Photo by Alicia Quan on Unsplash
The Betrayal and Arrest in Gethsemane
The events began on Thursday evening in an upstairs room in Jerusalem. Jesus sat with His twelve disciples for the Passover meal, known as the Last Supper. During the meal, Jesus broke bread and passed wine, identifying them as His body and blood, sacrificed for the forgiveness of sins. He also revealed a painful truth: one of His own would betray Him. Judas Iscariot slipped out into the night to alert the authorities.
After dinner, Jesus led the remaining disciples across the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemane. Heavy with grief about the suffering ahead, Jesus fell to the ground to pray. His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the earth. He prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” The disciples, exhausted from sorrow, repeatedly fell asleep.
Suddenly, a crowd armed with swords and clubs entered the garden, guided by Judas. Judas approached Jesus and kissed Him on the cheek—the prearranged signal to identify Him. Armed guards stepped forward to arrest Jesus. Peter drew a sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant, Malchus. Jesus stopped the violence, touched the man’s ear, and healed him. The disciples scattered into the shadows as the guards bound Jesus and led Him away.
The Trial Before the Sanhedrin and Pilate
Jesus was taken first to Annas, then to Caiaphas, the high priest. The Sanhedrin—the Jewish high council—had gathered in secret during the night. They brought forward false witnesses to accuse Jesus, but the testimonies contradicted each other. Finally, Caiaphas demanded, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus replied, “I am.” The council declared this blasphemy and sentenced Him to death. Meanwhile, out in the courtyard, a fearful Peter denied knowing Jesus three times before the rooster crowed, just as Jesus had predicted.
Because the Jewish council lacked the authority to execute prisoners under Roman law, they bound Jesus and took Him to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, early Friday morning. The leaders accused Jesus of subverting the nation, opposing Roman taxes, and claiming to be a king. Pilate questioned Jesus privately but found no basis for a charge. Learning Jesus was from Galilee, Pilate sent Him to Herod Antipas, who was in Jerusalem for the feast. Herod mocked Jesus and sent Him back to Pilate.
Pilate still wished to release Jesus. It was custom to release one prisoner during Passover, so Pilate offered the crowd a choice between Jesus and a notorious criminal named Barabbas. Stirred up by the chief priests, the crowd roared for Barabbas. When Pilate asked what to do with Jesus, the crowd chanted, “Crucify him!” Fearing a riot and wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate washed his hands of the matter, released Barabbas, and handed Jesus over to be flogged and crucified.
The Crucifixion at Golgotha
The Roman soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace. They stripped Him, put a scarlet robe on Him, and twisted together a crown of sharp thorns, pressing it into His scalp. They placed a staff in His right hand, knelt before Him in mockery, and said, “Hail, king of the Jews!” They spat on Him and struck Him on the head with the staff.
Exhausted and bleeding from the severe Roman scourging, Jesus was led away to be executed. He was forced to carry His own heavy wooden cross beam, but His physical strength failed. The soldiers forced a bystander, Simon of Cyrene, to carry the cross behind Him. They arrived at a hill called Golgotha, which means “The Place of the Skull.”
At nine o’clock on Friday morning, the soldiers nailed Jesus’ hands and feet to the wooden cross and raised it into the air. They placed a sign above His head that read: Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews. Two thieves were crucified alongside Him, one on His right and one on His left. People walking by mocked Him, yelling, “He saved others; let him save himself!” One of the criminals joined in the insults, but the other asked Jesus for mercy. Jesus replied, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
At noon, a mysterious darkness fell over the entire land for three hours. The physical agony of crucifixion was intense, causing slow suffocation and severe dehydration. Near three in the afternoon, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Shortly after, He said, “It is finished,” and “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” With those words, He bowed His head and died.
At that exact moment, the heavy curtain inside the Jerusalem Temple tore in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split open, and tombs broke away. The Roman centurion standing guard in front of Jesus saw how He died and declared with fear, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” Because the Sabbath was approaching at sunset, a wealthy follower named Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body. Joseph wrapped Jesus in clean linen, placed Him in a brand-new tomb cut out of rock, and rolled a massive stone across the entrance. High priests secured the tomb with a Roman seal and posted guards outside to prevent anyone from stealing the body.
The Resurrection and Appearances
On Sunday morning, just as the sun was rising, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome walked toward the tomb carrying sweet spices to properly anoint the body. They wondered aloud how they would move the massive stone away from the entrance.
Before they arrived, a violent earthquake shook the ground. An angel of the Lord, appearing like lightning with clothes as white as snow, descended from heaven, rolled back the stone, and sat on it. The Roman guards shook with fear and became like dead men.
When the women arrived, they found the stone already moved. They stepped inside the tomb and saw that the body of Jesus was gone. Instead, an angel spoke to them: “Do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” The angel told them to go quickly and tell the disciples. Trembling but filled with joy, the women ran from the tomb. Mary Magdalene rushed to find Peter and John, crying out, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
Peter and John immediately raced to the tomb. John arrived first, looked inside, and saw the linen strips lying there. Peter arrived, stepped inside, and noticed the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head folded up neatly by itself. The disciples saw the empty tomb and returned to their homes, confused and amazed.
Mary Magdalene returned to the tomb and stood outside weeping. As she bent over to look inside, she saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’ body had been. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” She turned around and saw a man standing there whom she mistook for the gardener. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
The man simply said her name: “Mary.”
She instantly recognized His voice, turned to Him, and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus had risen from the dead.
Later that same day, Jesus appeared to two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus, explaining how the scriptures predicted His death and resurrection. That evening, the disciples gathered in a locked room out of fear of the authorities. Suddenly, Jesus stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” He showed them His wounded hands and side. Thomas, who was absent, doubted the news until Jesus appeared again a week later, inviting Thomas to touch His wounds. Jesus remained on earth for forty days after His resurrection, teaching His followers and proving He was truly alive before ascending into heaven.
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