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Day 321:
Luke 22:39 - 24
| CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS ON FRIDAY, NISAN 15th The Harmony of the Gospels (the Jewish day begins at sundown) | ||
| EVENT | SCRIPTURE | TIME |
| The sacred meal of the Passover on the first night of Unleavened Bread which Christians call the Last Supper. | Mt 26:26-35; Mk 14:22-31; Lk 22:14-38; Jn 13:1-17:26 | Sundown = Nisan 15th; sacred meal must end by midnight |
| Jesus' agony in the garden of Gethsemane; His "hour" has come. | Mt 26:36-46; Mk 14:32-42; Lk 22:39-46; Jn 18:1 | |
| Jesus is arrested. | Mt 26:47-56; Mk 14:43-52; Lk 22:47-53; Jn 18:2-14 | |
| Jesus is questioned by Annas. | Jn 18:19-24 | |
| Jesus is taken to Caiaphas and the council of the Sanhedrin. While Jesus is in the High Priest's palace, Peter denies Jesus three times and hears the "cockcrow." | Mt 26:69-75; Mk 15:66-72; Lk 22:54-62; Jn 18:25-27 | 2 AM to 3 AM = "cockcrow" |
| Jesus is condemned to death by the Sanhedrin at dawn. The first Tamid lamb is led to the altar to be inspected and judged "without fault" one last time and given a drink. | Mt 26:57-68; Mk 14:53-65; Lk 22:66-71; Jn 18:24; Ex 29:38-42; Mishnah: Tamid, 3:2-3:4C | Dawn/near dawn |
| Part I of Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate. | Mt 27:1-2; Mk 15:1-5; Lk 23:1-5; Jn 18:28-19:16 | Just after dawn Roman time =about the 6th hour/6 AM |
| Pilate sends Jesus to Herod Antipas. | Lk 23:6-12 | |
| Judas commits suicide. | Mt 27:3-10 | |
| Part II of Jesus' trial before Pilate. Jesus is condemned to death and carries the Cross to Golgotha. | Mt 27:11-30; Mk 15:6-20; Lk 23:13-32 Jn 19:16-17 | |
| The crucifixion of the Christ. The Temple doors are opened to the people for the morning worship service & the Sacred Assembly as first Tamid lamb is sacrificed.* | Mt 27:31-34; Mk 15:25; Lk 23:33; Jn 19:18; Lev 23:6-7 Num 28:17-18; Mishnah: Tamid, 3:7 | 9 AM It was the third hour [9 AM] in the morning when they crucified him (Mk :15:25). |
| Jesus' garments are divided. He has an exchange with the men crucified on either side of Him. Jesus is mocked by the religious leaders and the crowd. He commits His mother into the care of St. John. | Mt 27:35-44 Mk 15:26-32; Lk 23:34-43; Jn 19:19-27 | |
| Darkness from noon (sixth hour Jewish time) to 3 PM (ninth hour Jewish time). At noon the second Tamid lamb is led to the altar in preparation for the afternoon liturgical service and is given a drink. | Mt 27:45; Mk 15:33; Lk 23:44-45; Mishnah: Tamid, 3:4B, 4:1G | Noon From the sixth hour [noon] onward, darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour [3 PM]. |
| Jesus asks for a drink; He drinks the wine and says "It is finished." It is the ninth hour = 3 PM. *The second Tamid lamb is sacrificed at the ninth hour/3 PM. | Mt 27:46-50; Mk 15:34-39; Lk 23:46-48; Jn 19:28-30; Ex 29:38-42; Antiquities of the Jews, 14.4.3/65* | 3 PM At the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice ... and breathed his last (Mk 15:34, 37). |
| Michal E. Hunt © copyright 2013 | ||
Chapter 22:39-71
Jesus is Betrayed and Arrested
Luke 22:39-46 ~ Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane
Jesus led the disciples to a garden called Gethsemane on the Mt. of Olives to the east of the city (Mt 26:36; Jn 18:1). He asked the disciples to pray with Him in preparation for the crisis that is about to come upon all of them. He withdraws a little apart from them and offers His prayer of submission to the will of the Father. Jesus' prayer reminds us that He was fully God but also fully man and in His humanity He was in anguish over the suffering He was going to endure. Evidence of His anguish is recorded in Luke's statement that drops of blood fell from the sweat of His face. This is a condition identified by physicians as hematidrosis, blood pigments in sweat from extreme stress.
