Risen from the Dead - Jesus!

 Such incredible news at the time. Is it now less so?

Jesus' (borrowed) tomb held only wrappings and spices..

Jesus & that Fellow Jew from Tarsus

(Edited. Originally published as part of "Jesus & the Jews" but revised here)

The man from Tarsus may well have walked (?) that road

Apart from Jesus himself, the most prominent person we know about in the spreading of the message of Jesus was Paul. (He was originally introduced as the Jew, “Saul of Tarsus”). He presents as formerly furiously antagonistic, miraculously changed into a representative of Jesus. (Below I am thinking about Paul’s “CV” - I do not plan to make this exhaustive.)

Saul first enters the Acts record here, as a participant in the Jerusalem death of Stephen, a Jesus-follower:

Jesus: All four say..

The four Gospels devote a considerable amount of space to Jesus’ final week, and the resurrection day. Following is a compilation extracted from information limited to that found in all of the accounts.

Jesus: Lifted Up (v.2)

Jesus: "lifted up"

I wonder how the original hearers reacted when they heard Jesus say this:

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him (John 3:14-15, CEV).

Jesus: Crucified

Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died (Mark 15:44, NIV).

Jesus: the WHY

Why did Jesus come into our world, then?

Messiah Crucified

Below is a partial compilation of Jesus and the cross. This is a glimpse of how the Gospel writers reported the reality of his death.

Risen - ? - !

Ancient Jerusalem tomb being modelled by excavators - roof collapsed

 

In John’s account following the execution of Jesus on the Roman cross we read:
Early on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. It was still dark. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the entrance. So she ran to Simon Peter and another disciple, the one Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb! We don’t know where they have put him!”
Mary (and others - “we”) saw an emptied tomb. (There was more to the story of the women. For example, John goes on to recount that this Mary was the first to speak with the risen Jesus.)

Executed under Pontius Pilate v2

Edited 

The accounts are unambiguous: Jesus of Nazareth was executed by crucifixion under the authority of Pontius Pilate.

A Saviour who Saves Others

Sadly, today, and so tragically frequently, the pages of human history are indelibly stained by brutal and aggressive behaviour,

Crucified under Pontius Pilate! (3)

The accounts are unambiguous: Jesus of Nazareth was executed by crucifixion under the authority of Pontius Pilate.

Rome, the imperial power, routinely used crucifixion as an exemplary punishment for the condemned. That empire did not invent crucifixion, nor was it normally used for their citizens. Many were crucified, with little or no note made of the victims. An example: In 72 BCE (or, BC) the Roman Marcus Licinius Crassus had 6,000 survivors of a slave revolt crucified along the Italian roadside. No procedure would be recorded, nor the names of those summarily punished - they had offended Rome by deserting from their slavery and taking up arms against their masters. They had only the one entitlement. (britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/141893/Marcus-Licinius-Crassus)

The Jerusalem Jewish establishment had found Jesus guilty of 'blasphemy' and thus worthy of death under the Law of the LORD (as interpreted by them). However, they wanted sentence carried out by their Roman authority. It is frequently written that at the time the 'Jews' could not impose capital punishment, even given Roman respect for indigenous law. However, in contrast to the assertion of limited power, I note that in Jerusalem, not long after the death of Jesus, a man named Stephen was stoned to death for blasphemy! That was during the same Roman domination. Moreover, not all that much later there were attempts to execute Paul, in the presence of Romans, by assassination.

An inconsistency? Why then might the Jewish powers use Pilate to eliminate Jesus via a political charge? I conjecture that the establishment figures had their purpose clear. Jesus had followers and had enjoyed a measure of public acclaim (especially amongst the poorer sort). The leaders would have an eye on the 'mob' and possibly they had the desire to 'keep their hands clean' anyway, as they observed a time great religious solemnity for the LORD. Watching Jesus' execution by heathen Romans would be preferred, and safer.