical Account, faithfully translated from the Greek with word pictures: by me, Brianroy. Thanks.
Golgotha
“And
coming toward and into a tract of land, upon which is called Golgotha
in the Hebrew, the which is saying -- in interpretation -- ‘the skull
cap area’. {1}
[My Comment: The insinuation is a
yarmulke. The tomb of David, which was prominent in this land-tract,
was like the skullcap upon the head of Jerusalem. In this area, only
those kings of Israel that were considered worthy, had their bones
interred. Nehemiah 3:16 (and other passages), tell us that there were
multiple burial sites for the Kings of the Davidic line here: thus, the
name “Golgotha” or “skull-cap”, being an idiom for an area dedicated to
the “kings or the skull-caps of the nation of Israel”. Kings were
therefore a type of yarmulke in their symbolism.
The tomb of
David was a white sepulcher that eerily resembled a skull at certain
times of the day. This was hated by the first priests. In effect,
David was looked down upon by the first priests of the city as just an
ancestral reference whose name, like the Almighty, could be invoked to
frighten the common folk into compliance.]
And having crucified Him, sitting down, (the soldiers) guarded Him there. {2}
And the people stood wherever they were at, viewing attentively. {3}
[My Comment: This last verse translated from Luke 23:35, testifies to the crowded conditions mentioned by Josephus and others, 3,000,000
plus were crammed into an area less than a few square miles. By
comparison, Alexandria Egypt was a crowded city with less than a mile in
width and four miles in length, being congested daily with just
500,000. The condition in Jerusalem was 6 - 7 times worse in a
comparable area of about half that length for three times a year: twice
being in excess of 7 days at a time. This feast of Unleavened Bread -
the Passover - First Fruits, all part of the same 8 days (a week and one day) of continuous Observance by ancient Israel's near entire population of men ages 20-60 in Jerusalem, was one of those occasions. Just the fact
that the Romans were able to push their crucifixion through the streets
of Jerusalem was practically a feat in itself.]
And it was then the third hour [being 9 a.m.] when they crucified Him. {4}
Then from sixth hour [being 12 p.m. -- noon] the light of day was removed entirely, for the darkness came into being (as night) upon and over all the the Land,
[of Israel, even upon the whole Earth]
until the ninth hour [until 3 p.m.],for the sun was as black as the darkness. {5}
Then, in the ninth hour, Jesus emphatically cried out with a loud and commanding voice {6}
…and the veil of the Temple was rent violently in two,
from top to bottom. {7}
Then Jesus again emphatically cried out with a great
and commanding voice, releasing the wind, {8}
bowing His head and having stopped breathing. {9}
[My Comment: The
night and morning previous, there was rainfall. The clouds had
dissipated by the third hour, and there was no wind for six hours. Upon
the death of Jesus, not only did His “Spirit” or pneuma depart from His
body, but doubly applicable, the “wind” or pneuma was released, as
though with a vengeance or authority, as well.]
And the earth trembled with an agitated shaking. {10}
[“ O YHVeH, put on them reverent fear and dread (like clothing) [upon a man],
(and like scrub) [upon a field]. Let the nations know intuitively that they
(are only) mortals. Selah.” (Psalm 9:20 - AWPR)]
And the centurion standing near, but across, out and off at the opposite of Him, {11}
guarding Him, {12}
saying,
‘Surely this righteous man was the son of GOD.’ {13}
Then the soldiers came, and …coming upon Jesus, when they saw and perceived that He was presently at this time dead, they did not break his legs -- as with an axe, in two. {14}
But still another one of the soldiers with a lance, drove in deep, pierced the side of Him: and all at once (there) came out (of the wound) blood and water. {15}
[Pilate asks Joseph to bury Jesus]
Then after these things, {16}
Joseph of Arimathea went in, up to, and alongside
Pilate. {17}
And taking courage asked (what was to become) of the body of
Jesus. {18}
Then…having called near the centurion, he (Pilate) interrogated him19…and fully knowing from the centurion, {20}
Pilate asked Joseph of Arimathea, -- then being a concealed disciple of Jesus, through the terror and fright of the Jews -- in order that he might take up and carry away the body of Jesus. {21}
[My Comment: The
testimony of John in the Greek specifically and literally says that
Pilate asked Joseph. The testimony of Peter through Mark infers a
fearsome inquisitiveness to the effect of: ‘Now that this one has died,
you’re not really going to leave the body up there are you? It’s
already between the evenings, the preparation time of our observance of
Holy Day.’ Therefore, it makes perfect sense for Pilate to turn to
Joseph and ask the favor, and may be that he personally issued some
money quietly for the linen for Jesus’ burial. Although Pilate’s wife
may have wished Jesus ill, I sincerely believe that Pilate did not.
However, to say Pilate gave Joseph money to make the linen purchase is
simply a 50/50 speculation on my part, based on the reading of the
Gospel text.]
