The Sorrow of Souls Severed from each other
Have you experienced it — the death of a loved one?
Death pierces the flesh of those left to mourning in unspeakable ways, but most of all it severs from our soul that of another to which we have clung.
Having breathed His last some time before, Jesus’ crucified body receives yet another piercing by a Roman spear as John and others remain nearby.
.. and having come to Jesus, when they saw him already having been dead, they did not break his legs; but one of the soldiers with a spear did pierce his side, and immediately there came forth blood and water..
John 19:34-35 YLT
The Lord had loved these so much, the ones remaining at the foot of the Cross for six arduous hours, witnessing His life pouring out before them.
The Centurion in effect pierced their own hearts, severing their souls from the One they loved – Jesus, the One who loved them so much.
Witnesses to Emmanuel’s Death!
John records these events of the day of preparation and Passover feast, as we noted earlier in Crucifixion! – The Spirit of Grace, and retells the Good News to a generation near the time of his own death nearly sixty years later.
John 19:
23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes between them…
25-27 While the soldiers were doing this, Jesus’ mother was standing near the cross with her sister, and with them Mary, the wife of Clopas and Mary of Magdala…
..“Look, there is your son!” And then he said to the disciple, “And there is your mother!”
38-42 After it was all over, Joseph (who came from Arimathaea..).. came and took his body down. Nicodemus also ..
The short list of witnesses:
- Jesus’ mother Mary
- Mary’s sister, Salome
- Mary, the wife of Clopas
- Mary of Magdala
- The Apostle John (of course)
- (and let’s not forget) Roman Soldiers (not named here, but present)
Other Witnesses:
Although their meeting with Pilate likely took place during the time Jesus remained on the Cross, John records that two important Jewish officials succeeded in lobbying Pilate to allow Jesus’ body to be buried in the new tomb of Joseph. They may have witnessed His death and most certainly could confirm His mortal wounds.
- Joseph of Arimathea
- Nicodemus the Pharisee
What about Matthew?
The Apostle Matthew also records Jesus’ crucifixion and was, in fact, a tax collector with political connections to Roman and Jewish authorities. Matthew records earlier events of the evening preceding Jesus’ trial:
Matthew 26: Complete Jewish Bible
As reminder that John, Matthew and the Apostles are ALL Jewish, I offer this cultural religious look of the CJB version of Matthews's Gospel about the Messiah Jesus (in Greek, Christ).
30 After singing the Hallel, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Yeshua then said to them,
“Tonight you will all lose faith in me, as the Tanakh says, ‘I will strike the shepherd dead, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into the Galil.”
59 The head cohanim and the whole Sanhedrin looked for some false evidence against Yeshua, so that they might put him to death. But they didn’t find any, even though many liars came forward to give testimony…
Matthew 27: Early in the morning, all the head cohanim and elders met to plan how to bring about Yeshua’s death. 2 Then they put him in chains, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor…
The Apostle Matthew seemingly was present not only in Gethsemane, but for Jesus’ trial by the Jewish officials who condemned their Messiah. Matthew also tells the horrific story of Jesus’ scourging.
27 The governor’s soldiers took Yeshua into the headquarters building, and the whole battalion gathered around him. They stripped off his clothes and put on him a scarlet robe, wove thorn-branches into a crown and put it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. Then they kneeled down in front of him and made fun of him: “Hail to the King of the Jews!” They spit on him and used the stick to beat him about the head.
Add to the list of witnesses:
- The Apostle Matthew
Matthew adds detail of other witnesses to Jesus’ crucifixion:
- a man of Cyrene named Simon
- a Roman officer & other Roman soldiers at Golgotha
32 As they were leaving, they met a man from Cyrene named Shim‘on; and they forced him to carry Yeshua’s execution-stake. When they arrived at a place called Gulgolta (which means “place of a skull”), they gave him wine mixed with bitter gall to drink; but after tasting it, he would not drink it…
54 When the Roman officer and those with him who were keeping watch over Yeshua saw the earthquake and what was happening, they were awestruck and said, “He really was a son of God.”
There were many women present
55 And many women were there watching from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while caring for Him.
Matthew's Gospel helps clarify who some of these women were and their importance to the Christ Jesus and His beloved friends.
56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Miryam of Magdala (or from Magdala)
Miryam the mother of Ya‘akov and Yosef, or James and Joses in some translations of common Hebrew names. She is Mary, wife of Clopas and sister of Mary, widow of Joseph.
He also confirms the presence of James’ and John’s mother.
Mark, referring to these same three women gives her name, Salome. Due to the importance of family in Jewish tradition she may also have been a sister of Mary, therefore confirming her sons James and John to be not only Jesus’ closest Disciples but also His cousin.
Why do the Apostles mention these women?
Because the women would survive as witnesses even as all of the Apostles but John were martyred for their witness of Jesus as the Christ and resurrected Messiah of God.
It is the same reason that some Jews, even some of the house of Herod, became believers in Christ. And gentile Romans in every major city would call Jesus Christ Lord by the time John writes his Gospel.
John 19:
40 They took Yeshua’s body and wrapped it up in linen sheets with the spices, in keeping with Judean burial practice.
41 In the vicinity of where he had been executed was a garden, and in the garden was a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. So, because it was Preparation Day for the Judeans, and because the tomb was close by, that is where they buried Yeshua.
παρασκευή +++ All must remember the Sabbath
There they buried Jesus, His body taken from the Cross on the Day of Preparation for the Passover.
“And it shall be from new moon to new moon
And from sabbath to sabbath,
All mankind will come to bow down before Me,”says the LORD.
Isaiah 66:23 NASB
To be continued...
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