In His anguish He prays "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still not my will but yours be done."
Question: What is the "cup" Jesus is loathed to accept? In the reoccurring images of the Old Testament prophets, what does drinking from a cup symbolize? See the chart below and the symbolic cup imagery in Luke 22:20 and Rev 14:10; 16:19 and 18:6.
| Drinking Wine Examples in Scripture | Joy of drinking good wine Is 25:6-8; 62:8-9; 65:13; Jer 31:12; 40:12 | Becoming drunk Is 5:11-12; 28:1; Jer 8:13; 48:26; 51:7; Joel 1:5 | Loss of wine; drinking the "cup of God's wrath" Ps 75:9; Is 51:17-23; 63:2-3; Joel 4:13; Jer 13:12-14; 25:15-31; 49:12; 51:6-7; 48:26; Ez 23:31-34; Hab 2:16 | Rejoicing in the best "new wine" at the Master's table O.T. promise: Zec 9:15-16 Fulfilled: Mt 26:27; Mk 14:24; Lk 22:19-20; 1 Cor 11:23-32; Rev 19:7-9 |
| Michal E. Hunt Copyright © 2013 | ||||
Answer: It can symbolize covenant unity with God in drinking the wine of the covenant as drinking wine did at the Last Supper, but it can also symbolize God's divine judgment for covenant failure in drinking the cup God's wrath.
The Israelites and all of humanity deserved the "cup of God's wrath" for their rejection of God's authority over their lives and their debasement of human dignity through their many sins. But God has sent the Son to redeem mankind and to take upon Himself the "cup of wrath" that mankind deserved. In the promise of a future redemption, the prophet Zechariah wrote: They shall drink blood like wine, till they are filled with it like libation bowls, like the corners of the altar. And the LORD, their God, shall save them on that day, his people, like a flock. For they are the jewels in a crown raised aloft over his land (Zec 9:15b-16). The disciples have already drunk "blood like wine" in the first Eucharist, and now God the Son takes the next step to save God's people, "like a flock."
Luke 22:47-53 ~ Jesus' arrest
Question: Who are the members of the crowd in verse 47? See Lk 22:50, 52 and Jn 18:3, 19
Answer: Judas is accompanied by the some of the chief priests, the Temple guards and Roman soldiers led by an officer.
Chief priests are the ordained priesthood while the Levites are the lesser ministers of the Sanctuary who serve the chief priests (Num 3:5-10). A member of the crowd was the High Priest's servant. The Gospel of John includes the information that a cohort of Roman soldiers accompanied the guards of the chief priests, who are probably Levitical guards that serve in the Temple. A cohort is a detachment of several hundred Roman soldiers. The chief priests were fearful of attempting to arrest during the festivities with crowds of people surrounding Him. While arresting Jesus after midnight on the Mt. of Olives lessens the threat of interference, the chief priests are not taking any changes that His followers or that sympatric pilgrims might be present who could try to prevent His arrest. Perhaps Judas has also reported to the chief priests that some of Jesus' men are armed (Lk 22:38).
To greet a kinsman with a kiss was customary behavior (Lk 7:45), but Judas' sign to Jesus' enemies in kissing Jesus makes his actions even more repugnant. In the Gospels, Judas only calls Jesus "rabbi," which can be translated "sir" or "teacher" (Mt 26:49). Judas never calls Jesus "Messiah" Christos or even Kyrios, "Lord," a title that speaks of more than respect "Kyrios it is a title of allegiance between Master and servant; it is an allegiance Judas is unwilling to give.
