priest Konstantin Parkhomenko

Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate... An Orthodox Christian reads these words every day (they are from the Creed); every day a Christian hears that Jesus Christ took our sins upon Himself, redeemed us with His Death, etc. and so on.

What does all of this mean? In what sense has Jesus redeemed us? Why do we say that He redeemed us by His Death? Why couldn’t the Atonement be made bloodless, or why did Christ choose such a strange and terrible path for the Atonement?..

This is all what we're talking about.

Redemption, or vicarious victim, were key concepts for the people of biblical times and culture.

The basis of any religion is communication with God. Communication with God was the basis of the faith of the ancient Jew. But how can a sinful person who betrayed God in his life, lived according to passions, and committed large and small personal and social crimes, communicate with the Creator and Almighty of the Universe? He must somehow purify himself in order to be able to have such communication. The absolute goal is complete and unconditional forgiveness from God.

Purification is possible only through an act that is more or less equivalent to sin. Ideally, you should sacrifice yourself to God and after that you can count on the forgiveness of the just Almighty. Therefore, initially, in many religions, human sacrifice was considered a worthy payment for sins before God. But already in ancient times they abandoned human sacrifices, replacing them with animal sacrifices. When sacrificing an animal, a person laid his hands on its head, as if identifying himself with it. By dying for a person's sins, the sacrificial animal by its death freed him from his sins.

Jews sacrificed various animals for sin: bull, cow, sheep, ram, goat, doves, etc.

It was possible, and it was prescribed, to make private sacrifices, but once a year in the Jerusalem Temple the most important sacrifice was made, which reconciled the people of God with the Lord. This happened on a great holiday Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). On this day the high priest entered into Holy of holies- the sanctuary of the Jerusalem Temple, into which only the high priest was allowed to enter and only once a year, on this very day. IN Holy of holies the high priest sprinkled the blood of the sacrificial animals throne of grace who stood there. This sacred act granted forgiveness of sins to the people of Israel - from now on God again looked mercifully at them, and some kind of communication with Him, the Creator and Father of the Universe, became possible.

Several centuries before the birth of Christ, a strange character appears in the prophet Isaiah - someone Servant of God. Someday, as the Lord predicts, this Servant of His will perform the greatest Sacrifice. Such a Sacrifice, after which all others will lose meaning.

Let me remind you of the words of Isaiah. These are very important words that had a colossal impact on the ministry of Christ and on the understanding of the significance of His Death. Please read them carefully:

Behold, My servant will prosper, and will be exalted and lifted up and exalted.

How many were amazed, looking at You, - His face was so disfigured more than any man, and His appearance - more than the sons of men! So He will make many nations astonished; the kings will shut their mouths before Him, for they will see what was not told to them, and they will know what they have not heard.

Who believed what they heard from us, and to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed?

For He rose up before Him as an offspring and as a sprout from dry ground; There is no form or greatness in Him; and we saw Him, and there was no appearance in Him that would attract us to Him.

He was despised and belittled before men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with pain, and we turned our faces away from Him; He was despised, and we thought nothing of Him.

But He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our illnesses; and we thought that He was smitten, punished and humiliated by God.

But He was wounded for our sins and tormented for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed.

We have all gone astray, like sheep, each of us has turned to his own way: and the Lord laid the sins of us all on Him.

He was tortured, but He suffered voluntarily and did not open His mouth; like a sheep He was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

He was taken from bonds and judgment; but who will explain His generation? for He is cut off from the land of the living; for the crimes of my people I suffered execution.

He was assigned a grave with the evildoers, but He was buried with a rich man, because He committed no sin, and no lie was in His mouth.

But the Lord was pleased to strike Him, and He gave Him over to torture; when will His soul offer a sacrifice of propitiation?, He will see a long-lasting descendant, and the will of the Lord will be successfully fulfilled by His hand.

He will look at the feat of His soul with contentment; through the knowledge of Him He, The righteous One, My Servant, will justify many and bear their sins on Himself.

Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will share the spoils with the strong, because He gave His soul to death and was counted among the evildoers, while He bore the sin of many and became an intercessor for the criminals () (emphasis added - prot. K.P.).

In the Judaism of Christ's time this text was not attributed to the Messiah, just as the Jews did not attribute it after Jesus; The Messiah-Savior was rather expected as a King, but something else is important: Jesus Himself attributed these prophecies to Himself!

Christ undoubtedly believes that these prophecies are about Him, that He is this prophesied Servant of God, whose Death will grant humanity Salvation and reconciliation with God.

Isaiah gave these words for a reason, not as a private commentary on contemporary historical events, as the Jews understood. Isaiah spoke them about Him, about Jesus of Nazareth!

His Blood, “poured out for many” (), His Flesh, sacrificed “for the life of the world” (), grants Salvation to all who are ready to accept it.

The fact that such an idea goes back to Jesus Himself is beyond doubt; it has become an unshakable proclamation of Christians from the very first times and can be traced back to the most ancient New Testament texts.

In light of all this, the question arises: why did Jesus choose such a strange, shocking path leading to Salvation? Only in order to die, and then be Resurrected and through this prove that he is the Savior-Messiah?

In fact, the Death on the Cross of Christ has independent meaning and value, it is not for nothing that Jesus spoke so much about it, the first Christians built the edifice of their faith on it, and in general the Cross of Christ becomes a symbol of the new faith (since the 2nd century, Christians have become a symbol of their faith chose a cross, began to wear images of the cross, and then make the sign of the cross).

What is the intrinsic meaning of the Death of Jesus Christ, which we call Redemptive, or even Saving?

Three possible answers arise: Servant of God 1. Jesus could consciously follow the path outlined by the prophet Isaiah (), the author of the 21st Psalm, etc. Here someone

2. At the time of Jesus, there was a vast literature that spoke about the events leading up to the End of the World. An important element of these expectations is the great grief and turmoil that people will experience. Does not the Passion of Christ represent the beginning of this End? Such a drama as the humiliating Death of the Messenger of God, the darkness that followed, the torn veil in the Temple, the subsequent destruction of Jerusalem and the beginning of the way of the cross of His followers - aren’t these all stages of the End and New Life of the universe that began to unfold, like a spring?

3. You need to know that by the time of Christ, ideas had developed that the martyrdom of the innocent could free other people from their sins. This idea is found in later Judaism, and we find it in a number of popular texts of the time. In 2 Maccabees we read a Jewish martyr praying:

I, like my brothers, betray both soul and body for the laws of our fathers, calling on God so that He will soon have mercy on the people... and so that the wrath of the Almighty, which righteously befell our entire race, will end on me and on my brothers (7, 37-38).

4 Maccabees is even more specific:

Be merciful to Your people, and let our punishment be satisfaction for them. Make my blood their purification and take my life as a ransom for their lives.

The question arises: maybe Jesus followed this tradition and therefore chose the Way of the Cross?

The New Testament writers repeatedly emphasize that Jesus had to die according to Scripture(For example: Christ died for our sins, according to Scripture. -). But the Maccabean books are not included in the sacred Jewish Scripture (Old Testament). In this case, the 3rd hypothesis has the least basis. The second is probable and even true in some sense, but still hypothesis No. 1 has the most grounds.

So, Jesus consciously follows the path outlined by the prophet Isaiah and several other sacred Old Testament authors. His Suffering and Death bring liberation from sins and reconciliation with God to all people.
(Naturally, we understand that the prophets did not invent anything, their prophecies are not fantasies, free thoughts that Christ later fulfilled. These prophecies are a divinely inspired revelation. We can say that the Son of God Himself (together with the Father and the Holy Spirit) gave these revelations many centuries before His Incarnation. And when He came, He followed what was written in these revelations.)

What does Christ Himself say about His Death?

Christ spoke many times about his impending death, and it makes no sense to prove this with some quotes. I will cite an absolutely wonderful and one-of-a-kind fragment, which speaks not only about the upcoming Death, but also that it will be “for many”:

(; Also ).

The word used here redemption(Greek litron), which appears nowhere else in the New Testament.

This word in extra-biblical sources meant the price paid for the freeing of a slave. Perhaps it is in this case that it is used in the Gospel. Of course, the Death of Christ was no payment, this expression should be understood metaphorically; it means one important thing: we got liberation from sin at a high price - the Death of the Son of God.

Let us also pay attention to a word that seems unnoticeable, but is very important - the last word of this quote: many. In Hebrew, "many" means an incalculably large number. That is, the words that Christ gives Himself to Death for the ransom of many, mean that this Salvation is addressed not only to the Jews, but to all humanity, and perhaps there is a hint here of many generations of people who will live on Earth after these events.

How did the first Christians and the authors of the New Testament feel about the Cross of Christ and the Death on the Cross?

For the first author of the New Testament, the Apostle Paul, the Cross of Christ has enormous significance. There is no doubt that this is not an innovation of Paul, but a continuation of the tradition that he received from the first Apostles, as he himself reports:

For I originally taught you what I also received, that is, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried... ().

Ap. Paul writes about this approximately 25 years after the event of Christ’s Death on the Cross, and he also notes that in the eyes of those around him, everything that happened was temptation And madness(). This is not surprising if we remember the words of the Old Testament:

If anyone has a crime worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, then his body should not spend the night on the tree, but bury him on the same day, for cursed before God is anyone who is hanged on a tree, and do not defile of your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance ().

For a Jew, someone hanged on a tree (in the time of Christ this also applied to those crucified) was considered a reject from God.

Ap himself. Paul went through this whole painful path: from the rejection of the Crucified Jesus as O cursed - to the belief that He is the True Messiah and Savior. We cannot reconstruct Paul’s chain of reasoning that led him to such conclusions, but we can try to imagine the course of his thoughts.

So: Paul experienced conversion after meeting the Risen Jesus. His personal experience turns out to be Big bang, who gave birth to a new Universe - a new Paul. Acts 9 tells how Saul was blind for three days after his conversion and prayed the entire time. Of course, at this time his mystical experience of communication with the Crucified One, whose followers he had recently persecuted, was maturing.

Saul has little knowledge about Jesus; he strives to learn everything first-hand, from those who personally knew Jesus. Saul arrives in Jerusalem and tries to pester the disciples; but everyone is afraid of him, not believing that he is now also a student (). Communication with the closest disciples of Christ allows him to learn about the life, ministry and preaching of Jesus. Then he learns that an important element of Jesus' preaching was the teaching that He must suffer, and that this was foretold in Scripture.

The key text here is the mysterious fragment of Isaiah quoted at the beginning (), other fragments are less significant. The Jews did not refer these texts to the Messiah, but Paul (this name in the New Testament is used for Saul who turned to Christ) now has a different view of Scripture, a Christian view. The apostles are taught by Jesus to look at the Scriptures from a different perspective; much that was paramount for the Jews was far from the first place for Jesus (for example, the commandments of ritual purity), and, on the contrary, what was ignored by the Jews (the commandments of mercy and love) was placed in first place by Jesus.

So, Paul discovers for himself that Jesus followed the path outlined in the strange, incredible, unexpected prophecy of Isaiah, that Jesus is the very Servant of God, whose suffering brings salvation to people.

There is no doubt that Ap. Pavel thought a lot about this and opened up new dimensions, new horizons in this topic. Thus, he formulated for himself that the Cross and Death of Jesus was a terrible, but apparently necessary road to Glorification. Jesus, according to Apostle. Pavel, He emptied himself, taking on the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man; He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth...(). Here Paul quotes an early Christian hymn that existed before him, however, firstly, he completely agrees with it, and, secondly, according to most biblical scholars, he adds here the words and death on the cross, placing even greater emphasis on the theme of the Cross. Look at the cause-and-effect relationship between the Death of Jesus and His Glorification in Heaven by God the Father: ...being obedient even to death, even death on the cross, - therefore God exalted Him...

Since both the authors of the New Testament and the authors of subsequent times do not have a clear explanation for this, except for quoting the already cited fragment of Isaiah (), it can be assumed that Jesus Christ Himself did not explain this. Based on what they knew about Jesus Christ and how they understood the tasks of His Coming, one can imagine what the contemporaries of what happened understood by the Cross of Christ and the Redeeming Death of Christ. Let's consider their opinions, starting from the beginning, from Ap. Paul, who wrote about this first.

