REPOST - Good Friday
Holy Triduum - Part 2
We left off in Part I - Maundy Thursday with Jesus being betrayed by Judas Iscariot and arrested by the Temple guard and Roman soldiers.
Now to set the stage, at this time in Jerusalem, there were two High Priests, which should not have occurred. This position was supposed to be for life. Annas was originally the High Priest but he was removed from this office in AD18 and Caiaphas was installed as High Priest. This was done by the Roman procurator Valerlus Gratus (the predecessor to Pontius Pilate) in contradiction to how the High Priest is chosen according to Scripture. So this is why in the Gospel of Luke, we see this verse:
Luke 3:1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
As you can see, there were two living men who had been in the office of High Priest. Annas was actually the father-in-law of Caiaphas. While Caiaphas was the current High Priest, Annas still held great influence among much of the Jews and in that society. This is why Jesus is brought to Annas first after He is arrested.
John 18:12 So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people.
Verse 14 is referencing an earlier passage from the Gospel of John, where Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead and His fame is spreading and people are starting to believe in Him in increasing numbers.
John 11:45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary [sister of Lazarus] and had seen what Jesus did [raising Lazarus], believed in Him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what He had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Council, and said, “What are we to do? This Man is performing many signs. 48 If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.” 51 He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God. 53 So from that day on they planned to put Him to death.
This model of ethics being shown by Caiaphas is known as Consequentialism, which is similar to Utilitarianism. In Consequentialism, the moral correctness of a course of action depends on the consequences of that action. This type of morality is abhorrent and evil. Christians are not permitted to used this form of morality. Horrific evils always follow consequentialism.
Coming back to the story, it is at this point, at the house of the high priest Annas, that Peter denies Our Lord three times.
Luke 22:54 Then they seized Him and led Him away, bringing Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. 55 When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56 Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, “This man also was with Him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” 58 A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” 59 Then about an hour later still another kept insisting, “Surely this man also was with Him; for he is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!” At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny Me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
Can you imagine what that look must have felt like? To be told you were going to betray and deny Christ three times and tell Him you absolutely would not. Then just a few hours later it happens and He looks directly at you. The unfathomable pain in His eyes from that would have been almost unbearable. Yet this is how we should imagine Christ looking at us when we choose to sin. We are rejecting Him when we sin. So keep going to Confession regularly and keep receiving the graces of the sacraments to help you avoid sin and the near occasion of sin.
One small detail that the Gospel of John adds to this story is what type of fire they are sitting around.
John 18:18 Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.
Now this minor detail takes on much more significance when you realize what type of fire Jesus has made when He appears after the Resurrection to Peter and some of the Apostles. Around this fire is where Jesus asks Peter three times if Peter loves Him (undoing the three denials Peter made).
John 21:9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”
After this threefold denial of Our Lord by Peter, Annas begins to question Our Lord.
John 18:19 Then the high priest questioned Jesus about His disciples and about His teaching. 20 Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the Temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you ask Me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22 When He had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how You answer the high priest?” 23 Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike Me?” 24 Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
So after Jesus is briefly questioned by Annas, He is then brought to the house of Caiaphas. Now while this was happening and everyone was waiting for the members of the Council to arrive, the Temple guard were mocking and beating Jesus brutally before any type of guilt had been proven.
Luke 22:63 Now the men who were holding Jesus began to mock Him and beat Him; 64 they also blindfolded Him and kept asking Him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck You?” 65 They kept heaping many other insults on Him.
Finally the Council has arrived and the farcical trial of Jesus begins.
Mark 14:55 Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put Him to death; but they found none. 56 For many gave false testimony against Him, and their testimony did not agree. 57 Some stood up and gave false testimony against Him, saying, 58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this Temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” 59 But even on this point their testimony did not agree. 60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” 61 But He was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked Him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 Jesus said, “I AM; and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power,’ and ‘coming with the clouds of Heaven.’”
63 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? 64 You have heard His blasphemy! What is your decision?” All of them condemned Him as deserving death. 65 Some began to spit on Him, to blindfold Him, and to strike Him, saying to Him, “Prophesy!” The guards also took Him over and beat Him.
