The Betrayal and Arrest
READ Matthew 26:47-50
Why
did Christ call Judas “friend”?
Because He had just finished suffering
the unimaginable guilt and remorse for betraying the Son of God – Judas would
need friends.
He knew what Judas was about to
experience and He still loved him.
READ John 18:4-12
Why
did the Jewish guards and priests fall to the ground when Christ answers them
“I am He”?
He was so bold in His claim that He was
“I am” - which was another way of saying “Jehovah, your God” that they tripped
on each other as they startled and stepped backwards.
In proclaiming that He is the “I Am”, He
has such power in His speech, despite the fact that He has just suffered the
Atonement (or perhaps because of it), that it physically pushes them to the
ground.
Why
then does Peter lash out at the servant and cut off his ear?
In the moment of great alarm, facing the
arrest of His master by the Priest’s, he tries to “steady the ark” by fighting back
physically to save Christ.
He does not have the faith to see the
“twelve legions of angels” no doubt watching the scene unfold (see Matthew
26:53).
He does not understand what Christ is
really doing – the suffering servant vs. the conquering king (see Matthew
26:54); Christ is here to drink the cup His Father has given Him, not to be
spared that trial by the sword or any other means.
READ John 18:13-14
Can
an evil man prophesy a message from God?
Yes, Caiaphas was clearly evil.
But he was inspired by God to make a true
prophesy.
Sadly, he used that prophesy as a reason
to murder the Son of God, but he was inspired in what he said.
This is another cautionary tale for those
who seek the truth – we must listen to the message and go to God for
confirmation, regardless of the messenger; this goes for messages from
outwardly religious or “good” people, too.
The Jewish Trial
Incidentally, the trial was illegal by
Jewish or Roman law in several ways, including meeting at night, not being able
to find witnesses that could agree, a defendant could not condemn himself, and
proclaiming a death sentence (only Romans could do this).
READ John 18:19-23
How
did Christ conduct His ministry?
In the open – there was no secret agenda
or secret works that only the inner circle disciples were privy to – nothing
was “in the dark”; the only exception could have been what transpired on the
Mount of Transfiguration, but what the disciples learned there, they learned by
seeing through the veil themselves – it wasn’t Christ teaching them esoteric
doctrines.
All His works and words testified to who
He was – the Christ.
There were many hundreds, even thousands
(with the Triumphal Entry) who could testify to Christ’s doctrine and miracles,
if witnesses were to be obtained.
What
did Annas accuse Jesus of?
Sorcery or devil worship (see Matthew
12:22-30) – a “malefactor” was a user of black magic (see John 18:30; Luke
23:32-39).
He cannot deny that Christ has power (that
His miracles weren’t real) and he cannot admit that the power comes from God,
so he only has one possible answer for how Christ could do what He did.
READ Mark 14:61-65
What
question did Christ answer to the High Priests and why?
“Art thou the Christ?” He answered plainly – “Yes, I am”.
He was the Christ. If they were going to condemn Him, they did
not do it due to hearsay.
What is the supreme irony in Caiaphas’
question to Christ?
The supreme irony is that when Caiaphas
asked Christ “art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed (the Father)?” and He
said “I am”, they condemned Him to death even though He bore a true witness.
He was put to death for telling and being
the Truth.
The Roman Trial
READ John 18:33-40 and Luke 23:18-23
What
world is His kingdom of?
Heaven or the spiritual realm.
But notice He qualifies His answer by
saying “now” (v 36) – meaning that this world WILL also be His kingdom in the
future but it is not worthy yet but must be redeemed and changed.
While He is the king or God of Israel, He
was not the king of the Jews in that they rejected Him – they chose not to be
His followers or “subjects”.
Why
was Christ born?
To bear witness of the (God of) Truth.
To lay down His heavenly kingdom to come
to this “hell hole” on a search and rescue mission for all who will hear the
Truth (i.e. Spirit or light or intelligence) in His message (i.e. voice).
