Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the inner courtyard of governor’s headquarters and had the whole cohort gather around him. There, they once again stripped him naked, and – after first dressing him in a scarlet chlamus [a short, military cloak; see Matthew 27:28], they once again draped the purple robe about […]
And then, after Jesus retrieved his cross from Simon the Cyrene [John 19:17a], they led him on to Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull). And once they arrived there, they offered him sour wine mixed with gall, and he did taste its bitterness, but would not drink it down. And then they offered him […]
Now since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, especially because that particular Sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken so their bodies could be removed more quickly. And Pilate […]
Now after his resurrection Jesus presented himself alive to his disciples many times, appearing to them repeatedly over the course of “forty days” and speaking often with them about the Kingdom of God. [Acts 1:3] The first place this occurred was in Galilee. The eleven disciples went there to the mountain to which the […]
“He is not here; for he has been raised, just as he said he would.” ~ Matthew 28:6 “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, even though he were dead, shall live … And whomever lives and believes in me shall never die. … Very truly I tell you, […]
In the Bible’s New Testament, the self-proclaimed “apostle” Paul established the contemporary Christian church’s beliefs related to the death & resurrection of Jesus Christ – namely, that Jesus did indeed die on the cross, that he was indeed buried for three days thereafter, and that he did indeed rise from the dead into everlasting life […]
No written document can be truly comprehended without also understanding the basic cultural environment in which it was penned. As such, a brief glimpse into the cultural climate of Jesus’ day & time can prove helpful to understanding the Bible’s texts more deeply, and can provide additional insight into the contents of the same as […]
Very early the next day, at the dawn’s beginning — while the sun was rising but also while it was still relatively dark [Matthew 28:1a, Mark 16:1, Luke 24:1a & John 20:1a], the same group of women (including Mary Magdalene, Mary – the mother of James & Joses, Salome & Joanna) headed to the tomb, […]
For starters, in order to be able to better comprehend the alternative explanation of the “Resurrection Story” that will follow, let us briefly review what Jesus’ ministry was all about – let us review just what it was Jesus was trying to accomplish during the few years before his crucifixion. *First of all, it […]
Now that we better understand Jesus’ probable intentions, let’s look at what happened during his pre-crucifixion ministry; namely the sources of the regular & immense frustration that ultimately led to his choice to be crucified … *First of all, realize that the “everyday folk” to whom he frequently spoke repeatedly refused to hear or follow […]
So, seeing as how almost everyone was ignoring the profound wisdom he was trying to share, Jesus finally had no choice but to SHOW others what he meant; to SHOW them what willing self-sacrifice looked like; to SHOW them The Way of selfless Love. And the way he chose to do so was by organizing […]
;