It is at this time that Judas Iscariot has repentance for his sin, but instead of going to Our Lord and begging for His forgiveness and His mercy, Judas tries to absolve himself of his guilt on his own and then commits suicide instead. (See my post about this in further detail: Judas Repented and Still Went to Hell)
Matthew 27:3 When Judas, His betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 Throwing down the pieces of silver in the Temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.” 7 After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter’s field as a place to bury foreigners. 8 For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”
So now Our Lord is taken from the Council to Pontius Pilate.
John 18:28 Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” 30 They answered, “If this Man were not a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you.” 31 Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” 32 (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when He indicated the kind of death He was to die.)
The method of execution for the Jews was stoning, while the Romans used crucifixion. Jesus had to be executed by the Romans to fulfill the many prophesies about His death.
It was at this point that Pilate sent Our Lord to Herod.
Luke 23:1 Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate. 2 They began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this Man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that He Himself is the Messiah, a king.” 3 Then Pilate asked Him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered, “You say so.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for an accusation against this Man.” 5 But they were insistent and said, “He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where He began even to this place.”
6 When Pilate heard this, He asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that He was under Herod’s jurisdiction, He sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see Him for a long time, because he had heard about Him and was hoping to see Him perform some sign. 9 He questioned Him at some length, but Jesus gave Him no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing Him. 11 Even Herod with his soldiers treated Him with contempt and mocked Him; then he put an elegant robe on Him, and sent Him back to Pilate. 12 That same day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; before this they had been enemies.
Even though Pilate is the most powerful man in the entire area, his cowardice begins to show. He knows that Christ is innocent, yet for political reasons he refuses to defy the Jewish leaders and release Our Lord. He tries to shuffle Him off to Herod to escape having to make a decision on what to do with Our Lord. It is not successful and Herod sends Christ back to Pilate. It’s worth noting that Our Lord doesn’t even bother to address or respond to Herod at all. He doesn’t bother throwing pearls before swine. But with Pilate, Christ is willing to answer some of Pilate’s questions, giving Pilate the opportunity to do the right thing but knowing he will not.
John 18:33 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked Him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about Me?” 35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed You over to me. What have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If My kingdom were from this world, My followers would be fighting to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, My kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate asked Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice.” 38 Pilate asked Him, “What is truth?”
Pontius Pilate is literally looking Truth Himself in the face. But because his soul is darkened through sin, he cannot recognize that the very thing he is asking for (truth) is staring back at him.
Pilate then tries yet again to get out of making a decision and taking the correct moral stand. He tries to have Our Lord scourged instead of crucified.
Luke 23:13 Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this Man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined Him in your presence and have not found this Man guilty of any of your charges against Him. 15 Neither has Herod, for he sent Him back to us. Indeed, He has done nothing to deserve death. 16 I will therefore have Him flogged and release Him.”
Pilate’s cowardice figures into how Jesus fulfills yet more prophesies in the Old Testament. Specifically the ones about how the stripes (whippings) of Our Lord is how we are healed, …
Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.
…and how none of His bones are broken because He dies much more quickly on the Cross compared to the two thieves. His scourging helps to speed up His death so the guards do not have to break His legs to finish the execution (those being crucified have to use their legs to lift their bodies up to be able to breath).
So Jesus is taken for the Scourging at the Pillar
John 19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged. 2 And the soldiers wove a Crown of Thorns and put it on His head, and they dressed Him in a purple robe. 3 They kept coming up to Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking Him on the face.
It is to mankind’s utter shame that we offered to the King of Kings a Crown of Thorns. When Our Lord makes Himself publicly known and enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in a royal procession, it is now when all of humanity is offered the opportunity to give to Him the crown that He deserves. But what do we give Him instead? A Crown of Thorns. Instead of bending our knees to Him and declaring Him to be our King, we instead mock Him and give Him a Crown of Thorns instead of His true crown.
And be sure of this, with every sin we commit, we are participating in the scourging of Christ and mocking Him by giving Him a Crown of Thorns instead of the crown He deserves.
After the Scourging, Pilate attempts again to wiggle his way out of the situation instead of pushing aside his cowardice. He attempts to placate the crowd by showing them how severely Christ has been flogged and hopes it will satisfy their bloodlust. It does not work.
John 19:4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know that I find no case against Him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the Crown of Thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the Man!” 6 When the chief priests and the police saw Him, they shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him; I find no case against Him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law He ought to die because He has claimed to be the Son of God.”
