The Road to Redemption: Jesus’ Arrest, Trial and Crucifixion (Part 3)

    The powers in First Century Judea (both religious and political) needed Jesus out of the way. They needed him out of the way because he was a threat to their power and religious convictions. They needed him out of the way because he was offering a new way of being faithful to God and a new empire which would not bow to Rome or to Jewish political leadership. Jesus had to go so the powers had Jesus arrested, tried and finally crucified.

     Crucifixion was a form of execution that had been used by the Persians, Carthaginians and Macedonians, along with the Romans. The Greeks were loath to use it, but did so on rare occasions. The act of crucifixion was saved for slaves, pirates and enemies of the state; those who had committed treason. Rome conducted not only individual crucifixions but also mass crucifixions as well. Rome crucified over 6,000 slaves following the slave revolt under Spartacus as well as possibly up 30,000 Jews during the siege of Jerusalem. The methods of crucifixion varied. Individuals were either nailed or tied to the cross beam. When someone was nailed the number and location of nails varied. Crucifixion was intended to be both horrifically painful and humiliating in order to serve as a means of intimidation. It was a horrifically painful way to die because one slowly suffocated to death as one lost the strength to remain erect. It was humiliating because individuals were crucified nude, meaning not only were they completely exposed but any bodily function was done in full view of their tormentors. Finally most bodies were left up until birds had picked the bones clean.

    This was the fate that awaited Jesus. It is little wonder then that Jesus agonized so much in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to his arrest. He understood that once the trial began there was little doubt that he would be crucified. An additional humiliation for Jesus was that within Jewish culture crucifixion was not a reputable way to die (Jewish law only permitted stoning, burning, strangulation and decapitation). To be "hung on a tree" then meant one was dying outside the law and thus outside of God's grace.

    Once Jesus was convicted he was flogged, mocked, crowned with thorns and then forced to carry the top beam of his cross with him toward the place of execution at Golgotha. Along the way Jesus stumbled and Simon of Cyrene was required to carry the cross beam the rest of the way. Once he arrived at Golgotha Jesus was stripped of his clothes (do not let paintings and crucifixes fool you, he did not retain a loin cloth), and attached to the cross. Above his head was a plaque which read, in three languages, King of the Jews. This would have been the crime of which he was convicted, treason against the political authorities. Jesus was not crucified alone but between two thieves…or perhaps two rebels who robbed and stole to support their rebellion. While Jesus was on the cross he was offered sour wine on some hyssop. In addition soldiers cast lots for his clothes and according to John, pierced his side to see if he was still alive. Unlike many victims who lasted for days on the cross Jesus died quickly. His body was then taken down and placed in a tomb.

Depending on which Gospel one reads there were numerous strange events which followed Jesus' death; earthquakes, the sun was darkened, the Temple curtain (between the Holy of Holies and the rest of the Temple) was torn in two or a Centurion pronounced that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. While the historicity of these specific events is open to question the fact of Jesus' death is not (at least by serious historians). We know this because writers such as Mara Bar-Serapion (73 CE), Josephus (1^st cen. CE), Tacitus (116 CE), Lucian (160?) and even the Babylonian Talmud (220CE) all refer to the death of Jesus. The question for Jesus followers became what would they do with now that Jesus was dead. We will look at this issue next week when we look at the resurrection.