Question: What was the name of the High Priest's servant and who cut off his ear? See Jn 18:10.
Answer: Malchus was servant/slave of the High Priest and St. Peter cut off his ear in his attempt to protect Jesus.
Question: How did Peter happen to have a sword and what was the purpose? See Lk 22:35-39; 51-52. What does Jesus say to Peter in John 18:11 and what is the significance?
Answer: Jesus encouraged him to take it with him before they left for the Mt. of Olives. Jesus was going to offer one more miracle before His arrest to bring those coming to arrest Him to believe in Him "the healing of the severed ear of the High Priest's servant "one last testimony of the power of the Messiah. Jesus says to Peter, "Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?" referring to His cup of suffering.
Luke 22:54-65 ~ Simon-Peter's denial of Christ
Question: What is the name of the high priest?
Answer: Caiaphas.
Question: Was Peter alone or did another disciple go with Peter? See Jn 18:15-16.
Answer: Another disciple who was known at the household of the high priest went with Peter, and it was through him that Peter gained access to the high priest's palace.
Another possibility is that John had been a student at the palace at one time. It was the practice to take especially bright young men from the outer districts of Judah, the Galilee and beyond in the Diaspora to train them in Jerusalem to fill the scribal positions. St. Paul was one such lucky student who came from a Jewish community in Asia Minor. Is it possible that John was also studying in Jerusalem when he began to follow John the Baptist and later Jesus? Is it possible that he had been studying under the tutorage of Annas or Caiaphas and was therefore known and trusted by the household staff?
Luke 22:66-71 ~ Jesus' trial before the Sanhedrin
The "council of elders" is the Sanhedrin "the high law court for Jews. Luke's account does not have the dramatic details that are present in the other Gospels (see Mt 26:57-68 and Mk 14:53-65). Missing are the false witnesses who could not agree, the charge by two witnesses that agreed Jesus said He would destroy the Temple and within three days rebuild it, the high priest ordering Jesus under oath before God to say if He was the Messiah ("anointed one"), the Son of God, and the high priest tearing his robes as he condemns Jesus of blasphemy after Jesus quoted from Daniel 7:13 and Psalms 110:1.
Question: Everything about Jesus' trial was illegal. How many irregularities can you site? Compare the Gospel accounts in Luke with Mt 26:57-68 and Mk 14:53-65.is the Sanhedrin Answer:
| Jesus' Illegal Trial by the Jewish Sanhedrin | |
| Illegality | Scripture |
| There was a clandestine meeting of the high court. | Mt 26:57; Mk 14:53; Lk 22:66 |
| It was not an impartial court; the verdict against Jesus was already decided. | Mt 26:3-4, 59; Mk 14:1, 55; Lk 22:1-2; Jn 11:49-50; 18:13 |
| False witnesses were called to testify against Jesus, but their testimony did not agree. The council violated the commandment against bearing false witness in the Ten Commandments. | Mt 26:60-61; Mk 14:56-59; Ex 20:16; Lev 19:12; Dt 5:20; 19:16-18 |
| No witnesses were called to support Jesus. | |
| The charge of threatening the Temple was brought against Jesus and then the charge was changed to blasphemy. | Mt 26:61, 65; Mk 14:63-64; Jn 19:7 |
| Michal E. Hunt © copyright 2013 | |
Chapter 23
Luke 23:1-5 ~ Jesus is taken to Pilate
The chief priests and elders wanted to condemn Jesus to death, but they did not have the power to publicly execute Jesus, and they were afraid of the enmity of the crowds who believed Jesus was the Messiah. As soon as dawn broke they officially condemned Jesus and took Him to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. He was visiting in the city from his headquarters in Caesarea Maritima on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and was probably staying at the Jerusalem Herodian palace along with Herod Antipas. Pontius Pilate was a member of the Roman equestrian class and had ruled Judea as the Roman Prefect since 26 AD. He was to become the second longest ruling governor of the province, being relieved of his duties in 36 AD.