John 19:8 Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. 9 He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Do You refuse to speak to me? Do You not know that I have power to release You, and power to crucify You?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over Me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed Me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 12 From then on Pilate tried to release Him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.” 13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon.
Pilate then attempts yet again to satisfy the crowd and avoid making the decision of whether to crucify Jesus. He attempts to trick the crowd by offering to release one prisoner and he selects for the other option a notorious and heinous man called Barabbas, thinking that there is no way they would choose Barabbas instead of Jesus. Pilate doesn’t understand the spiritual darkness and evil forces that are at work here.
Matthew 27:15 Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. 16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. 17 So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed Him over. 19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent Man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about Him.” 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. 21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” All of them said, “Let Him be crucified!” 23 Then he asked, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let Him be crucified!”
Even Pilate’s wife has warned him to not crucify Jesus, but Pilate isn’t virtuous or masculine enough to resist the pressure of the crowd.
John 19:14 …He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” 16 Then He handed Him over to them to be crucified.
Matthew 27:24 So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” 25 Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed Him over to be crucified.
The last final act of a coward, to wash his hands in an attempt to avoid responsibility for agreeing to the execution of an innocent man. Pilate gives in to the crowd and gives the order to crucify Our Lord. This next portion will intersperse all four gospels together to tell the story.
John 19:16 …So they took Jesus; 17 and carrying the Cross by Himself, He went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.
Luke 23:26 As they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the Cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus.
Matthew 27:32 As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry His Cross.
Mark 15:21 They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.
A couple of points here. These do not contradict as some claim. Jesus started out carrying the Cross but because He was so weak from the beatings and scourging, He could not carry the Cross the entire way. So the Romans conscripted Simon of Cyrene to carry the Cross for Him. The Synoptic Gospels don’t say that Jesus never carried the Cross, they just mention that Simon was conscripted.
We also see two men, Alexander and Rufus, mentioned here. These men were well known to the audience of the Gospel of Mark and were missionaries of Christianity. They may also be the men mentioned in Romans 16:13 and Acts 11:20. Simon of Cyrene and his sons became some of the very first Christians.
On the road to Calvary, Jesus encounters the women of Jerusalem.
Luke 23:27 A great number of the people followed Him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for Him. 28 But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the days are surely coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Within one generation, less than 40 years later, the Romans will storm into Jerusalem and destroy the city. They will level the entire Temple and raze it to the ground. Only the foundation will remain, which is what we see at the Temple Mount today in Jerusalem. God Himself allowed the Romans to utterly destroy the Temple and thus ended the entire Old Covenant sacrifices forever. (The Judaism we see today is a creation of man that mimics the Old Covenant and was created in the 100-200’s AD, but is not the actual Old Covenant. That Covenant is fulfilled and transformed into the New Covenant.)
We now reach Calvary, or Golgotha. The place of the Crucifixion, where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands today.
Mark 15:22 Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take. 25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified Him……27 And with Him they crucified two bandits, one on His right and one on His left. 28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith: And with the wicked He was reputed.
Luke 23:32 Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with Him. 33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on His right and one on His left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide His clothing.
Matthew 27:33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when He tasted it, He would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among themselves by casting lots; 36 then they sat down there and kept watch over Him…..38 Then two bandits were crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left.
John 19:18 There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them…. 23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took His clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took His tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” 25 And that is what the soldiers did.
Three important points to note here. First notice how the two thieves are described as being crucified on each side of Jesus, one on His left and one on His right. This will tie in a little later when we see who is at the Cross watching.
Second, that even the clothes Jesus is wearing are taken from Him. They fulfill the prophesy about even His clothes and it shows that Jesus has everything taken from Him in His sacrifice on Calvary. Nothing is held back, not even His clothing. He has been stripped of every dignity imaginable and tortured beyond comprehension. Everything has been given over to us by Him. He holds nothing back of Himself for us.
Third, we see the first of the Seven Last Words of Christ, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing”. Even while He is being murdered, and mankind is committing the greatest sin that ever has and ever will be committed (deicide), He still is willing to and asks for forgiveness of mankind. His love and mercy know no bounds for us, if only we would turn to Him.
Pontius Pilate has an inscription written which is placed on the Cross over the head of Our Lord.
Luke 23:38 There was also an inscription over Him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
Matthew 27:37 Over His head they put the charge against Him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
John 19:19 Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the Cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This Man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
Mark 15:25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified Him. 26 The inscription of the charge against Him read, “The King of the Jews.”