To work out an atonement and then to
attain to the resurrection of the dead.
To enable the work and glory of the God
of Truth through that rescue mission.
To be our example – the “way” back to
heaven or the prototype of the saved being.
What
is truth?
Things as they truly were, are and will
be.
Christ is the truth.
Because He embodied the Word of God,
which is truth – things as they truly were, are and will be, as articulated or
pronounced by a God who cannot lie (or He will cease to be God) and who has the
power to see all things come to pass according to His will – which is aligned
with truth (yes, it’s a circular argument).
Where
does the custom come from to release a prisoner?
From the “scapegoat” in the Day of
Atonement Festival.
Two similar goats are chosen for the
ceremony – one is sacrificed that the other, laden with sins, can be allowed to
escape into the wilderness.
What
does Bar-Abbas mean?
It literally means “Son of the Father”.
READ Deuteronomy 21:22-23
Why
did the Jewish leaders want Christ crucified instead of killed in another way?
If Jesus was crucified, it was a “cursed”
way to die – not only cursed, but cursed by God.
It was a way to show the Jews that Christ
was not of God.
They totally missed the “suffering
servant” in the Old Testament prophesies (see Isaiah 53) – and the fact that
they were bringing them to life in the way they killed Jesus.
The Scourging
Some prisoners didn’t survive the
scourging and Christ had already suffered the infinite Atonement the night
before and had then been subjected to an illegal trial that lasted all night. The Romans were adept at using a cat-o-nine
tails whip, woven with steel or bone, to take the skin off the back of the
individual from neck to shin.
READ Matthew 27:26-31
Many
ancient cultures held a ceremonial drama, about the humiliation and sacrificial
death of the “substitute” King (the “Corn King” of ancient Celtic religions,
for instance) who was killed that the people might live; what elements of that
drama do you see playing out in what the Romans soldiers did to Christ?
Stripped Him – public humiliation.
“Clothed” Him in the scarlet or purple robe,
symbolic of nobility or kingship – the Roman emperor wore the “purple”.
“Crowned” His head with a crown – in this
case of braided thorns of acanthus – again, a symbol of kingship.
“Anointed” Him with spit.
Administered a “blessing” by the “laying
on of hands” by beating Him with the whip and striking His head with a stick.
The Crucifixion
Crucifixion may have been the cruelest
and most brutal way to execute a criminal ever systemically used by a
government. It combined prolonged,
agonizing torture and public humiliation, and it served as an intimidating
deterrent to others. But Christ had to
descend below all things (see D&C 122:8), and crucifixion provided that
kind of ignominious death.
READ Numbers 21:6-9
What
did the brass serpent on the pole symbolize?
The saving and healing power of the
crucified God (a god raised up on a “world tree” or wooden pole/cross).
It was known from the beginning how
Christ would die.
Christ’s crucifixion was at the same time
the symbol of cursing and of redemption or healing. Christ being accursed as we (or the children
of Israel) were being healed or redeemed.
Is
the serpent a symbol of evil or good?
Christ is the Serpent.
Satan has tried to supplant Christ as
“The Serpent” – starting in the Garden of Eden when he pretended to be the Son
of God to deceive Eve.
The Fiery Flying Serpents (poisonous tree
adders) symbolize Satan but they have no power to kill if one will look up with
faith to the True Serpent who is hanging on the wooden pole (or tree/cross).
Although Satan seemed to win through
Christ’s death, it was that sacrificial death of one not worthy of death (see
Romans 6:23), that ultimately defeated Satan and enables Christ to free all
those who will believe in Him – it is “deeper magic” indeed (see Aslan’s quote
asking how he could resurrect after his sacrifice from CS Lewis’ The Lion
the Witch and the Wardrobe).
READ Matthew 27:32-33
Why
did the Romans compel Simon to carry the cross?
By this point, He could not carry the
heavy cross beam (75 to 125 lbs) up the hill to the crucifixion point.