In the Jerusalem Temple the chief priests were preparing for the morning liturgy of the Tamid sacrifice and the compulsory Sacred Assembly on the first day of Unleavened Bread and its associated sacrifices (Num 28:17-25).
Luke 23:6-16 ~ Pilate sends Jesus to Herod who returns Jesus to Pilate
In the provinces over which the Roman state ruled directly, only the Romans had the power over life and death. However, Herod Antipas was able to execute St. John the Baptist because he directly ruled the Galilee and Perea, even though he was a vassal of the Romans. It was for this reason that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod since he was told Jesus was from the Galilee (Lk 23:5). If they were both staying in the palace, which most Bible scholars assume, Jesus was passed between the courts of the two rulers fairly quickly.
Question: How did Herod Antipas happen to be in Jerusalem?
Answer: He professed to be a Jew and therefore he was there to attend the Passover meal and the required Temple services for the week of Unleavened Bread.
Question: What prophecy from Isaiah's fourth Servant Song was fulfilled in Jesus' refusal to speak to Herod Antipas and in His suffering abuse at the hands of the chief priests, elders and Herod's soldiers? See Lk 23:9-11 and Is 53.
Answer: All of Isaiah 53 is fulfilled in Christ's Passion, but verses 4 and 7-8 are fulfilled in Jesus' encounter with Herod Antipas.
Luke 23:18-25 ~ Pilate sentences Jesus to Death
Question: How many times did Pilate pronounce Jesus "without guilt"?
Answer: Three times in 23:4, 14-15 and 22.
Notice the significance of the number three again in Jesus' ministry. Some occurrences of "threes" in the Gospels:
- Jesus' three year ministry (year one dated from before the Passover in Jn 2:13; year two the second Passover 6:4; year three the last Passover 11:55 and 12:1)
- Jesus' prediction that the sign of His authority is connected to three days (Mt 12:39-40; Lk 11:29-32)
- Three Apostles accompany Jesus to the Mt. of Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-2; Mk 9:2; Lk 9:28)
- Three different anointings by women (first on His feet during year one of His ministry = Lk 7:37-38; second on His feet in the third year on Saturday of His last week = Jn 12:3; third on His head in His third year on Wednesday of His last week = Mt 26:6-7 and Mk 14:3)
- Three predictions of His Passion and Resurrection on the third day (Mt 16:21-21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19; Mk 8:31-33; 9:30-32; 10:32-34; Lk 9:22, 44-45; 18:31-33)
- Three Temple cleansings (Jn 2:13-25; Mt 21:12 and Mk 11:11-12,15-17; Lk 19:45-48)
- Three different times Caiaphas declared Jesus must die (before Jesus' last journey to Jerusalem in Jn 11:49-50; during His last week in Jn 18:14; and at Jesus trial in Mt 26:65-66)
- Three times Pilate declared Jesus' innocence (Lk 23:4, 14-15, 22; Jn 18:38; 19:4 & 6)
Question: What was ironic about the release of Barabbas? Also see Mt 27:17: So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them "Which one do you want me to release to you, Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus called Messiah?"
Answer: Jesus Christ is the righteous Son of God the Father, but His own kinsmen prefer Jesus Barabbas (whose name means "son of the father") the murderer.