Even on this minor point, the chief priests are confounded because the inscription accurately proclaims Our Lord’s true title as King. And the three languages it is written in, those three languages are now sacral (or sacred) languages. Those languages have been covered by the Blood of Christ and are holy languages. Prayers in these languages are more powerful and especially effective against the demons because the demons know these languages were on the Cross.
Now that Our Lord is crucified on the Cross, the rapacious crowd gleefully takes turns mocking and insulting Him. In their bloodlust and sin, they cannot remain quiet while they are murdering the Son of God. They even have to mock and insult Him while they do it.
Luke 23:35 And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Messiah of God, His chosen one!” 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up and offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!”
Matthew 27:39 Those who passed by derided Him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the Temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the Cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him, saying, 42 “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down from the Cross now, and we will believe in Him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He wants to; for He said, ‘I am God’s Son.’” 44 The bandits who were crucified with Him also taunted Him in the same way.
Mark 15:29 Those who passed by derided Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the Temple and build it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the Cross!” 31 In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. 32 Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the Cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with Him also taunted Him.
Little do they know that in three days, Our Lord will do exactly that and raise the Temple of His Body. But even while they are mocking Him, there is one person who instead recognizes that what he is doing wrong and repents. He began by joining the crowd and mocking Christ, but then realizes what he is doing. He realizes that he will be facing judgment from God very soon, and confesses his guilt to Christ.
Luke 23:39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding Him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save Yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.” 43 He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Here is the second of the Seven Last Words of Christ: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Many Protestants like to claim that the Good Thief never performed any good works as an attempt to justify their doctrine of Faith Alone. But a few points on that. First, God doesn’t require the impossible from us. If we are temporarily prevented from performing any good works, God will not punish us for that. But the exception does not disprove the rule.
Second, the Good Thief DID perform good works. He confessed his guilt to God. He proclaimed the Kingship of Christ publicly. He rebuked a sinner and tried to get him to amend his ways. He then comforted Our Lord in His most painful hours. These are some major good works.
Third, Jesus doesn’t say that the Good Thief will be in Heaven that day. He says he will be with Christ in “Paradise”. Jesus didn’t go to Heaven on Good Friday. Jesus doesn’t go to Heaven until the Ascension which is 40 days after Easter Sunday. Jesus instead went to Abraham’s Bosom on that day.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which also He went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison,
1 Peter 4:6 For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does.
So hopefully that clears up any notion that the Good Thief is an example or proof that the doctrine of Faith Alone is true. It is not. Now back to the Crucifixion.
Luke 23:49 But all His acquaintances, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Matthew 27:55 Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for Him. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Mark 15:40 There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 These used to follow Him and provided for Him when He was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with Him to Jerusalem.
John 19:25 …Meanwhile, standing near the Cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing beside her, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
Here is the third of the Seven Last Words of Christ: “Woman, behold thy son.” and “Behold thy mother”. Christ addresses His mother with the title from Genesis 3. She is the woman who will have enmity between herself and the serpent. Her seed crushes the head of the serpent. And as we see in Revelation 12, those who follow Christ are children of His mother. Many think this word from Christ is only intended for the Apostle John and the Blessed Virgin Mary, but it is intended for us all.
Secondly, if you compare the accounts of who is standing there, you realize that Mary, the wife of Clopas, is also the mother of James and Joses/Joseph. These are two of the “brothers” of Christ mentioned in Mark 6 and Matthew 13. When someone objects the doctrine of the Perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary by bring up these “brothers”, now you can tell them who they mother actually is. Mary the wife of Clopas is the sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and these “brothers” of Jesus are His cousins.
Thirdly, did you notice who is watching the Crucifixion? One of the people is the mother of the sons of Zebedee (the Apostles John and James). If you remember, she once asked Christ if her sons could be at His right and His left. I wonder if she realized what she was asking for, when you consider what we saw earlier about the two thieves being crucified, one on His left and one on His right.
Matthew 20:20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Him with her sons, and kneeling before Him, she asked a favor of Him. 21 And He said to her, “What do you want?” She said to Him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your kingdom.” 22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, but to sit at My right hand and at My left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”
Now she is witnessing what she was asking for when she asked that her sons sit at the right and left of Christ. She is seeing the Fourth Cup that Christ is about to drink to complete the Last Supper Passover and institute the New Covenant (see the post on Maundy Thursday). Here Christ is fulfilling and completing the sacrifice of Calvary, the New Covenant which reconciles mankind with God. This is where Jesus is entering into His Kingdom.