Apostle Paul

At Ap. Paul there is no single answer to the question: how did the Salvation of the world and people happen through the Cross. Ap. Paul thinks about this a lot and offers us various constructions. Biblical scholars say that Ap. Paul uses at least ten such “constructions”, that is, he looks at the Death of Christ from one side or the other, and reveals various facets of what happened. Let's get acquainted with his main interpretations of what happened:

God in Christ reconciled the world to Himself, not imputing their crimes to people, and gave us the word of reconciliation(). So, the Cross of Christ was a way reconciliation people with God, as Ap writes. Paul in many of his letters:

What does he mean? Man sins. His constant sin is a constant break in his relationship with God. Jesus frees people from their sins through Sacrificial Death. Accordingly, there is a reconciliation of all people of the world with God.

Ap. Pavel makes from an idea reconciliation far-reaching conclusions. Jesus gave Himself... to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father(). Once people have been reconciled with God, it means that the person has been delivered from oppression of the present evil age and the doors of a new life are open to him, which can and should begin here and now. A person who accepts the Atonement of Christ has no power over the former elements and demonic forces that subjugate and paralyze him. This intrusion of the reality of the “new world” into our old world is of great significance for all who wish to follow the Crucified Savior, embodying the new creation. The old ways of building relationships between people, with their eternal self-affirmation at the expense of each other, egocentrism, isolation, barriers and boundaries (between Jews and pagans, slaves and freemen, men and women), are no longer possible in the New Age. In the messages of Ap. Paul, the theme of the Cross becomes the source of a deep river, from whose waters, as from baptismal waters, a new world emerges.

The next important point in the theology of St. Paul on this topic - an excerpt from the Epistle to the Galatians ():

All who are established in the works of the law are under oath. For it is written: Cursed is everyone who does not continually do all that is written in the book of the law. But that by law no one is justified before God is clear, because the righteous will live by faith. But the law is not of faith; but whoever does it will live by it. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, becoming a curse for us—for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree—so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith..

This mind-boggling Paul's chain of reasoning means the following:

A) All who obey the law are cursed because...

B) ...in order to please God, you need to constantly fulfill All regulations of the law. This is impossible because Always And Total not fulfill.

C) And since everything is not fulfilled, the person still turns out to be guilty - under a curse.

D) Christ comes to the rescue, Who redeemed us from this, becoming an oath for us, that is, accepting a curse (condemnation from God) upon Himself.

E) Through faith in Christ and acceptance of the Salvation given by Him, we henceforth become free from the operation of the Old Testament Law and from the punishments that must follow for violators of the Law.

This “legal” chain of reasoning seems strange and far-fetched to us, but for that culture these were very compelling arguments.

The next important passage is Romans 3. Understand the philosophy of reasoning of Ap. Paul is not easy if you look at this text from today, from our culture and religious experience. But if you look through the eyes of a Jew who thought: Who is Jesus? What does His Death mean?– then everything falls into place. So:

A) God is just - this is an unshakable and indisputable statement of the Old Testament faith.

B) Since God is fair, He cannot help but punish a person who is impudent and violates all norms: both God’s and human. This demand for justice in biblical language is called anger God's.

C) Further, we sadly admit that, as the Apostle writes: they have all turned aside from the path, they are worthless to one; there is no one who does good, not even one... There is no fear of God before their eyes... so that every mouth is stopped, and the whole world becomes guilty before God...

What? Trial and execution for everyone? No, God has another plan!

D) We are freed from guilt and inevitable future punishment thanks to the Death of Jesus Christ, Who suffered and died in our place! We had to be punished and die, but He took our sins upon Himself and died for us! We get justification freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God offered as a propitiation by His blood through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness in the forgiveness of sins previously committed ().

E) Now you can not fulfill the works of the Old Testament Law in order to be saved. Believe that Christ has redeemed you, become His disciple - and your sins will be forgiven. Well, then, of course, you need to live based on your great Christian status and try not to sin.

There is one more aspect of the Death on the Cross of Jesus Christ: the Death of Christ is not as a metaphysical source of Salvation, but as a moral source of Salvation.

Ap. Paul says that the Death of Christ shows us God’s boundless love. The kind of love that is ready to sacrifice itself for the sake of its beloved, as, for example, parents, without hesitation, will die for their children: God proves His love for us by the fact that Christ died for us while we were still sinners ().

We understand the logic when someone dies for a good man, for a benefactor, perhaps someone will decide to die(). But Christ died for the wicked(), behind sinners(), behind enemies God (). Of course, if we see such amazing love, how can we not respond to it? The Apostle Paul is sure: we cannot! This means that here too the Cross brings healing and Salvation for man.

Here are the main lines of Ap's thoughts. Paul on the meaning of Christ's Death on the Cross.

Now let's see what the Evangelists say about this. How do each of the creators of biographies of Jesus see the significance and meaning in the Death on the Cross of Christ? They wrote later, at least 20-30 years after Ap. Pavel. Their views are not only their own views, but the views of the Christian communities to which they belonged.

Matthew

Evangelist Matthew builds his Gospel around a central idea: Israel made an irreparable, catastrophic mistake: it rejected Jesus Christ.

We encounter the motive of rejection from the very first lines of the Gospel of Matthew: there is no place in the homes of the Jews for the birth of Jesus; the high priests and teachers of the law knew the city where the Messiah was to be born, but they had no intention of welcoming His birth, much less giving Him honor; the king of the Jews generally organizes a search with the aim of destroying... Jesus is desired only for parents and... magicians who come from distant countries.

That is, from the first pages of the Gospel of Matthew we understand that in our world Christ was not expected and He was not at all welcome; the shadow of rejection and the Cross is visible in this Gospel from the very beginning to the end.

The fact that Jesus came to die for people and save them by His Death is an important point in the teaching of the Evangelist Matthew. We understand that, when composing the Gospel, Matthew drew material from the tradition of legends about Jesus, which means he could take something and leave something out. The preference for one material or another is determined by the position of Matthew himself.

So, Matthew again and again focuses our attention on the fact that Jesus came to die for people. Jesus is not a weak-willed victim caught by his tormentors. Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew knows from the very beginning (Matthew emphasizes this) that He must die, knows the traitor, but does not remove him from Himself, knows that the Heavenly Father can help Him out by sending Angels. But despite this, Jesus makes no attempt to be saved, because He must follow this very path.

It is impossible to overestimate the importance of the words that, of all the Evangelists, only Matthew cites: The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. ().

A careful reading of the Gospel of Matthew allows us to see that in this Gospel the images of Isaiah’s prophecy about the Servant of God, who took upon himself the sins of the world, who was tortured and killed ().

Does this mean that the theology of Matthew in assessing the meaning of the Death of Christ completely coincides with the theology of St. Pavel? No, because in Matthew we encounter unique moments unique to his theology:

Matthew emphasizes in various ways the idea that the Death of Jesus was a terrible, but, paradoxically, a life-giving source: after the Death, Christ was Risen, was Glorified in Heaven, and from that moment a new era begins for all believers.

If Christ had not died, He would not have been resurrected, and, therefore, Salvation would not have been available to people. This link: Death - Resurrection - a new era of Salvation available to believers - pops up again and again. We will not prove this with numerous examples, I will give only two:

In the story of the Last Supper, Matthew relies on Mark. In Mark, at the end of dinner, Jesus says: Truly I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink new wine in the kingdom of God.(). These words speak of the Glorification of Jesus in Heaven, after Death and Resurrection. But Matthew slightly changes the words: From now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink new wine with you in the kingdom of My Father(). Let's pay attention to this drink with you.

Or another moment. In the same story about the Last Supper, Matthew quotes the words of Christ as follows: for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins(). Last words for the remission of sins none of the Evangelists have. So what? And the fact that in this way the Evangelist Matthew establishes a parallel with the famous prophecy of Jeremiah: Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah... I will forgive their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. ().

That is, Matthew’s prophecy comes true literally: here is both a “new covenant” and “forgiveness of sins.” What is this prophecy about? About the advent of a new era, the era of Salvation.

So, we see that the Evangelist Matthew tightly connected (there are many such examples) the theme of the Cross with the theme of the advent of a new era. Anyone who wishes can join this era and accept Salvation.

Mark

In the Gospel of Mark, plans are constantly woven around Christ; they constantly want to kill Him. What we said about the Gospel of Matthew also applies to the Gospel of Mark: the Cross of Calvary here casts its shadow over the entire ministry of Jesus. Two points that Mark emphasizes are noteworthy:

Mark constantly notes that the Cross of Christ is the fulfillment of God's Plan. The expression “The Son of Man is coming” (to Death on the Cross. – prot. K.P.), “as it is written about Him” (), - is found only in Mark, and it does not mean any specific prophecies, but that the path of Jesus to Calvary takes place along the path destined by God.

The Cross of Christ is an example for all the disciples of Christ, whose life, unfortunately, is also not a procession to Tabor (the Mount of Transfiguration and Glory), but a path to Golgotha.

When Ap. Peter, one day, began to dissuade Jesus from the Cross, He rebuked Peter, saying: Get away from Me, Satan, because you think not about the things of God, but about the things of men. And calling the people with His disciples, He said to them: If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the Gospel will save it ().

In this speech, Christ says that His Suffering should be an example for His disciples. Or another example:

In the 10th chapter of the Gospel of Mark we read how Jesus and his disciples begin their journey to Jerusalem (for the Passion). On the way, He tells the disciples about the coming suffering. The disciples were horrified, but, nevertheless, they asked for places of honor in the Kingdom of God when Christ, as an earthly ruler, reigned. But Jesus said to them: You do not know what you ask. Can you drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? They answered: we can. Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized you will be baptized... ().

In this passage we see Jesus foreshadowing that the disciples will share His sorrowful fate.

We said that the Passion of Christ concerns not only the closest disciples of Christ, but also all His followers. This is especially obvious if you read the 13th chapter of the Gospel of Mark: They will hand you over to courts and beat you in synagogues, and you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake... Brother will betray brother to death, and father will betray his children; and the children will rise up against their parents and kill them. And you will be hated by everyone because of My name...

The epilogue to this sad warning is remarkable: he who endures to the end will be saved.

New community of those being saved!

The Cross of Christ, among other things, speaks of the division of people into two camps: those who did not accept and killed Christ, and those who recognized Him as the Messiah and Son of God. There are many similar contrasts in the Gospel of Mark. For example, the behavior of the Jewish elders and Judas (“one of the Twelve”!) is contrasted with the behavior of a certain woman who anointed Jesus with incense for burial (). The student who directly fulfills the commandment to take up and carry the cross is Simon of Cyrene carrying the Cross (), and a group of women full of faith who are present at the Crucifixion until the very end ().

Mark attaches special significance to the torn veil of the Temple during the Death of Jesus and the confession of the Roman centurion. The first episode, based on Jesus' earlier statements about the Temple and related events (the expulsion of the merchants and the reproof of Jesus in the Temple), shows that the time of the old Temple and the old piety has passed. The new Temple will now be the Risen Jesus and the community of believers associated with Him. The second episode shows that not only Jews, but also all people who are ready to see the Son of God in the innocent Sufferer can become involved in Salvation, thanks to the Death of Christ.

Luke

And for Luke, the Death of Christ is the most important element of Jesus’ ministry. But, like other Evangelists, Luke has his own peculiarities in understanding the drama of the Cross. Moreover, it can be said that Luke has the most original point of view on the Passion of Christ.

As in Mark, in Luke we see an emphasis on the necessity of the Suffering of Jesus; moreover, it is in Luke that Christ seems to consciously and purposefully strive towards the Cross. He Himself “wanted to go to Jerusalem” (), where he would be rejected and executed (), from the very beginning he shows amazing foreknowledge of all the details of betrayal, arrest and execution. In the Gospel of Luke, more than in all other Gospels, all the events of the Passion occur as if “under the control” of Christ.

Why does Luke emphasize that Christ strives for the Cross? Because the Death of Jesus led to His Resurrection and Glorification. In this regard, the words quoted by Luke are characteristic: Is this not how Christ had to suffer and enter into His glory?(). We encounter considerations of this kind all the time in Luke.

Previously, scholars believed that Luke ascribes to the Death of Jesus the same salvific meaning that is spoken of throughout the New Testament, that is, Luke, like other New Testament writers, states that “Jesus died for our sins.” More modern studies have rejected this interpretation. Luke needs to be interpreted in a special way...