Chapter 23:27-56
The Crucifixion and Burial of Jesus of Nazareth
The Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, remains convinced that Jesus is innocent of the charges brought against Him throughout the trial (Lk 23:15, 22, 41, 47). Even his wife has urged him to have nothing to do with condemning Jesus (Mt 27:19). However, the religious authorities coerce Pilate to give into their demand that Jesus be crucified by questioning the governor's own loyalty to Caesar. They threaten Pilate with a riot and to report him to Emperor Tiberius if he persists in refusing to condemn Jesus to death for treason against the Emperor and the empire (Mt 27:24; Jn 19:12). It is an accusation Pilate cannot afford, and so he submits to their demand.(1)
Luke 23:26-32 ~ Jesus carries His Cross to Golgotha
Those condemned to crucifixion were usually tied to a wooden crossbeam and were forced to carry it to the site of execution. Perhaps Jesus had become too weak from His scourging to carry His crossbeam the entire distance. The Roman soldiers impressed a man named Simon who was a native of the city of Cyrene into service. Simon's city of Cyrene in North Africa is located in what is today the modern state of Libya. The Gospels of Mark and Luke include the information that Simon lived in the "countryside," presumably of Judea (Mk 15:21; Lk 23:26).
Luke 23:33-38 ~ Jesus' arrives at Golgotha
Golgotha is the Greek transliteration of the Aramaic name of the crucifixion site that was called gulgulta, meaning "skull." The identification of the crucifixion site as Golgotha is found in Mathew 27:33, Mark 15:22 and in John 19:17. St. Luke gives the name of the site as Kranion (Lk 23:33), the Greek word for "skull." The name Calvary comes to us from the Rheims New Testament translation of the Latin Vulgate, calvariae locus, which is the Latin translation of the Greek kraniou topos, "place of the skull;" in Latin the word for skull is calvaria. Matthew 27:32 and Mark 15:21 explicitly state the site was outside the city walls; the Gospel of John says it is near the city (19:20). We know it was close enough to the city for the on-lookers to read the trilingual plaque that Pilate ordered to be place on Jesus' cross, probably as they looked down upon scene of Jesus' crucifixion from the top of the city wall. Excavations beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulcher revealed burials that were centuries older than when Jesus was crucified and suggest that the name "skull" was given to the site because it was an ancient graveyard.
Question: What time was it when Jesus was crucified in Jewish time and our time? See Mk 15:25.
Answer: It was the third hour, 9 AM.
Question: It is the morning of Nisan the 15th. What was happening at the Temple as Jesus was crucified? See the handout on the events of Nisan 15th from last week's lesson.
Answer: It was the beginning of the morning liturgical service of the Tamid sacrifice and the required Sacred Assembly. The first Tamid lamb was sacrificed at 9 AM.
The Crucifixion of the Messiah
Luke 23:34a Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."
St. Luke continues to show that Jesus is completely in charge of His fate. With His full consent, Jesus entrusts the unfolding events of His sacrificial death into the Father's hands (Jn 10:17-18; Eph 5:2). He understands that His enemies are sinning in ignorance, and He shows mercy to them by praying for them from the Cross (1 Pt 2:23). His statement recalls Isaiah 53:12 and is the same view of His death that is repeated by St. Peter in Acts 3:17; 13:27, and by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:8. In his martyrdom, St. Stephen will follow Jesus' example (Acts 7:60), and it is reported that in his martyrdom St. James of Jerusalem spoke the same words of forgiveness before he died (Eusebius, Church History, II.23.16). St. Peter in 1 Peter 2:21-25 will teach that all Christians should follow the same spirit of forgiveness.
This is the first of seven statements Jesus will make from the altar of the Cross. Two of His statements are quotations from the Psalms of David.
| Jesus' Last Seven Statements from the Cross | |
| Statement | Scripture |
| 1. "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." | Lk 23:34 |
| 2. "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." | Lk 23:42 |
| 3. "Woman, behold, your son"... "Behold, your mother." | Jn 19:26-27 |
| 4. "Eli, Eli lema sabachthani," "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me." ~ Hebrew "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani," "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me." ~ Aramaic* | Mt 27:46 (*Ps 22:1a quoted in Hebrew) Mk 15:34 (Jesus quoted from Ps 22:1/2a in Aramaic) |
| 5. "I thirst." | Jn 19:28 |
| 6. "It is fulfilled."+ | Jn 19:30 |
| 7. "Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit."+ | Lk 23:46 (Ps 31:5/6 quoted) |
| Michal E. Hunt © copyright 2012 | |
*Jesus has alluded to Psalms 22 in Mt 27:35, 39 and 43. Matthew records the Hebrew as it would have been written in the Hebrew scroll of Psalms 22, while Mark records Jesus' actual Aramaic statement.