Matthew 27:45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46 And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, Lema Sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 47 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.”
Mark 15:33 When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, Lema Sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 35 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, He is calling for Elijah.”
Luke 23:44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 while the sun’s light failed;
The hours are growing few and the light of the sun is dimming. Christ is very near to death and is in the most agonizing throes of the Crucifixion. The pain, torture and suffering He is experiencing is catastrophic. He cries out in the fourth of the Seven Last Words of Christ: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
At first blush it appears that Christ is separated from the Father. But that’s not the case. Our Lord here is quoting the first line from Psalm 22. He is saying this so that the entire audience will remember this Psalm, and that is expresses much suffering and the feeling of being distant from God, but the Psalm itself ends with God vindicating the suffering person.
Psalm 22:22 I will tell of Your Name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You: 23 You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify Him; stand in awe of Him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For He did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; He did not hide His face from me, but heard when I cried to Him.
Our Lord is letting everyone know that He will be vindicated and we will see Him rise again. At this point, death is imminent, and Christ must complete the Last Supper. He must drink the Fourth Cup of the Passover to complete the meal and complete the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.
John 19:28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, He said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to His mouth.
Matthew 27:48 At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to Him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.”
Mark 15:36 And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to Him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.”
The comments about Elijah are in reference to Elijah never having died, but instead assumed into Heaven in a chariot of fire. It was tradition that Elijah would return to protect and rescue the righteous. They misunderstand that Christ WANTS to offer His life for mankind.
This also shows the fifth of the Seven Last Sayings of Christ, which compels someone to get Him some wine to drink to fulfill the New Covenant. But on another level it expresses the attitude that Christ has with us all. He is ready to give us everything, and He thirsts for us to just give back to Him even a little. He thirsts for us and longs for us to be with Him. He thirsts for us to turn away from and reject our sins and embrace Him.
Now that Christ has drunk the wine to complete the Last Supper, He proclaims that the New Covenant and the sacrifice of Calvary are complete.
John 19:30 When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.”
Now many interpret this incorrectly by thinking that salvation itself is finished. But that’s simply not the case, since salvation is not complete until the Resurrection. The thing that is completed is the Last Supper. This is the sixth of the Seven Last Words of Christ.
The death of Christ is now arriving.
Luke 23:46 Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commend My Spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.
Matthew 27:50 Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed His last.
John 19:30 ….Then He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit.
Mark 15:37 Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed His last.
Here is the seventh and final of the Seven Last Words of Christ. Christ has given us His life. We don’t deserve it. We deserve hell and yet Our Lord loves us so much that He will sacrifice Himself to save us.
Never let yourself take this fact for granted. The Creator of the Universe became Man and willingly gave Himself up to an excruciating death just to draw us back to Himself and the Father.
Matthew 27:51 At that moment the curtain of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53 After His Resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54 Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this Man was God’s Son!”
Mark 15:38 And the curtain of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 Now when the centurion, who stood facing Him, saw that in this way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was God’s Son!”
Luke 23:45….and the curtain of the Temple was torn in two….47 When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this Man was innocent.” 48 And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts.
With the sacrifice of Calvary, the curtain which separated man from the Presence of God in the Temple has been torn in two. God and mankind are reunited again through the offering of the Son to the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost. This sacrifice of Calvary is what we participate in at every Mass. We are not running through the motions and imitating this event, but instead we are actively participating in the ACTUAL Last Supper and sacrifice of Calvary.
We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses at every Mass. All the angels and saints are participating in the Mass with us and we are participating in the New Covenant at the Last Supper and on Golgotha. Do not forget this.
John 19:31 Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. 35 (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) 36 These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of His bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the One whom they have pierced.”
We look upon the One whom we have pierced whenever we see a crucifix. We must remember that our sins put Christ on that Cross. So we must come with humility to Him when we receive the Eucharist and participate in the New Covenant.
The Blood and water that flow from the side of Christ washes away our sins, if we will just obey Him.
This is where we will stop and resume on Holy Saturday.
🙏 We adore You oh Christ and we praise you because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world. ✝️