Luke's scholars noted the following facts:

A) Luke, citing the words of Jesus from, shortens the text, omitting the words about the Atonement (see:);

B) the sermons in the book of Acts, which Luke puts into the mouths of various Apostles, do not establish a direct connection between the Crucifixion of Christ and the forgiveness of sins;

C) Luke’s material, borrowed from, says nothing about the redemptive or substitutionary nature of the Death of the Servant of the Lord (eg: ;).

This conclusion is also confirmed by those texts in which Luke reveals what event, in his opinion, brought Salvation to people. In the book of Acts (2, 33; 5, 30-31 and 10, 43) we see that Luke considers the Ascension of Jesus Christ to be such an event. The Ascension is the Glorification, the actualization of the Divine dignity of Jesus: The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted Him with His right hand to be the Leader and Savior, in order to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel ().

According to this quote (Luke puts it in the mouth of Apostle Peter), forgiveness of sins is given to Israel not through the Atoning Death of Jesus, but due to the fact that He became Glorified and became the Leader and Savior. Having recognized His Authority, one can count on forgiveness of sins.

In this case, what is the meaning of the Death of Jesus according to the Evangelist Luke?

1. The death of Jesus was necessary because God intended it to be so, it is an element of God's Plan.

2. The Death of Jesus leads to His Glorification, for we also find Glorification after Death in Isaiah, in the prophecy about the Suffering Servant: He will look at the struggle of His soul with contentment... Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great...().

These first two points are the main ones for Luke’s thoughts about the Death of Christ. You can also cite other points, perhaps not as important as the first two, but still developed by Luke:

3. Death on the Cross, according to the mysterious Plan of God, was a means of justification for many: He will justify many and bear their sins... He bore the sin of many and became an intercessor for criminals ().

4. Luke has a special understanding of what the way of Salvation is. For Luke, this is the path of faithfulness to God. Using the example of Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke, chapter 1), we see how important loyalty and trust in God are. Jesus, according to the Gospel of Luke, also remained faithful and trusting to the Father. And the Death on the Cross was not a defeat for Him, but a triumph, a path to Glory. This is how all Christians must humbly daily (!) take up their cross and follow Jesus with fidelity and trust in God.

Luke quotes many of Jesus’ sayings about the importance of Christians’ faithfulness and trust in God: Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, finds awake; Truly I say to you, he will gird himself and make them sit down, and he will come and serve them. ().

Every disciple of Christ, if he strives to become the same as Jesus, will be glorified and saved for Eternal Life.

5. Finally, it is interesting that Luke develops (a little differently than Apostle Paul) the teaching that Jesus came to save not only the Jews, but also all the people of the earth. Only Luke noticed that the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah brings Salvation not only to Jews, but also to pagans: And He said: Not only will You be My servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the remnant of Israel, but I will make You the light of the nations, so that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth (). Luke values ​​this idea very much. Already over the Infant Jesus, Elder Simeon says: My eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all nations, light to enlighten the pagans (). At the other pole of the life of Jesus is the conversion of a pagan, a Roman centurion, at the Cross. Between these two unique moments in the life of Jesus there are many other examples of pagan conversions. That is, the Suffering and Death of Jesus is a way of Salvation for people all over the world.

John

The Gospel of John is certainly different from the other Gospels. Here Jesus appears as the sovereign, triumphant King. Jesus knows the traitor in advance () and Himself seeks to speed up the event (). During the arrest, the role of Judas and the soldiers is reduced to zero: Jesus Himself betrays Himself into their hands, answering with the formula of self-revelation “It is I,” and stipulates that His disciples be released. At Pilate's trial, Jesus appears as a king and even takes on the role of judge (). Without asking anyone for help, He Himself carries the Cross and already on the Cross shows concern for the Mother and disciples. Before the soldiers break His legs, He dies of His own free will. The refrain of John’s entire narrative of the Passion of Christ is His words: No one takes it away from Me, but I myself give it. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. ().

What is the significance of the Death of Jesus in John?

Like Luke, John places great emphasis on the Death of Jesus as the path to Glorification. One might even say that Evangelist John understands Death on the Cross primarily as a method of Glorification. John often uses the verb ipso- elevate, glorify. This verb is used both to describe the Death on the Cross and to describe the Ascension and Glory of Jesus.

What is the logic of this connection: Death - Glorification? That Jesus is the One who came down from Heaven to save us and ascend to Heaven again. Again and again John returns to this topic, citing various sayings of Jesus about this: No one has ascended into heaven except the Son of Man, who is in heaven, who came down from heaven. (); He who comes from heaven is above all (); He said to them: You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world ().

Talking about Jesus’ entry to the Way of the Cross, John repeats twice in a row that the path of Jesus is the path from this world to Heaven: Before the Feast of Easter, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come to pass from this world to the Father... Jesus, knowing that the Father had given everything into His hands, and that He came from God and is going to God ().

If there had been no Crucifixion, there would have been no solemn departure to Heaven, to the Kingdom of God the Father.

But besides this, the main theological vector in understanding the meaning of the Death on the Cross, the Evangelist John understands the Suffering and Death of Christ as the Sacrifice of the Lamb (this naming of Christ is found only in the Gospel of John).

In what sense does John the Baptist speak twice about Jesus as the Lamb: John sees Jesus coming to him and says: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. ()?

Perhaps this refers to Isaiah's prophecy about the Suffering Servant of the Lord? There the Sufferer is called a humble and silent lamb: He was tortured, but He suffered voluntarily and did not open His mouth; like a sheep He was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth ().

It may very well be!

But it is possible that, given Isaiah's prophecy, John had something else in mind. What will be discussed in the next, third, paragraph.

Upon careful reading of the Gospel of John, it becomes obvious that John connects the Death of Jesus with the Passover. John continually emphasizes these parallels:

The crucifixion coincides in time with the Easter sacrifice - Then it was the Friday before Easter(); The crucified man is offered vinegar and hyssop, which is a parallel to the story of the establishment of the Old Testament Passover (see); the blood flowing from the pierced side of Jesus also hints at the establishment of Easter (see); the soldiers did not break Jesus' legs - that the scripture may be fulfilled: let not his bone be broken.(), which also has to do with nothing other than the Passover lamb: see; .

Thus, there is no doubt that Jesus for Ap. John is not only the lamb from Isaiah, but also the Jewish Passover lamb. What kind of lamb was this? What is its meaning?

The Passover lamb was a lamb that was sacrificed in Jewish Passover celebrations and commemorated the history that occurred during the establishment of the Old Testament Passover. Let me refresh your memory of this wonderful story:

The Lord commanded Moses and his brother Aaron:

Say to all the congregation of Israel: On the tenth day of this month they are to take for themselves one lamb according to their families, one lamb per family...

Your lamb must be without blemish, male, and one year old; take it from the sheep or from the goats, and keep it with you until the fourteenth day of this month:

Then let the whole congregation of the congregation of Israel slaughter it in the evening, and let them take some of its blood and anoint it on both the doorposts and on the lintel of the doors of the houses where they eat it; let them eat his meat this very night, baked on the fire; let them eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs...

So eat it this way: let your loins be girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staffs in your hands, and eat it with haste: this is the Passover of the Lord.

And this very night I will walk through the land of Egypt and will strike every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from man to beast, and will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.

And the blood will be a sign among you on the houses where you are, and I will see the blood and pass by you, and there will not be a destructive plague among you when I strike the land of Egypt.

(Let me remind you that the word Easter- Old Hebrew Passover– translated as I'm passing by. This is a holiday established in honor of the fact that the Lord passed by and did not strike the Jews as he struck the Egyptians.)

And so, every year on Easter, the Jews gathered with their families, between noon and sunset they slaughtered a lamb (at the same time as Christ died on the Cross), and his blood was applied to the doorposts and lintels. The meat was fried and eaten that same night; the bones of the lamb were not broken. Besides the lamb, there was unleavened bread and bitter herbs on the table. During the meal, the Jews had to have their thighs girded and their feet to have shoes on.

The Lamb in the Easter cult symbolized: a) sacrifice; b) reinforcement with food in the future for a long journey and c) a source of blood, which would be used to put a security sign on the doorframe and lintel.

And so the Evangelist John persistently draws a parallel between Jesus and this Passover lamb of the Jews. Jesus, therefore, according to John, is: a) the Sacrifice; b) the food of life with which we are nourished on our Christian journey, and c) the source of salvation from destruction.

Now that we have talked about the first Christian author - the Apostle Paul and about the Evangelists, it is interesting to see if there is anything new and original in understanding the meaning of the Death of Christ among other New Testament authors? They offered something of their own or repeated Ap’s ideas. Paul and the Evangelists?

Let's say right away that yes, they offered. Both the New Testament authors and the 2nd century authors were not afraid to approach this topic creatively and emphasize some points that were important to them. Like a precious stone that fell into the hands of a skilled jeweler, the idea of ​​the Redemptive Death of Christ in the hands of various authors sparkled with new facets, new shades were revealed in it.

And those who are tired of analyzing the theologies of different authors can immediately go to the end of the essay, in which we draw some conclusions.

Hebrews

Attributed to Ap. Paul, but is believed to have been written by some other, unknown author, this Epistle is an unsurpassed theological document in which the role and significance of Jesus Christ is conceptualized in the traditional expressions of Old Testament cultic piety. This is the same approach to the theme of the Redemptive Death of Jesus Christ.

In the book of Hebrews Christ is named High Priest, and in the Jewish rite the reconciliation of the people with God was accomplished by the hands of the High Priest of the Jerusalem Temple. Thus, Jesus offers Himself, as the High Priest, in the Great and Final Sacrifice: we are sanctified by the one-time offering of the body of Jesus Christ ().

The Levitical priesthood, the tabernacle in the wilderness, the sacrifices offered in the tabernacle - all this, according to the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, anticipated the saving Death of Jesus Christ. In this sense, the author of this Message stands at the origins of a large tradition of Orthodox Tradition: in our worship (and simply in the writings of the holy fathers), many texts see the meaning of the Old Testament cult and such works as the books of Leviticus, Numbers, etc., in the fact that there The symbols and rituals of the Old Testament cult prefigure (prophetically depict) Christ and His Most Pure Mother.

Another meaning of Christ’s Death on the Cross, according to the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, is deliverance from the devil, who possessed mortal power: just as children partake of flesh and blood, He also received them, in order by death to deprive him of the power of him who has the power of death, that is, the devil.(). How did Jesus deliver people from the power of the devil? The Author of the Epistle reflects on this at the end of chapter 2:

A) The devil made people slaves of sin.

B) People could not overcome sin, and this sin reigning in their body made them “slaves of sin” and mortals (that is, deprived of the prospect of eternal life).

C) Christ showed absolute obedience to God the Father. He did not commit any sin and submitted Himself to the will of God even before the Death on the Cross.

D) Through this He saves all the “seed of Abraham,” since He represents all people and, one might even say, has all people in Himself.

First Epistle of St. Petra

A document from the end of the 1st century, included in the canon of the New Testament under the name of the First Epistle of St. Peter, also offers his thoughts on the meaning of the Death on the Cross of Jesus Christ. This is not just a statement of the fact that we have been redeemed by the Sacrifice of Christ, this is a whole detailed theology that speaks about God’s Plan for the Redemption, and about the Redemption itself, and about what the life of a Christian should be in the light of the Redemption.

Let us note the main points related to the understanding of the Redemptive Death of Christ on the Cross in the 1st Epistle of Peter:

The author says a wonderful thing: the Redeeming Death of Christ was planned by God even before the creation of the world: Conduct the time of your pilgrimage with fear, knowing that you were not redeemed from a vain life with corruptible things, silver or gold... but with the precious Blood of Christ, as a spotless and spotless Lamb, predestined before the foundation of the world, but revealed in the last times ().

This intended Saving Death of Jesus was revealed to the Old Testament prophets: To this salvation belonged the investigations and investigations of the prophets, who foretold the grace appointed for you, searching to which and at what time the Spirit of Christ who was in them pointed, when He foretold the sufferings of Christ and the glory that would follow. ().

Finally, what was intended before the creation of the world and what was revealed to the prophets has appeared! This is the Atonement that results from Christ's Death on the Cross. The death of Christ is an act through which a radical healing of our nature took place: by His stripes you were healed ().

Next is the author of 1 Peter. will show that the Atonement is assimilated by us only if we try to imitate Christ, to follow the path that He walked. Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example so that we would follow in His footsteps ().