Christ’s ordeal the night before in the
Garden of Gethsemane drained Him of His strength and spiritual power – His
grace or the glory that He possessed on earth and the scourging further
weakened His mortal (or half-mortal) body.
This shows how Christ was bounded by the
physical constraints of a mortal body, albeit it took suffering an infinite
atonement and a Roman scourging, to tax it to this point.
READ John 19:17-22
Why
would Pilate not change the “accusation” posted above Christ on the cross?
It was correct – He was a legal descendant
of King David through His mother, Mary.
Ultimately it was true because He is the
God of Israel and the King of Kings.
There was enough wondering in Pilate’s
mind (“art thou a king then?”) that perhaps it was true (or at least that Jesus
was some kind of king) that he would not remove the sign.
Pilate hated the Jewish leaders and this
was a fun way to wind them up.
READ Luke 23:34-39 and Matthew 27:39-44
What
does Christ teach us in this prayer to the Father?
Intercession on behalf of those who have
sinned against you is critical to partaking in the atonement.
He had just suffered through the future
realization that those that had killed their God would feel, and His heart was
drawn out in mercy for the incomprehensible regret they were going to experience
(which He felt, took on the guilt for, was punished for, and overcame with love
and forgiveness).
What
last temptation was Satan serving up to Christ through the Jewish leaders,
Roman soldiers and fellow prisoner?
Prove that you are REALLY the Son of God.
Prove that God REALLY loves you, as He
seems to have abandoned you.
Put pride in front of your mission –
coming down from the cross would have made quite a statement of His powers.
Show the same mercy to yourself as you
have to others.
Show the same mercy to the thieves that
you’ve shown to others.
Show us another sign (as if all of the
healings, raising Lazarus, and the word of God He’s been preaching for 3 years
is not enough – He had already shown them all the signs anyone needed for
conversion).
It was just like His temptations in the
desert at the beginning of His ministry (see Matthew 4:1-11).
Why
did Christ not come down from the Cross?
It would have nullified His sacrifice,
making the atonement void.
It would be like being shot on the last
day of the war – He was so close to completing His mission.
Instead of proving that He was the Son of
God, it would have proved that He was NOT the Redeemer, because He had failed
to complete the tasks required of that role.
READ Isaiah 50:5-9
What
does it mean that Christ set His “face like a flint”?
Flint is a very hard stone.
Christ showed total resolve to complete
His mission in the face of terrible public humiliation = the religious leaders
basically saying triumphantly, “See, we KNEW you were not the Christ because
you can’t save yourself but instead, you are in our power and we are killing you”.
READ Matthew 27:45-46
Three
hours into the torture of the cross, Christ cried out in a loud voice, to be
heard over the large crowd…what was Christ saying?
He is NOT saying that the Father has
abandoned Him.
He is quoting Psalm 22 to them – or at
least, all He is able to manage after the torture that He had endured for the
last 15 hours.
He is actually answering their taunts by
reminding them of the Messianic Psalm that they all knew and said they
believed, that was happening right before their eyes; and in fact, that they
were actors in the drama themselves (and not the good guys) but that the
Messiah was the one that was persecuted and pierced.
He was testifying to who He was – the I
AM – one last time.
READ Psalm 22:1-21
Did
the Father “forsake” the Son at the end?
No, the Father never forsook the Son
(John 8:29; John 16:32).
But it did seem to the world as if He had
forsaken Him because Christ had to finish the bitter cup (see Matthew 27:39-44).
Christ was a “worm” to the Church leaders
– they judged righteousness by how many blessings one seemed to have – in this
case, to be delivered by the Father from the cross.
READ Psalm 22:22-31
Given
the bitter cup that Christ had to drink, why does He lead the shout of praise
for the Father in the Great Congregation at the Heavenly Temple?
Everything Christ did, He did for the
love of His Father and His Father’s children.
And He did it because His Father first
loved Him – and continued to love Him, for condescending below all things in an
effort to rescue His children.
Christ’s defining characteristic is His
love for the Father and His submission to His will – they are one.