And purchasing a linen fabric, and coming, {22}
he took the body of Jesus. {23}
Then also came Nicodemus, bearing up and carrying a mixed blend of myrrh and aloes, about 100 (times) 12 ounces. {24}
They together, they bore up the body of Jesus, and wrapped Him up in the linen sheeting, and bound it around and fastened it together with the spices, as is customary with Jewish burial. {25}
And in that same tract of land where He was crucified, there was a garden; and in the garden there was a new tomb out of rock, in which no one had ever been placed.
They then put Jesus there through the (time) of the Preparation of the Jews
[until the first three stars were about to appear in the sun setting sky],
because the tomb was near. {26}
And having rolled a very great stone to the door of the memorial cave, he left. Then, was there Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary sitting down before the presence of the grave.
Then upon the next day, the which is in the midst {27}
of the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together up alongside and next to Pilate, saying ‘Lord, we do mindfully so recollect that one, the deceiver, said upon (His) life, ‘’After three days, I will be raised up (a new creation).’’ Set in motion and urge then (for) the grave to be made secure until the third day, lest at any time the disciples of Him come near by night, and by stealth steal Him, that they might say to the people, ‘’He is arisen from the dead’’; and the last deceit will thereby be worse than the first.
Then Pilate shone forth his words to them,
[having heretofore been suspicious of them, and having kept silent],
‘You now have and hold possession of a custodian guard. Go away and depart in secret, and secure it against (your) enemies and verify all with your sight and observance that it is so. They then, rushed and ran through with violence and made the grave secure against (their) enemies, setting the stone (with) the seal of authenticity (upon) the grave in the midst of the custodian guard. {28}
[My Comment: Upon
arrival, the Pharisees and First Priests have the stone removed, and
verify the identity of Jesus, while in the midst (or presence) of the
custodial guard. The centurion verifies definitively that indeed their
testimony is true. That is, probably the entire council witnesses
Jesus’ chest and head with their own eyes. The tomb is closed back up
with the great rock, and then sealed with the signet of Pilate. The
two Mary’s are chased off from the area; the site is secured to the
council’ satisfaction. The guard will consist of about 20 sentries and one centurion. They will be consistently checked up on at regular intervals without fail ranging from 4 - 8 hours by those who bring meals, and by the Centurion of the Watch who inspects each post in a circuit. They may have more frequent shorter intervals than even this. The Chiliarch must also receive regular interval reports by the Centurions of the Watch, and order any post not reporting in investigated immediately by others beside the Centurion of the Watch while bring the Centurion of the Watch on life threatening reprimand. At the first sign of trouble, there would have likely been a trumpet of some sort to sound an alarm, as the Romans used them like Bugles to send orders and announce virtually everything they were doing as a troop.]
Then, the evening watch of the Sabbaths, upon the first rays of light dawning into the one of the Sabbaths [First-fruits], Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary came towards, to gaze and closely look upon the grave. And behold!
A shaking came into being, very great! For (the) Angel of the LORD descending down out of Heaven, and coming up to and alongside (the location) rolled up back and (sending uphill and) away the stone, and sitting down up on top of it.
[My Comment: The context of the rolling back of the stone appears to be that it was done so forcefully, that the great rock was out of its groove, and tossed a short way up and behind the tomb entrance, yet still over the cave’s perspective. This indicates that the rock was circular, and not squared, like a cork. As the Psalmist said, “But GOD will redeem My soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive Me. Selah.” (Psalm 49:15 - KJV)]
And then the face of His was the beholding of lightning, and the weight of his glory as white as snow. Then from the intense and quaking fear of him, those guarding were shaken to their very core, and came into being as if they were dead.
From judging discreetly, the Angel then said to the women,
‘Don’t you be frightened out of your wits (also). For I see and know that you
seek Jesus, He having been crucified. He isn’t here, because He was raised up, just as He said. Come here. Look and see the place where the LORD lay down. {29}
Then weeping outside up alongside the tomb, Mary stood; and as she wept, she bent over beside and into the tomb, and beheld two angels sitting down: one up alongside the head, and one up alongside the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And say these to her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’
She responds and says, ‘Because they took up and carried away my LORD,
and I don’t see or know where they placed Him.’
And saying these things, she turns about to where she was looking back, and looks at and gazes at Jesus [up close, and personal], standing (there), and still does not see and yet know that it is Jesus.
Jesus says to her,
‘Woman, why are you crying? Just who is it that you seek after
and strive to find?” {30}
This question is on the lips of Jesus to you. Just who is it that you seek after and strive to find?
End Notes:
1 Matthew 27:33, Mark 15:22, Luke 23:33, John 19:17
2 Matthew 27:35, 36; Mark 15:24
3 Luke 23:35
4
Mark 15:24. Also, the symbolism of a conqueror who captures his enemy,
and drags him through the streets, as in a noose, is prophesied as a
result of the crucifixion in the Hebrew of Psalm 9:16.
“YHVeH is made known in the Judgment He has made and brought about:in the work of the bend of His Hands [.i.e., in His wrists]
are the wicked ensnared
(as in a noose). A Meditation. Selah!” (Psalm 9:16, AWPR)
“And (one) shall say unto Him, ‘What are these wounds in thine hands?