+It is hard to know which of these two statements are His last words from the Cross were.
Luke 23:39-43 ~ Jesus' exchange with the criminals who were crucified with Him
All four Gospels agree that Jesus was crucified between two criminals (also see Mk 15:27; Lk 23:33; Jn 19:18), but St. Luke is the only Gospel writer to include the story of the penitent criminal. Jesus is situated between two men on an elevation with His arms outstretched on the Cross, commanding the climactic battle between good and evil. The scene is reminiscent of Moses standing on a hill with outstretched arms between Aaron and Hur in the Israelite's battle with the wicked Amalekites (Ex 17:8-13; CCC 440). However, unlike the temporal consequences of Moses' battle, the outcome of Jesus' battle has cosmic and eternal implications.
Question: Why did Jesus promise salvation to one of the criminals?
Answer: His act of righteousness in defending Jesus, his penance in acknowledging his sins, and his profession of faith in Jesus as the promised Messiah and Davidic king has won him Jesus' promise of eternal salvation.
"Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
This is Jesus' second statement from the altar of the Cross. According to the ancient non-canonical document entitled "The Gospel of Nicodemus," the name of the criminal on the right was Dismas and the criminal on the left was Gestas. It cannot be said that these were their real names and may have only been the names given them for the sake of the story.
The Gospel of John also records Jesus' words to His mother and the beloved disciple (believed to be St. John Zebedee) in which He makes St. John responsible for the care of His mother. This would have been unthinkable if Mary had other sons and daughters and supports 2,000 years of Church teaching and tradition that Jesus was Mary's only child (CCC 499-500). Jesus' exchange with His mother and the beloved disciple is Jesus' third statement from the Cross.
Luke 23:44-49 ~ The death of the Christ
Jesus was crucified at 9 AM (Mk 15:25) and now darkness engulfs the "whole land" until 3 PM. Luke's account of the eclipse from noon to 3 PM is in agreement with the Gospels of Matthew (Mt 27:45-50) and Mark (Mk 15:33-37). These events are all unfolding on the 15th day of the month of Nisan according to the lunar calendar.
Question: Why was an eclipse of the sun at this time an unexplainable phenomenon?
Answer: There cannot be an eclipse during a full moon cycle.
In the Temple the morning liturgy was continuing after the sacrificial offering of the Tamid lamb, the flour offering and wafer of the High Priest and the libation of wine, afterward came the additional communal sacrifices for the Sacred Assembly of the feast (Num 28:17-23) and the many hagigah communion offerings of the people that were taken back into the city for the day's meal. At noon the second Tamid lamb has been brought out and tied near the altar and given a drink. With the eclipse, the only light would have been from the altar fire consuming the whole burnt offerings. The sacred ritual required the incense to be burned in the morning service before the Tamid lamb was placed on the altar; however, in the afternoon service the incense was burned in the Holy Place after the lamb was place on the altar "two lambs but a single sacrifice. At three in the afternoon the second Tamid lamb was sacrificed as the chief priest ministered in the Holy Place of the Temple, checking the oil in the lamps of the golden Menorah and cleaning the ash from the golden Altar of Incense that stood in front of the curtain that shielded the Holy of Holies in preparation for the burning of the incense in the final rituals of the worship service. Imagine the shock of those chief priests as the earthquake struck and the curtain that covered the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom (Mt 27:51). At that same moment, Jesus was speaking His last words from the cross before He offered up His life.