It's not easy for us! Unfortunately, as the author of 1 Peter says, we are spinning in a whirlwind. vain life, betrayed... from the fathers(1, 18). Humanity cannot in any way extricate itself from such a way of life, which can rightfully be called empty and vicious. What can help us break out of this circle? jump out of the spinning drum of vanity?

The unique example of Christ himself can help. His entire life before His Death was absolute obedience to God the Father. So we, following the example of Christ, must learn to obey God. For us, this obedience consists of keeping the commandments.

Over and over again in 1 Peter the theme is obedience. How obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were in your ignorance. (); By obedience the truth through the Spirit, having purified your souls to unfeigned brotherly love, constantly love one another with a pure heart ()…

The former life from which Christ redeemed us, one might say, the existential situation from which He redeemed us—the enslavement of the world to sin. Redemption, in turn, according to 1 Peter, is liberation from slavery to sin. The bonds from which Christ frees us are the bonds of sin. He first broke the bonds of sin through His obedience to the Father. We now receive the fruits of the Redemption through our obedience to Jesus.

If the “fathers” lived corruptly, then Christ abandoned example so that we can follow in His footsteps(). We must strive to have the same character that Jesus had. We must be sinless and not be afraid of anything, even that God may allow us to die.

So, a small, but very capacious, energetic Epistle 1 Peter. teaches us that: Christ, according to the foreknowledge of God, died for us. We, accepting the forgiveness of sins, must live in accordance with the new status of children of God. At the state level, at the family level, at the level of communication with each other, we must show everyone and in everything an example of peace, meekness, and love. No matter how difficult it may be, let us not be afraid to suffer, for an unspeakably wonderful reward awaits us in eternity.

Revelation of John the Evangelist (Apocalypse)

This book, written at the turn of the 1st-2nd centuries, is a magnificent document of the Christian faith as it was at the time when Christianity spread throughout the Mediterranean, when the Church faced the challenges of its difficult time: persecution from the Jews and Romans, the appearance of heretics, cooling towards faith among Christians themselves, etc.

What does the book of Revelation tell us about the Cross of Christ and the Redemptive Death of Jesus Christ?

Vision of the Lamb as if slain(), that is, both the dead and the revived, plays a central role in the book of Revelation. Jesus is not just a man and not even primarily Not man, but God. In Revelation we find a very high Christology; It is emphasized again and again that Jesus is God! Thus says the First and the Last, Who was dead, and behold, is alive(). The expression “First and Last” is a Divine title (see:). Jesus was dead and now he has conquered death and come to life.

Conquering death, Christ enters Heavenly Glory: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome... And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders stood a Lamb as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth(). Through this victory, Jesus receives all authority in Heaven and on earth from God the Father.

Most often, when the Death of Christ is referred to in Revelation, the Blood is spoken of. His blood redeems from sin. This redemption concerns individuals and all humanity: You were slain, and with your blood you redeemed us to God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. ().

The redeemed must live accordingly: they must not be afraid of death, they must firmly profess the true faith. About the martyrs whom John saw in Heaven, it is said: They defeated him(the devil. – prot. K.P.) by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and did not love their own lives even to death(). And further after this it is said that the devil, seeing that people washed by the Blood of Christ were receiving an incentive to a righteous, grace-filled life, became completely embittered: So, rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! Woe to those who live on land and sea! because the devil has come down to you in great rage, knowing that he has little time left ().

Summarizing the understanding of the Atonement described in the Revelation of John the Theologian, we can say that here is the algorithm of the Atonement, such as that of St. John the Theologian. Paul, not given. It is possible that the idea that we are redeemed through the Death of Christ was so entrenched by the end of the 1st century that the author of the Apocalypse considers it unnecessary to dwell on it in detail. The blood of the Lamb atones - this is enough to say what everyone already understands.

If we talk about the emphasis that the author makes, then this is, as stated above, the idea that the Cross led to the Resurrection, and therefore the glorification and power of Jesus over the Universe. And second, that the redeemed people of the earth, having received the forgiveness of sins and the hope of Eternal Life, now have access to God! This world, which is controlled by Satan, will aggressively try to prevent Christians from achieving Salvation. But Christians are not afraid of the most severe persecution. Are they alive or have they already passed away? rearranged to Heaven) - They sing a hymn to God the Father and the Lamb the Savior.

The Redemptive Death of Christ on the Cross as understood by the authors of the New Testament. Results

So, we see that the New Testament authors offer a lot of interesting solutions to the question of why the Death of Christ turns out to be Redemptive for people. Naturally, declaring the Death on the Cross as the culmination of Christ’s ministry was not their idea, but the thought of Christ Himself. Christ said: This is the hour I have come(), but He did not explain how and why His death is necessary and why it brings Salvation. The basic clue here was Jesus' references to Isaiah's prophecy. Reading this prophecy and reflecting on it, the first Christians themselves had to draw some conclusions.

And in fact, as we have seen, they worked hard.

After all of the above, it is not difficult to understand what the main, main idea is connected with the teaching about the Death of Jesus Christ.

If we take into account the prophecy of Isaiah, which all the New Testament writers had in mind, we get the following:

Jesus is the Messenger, the Servant of God, whose death, like the death of the Sacrificial Lamb, brings people forgiveness of sins and restoration of the lost connection with God. The comparison of Jesus with the Sacrificial Lamb belongs to a layer of ritual vocabulary that today has practically lost its meaning. But for the people of that culture, the culture of sacrifice, it was very relevant and understandable. The logic here is as follows: Man is guilty before God: he neglected His love, does not keep the commandments, and exchanged himself for large and small sins. But God wants reconciliation. As a sign of His desire for reconciliation, without even expecting such readiness from people, the Lord Himself offers man a Sacrifice. This is the Redemptive Death of the Messenger of God Jesus Christ, Who becomes a kind of Sacrificial Lamb of God.

So, the Sacrifice was made, that is, on His part, God did everything for reconciliation. Will the person respond to this? There is no coercion, just as there is no impersonal universal salvation. Everyone makes their own choice - to accept the Sacrifice and make peace with God, or to reject this Sacrifice and the path to reconciliation and continue to remain at a distance from God.

This is the main line of teaching about the meaning of the Death of Jesus Christ. For us, people of modern culture, this is a bit strange; today another image from our life would tell us much more, for example, the image of a man who gives himself into the hands of terrorists who have taken hostages in exchange for hostages. But the logic of situations, whether ancient, with sacrifices, or modern, with terrorists, is the same: someone sacrifices himself to save others!

Let's move forward to the post-apostolic age and see how the 2nd century fathers taught about the Death of Christ and the Atonement.

The Redemptive Death of Christ on the Cross in the understanding of early Christian authors

The successors to the New Testament authors were the 2nd century authors. It is interesting to see what place is given to the theme of the Death of Christ in their theology? What does it bring to people, why was it necessary? What new facets did the ascetics of that time see in the theme of the Redemptive Death of Christ?

St. Clement of Rome (d. about 100) writes that the Death of Christ is a powerful incentive for all of us to renew ourselves and no longer sin: “Let us pay attention to the blood of Christ, and we will see how precious His blood is before God, which was shed for our salvation, and brought the grace of repentance to the whole world” (1 Clim. 7, 4 ff.).

St. Ignatius the God-Bearer (d. ca. 107) mentions the Cross and Death of Christ not in general, in relation to the theology of Salvation, but in the context of a conversation about his own upcoming martyrdom. He says that the martyrdom of a Christian is an opportunity to become like Christ: “My spirit is dust before the cross, which is a temptation for unbelievers, but for us salvation and eternal life” (Ign. Ant. Eph. 18). “I am looking for him, who died for us. I wish him, risen for us. I mean benefit: forgive me, brothers! Don't let me live, don't want me to die. I want to be God’s: don’t give me up to the world. Let me into the pure light: having appeared there, I will be a man of God. Let me be an imitator of the sufferings of my God" (Ign. Ant.)

“Our life shone forth through Him and through His death,” says St. Ignatius, and then points to the Docetians (a Gnostic movement that denied the real Suffering and Death of Christ): “Some reject it, but through its mystery we have received the beginning of faith, and for its sake we endure, in order to be disciples of Jesus Christ” (Ign. Ant. Magn. 9).

In the Epistle to Diognetus (1st half of the 2nd century) we read touching words about the Sacrifice of Christ, which freed people from sins and opened up the horizons of a new, righteous life for people:

“However, if in the past He allowed us to follow our own disorderly passions, to be carried away by pleasures and lusts, it was not because He was amused by our sins; He only endured it... When the measure of our unrighteousness was fulfilled and it was completely revealed that punishment and death should be expected as a reward for it, when the time came in which God, out of boundless love for mankind and out of His only love, proposed to finally reveal His goodness and power: then He did not hate us, did not reject us, did not remember our evil, but endured it with patience and took our sins upon Himself. He gave His Son as a ransom for us, Holy for the wicked, Innocent for the guilty, Just for the unjust, Incorruptible for the corruptible, Immortal for mortals.

For what else could cover our sins but His righteousness? Through whom could we, the lawless and wicked, be justified, except the Son of God? O sweet change! O incomprehensible construction! oh unexpected blessing! The iniquity of many is covered by one Righteous One, and the righteousness of one justifies many wicked people” (Epistle to Diognetus, 9).

In a document of the same time (beginning or mid-2nd century), the Epistle of Barnabas, a lot is said about the Redemptive Death of Christ: “For this purpose the Lord gave His body to death, so that we might receive remission of sins and be sanctified, precisely through the sprinkling of His blood. . Something is written about him for the Jewish people, and another for us. Concerning us, the Scripture says this: “He was wounded for our iniquities and tortured for our sins: by His blood we were healed. Like a sheep He was brought to the slaughter, and like a lamb before the shearers, He did not open His mouth" ()" (Episicle Barn., 5). In the 6th and subsequent chapters of his work, the author gives many examples from the Old Testament and Jewish customs in which the Redeeming Death of Christ was foreshadowed. It can be said that the Epistle of Barnabas is in this respect very close to the Epistle to the Hebrews.

A special place in early patristic literature is occupied by the works of St. Justin the Philosopher. He mentions the Cross and the Sacrifice of Christ many times in his works. In the Old Testament instructions about sacrifices, St. Justin sees prototypes of the One True Sacrifice of Christ.

In the 95th chapter of the Dialogue with Tryphon the Jew, St. Justin says:

“According to the Law of Moses, the entire human race will be subject to damnation. For it is said: “Cursed is everyone who does not abide in everything written in the book of the law, to do it” (). No one completely fulfilled everything - and you did not dare to contradict - but some kept the commandments more and others less. Therefore, if people who are under this law are subject to damnation because they did not fulfill everything, then are not all nations guilty of idolatry, child molestation and other vices more subject to damnation? So, if the Father of all things wanted His Christ to take upon Himself the curses of everyone, for the entire human race, knowing that He would resurrect Him crucified and dead, then why do you speak of Him as cursed, Who, by the will of the Father, wanted endure this, rather than rather mourn for yourself?

And let none of you say: if the Father wanted him to endure this so that through His plague the human race would change, then we have not done any evil. If you speak like this, repenting of your sins, recognizing Him as Christ and keeping His commandments, then, as I said, you will have remission of sins. But if you curse Him and those who believe in Him, and when there is an opportunity, kill them, then how can the fact that you laid your hands on Him not be exacted from you as wicked, sinful, completely hard-hearted and insane people?

Having told his interlocutor, the Jew Tryphon, about the Plan of God that triumphed in Christ, St. Justin exhorts his interlocutor and his fellow Jews: “Do not say, brothers, anything evil against Him who was crucified, and do not mock Him at His stripes, by which all can be healed, just as we were healed. It would be great if you believed the Scriptures and accepted the circumcision of your hardness of heart, and not that which you have according to the opinion established in you, because your circumcision was given as a sign, and not as a work of righteousness, as the Scriptures convince us of. Agree with us, do not mock the Son of God and do not, following your teachers the Pharisees, mock the King of Israel, as the rulers of your synagogues teach you to do after prayer” (Dialogue. Ch. 137).

Also at St. Justin has thoughts that the Cross of Christ and the Death of Christ defeat the devil and the demonic kingdom. But the mechanism of how the Death of Christ overthrows Satan, St. Justin did not clarify.

Redemption in the understanding of modern Orthodox theology

So, we see that the early Christians attached great importance to the topic of the Death of Christ. At the heart of everything lay the conviction, firm as a foundation, that Christ died, according to God’s Plan, in order to redeem people from their sins by His Death as the Sacrificial Lamb. Redemption has occurred, forgiveness has been offered, and whoever responds to God from the depths of his freedom Yes, joins a new life and, from the perspective of eternity, to Salvation.