Then He shall answer,
(Those) with which I was wounded (in) the house of my friends.” (Zechariah 14:6, KJV)
Then He shall answer,
(Those) with which I was wounded (in) the house of my friends.” (Zechariah 14:6, KJV)
5 Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33, Luke 23:44-45
6
Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34, Luke 23:7 The Greek emphasis given by
Luke and Mark’s gospel is that the cry was great, and loud, and
commanding; not just a query. It goes to experiencing the separation of
which the unbeliever has in hell, and why Christ -- without sin --
experienced the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth aspect of sin
upon the Cross. By confining Himself to Scripture, YHVeH the Son not
only experienced man’s separation from GOD the Father, but was able to
offer up the appropriate response to which we believers are called to
respond with. We may call GOD into question for activities of
withdrawal and ask why. We may not lawfully accuse Him or slander.
Jesus simply noted the activity and then demandingly questioned, why?
As seen in the Psalms, and as the Son of David, this response is
perfectly acceptable with GOD.
7 Luke
23:45, Mark 15:38. Matthew 27:51 places the order of the temple veil,
the earthquake, and resurrection in a collective utterance (i.e., vv.
51-53 are to be read as parenthetical).
8 Matthew 27:50
9 John 19:30, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46
11 Mark 15:39 - ο παρεστηκως εξ εναντιας αυτου
This tells us the positioning of the centurion and the soldiers in
relation to the Cross. The soldiers had placed Jesus on one side of
the stone fissure which leads up to David’s tomb, while they stood upon
the other side. The fissure’s width had to be narrow and easily
traversed by a running soldier (e.g. Mark 15:36). The area of
crucifixion also had to be leveled out, yet steep round about it: easily
defensible.
Only one centurion was needed to prevent access
while his troop sat and rested. Why? Perhaps the site was a steep
mound, like a high place, easily controllable, accessible by one narrow
path no more than 4-5 feet wide. Though upon the Eastern Mount, the
western slope of Olives, the Romans held a south-north positioning from
Jesus near the Kidron - Hinom Valley Juncture. This will not entirely
make sense until the fissure to Azal is excavated, and David’s tomb is
found along that fissure. Once that site of David’s former tomb in
Jerusalem is found, then the Gospel accounts will make perfect sense.
Having
never seen what the Apostles saw, as it relates to Jerusalem’s
topography in 30 A.D., accurate visualization is very difficult. Paul
through Luke in Hebrews indicates the Romans were to the north, and
Christ crucified closer to the south or Hinom gate, through which the
blood of animals were to be burned without the camp.
12 Matthew 27:54
13 Mark 15:39, Luke 23:47, Matthew 27:54
14 John 19:32-33
However, the Psalms specifically list the
“spears” of the bulls of Bashan “western or Roman” soldiers, as piercing
Messiah. The left side must flow forth the Living Waters if Messiah is
to sit at the Right Hand of the Father in order for the river of Life
to proceed from BOTH the throne of the Father and the Lamb (e.g.
Revelation 22:1).
16 John 19:38
17 Mark 15:43; Matthew 27:57-58; Luke 23:50,52
18 Mark 15:43
19 Mark 15:44
20 Mark 15:45
21 John 19:38
22 Mark 15:46
23 John 19:38
24 John 19:39
25 Mark 15:46, Matthew 27:59, Luke 23:53, John 19:40
26 John 19:41-42
27 Meta… here means “in the midst”
of the Preparation, evening-morning. Based on the context: “the next
morning” following the Passover sacrifice, even though it is still a
holy day. The Passover has already been partaken of, so defilement with
Pilate is not an issue. Whether they penalize themselves 7 days or
not, the primary concern is to secure the body of Jesus before the
disciples gain courage to do so.
Now that the Passover had been
taken, the number of people had dwindled dramatically from the very hour
of the 3pm sacrifice (Luke 23:48), so that by the next day, and well
before the time of First fruits, less than a few thousand beside the
Temple guard and Roman patrols would still be remaining in the hills
about Jerusalem. Many hundreds of thousands would be leaving in a very
short span of time, so that it might not be hard to tamper with the tomb
upon the following evening. Therefore, it was imperative to open the
tomb, verify the identity of the body, seal it, and guard it. By doing
this very act, these first priests verified and sealed the authenticity
of the coming Resurrection of Jesus as definitive fact, though
unknowingly at the time.
28 Matthew 27:60-66
29 Matthew 28:1-6
30
John 20:11-15 The woman stooped down and was able to look inside
the cave-tomb. The entrance was probably at least 3 feet high, with a
groove of at least 1 ½ - 2 feet in depth, of sufficient width to allow a
man to safely turn about in it without falling down. The platform and
floor of the cave had to drop another 3-5 feet below the elevation where
the woman was standing, and be back into the cave some 8-10 feet. In
all likelihood, there were finger mausoleums -- which were also cut into
the back of the cave, curving out of sight, even from the light of the
angelic radiance. Because of its proximity to the tomb of King David,
and its being on the Mount of Olives, this newly hewn out rock-cave tomb
was a very expensive purchase and stone cutting project, and speaks of
immense wealth. Whoever owned this cave was not only rich, he was
almost like a government treasury unto himself. Perhaps more so than the
rich young man of Matthew 20:16-22.
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