Question: For how many hours, as the ancients counted, did Jesus suffer on the Cross for the sins of mankind? See Mk 15:25 and 32.
Answer: Seven hours as the ancients counted from 9 AM to 3 PM.
Luke 23:50-56 ~ The burial of Jesus
Question: What was "Preparation day"? See Mk 15:42; Lk 23:54; Jn 19:31
Answer: It was Friday, the day one prepared for the Sabbath (Saturday) rest that began at sundown.
53 After he had taken the body down, he wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb in which no one had yet been buried. According to the Law, the corpse of an executed man could not be placed in a tomb already in use. It would defile the bones already in the tomb. The body of an executed person or any who died violently was not washed "the blood had to remain with the body. That the Shroud of Turin displays the blood of the crucifixion victim is historically accurate. The women did not have enough time to prepare spices and ointments for the body because it was already nearing sundown. No work could be performed on the Sabbath, not even attending to the burial of a family member.
According to forensic pathologist Dr. Zugibe, one of those scientists who personally examined the Shroud of Turin, the spot in which the nails were placed in the hands of the crucifixion victim wrapped in the Shroud is at the base of the hand's thenar furrow. If you put the tip of your thumb on the tip of your little finger, the crease that is formed in your palm is the thenar furrow. If a nail is pierced through its base, that nail will exit at the back of the hand in the indentation at the wrist, which can be felt, when the hand is flexed backward. This collection of bones in the hand and wrist is a very solid spot and a nail at that angle will easily support the amount of weight generated by an upright body whose feet are supported. Dr. Zugibe's investigation supports that the Shroud of Turin's image indicates evidence of a practice in crucifixion that supports the tradition that the nails entered Jesus' lower palms and exited the back of the wrist. In ancient times the wrist was considered to be part of the hands; see Acts 12:7 where the "chains fell from his [Peter's] hands." Surely the chains were on his wrists.
Chapter 24: The Resurrection of the Christ
Luke 24:1-12 ~ The women disciples discover the empty tomb
Luke 24:1 But at daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.
Obediently observing the Sabbath rest, the women disciples could not return to the tomb until daybreak on the day after the Sabbath.
Question: What day of the week is it on this the day of the new Creation in Christ, and what day was this in the first Creation event? See Gen 2:2.
Answer: It is the day after the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath; therefore, it is the first day of the Jewish week "the day we call Sunday, which was the first day of the first Creation.
For the Jews, the Sabbath is the last day of the week (Gen 2:1-3). The women returned on the "first day" of the week, which early Christians designated by the Roman custom as "the day of the sun" or Sunday. Christians called Sunday the "Lord's Day" to commemorate Jesus' resurrection for the dead and to offer worship in the sacrifice of the Eucharist (Acts 20:7; Rev 1:10, CCC 1166 and 2174). The women are named in verse 10: Mary Magdalene (cured of demon possession), Joanna (the wife of Cuza, Herod Antipas' chief steward), and Mary the mother of James. It is included that there were others who accompanied them. Those "others" were Salome, the mother of James and John Zebedee (Mk 16:1) and perhaps Susanna among others (Lk 8:2-3).
The day after the Sabbath of the holy week of the pilgrim feast of Unleavened Bread is one of the seven holy annual feast days for the Jews "St. John's Gospel explains that the Sabbath of the holy week was a solemn observance (Jn 19:31).
Question: What is the feast that was observed by religious Jews of the covenant on the day after the Sabbath of Unleavened Bread? What is the Temple communal sacrifice that is offered on this feast day within the celebration of Passover/Unleavened Bread? See Lev 23:9-14; Dt 26:1-10, and the chart in the handouts.
Answer: It is the Feast of Firstfruits that celebrated the first fruits of the spring barley harvest in the Promised Land. The first fruits of the barley harvest are presented to God along with the sacrifice of an unblemished male lamb, a grain offering, a libation of red wine, and a public profession of faith.