Time passed. Christian theology evolved. Understanding of who Jesus Christ is and what the “mechanism” of the Atonement is deepened. At the same time, the Cross of Christ began to be considered not in isolation, not on its own, but in connection with the Resurrection of Christ in a broader sense - in connection with the healing of human nature that Christ accomplished. Let us indicate the main points of the Orthodox understanding of Death on the Cross and Atonement:

Man was created for incorruption and called to communion with God. Man himself, by the way, was not immortal at creation, but he was open to both immortality and mortality. By his obedience to God, man would actualize immortality, and by his protest against God and autonomization, he would gain mortality. Man chose the latter and became mortal. This drama, which the Bible tells at the very beginning, is called the Fall.

In the Fall, human nature was damaged. “In separation and distance from God, human nature is shaken, disorganized, disintegrated. The human composition itself turns out to be unstable and fragile. The connection between soul and body becomes unstable. The body turns into a prison and tomb of the soul... The separation of the soul and body, weakly attached to each other, becomes inevitable...” (Archarch G. Florovsky).

Man became mortal in the Fall and actually dies.

It must be said that the Fall harmed not only man, but was a catastrophe for the cosmos and all of creation. Man is a “small cosmos”, in him “every kind of life is united” (St. Gregory of Nyssa) - in him, and only in him, the whole world comes into contact with God. And therefore, man’s apostasy alienates all creation from God, devastates it, as if de-Godizes it. The Fall of man shakes the cosmic harmony and order. Sin is disorder, discord, lawlessness... And therefore, in the figurative expression of one church hymn, “the sun’s rays were hidden, the moon and stars were transformed into blood, the hills trembled, when paradise was concluded.”

Man and the whole world suffer unspeakably in such a fallen state, and the Lord undertakes, before the fullness of time, the work of saving man. For this, the Lord sends the Son into the world and He takes upon Himself the fullness of human nature.

“The whole life of the Savior was a single feat of suffering love. His whole life was a crucifixion. But suffering is not the whole Cross... And the Cross is greater than the suffering Good... The sacrifice of Christ is not limited to obedience, patience, compassion, and forgiveness. The one redemptive work of Christ cannot be torn apart. The earthly life of the Savior is a single organic whole, and one should not associate his redemptive feat with one particular moment. However, the pinnacle of this life is death on the cross, as the Lord directly testified, saying: “I have come for this hour ()” (Archarch G. Florovsky).

So, the culmination of the feat of Salvation of humanity and the world is the Cross of Christ. How, according to Orthodox theology, was this Mystery of Redemption accomplished?

And such that Christ took upon Himself the sins of the whole world. When we talk accepted, we mean that we really accepted, took them upon ourselves, like an immeasurable burden beyond the strength of any mortal.

V. N. Lossky offers, for example, the following argument, showing not the symbolism, but the reality of such taking away the sins of the world: “The word of a prudent thief... we are condemned justly, because we accepted what was worthy of our deeds, but He did nothing bad- acquires ontological significance. And the prudent thief dies easier than Christ. Christ, when He agrees to accept the terrible consequence of sin, when in the final depths of His descent... He experiences death, sees how the deified man resists this “anti-natural” curse in Him. And when the Word’s own will, that is, His human nature, submits, it knows the unspeakable horror of death, for it is alien to Him. Christ alone knew what true death was, because His deified humanity did not have to die.”

Christ did not have to die because he was not involved in original sin and was not subject to mortality, like all people. But he betrayed Himself into the hands of villains and voluntarily allowed Himself to be killed. He allowed himself to be killed - Immortal! And He did this as a Sacrificial Lamb, which was sacrificed, leaving the sinner to live.

So, the most important meaning of Christ’s Death on the Cross is the sacrifice of Himself for the sins of all fallen humanity.

But that’s not all, because we said above that Orthodox theology does not like to separate the Cross and the fruits of the Redemption that it brought from other saving actions of Christ. And the next such action is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (there is an even bigger theme in theology - the Descent of Christ into hell and the removal from there of all the righteous who have died from time immemorial, but we will not talk about this now).

Resurrection of Christ from the dead! Human nature, perceived by Him, underwent radical healing, one might even say, a new evolution, reaching the state of the New Age, the Kingdom of God. The God-Man, by His Death, erases the power and power of death; His Tomb becomes the source of our resurrection, because He destroy death with death.

Without moving on to the next point of our story, I would like to recall one interesting and original thought of Orthodox theology. At this point, one might even say, Orthodox theology... contradicts the Holy Scriptures. According to Scripture, God the Father raised Jesus from the dead. According to developed Christology (the doctrine of the nature of Jesus Christ), Jesus Himself had the potential for this life-giving action in Himself.

The reason is that in Jesus Christ the human body and soul (of which, according to traditional Orthodox theology, man consists) were united with the Divine. And when Christ died on the Cross, His soul and body, separated in Death, still remained united with the Divinity of His Theanthropic Hypostasis. This is Death incorruptible; in it corruption and death were inevitably to be overcome: it was impossible for death to hold Him ().

Well, Jesus Christ acquired this victory in Himself, but what does all this have to do with us?

Direct! Jesus Christ is not a private person, but a God-man. And the fact that He took upon Himself human nature, and then Resurrected and deified it, concerns not only His personal nature, but the entire human nature with which He was associated. The fruits of Salvation, revealed in the Resurrection of Christ, are assimilated to everyone.

The “condemnation of death” has been abolished, as St. Athanasius the Great put it. “With the cessation and destruction of corruption through the grace of resurrection, we are released from the body only for a while, due to the mortality of the body. Like seeds cast into the ground, we will not perish when we are resolved, but having been sown we will be resurrected - because death has been abolished by the grace of the Savior.”

Here we touch upon one complex point of the Orthodox faith: which of the people assimilates the fruits of the Redemption and Salvation accomplished with human nature in Christ? Only Christians who will unite with Christ through Baptism and will maintain and develop this unity by communion of His Body and Blood? Or to all people?

At the prot. George Florovsky, who was an absolutely adequate exponent of patristic theology, we read: Human “nature is healed and healed immutably, by the power of the all-effective mercy of God. One might say – a kind of “violence of grace.” In Christ, all human nature is healed completely and in all its volume - healed from incompleteness and mortality. This restoration of fullness will be revealed in the general resurrection - in the resurrection of everyone: both good and evil... By nature, no one is removed from the royal power of Christ, no one is alienated from the power of the resurrection...”

Christ, according to the Greek theologian Christos Yanaras, realized “the universal inevitability of death imposed on human nature by sin into the equally universal possibility of participation in the incorruptible and immortal way of being.”

Subjective criticisms...

If we compare that part of our work where we talked about the teaching of the authors of the New Testament and the authors of the 2nd century about the Redemptive Death of Christ, with the part where I introduce you to the opinion of the holy fathers and theologians of the following centuries, then it is impossible not to notice: Orthodox thinkers They were not afraid to move forward in their theology. And this is very good. It is impossible not to notice something else: Christian thinkers at some points boldly stepped aside from the rut of biblical theology. I would not say that this is bad - after all, the Holy Spirit always, in all centuries, fills the Church, and living theological development is not just a natural, but a necessary process; The spirit-bearing authors of the 20th century are no less gracious than the authors of the 2nd century. However, there are still issues that remain, for me personally, not removed from the agenda.

For example: In the last, 8th, paragraph, I cited the traditional Orthodox opinion regarding whether Redemption and Salvation, namely the radical healing of human nature, now alien to corruption, applies to all people? Orthodox theology answers that yes, for everyone. But, for example, the Apostle Paul and other New Testament authors, as well as 2nd century authors, had a different opinion. For them, the possibility of resurrection is not rooted in the general healing of human nature, but exclusively in the love of God, which is already transforming man and will then call those who have been faithful to Christ to a new glorious life. The resurrection of the dead is not, so to speak, law of nature, but the sovereign right of the Heavenly Father. Perhaps He will call everyone to the resurrection, and then some will be condemned, but people are resurrected not because such is their nature, but because such is the will of God for each of them. The idea that somehow, thanks to the Death and Resurrection of Christ, the human nature of all people in the world is automatically healed is a beautiful idea, but it has nothing to do with the Holy Scriptures and the thoughts of the early Christian authors.

By the way, why should people all be immortal? Biblical theology knows nothing about the immortal substance called us soul. This is an ancient concept, borrowed by the Fathers of the Church and found its place, like an element of a gigantic mosaic, in the picture of systematic theology, along with some others that included Platonic, Neoplatonic, Aristotelian, etc. ideas. The Bible knows nothing about soul, but talks about life which God gives or takes away. It is clear that along with this life, what constituted the “baggage” of life may also follow into the afterlife: the core of the human personality, will and historical memory. But again, the problem of the soul, if we take into account biblical theology, is still not solved.

Another question that is posed to theology, unless it wants to remain far behind modern science:

In former times it was believed (both by Apostle Paul and the Holy Fathers) that with human sin mortality entered the world. However, it is obvious that the story of the book of Genesis (quite late), in any case, is a document of its time and ideas. In relation to a real person, as we know from excavations, from finds, it cannot be said that once a person was immortal and then acquired mortality. This cannot be said based on human anatomy, which also does not imply immortality. As a modern theologian notes: “If we take a chance on a new interpretation, which would take into account the results of modern scientific research, according to which man is absolutely mortal, then we could say: without the Fall, death probably would not have frightened a person and would have been experienced by him as a reliable transition creatures to the Glory of God" (Stubenrauch B.).

Omitted every day. Our translation sounds like this: “To all he said: if anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” ().
The original, of course, is much deeper than our translation. In the original, Christ’s thought sounds like this: a follower of Jesus must daily take on the feat of loyalty to God and patience in trials.

On Cheesecake Week, on lithium.

The basis of Orthodoxy is the teaching that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ served as an atoning sacrifice made by Him to free humanity from the power of original sin. Throughout the entire historical period that has passed since then, when the light of the true faith led Rus' out of the darkness of paganism, it is the recognition of the Savior’s sacrifice that has been the criterion of the purity of faith, and at the same time a stumbling block for all who tried to instill heretical teachings.

Human nature damaged by sin

It is clear from the Holy Scriptures that Adam and Eve, who became the ancestors of all subsequent generations of people, committed the Fall, violating the Commandment of God, trying to evade fulfilling His holy will. Having thereby distorted their primordial nature, placed in them by the Creator, and having lost the eternal life given to them, they became mortal, corruptible and passionate (experiencing suffering). Previously, created in the image and likeness of God, Adam and Eve knew neither illness, nor old age, nor death itself.

The Holy Church, presenting the crucifixion of Christ on the Cross as an atoning sacrifice, explains that, having become human, that is, not only becoming like people in appearance, but also having absorbed all their physical and mental properties (except for sin), he cleansed His flesh from the torment of the cross. distortions introduced by original sin, and restored her in a god-like form.

Children of God who have stepped into immortality

In addition, Jesus founded the Church on earth, in whose bosom people had the opportunity to become His children and, having left the corruptible world, find eternal life. Just as ordinary children inherit their main characteristics from their parents, so Christians, spiritually born in holy baptism from Jesus Christ and becoming his children, acquire the immortality characteristic of Him.

The uniqueness of Christian dogma

It is characteristic that in almost all other religions the dogma of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice is absent, or is extremely distorted. For example, in Judaism it is believed that the original sin committed by Adam and Eve does not apply to their descendants, and therefore the crucifixion of Christ is not an act of saving people from eternal death. The same can be said about Islam, where the acquisition of heavenly bliss is guaranteed to everyone who exactly fulfills the requirements of the Koran. Buddhism, which is also one of the world's leading religions, does not contain the idea of ​​an atonement sacrifice.

As for paganism, which actively opposed the emerging Christianity, even at the highest peak of its ancient philosophy it did not rise to the understanding that it was the crucifixion of Christ that opened the way to eternal life for people. In one of his, Paul wrote that the very preaching of the crucified God seemed madness to the Hellenes.

Thus, only Christianity clearly conveyed to people the news that they had been redeemed by the Blood of the Savior. And, having become His spiritual children, they received the opportunity to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It is not without reason that in the Easter Troparion it is sung that God has given life to all who live on earth, “Trampling down death by death,” and the icon of the “Crucifixion of Christ” is given the most honorable place in Orthodox churches.