READ Luke 23:46 and John 19:30
Why
did Christ shout “It is finished” in a loud voice?
It was the Roman cry of triumph or declaration
of victory.
It signified that the battle was won and
the surrender of the enemy completely secured.
The Roman centurion would have recognized
the victor’s shout.
When
He knew His suffering or path was completed, what did He do?
Quietly said to His Father, “Into thy
Hands I commend my spirit”.
When it was finally time to die, He
allowed the effects of the ordeal (all that a God could suffer – infinite and
eternal punishment) to have full sway on His body, “break” His heart, and He
died.
He was in control the whole time – albeit
“poured out like water” (see Psalm 22:14).
He controlled when His spirit would
transcend and leave His body in death.
READ Matthew 27:51 and 54
How
did the Roman centurion react as he witnessed this event firsthand?
He recognized Christ was the Son of God.
He had likely seen and administered many
crucifixions and he had never seen anything like this man – he had power to die
when he chose, and did so in majesty.
What
happened at Christ’s death?
An earthquake – the “God of nature”
suffered (1 Nephi 19:12 and 3 Nephi 8:5-25).
The Veil of the Temple (into the Holy of
Holies) was torn from top to bottom, opening the Holy of Holies into full view
for those in the Temple.
What
does the Veil of the Temple being rent mean?
In the ceremony, blood from the sacrifice
was taken inside the Holy of Holies by the High Priest to sprinkle on the Ark
of the Covenant, representing the presence of God.
As the religious leaders were in
apostasy, there was no one to perform this ordinance as the REAL sacrifice was
being conducted by Christ, so God Himself opened the veil to witness the
sacrifice of the blood of the Lamb – the sacrifice had been officially accepted
by the Father.
It was a sign to the Jewish leaders that
God Himself had witnessed Christ’s sacrifice and death and their part in it.
As the religious leaders had rent their
clothes at Christ’s testimony that He was the Son of God, God Himself rent “His
clothes” as a testimony against them at the death of His Son.
READ John 19:31-37
Why
did the religious leaders want to break the legs of the crucified?
Regardless of not recognizing the Christ,
they were devoted to their religion and needed to make sure that anyone
crucified was dead and removed so that their land was not defiled for the
Sabbath (see Deuteronomy 21:22-23).
They knew that the Pascal Lamb was not to
have any broken bones, if it was to be an acceptable sacrifice (see Exodus
12:46 and Numbers 9:12), and they wanted to break Christ’s legs to ensure that,
in death, He did not qualify. They
needed His legs to be broken.
Why
did Roman soldiers break the bones of those hanging on a cross?
It sped up the death from days to minutes;
victims of crucifixion would use their legs to push themselves up on the cross
to enable them to inhale – otherwise the pain was too great. Breaking the lower bones of the legs
prevented this, leading to death from suffocation in just a few minutes.
Why
did the soldiers not break Christ’s legs but what did they do instead?
He was already dead – so there was no
need, from their utilitarian perspective.
The Roman guards could tell He was dead
because His arms were upstretched (nailed to the cross), His head was bowed,
His knees bent as if kneeling – the position the body settled into after death by
crucifixion – which looked to all who saw it as if He were in the act of
worship of His Father; which was true – He suffered the will of the Father in
all things from the beginning (see 3 Nephi 11:11). His final mortal act was an act of devotion
and His lifeless body testified of that fact.
As a sure sign He was dead, the soldier
speared Him in the side, under the fifth rib, up into His heart. His lifeless body did not react to the spear
but blood and water ran out of the wound – His heart was “broken”.
That blow was a death blow – if He was
not already dead, He would have died after the spear thrust. Which is why He carries this wound in His
body; there are accounts of some people surviving crucifixion (being cut down
early) but no one could have survived that death blow; so when Christ stands
before a mortal in the flesh and they feel the wound in His side as they
embrace Him, they are being given a visceral testimony that before them stands
a living man who once was dead.