The week from the 14th to the 21st of Nisan contained three of the seven annual sacred feasts: Passover on the 14th, Unleavened Bread from the 15th to the 21st and the Feast of Firstfruits within that holy week on the day after the Sabbath, on the day we call Sunday.
Question: How are each of the sacred annual feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits fulfilled in Jesus' last week in Jerusalem? See the chart in the handouts and 1 Cor 5:7.
Answer:
- The Passover is the last Old Covenant legitimate sacrifice that looked forward to Jesus' sacrifice the next day. Jesus becomes "our Paschal lamb, Christ" who is sacrificed, becoming the true Lamb of sacrifice that all other Old Covenant animal sacrifices prefigured.
- The first night of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover victim is eaten in a sacred meal, became the New Covenant sacred meal of the Eucharist. It was the beginning of Jesus' walk to the altar of the Cross. The next day, on the first daytime celebration of Unleavened Bread, Jesus is crucified.
- Jesus is raised from the dead on the annual Feast of Firstfruits as the "first fruits" of the resurrected dead.
The woman disciples from the Galilee found the tomb empty. The angels who rolled away the stone explained to them that what Jesus told them in the Galilee had been fulfilled.
Question: What had Jesus told them before leaving the Galilee? See Lk 9:22.
Answer: Jesus told them the prophecy of His Passion and Resurrection on the third day.
All four of the Gospels record that the woman disciples were the first to hear the angelic announcement of Jesus' Resurrection. It is their reward for their faithfulness in standing by Jesus at His Cross of suffering.
Question: The women immediately went to tell the eleven Apostles (Judas is already dead), but they did not believe the women. However, who is it that immediately goes to the tomb?
Answer: It is St. Peter who runs to the tomb and finds it empty and the burial cloths left behind.
Luke 24:13-35 ~ Jesus and the disciples on the road to Emmaus
Question: What is "that very day" when two disciples encountered the Resurrected Christ? See Lk 24:1.
Answer: It was still the "first day of the week, Resurrection Sunday.
The resurrected Christ encounters two of His disciples on their journey home to their village of Emmaus that is sixty stadia (about seven miles) from Jerusalem.
Question: Who are the "two of them" in verse 13 and the literally "some from among us" in verse 22? How do they know about the events they relate to the man the fail to recognize as Jesus? Compare verses 9-12 to verses 22-24.
Answer: The "two of them" are from those who were among "the others" with "the eleven" Apostles in 24:9 since they can relate what the women told the Apostles and disciples.
Luke 24:36-48 ~ Jesus' appearance to the disciples in Jerusalem
Question: Why did He tell them to touch His wounds, and why did He ask for something to eat?
Answer: He did this to prove that He was the flesh and blood Jesus and not an imposter or an apparition.
Luke 24:44-45 He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then he opened their minds to understanding the Scriptures.
Question: Where is the teaching Jesus gave that day to His disciples and Apostles concerning the fulfillment of Old Testament Scripture in His ministry and mission written down?
Answer: It was an oral teaching that passed from Jesus to the ministers of His Kingdom and is found in the writings of the New Testament letters, in the writings of the Fathers of the Church and in Church teaching.
Luke 24:49-53 ~ The Ascension
Question: What is "the promise of my Father" that Jesus is sending? Jn 14:15-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-8.
Answer: The Paraclete "God the Holy Spirit.
Notice the procession of the Holy Spirit in these passages = from the Father and the Son. It is what we profess in the Nicene-Constantinople Creed.
Question: Where did they return to in Jerusalem to remain in prayer? Who was among those who were present? See Mk 14:15; Lk 22:12; Acts 1:13-15.
Answer: They returned to the Upper Room in Jerusalem where they held the Last Supper and where they were staying. The Apostles, the men and women disciples, the Virgin Mary and Jesus kinsmen remained in prayer, waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