Shameful and painful execution

The description of the scene of Christ's crucifixion is contained in all four evangelists, thanks to which it appears to us in all horrifying detail. It is known that this execution, often used in Ancient Rome and in the territories under its control, was not only painful, but also the most shameful. As a rule, the most notorious criminals were subjected to it: murderers, robbers, as well as runaway slaves. In addition, according to Jewish law, a crucified person was considered damned. Thus, the Jews wanted not only to subject Jesus, whom they hated, to torment, but also to disgrace Him before his compatriots.

The execution, which took place on Mount Golgotha, was preceded by prolonged beatings and bullying, which the Savior had to endure from his tormentors. In 2000, the American film company Icon Productions made a film about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ called “The Passion of the Christ.” In it, director Mel Gibson showed these truly heartbreaking scenes with all sincerity.

Numbered among the villains

The description of the execution says that before the crucifixion of Christ, the soldiers brought Him sour wine, to which bitter substances were added, to relieve His suffering. Apparently, even these hardened people were no strangers to compassion for the pain of others. However, Jesus rejected their offer, wanting to fully endure the torment that He voluntarily took upon Himself for human sins.

To humiliate Jesus in the eyes of the people, the executioners crucified Him between two robbers, sentenced to death for the atrocities they had committed. However, by doing so, without realizing it, they clearly demonstrated the fulfillment of the words of the biblical prophet Isaiah, who predicted seven centuries earlier that the coming Messiah would be “counted among the evildoers.”

Execution carried out on Golgotha

When Jesus was crucified, and this happened around noon, which, according to the calculation of time accepted in that era, corresponded to six hours of the day, He tirelessly prayed before the Heavenly Father for the forgiveness of His executioners, attributing what they did to ignorance. At the top of the Cross above the head of Jesus there was a tablet with an inscription made by the hand of Pontius Pilate. It said in three languages ​​- Aramaic, Greek and Latin (which the Romans spoke) - that the executed man was Jesus the Nazarene, who called Himself the King of the Jews.

The soldiers who were at the foot of the Cross, according to custom, received the clothes of the executed man and divided them among themselves. This also fulfilled the prophecy once given by King David and which has come down to us in the text of his 21st Psalm. Evangelists also testify that when the crucifixion of Christ took place, the Jewish elders, and with them ordinary people, mocked Him in every possible way, shouting insults.

The pagan Roman soldiers did the same. Only the robber, hanging at the right hand of the Savior, stood up for Him, from the height of the cross, denouncing the executioners for the torment they had caused to an innocent man. At the same time, he himself repented of the crimes he had committed, for which the Lord promised him forgiveness and eternal life.

Death on the Cross

Evangelists testify that among those present at Calvary that day there were people who sincerely loved Jesus and experienced a severe shock at the sight of his suffering. Among them was His Mother the Virgin Mary, whose grief is beyond description, his closest disciple - the Apostle John, Mary Magdalene, as well as several other women from among His followers. On the icons, the subject of which is the Crucifixion of Christ (photos presented in the article), this scene is conveyed with special drama.

Further, the evangelists tell that at about the ninth hour, which in our opinion corresponds to about 15 hours, Jesus cried out to the Heavenly Father, and then, having tasted the vinegar offered to Him on the tip of a spear as an anesthetic, gave up the ghost. This was immediately followed by many heavenly signs: the curtain in the temple was torn in two, the stones fell apart, the earth opened up, and the bodies of the dead rose from it.

Conclusion

Everyone on Calvary was horrified by what they saw, since it became obvious that the man they crucified was truly the Son of God. This scene is also shown unusually vividly and expressively in the above-mentioned film about the crucifixion of Christ. Since the evening of the Easter meal was approaching, the body of the executed man, according to tradition, had to be removed from the Cross, which was exactly done. First, to make sure of His death, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ ribs with a spear, and blood mixed with water flowed from the wound.

Precisely because on the Cross Jesus Christ performed the act of atonement for human sins and thereby opened the path to eternal life for the children of God, this gloomy instrument of execution has been a symbol of sacrifice and boundless love for people for two millennia.

The crucifixion of Jesus is perhaps one of the most famous images to come out of Christianity. This event marks Good Friday, one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar. But what was the crucifixion? And why was Jesus killed in this way?

Crucifixion was the Roman method of punishment. Suspended from a high cross, the victim would eventually die from suffocation or exhaustion - a protracted and painful process. Typically, this method was used to publicly humiliate slaves and criminals (not always to kill them), and was used against persons of very low social status or who had committed a crime against the state. It is this final reason for Jesus' crucifixion that is mentioned in the Gospels: as King of the Jews, Jesus challenged the imperial supremacy of Rome (Matt. 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19-22).

Crucifixion could be carried out in a number of ways. Researchers of the Christian tradition recognize the fact that the limbs were nailed to a wooden cross; the question is whether the nails pierced the palms or the wrists, which were stronger in structure. However, the Romans did not always nail their victims to crosses, sometimes tying them with ropes instead. In fact, the only archaeological evidence for the practice of nailing crucified victims is an astragalus from the tomb of Jochanan, a man executed in the first century AD.

So was Jesus nailed to the cross?

Gospel Testimonies

Some early Gospels, such as the Gospel of Thomas, do not tell the story of Jesus' crucifixion, focusing instead on his teachings. However, the death of Jesus on the cross is something that S. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John agree on - each in their own way describes the episode of the crucifixion.

None of the New Testament Gospels mention whether Jesus was nailed or tied to a cross. However, the Gospel of John reports wounds on the hands of the resurrected Jesus. It was this reference that probably gave rise to the widespread tradition that Jesus' hands and feet were nailed rather than tied to the cross.

Context

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The Washington Post 03/28/2016

Jesus is not as pacifist as you think

Slate.fr 09.27.2015

How Palestinian Jesus Christ Fought Zionism

NRG 06/29/2015

How did Jesus change from a thief to the Son of God?

Tablet Magazine 08/01/2013 The non-canonical Gospel of Peter of the first or second century AD, in particular, describes (verse 21) how after the death of Jesus the nails were taken from his hands. The Gospel of Peter, as we know, also makes the cross an active character in the story of the passion of Christ. In verses 41-42 the cross speaks, answering with its own voice to God: “And they heard a voice from heaven: “Have You spoken to those who are sleeping?” And the answer was from the cross: “Yes.” Tradition is clearly of paramount importance to this text.

Over the past few years, a number of claims have emerged regarding the discovery of the actual nails used to crucify Jesus. Every time, biblical scholars and archaeologists rightly note the tension and erroneous interpretation of the evidence behind such statements. It is curious that the nailing version remains persistent despite the fact that the earliest Gospels do not mention this detail of Jesus' execution.

Descriptions of the crucifixion

It is not surprising that it took Christians some time to accept the image of Christ on the cross, given that crucifixion represented a humiliating death. What is surprising is what the earliest depiction of the crucifixion turns out to be. Instead of the pious icons we are familiar with—celebrating the death of Jesus—this earliest image is graffiti from the late second century mocking Christians.

The so-called Graffito of Alexamenos shows a figure crucified on a cross with the head of a donkey, accompanied by the caption: "Alexamenos worships his God." As Minucius Felix (Octavius ​​9.3; 28.7) and Tertullian (Apology 16.12) confirm, this was apparently a common accusation in ancient times. Since the author of the graffito was clearly not a Christian, this image suggests that non-Christians were familiar with some of the basic elements of the faith as early as the early second century.

Gems, often used for magical purposes, also provide some of the earliest known images of the crucified Jesus. This slab of jasper from the second or third century is carved with an image of a man on a cross surrounded by magical words.

Another very early image of the crucifixion was found carved on a carnelian gem set in a ring.

Scientists believe that the so-called gem of Constanza dates back to the fourth century AD. In this image, Jesus' hands do not appear to be nailed to the cross, as the hands hang naturally, as if he were tied at the wrists.

Since the evidence of ancient times does not give a clear answer to the question of whether Jesus was nailed or tied to the cross, the general understanding of the crucifixion is determined by tradition. Those who watched the film “The Passion of the Christ” will remember the episode of Jesus being nailed to the cross, to which director Mel Gibson devoted almost five whole minutes of screen time.

Given the relative silence of the Gospels regarding the act of crucifixion, the popularity of this image can be explained by graphic expansion. One of the few films where the crucifixion is presented without being nailed is Monty Python's Life of Brian, where the crucifixion victims, although Jesus is not among them, are tied to their crosses with ropes.

Emperor Constantine eventually put an end to crucifixion as a method of execution—not for ethical reasons, but out of respect for Jesus. But in the end, it is the enduring image of the cross, whether nails or ropes, that is most strongly associated with the death of Jesus in art and tradition.

“Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus to the praetorium, gathered the whole regiment against Him, and, having undressed Him, put a scarlet robe on Him; and having woven a crown of thorns, they placed it on His head and gave Him a reed in His right hand; and, kneeling before Him, they mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

(Matthew 27:27-29)

“And they spat on Him, and took a reed and beat Him on the head” (Matthew 27:30). This was done by all the soldiers who were then in the courtyard. First, each of them, approaching Jesus, fell to his knees in front of Him, then spat in his bloody face, then snatched the reed cane from His hands and hit him with all his might on the head, which was already completely wounded. After this, he inserted the cane back into Jesus' hand, and the next warrior did the same procedure. The soldiers struck Jesus on the head again and again. This was the second beating of Jesus, this time with a reed cane. Jesus endured excruciating pain, because His body had already been torn and torn by the whip during the scourging, and His head was deeply wounded by the crown of thorns.

When several hundred soldiers had finished spitting on Jesus and beating Him on the head, they “took off the purple robe from Him, and put His own garments on Him, and led Him away to be crucified” (Matthew 27:31). The scarlet had time to dry to the wounds of Jesus, because a lot of time had already passed. A sharp pain pierced His entire body when they pulled off the robe and the material tore off the blood that had dried on the open wounds. And this was the last attempt that Jesus endured in the courtyard of Pilate's residence. Then they put His clothes on Him and led Him to be crucified.

The soldiers mocked Jesus, mocked Him, bowing to Him as a king, not even suspecting that they were bowing their knees before the One before whom they would one day appear and give account for their actions. When that day comes, everyone will bow before Jesus, including those soldiers, but then they will no longer mock Him - they will bow before Him, recognizing Him and calling Him Lord.

After the scourging, Pilate handed Jesus over to the Roman soldiers to begin crucifixion. But first they exposed Him to public ridicule and shame: “Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus to the praetorium, gathered the whole regiment against Him, and, having undressed Him, put a purple robe on Him.” (Matthew 27:27-28). The Praetorium is the palace or official residence of the ruler. Pilate had several official residences in Jerusalem. He lived in the fortress of Antonia, and in the magnificent palace of Herod, located on the top of Mount Zion. Greek word spira — « regiment », called a detachment of 300 to 600 soldiers.

Hundreds of Roman soldiers filled the courtyard of Pilate's residence to take part in further events. “And when they had stripped Him, they put purple robe on Him” (Matthew 27:28). Greek word ekduo - “to undress” means strip naked, remove all clothes. At that time, nudity was considered a shame, dishonor, humiliation. Public nudity was common among pagans when they worshiped idols and statues. The Israelites, as God's people, respected the human body, created in the image of God, so it was considered a grave insult to display a naked person. And, of course, Jesus suffered, standing naked in front of several hundred soldiers, who meanwhile “put the purple robe on Him.” Greek phrase chlamuda kokkinen - “crimson”, consists of words chlamus And kokkinos. Word chlamus translated mantle, cloak. It could have been the cloak of one of the warriors, but the word kokkinos makes it clear that it was Pilate's old robe because In a word kokkinos — “crimson”, they called bright red robe. And such robes were worn by representatives of the royal family and titled persons. Could it be that the Roman soldiers stationed at Pilate's residence took out the old robe from the procurator's closet and brought it to the outer courtyard? Yes, most likely it was. The soldiers “weaved a crown of thorns and placed it on His head.” Word weave in Greekempleko. Spiny plants grew everywhere. They had long and sharp thorns like nails. The soldiers, taking several thorny branches, wove them into a dense wreath, which was shaped like a royal crown, and pulled it over Jesus’ head. Meaning of the Greek word epitithimi — « lay", indicates that they pulled with force This wreath is for him. Tearing his forehead, the thorns caused incredible pain. They literally tore the skin from Jesus' skull, and blood flowed profusely through these terrible wounds. Greek wordstephanos — « crown", called the desired crown of a winner. The soldiers wove this crown to ridicule Jesus. Little did they know that Jesus would soon achieve the greatest victory in human history! Having pulled this razor-sharp wreath onto Jesus’ head, the soldiers “put a reed in His right hand.” In the courtyard of Pilate's palace there were ponds and springs, along the banks of which long, hard reeds grew. So, Jesus sat in front of the soldiers, dressed in a royal robe, with a crown of thorns on his head, and then one of them, seeing that the picture was incomplete, pulled out a reed cane and handed it to Jesus. This reed played the role of the rod that is depicted on the famous statue “Hello, King”: Caesar holds a rod in his hand. Caesar with a rod in his right hand was also depicted on coins that were then in use. Jesus sat, dressed in the old royal robe, with a crown of thorns on his head, the thorns of which pierced deep into the skin, so that the blood ran down his face, and with a reed cane in his right hand, while the soldiers “knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying: Rejoice, King of the Jews!” One after another, they approached Jesus, grimacing and mocking, falling to their knees before Him. Same Greek wordempaidzo — « mock" is used in the verse where it says that Herod and the high priests mocked over Jesus. Mocking Him, the soldiers said: “Hail, King of the Jews!” With the word “Rejoice” they greeted the King, thereby expressing their respect to him. They now made fun of and shouted this same greeting to Jesus, presenting Him as a king who should be given honor.

Golgotha ​​- place of execution

“As they went out, they met a certain Cyrene man named Simon; this one was forced to bear His cross. And he came to a place called Golgotha, which means the Place of the Skull" (Matthew 27:32-33). The soldiers led Jesus out of Pilate's residence. Jesus carried the crossbar on Himself. The Romans built crucifixion crosses in the shape of the letter T. At the top of the vertical column they made a recess into which they inserted a crossbar with a victim nailed to it. The crossbar, weighing approximately forty-five kilograms, was carried by the nailed man all the way to the place of execution. According to Roman law, a convicted criminal had to carry the cross himself to the place of execution, unless he was crucified in the same place where he was tortured. The purpose of leading criminals to be crucified in front of all the people was to remind the people of the strength of the Roman army.

Vultures flocked to the site of the crucifixion. They circled in the sky, waiting for the execution to be completed, then rushed down and tore apart the still living executed person. Wild dogs roamed nearby, eagerly waiting for the executioners to remove the dead body from the cross, and pounced on fresh prey. After a person was found guilty and sentenced to crucifixion, the crossbar from the cross was placed on his back and led to the place of execution, and a herald walked ahead and loudly announced the guilt of this person. His guilt was also written down on a tablet, which was then hung on a cross above the head of the executed person. Sometimes it was hung around the neck of a criminal, and when he was led to the place of execution, all the observers lining the street could read what crime he had committed. The same tablet was hung over Jesus' head. It read: “King of the Jews.” It was written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin.

It was very difficult to carry a heavy crossbar over a long distance, and even more so for Jesus, who endured such painful torture. The crossbar crashed into His torn back. Then the Roman soldiers forced Simon of Cyrene to carry this crossbar, apparently because Jesus was completely exhausted by cruel torture. All that is known about Simon of Cyrene is that he was from Cyrene, the capital of the Roman province of Cyrenaica, located in the territory of modern Libya, about eighteen kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea.

So the soldiers forced Simon of Cyrene to carry Jesus’ cross. Greek word aggareuo - “to force”, also translated compel, oblige to military service. “And he came to a place called Golgotha, which means the Place of the Skull” (Matthew 27:33). This verse has been the subject of controversy for several hundred years because many have tried to determine the exact location of Jesus' crucifixion based on this verse of Scripture. Some denominations claim that He was crucified in what is now Jerusalem. Others claim that Golgotha ​​was the name given to an elevated place outside the walls of Jerusalem, which from a distance looked like a skull. And from the records of the early church fathers it is clear that both were mistaken. For example, Origen, an early patristic scholar who lived 185-253, recorded that Jesus was crucified at the site where Adam was buried and where his skull was found. Believers of the First Apostolic Church believed that Jesus was crucified near Adam's burial place, and when Jesus died and an earthquake occurred (see Matthew 27:51), His blood began to flow into the resulting crack in the rock and drip directly onto Adam's skull. This story became the tradition of the first church, and Jerome, one of the teachers of the church, theologian and polemicist, refers to it in his letter dating from the year 386.

Jewish traditions say that Shem, one of the sons of Noah, buried the skull of Adam near Jerusalem. This burial site was guarded by Melchizedek, the king of Salem (Jerusalem), who was also a priest who lived in the time of Abraham (see Genesis 14:18). The truth of this legend was unshakably believed, so that it became the main theme of traditional faith, and the skull of Adam, which lay at the foot of the cross, is still depicted in all paintings and icons. Now, when you see the skull at the foot of the cross in the picture, you will know that this is the skull of Adam, which was allegedly found at the site of Jesus’ crucifixion.

These rather interesting facts, although not proven, have been an important part of the history of Christianity for two thousand years. If all of the above were true, then it would be amazing that the second Adam - Jesus Christ - died for the sins of people in exactly the same place where the first Adam - the first sinner - was buried. If, in fact, the blood of Jesus flowed into a crack in the rock and fell on the skull of Adam, as the legend says, then it would be very symbolic that the blood of Jesus covers the sins of mankind, of which Adam became the founder.

But what is known for certain about the place of Jesus’ crucifixion? It is known that Roman soldiers crucified Him outside the walls of Jerusalem. And it doesn’t matter at all whether this was the place where Adam’s skull was found - it is important to know and understand that Jesus died for the sins of all people of all times, including for you and me. Yes, we do not know the exact place of Jesus' crucifixion, but we must know the scriptures that talk about His crucifixion and meditate on them. Life is fleeting, and sometimes we don’t have time to think about the price at which we were redeemed. Salvation was given to us freely, but Jesus paid for it with the price of His blood. Glory to Him!

The controversy over where Jesus was crucified clearly shows how people, while trying to understand unimportant issues, miss the vital things that God wants to convey to them. For centuries people have been arguing about where Jesus was crucified instead of considering for whom He was crucified. “...Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). And this is the truth.

Aren't we grateful that Jesus paid the price of his own blood to forgive the sins of all mankind? Through Adam's disobedience, sin and death came to earth. But through the obedience of Jesus we received a gift from God - salvation and eternal life. God's grace and gift of righteousness belong to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ (see Romans 15:12-21). Every believer now has the privilege of reigning in life as a joint heir with Jesus Himself.

They gave Him vinegar mixed with gall to drink

Jesus was brought to Calvary and “They gave Him vinegar mixed with gall to drink.” Jewish law required that a person about to be crucified be given an anesthetic mixed with wine to dull the pain. To alleviate the suffering of people dying a painful death on the cross, some women in Jerusalem made such a remedy. Matthew mentions this remedy.

Jesus was offered this painkiller before His crucifixion and while He was hanging on the cross (see Matthew 27:34, 48). And twice Jesus refused, knowing that he had to fully drink the cup of suffering that the Father had intended for Him. After this He was crucified. Greek word staurao — « crucify" — word form stauros, meaning stake, a pointed pole intended to punish a criminal. This word described those who hanged, impaled or beheaded, and the corpse was hung for public display. This word also meant public execution of a sentence. The purpose of the public execution on the cross was to further humiliate a person and thereby increase his suffering.

Crucifixion was the most cruel form of punishment. Josephus, the Jewish historian, described crucifixion as “the most terrible kind of death.” It is visually indescribable horror. And Seneca, in one of his letters to Lucilius, wrote that suicide was much preferable to crucifixion.

Different countries carried out executions differently. For example, in the East, the victim was first beheaded and then hung out for everyone to see. Among the Jews they were stoned to death, and then the corpse was hung on a tree. “If anyone has a crime worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, then his body should not spend the night on the tree, but bury him on the same day, for cursed before God is [everyone] who is hanged [on a tree] ], and do not defile your land, which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance” (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). And in the time of Jesus, the execution of the death sentence passed entirely into the hands of the Romans. Crucifixion was the most cruel and painful type of execution. The most dangerous criminals were sentenced to crucifixion, usually those who committed treason or participated in terrorist activities. The Israelis hated the Roman soldiers stationed on their territory, so uprisings often broke out among the local population. To intimidate the people and stop the riots, the Romans practiced crucifixion. The public crucifixion of those who tried to overthrow the ruler terrified everyone who wanted to participate in such revolts. Having brought the criminal to the place of execution, they stretched his arms and placed him on the crossbar, which he himself carried. The Roman soldier then nailed the victim to this crossbar, piercing the wrists with 12.5 cm long metal nails. After this, the crossbar was lifted with a rope and inserted into a notch at the top of a vertical post. And when the crossbar jerked into this notch, the executed man was pierced by unbearable pain, because the sudden movement twisted his arms and wrists. Also, the arms were twisted from the weight of the body. Josephus wrote that the Roman soldiers, “breathing with rage and hatred, amused themselves by beating down criminals.” Crucifixion was truly the most cruel form of execution.

The nails were driven not into the palms, but between the small bones of the wrist. Then they nailed down the legs. To do this, the feet were placed one on top of the other with the toes down and nailed with a long nail between the small bones of the metatarsus. They nailed it very tightly so that the nail would not jump out of the feet when the victim bends over to take a breath of air. To inhale, the executed person had to rise up, leaning on his nailed feet. He could not remain in this position for a long time and sank again. Thus, by rising and falling, the man twisted his shoulder joint. Soon my elbows and wrists were twisted. These exhalations stretched my arms twenty-two centimeters longer. Spasmodic muscle contractions began, and the person could no longer rise to take a breath. Thus suffocation ensued.

Jesus experienced all these terrible torments. When He, taking a breath, lowered himself onto his pierced wrists, a terrible pain radiated into his fingers, pierced his arms and brain. The agony was also brought closer by the fact that when Jesus rose to take a breath and then fell, the wounds on his back were torn. Due to severe blood loss and rapid breathing, the body of the executed person was completely dehydrated. And when Jesus Christ became dehydrated, He said: "thirst"(John 19:28). Blood serum slowly filled the pericardial space, compressing the heart. After several hours of torment, the heart of the crucified man stopped.

After some time had passed, a Roman soldier thrust a spear into Jesus' side to see if He was still alive. If Jesus were alive, then he would have heard a loud chest sound that would have been made by air coming out of this hole. But blood and water poured out from there, therefore, Jesus’ lungs, filled with liquid, stopped working, and his heart stopped. Jesus was dead. As a rule, Roman soldiers broke the legs of the executed person so that he could no longer rise and take a breath, then suffocation would occur much faster. However, Jesus was already dead, so there was no need to break His legs.

For our salvation, Jesus endured all the unspeakable pain of crucifixion

He “... having been made in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man; He humbled himself, becoming obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross.” (Philippians 2:7-8). In the original, this verse especially emphasizes the wordde - even. He emphasizes that Jesus humbled Himself so much that even went to death on the cross - at that time the most base, humiliating, despicable, shameful, painful type of death. The executed person fell into agony, so the women prepared a painkiller for those sentenced to crucifixion. Jesus was offered to drink this bile before the crucifixion and when He was already hanging on the cross.

Jesus hung on the cross, and meanwhile "...they divided His garments by casting lots" at the foot of the cross (Matthew 27:35). they didn't understand what really happened. They did not realize the value of the atonement that was being accomplished as Jesus hung on the cross, suffocating from the fluid in his lungs. Jewish law required that a person be crucified naked. And according to Roman law, the soldiers who carried out the crucifixion were allowed to take the clothes of the executed person. Therefore, Jesus hung naked in full view of everyone, and the executioners divided His clothes among themselves, casting lots: “When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier, and a tunic; The tunic was not sewn, but entirely woven on top. So they said to each other, “Let us not rend him, but let us cast lots for him...” (John 19:23-34). This suggests that four soldiers crucified Jesus, and then divided His headdress, sandals, belt and outer clothing among themselves. His chiton was without seams, i.e. sewn entirely from top to bottom, and was a rather expensive item of clothing, so they decided to cast lots for it so as not to tear it into four parts.

How did they cast lots? They wrote their names on a piece of parchment or on a piece of wood or stone, then they dropped them into some container, most likely, one of them took off his helmet and they all put the scraps with their names in there, then they were mixed and the name of the winner was pulled out at random. The amazing thing is that they did this while Jesus was hanging nailed to the cross, barely rising on his pierced legs to take a breath of air. Jesus' strength was exhausted, the weight of human sin weighed down more and more, and meanwhile the soldiers were amused, wondering who would get the best part of His clothing.

"And they sat and watched over Him there" (Matthew 27:36). Greek wordtereo — « guard" means constantly guard, always be on alert. The soldiers had to maintain order during the execution and be on guard so that no one would help Jesus escape crucifixion. And after the execution, casting lots, they continued to watch out of the corner of their eyes so that no one would approach or touch Jesus dying on the cross.

When I read about the crucifixion of Christ, I always want to repent of the heartlessness of people for whom the cross means nothing. In our time, the cross has become just a fashionable thing, decorated with stones, rock crystal, gold, and silver. Beautiful cross earrings are worn in the ears, crosses dangle on chains, some even get cross tattoos. And this saddens me, because by decorating themselves with crosses, people have forgotten that in fact the cross on which Jesus died was not at all beautiful and richly decorated. This cross was terrible And disgusting. Jesus, completely naked, was put on display for all to see. The scourge tore His body to shreds. He was mutilated from head to toe. On the cross He had to stand up on his pierced feet to take a breath of air. Each nerve sent signals of excruciating pain to the brain. Blood covered his face and streamed down his arms, legs, from countless cuts and gaping wounds. This cross - terrible and repulsive - was not at all like the crosses with which people decorate themselves today.

Believers should not forget what the cross really was like and what torment Jesus endured on it. We cannot realize the cost at which the Lord redeemed us unless we reflect on what He experienced. Never forget His sufferings and the cost of your salvation, lest your redemption become something taken for granted and not worth special attention to. Know that “...you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from the futile life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19). The women wanted to dull His pain and prepare a painkiller for Him, but He refused. And don't let the world dull your memories of the cost Jesus paid to save you.Never forget His suffering and the cost of your salvation, so that your redemption does not become something self-evident and not worth special attention to you. Meditate on the agony of Jesus on the cross, and I am sure you will love Him much more than you do now.

The curtain of the temple was torn and the earth shook

“From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour; and about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice: Either, Or! Lama Savakhthani? that is: My God, My God! Why have you forsaken me?

(Matthew 27:45-46)

At the sixth hour of the day Jesus was crucified, the sky darkened. “From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.” (Matthew 27:45). Look at the words Matthew chose to describe this event. Greek wordginomai — "was", refers to events that are approaching slowly and no one knows about them. Quite unexpectedly, clouds flew in, clouding the sky more and more until an ominous darkness fell on the ground. Greek wordges — "earth" means the whole earth and not some part. The whole world plunged into darkness.

At six o'clock at midnight the high priests Caiaphas headed to the temple to sacrifice the Passover lamb. There was darkness until the ninth hour - that is, until the moment when the high priest was supposed to enter the Holy of Holies with the blood of the lamb, which would wash away the sins of all the people. It was at this moment that Jesus cried out: “It is finished!” Standing up and taking one last breath of air, Jesus let out a cry of victory! Having given up his spirit, He fulfilled His mission on earth.

And then in verse 51 Matthew writes simply amazing words: “And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom...” There were two veils inside the temple: one hung at the entrance to the Holy Place, and the other at the entrance to the Holy of Holies. Only the high priest was allowed to enter behind the second veil once a year. This curtain was eighteen meters high, nine meters high and approximately ten centimeters thick. One Jewish writer claims that the veil was so heavy that three hundred priests together could move it. And no one could tear such a veil apart.

At the moment when Jesus took his last breath on the cross of Calvary, the high priest Caiaphas was preparing to step behind the second veil in the temple and enter the Holy of Holies along with the blood of the immaculate lamb. At that moment, when Caiaphas had already approached the curtain and was about to go behind it, Jesus exclaimed: “It is finished!” and a few kilometers from Calvary, inside the Jerusalem Temple, a completely inexplicable, mysterious, supernatural phenomenon occurred: a massive, strong, strong curtain, which stood at the entrance to the Holy of Holies and was 10 centimeters thick, was torn in two from the top and to the very bottom. The sound must have been deafening as the curtain was torn apart. It seemed as if the invisible hands of God took the curtain from above, tore it in two and threw it away.

Imagine how stunned Caiaphas was when he heard the sound of a curtain being torn apart above his head, then saw how the curtain was torn in half and now pieces of it were already flying to the right and left of him! I wonder what thoughts ran through the cunning mind of the high priest when he saw that the entrance to the Holy of Holies was open and realized that God was no longer there.

Even from the death of Jesus “...the earth shook; and the stones dissipated" (Matthew 27:51). Greek wordseiso — “shocked”, translated shake, shake, create unrest, disorder. Origen, Christian theologian and philosopher. He wrote that on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion there was a powerful earthquake. The Israelites rejected Jesus, the Romans crucified Him, and nature recognized Him! She Always She recognized him! The waves obeyed Him, the water turned into wine at His command, the fish and loaves multiplied when He touched them, the atoms of the water became solid when He walked on it, the wind died down when He commanded Him. No wonder that The death of Jesus was a tragedy even for nature. The earth shook, shook and trembled, because the death of its Creator was a loss to it. This reaction of nature tells me how enormous the significance of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ is!

The blood of Jesus on the cross became the final payment for the sin of the people, so there was no need for an annual sacrifice. The Holy of Holies, where only the High Priest could enter once a year, can now be entered by each of us and enjoy the presence of God. He opened the way for us to the Holy of Holies, so every day, at least for a few minutes, enter God's presence, worship Him, open your desires to Him.

Buried

“In the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. They laid Jesus there for the sake of the Friday of Judea, because the tomb was near.”

(John 19:41-42)

Not far from the place where Jesus was crucified there was a garden. Greek word keros - “garden”, they called a garden in which trees and herbs grew. The word can also be translated orchard. The Garden of Gethsemane was also called this name because it contained many olive trees (see John 18:1).

All four Gospels say that the tomb was close to where Jesus was crucified. At that time, people were crucified mainly along the road. It appears that the garden was next to the road where Jesus was crucified. The tomb in which He was laid was “new, in which no one had been laid before.”

Greek word kainos — “new” also translates as fresh, unused. But this does not mean at all that the tomb was carved recently, just that no one was buried in it. Matthew, Mark and Luke write that this tomb belonged to Joseph of Arimathea and that he prepared it for himself. And the fact that it was carved into the rock once again confirms that Joseph of Arimathea was very rich (Matthew 27:60, Mark 15:46, Luke 23:53). Only members of the imperial family and very rich people could afford to carve a tomb into a stone wall or rock. Less wealthy people were buried in ordinary graves.

Greek word laxeuo — “carve” also translates to grind, polish. This means that the tomb was special, expertly made, exquisite, magnificent and quite expensive. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be laid in the tomb of a rich man (Isaiah 53:9), and the word laxeuo confirms that this was in fact the expensive tomb of a rich man. “They laid Jesus there.” Greek wordtithimi — “put”, also translated to glorify, place, put in place. Given the meaning of this word, we can say that the body of Jesus was carefully and carefully laid in the tomb. Then the women who came from Galilee “looked at the tomb, and how His body was laid out” (Luke 23:55). From the Greek word theomai - “watch”, the word theater came from. It also translates to look closely, to observe carefully. The women carefully examined the tomb, making sure that the body of Jesus was placed in the tomb carefully and with respect.

Mark writes that these were Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Josiah. They “looked where they laid Him” (Mark 15:47). These women specifically came to make sure that Jesus' body was placed correctly. This part of the verse could be translated: “they watched carefully where they would lay Him.” If Jesus had lived, those who prepared His body for burial would have noticed. After placing the body in the tomb, they stayed a little longer, checking again and again that everything was done correctly and with due respect. Then Joseph of Arimathea “rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb and departed” (Matthew 27:60; Mark 15:46).

It was very difficult to move the huge stone covering the entrance to the tomb, so it was impossible to get inside. But the high priests and Pharisees, fearing that Jesus’ disciples would steal the body and then announce that he had risen, came to Pilate with the words: “Sir! We remembered that the deceiver, while still alive, said: after three days I will rise again; So, give orders that the tomb be guarded until the third day, so that His disciples, coming at night, do not steal Him and say to the people: He has risen from the dead; and the last deception will be worse than the first (Matthew 27:63-64).

Greek word sphragidzo — "to guard" means to place the government seal on documents, letters, property, or a tomb. Before sealing the item, it was carefully checked to ensure that the contents were in perfect order. The seal ensured that the contents remained safe and sound. In this verse the word sphragidzo means to seal the tomb. In all likelihood, a rope was pulled across the stone that was used to close the entrance, and, by order of Pilate. A seal was placed on both ends. But first they checked the tomb and made sure that the body of Jesus was in place. Then they pushed the stone back and put a seal. But first they checked the tomb and made sure that the body of Jesus was in place. Then they moved the stone and put the seal of the Roman procurator.

So, listening to the concerns of the chief priests and Pharisees, “Pilate said to them: You have a guard; go and protect it as best you can" (Matthew 27:65). From the Greek wordcoustodia — guard", the English word originated custodian - " watchman." It was a group of four warriors that took turns every three hours. Thus, the tomb was guarded around the clock by vigilant, attentive soldiers who were always on the alert. The first part of the verse would be more accurately translated as: “Behold, I give you a company of soldiers to guard the tomb.”

“They went and set a guard at the tomb, and set a seal on the stone” (Matthew 27:66). Without wasting any time, the high priests and elders hurried to the tomb, capturing the procurator's soldiers and military leaders to inspect the tomb before it was sealed. After a careful entry, the stone was rolled down again and the soldiers began to stand guard so that no one would approach the tomb or even try to steal the body. Every three hours a new group of guards came on shift. Armed soldiers guarded the tomb of Jesus so vigilantly that no one could come close to it.

The seal would not have been placed if they had not been convinced that Jesus was dead, which means that the body was again carefully examined to ensure His death. Some critics claim that only Jesus' disciples examined the body, and they could have lied that he was dead. But the body was examined by one of Pilate’s commanders. And, of course, the high priests and elders who accompanied the soldiers to the tomb, wanting to make sure of His death, also carefully examined the body. So when Jesus came out of the tomb a few days later, it was not a fabrication or a set-up. Not only did everyone see how He died on the cross, but after that the body was examined more than once to make sure of death, then they rolled a stone and the military commander who served at the court of the procurator sealed the tomb.

Joseph of Arimathea carefully placed the body of Jesus in the tomb.

Nicodemus brought the embalming agent and helped Joseph of Arimathea place Jesus in the tomb.

Mary Magdalene and Mary Joseph looked lovingly at their dear Jesus and carefully watched that everything was done correctly and respectfully.

Then the Roman commander ordered to move away the stone with which Joseph of Arimathea blocked the entrance, went inside and made sure that the body of Jesus was in place and that He was in fact dead.

The chief priests and elders entered the tomb along with the commander to make sure that Jesus was dead and that the body was in place. They wanted to put an end to their worries that Jesus had somehow managed to survive.

The guards also checked. Is the body still there so as not to guard the empty tomb? After all, then some could blame them for the disappearance of the body, while others would claim that Jesus was resurrected.

After repeated careful inspection, the military leader ordered the stone to be rolled back to the entrance. Then, under the careful supervision of the high priests, elders and guards, he placed the seal of the Roman procurator on the stone.

All precautions were in vain: death could not keep Jesus in the tomb. Preaching on the day of Pentecost, Peter proclaimed to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: “...you took it and, having nailed it with the hands of the wicked, you killed; but God raised Him up, breaking the bonds of death, because it was impossible for it to hold Him.” (Acts 2:23-24). This tomb is empty because Jesus rose again on the third day! Now He sits on the throne at the right hand of the Father and makes intercession for you. He has become your High Priest and constantly intercedes for you, so you do not have to fight your difficulties alone. Jesus is waiting for you to come to Him boldly and ask for help. There is no mountain that He cannot move, so go to Him and reveal your needs and desires to Him!

On the third day, Jesus rose again!

“And after the Sabbath had passed, at dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for the Angel of the Lord, who had descended from heaven, came and rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb and sat on it.”

(Matthew 28:1-2)

Jesus rose again on the third day! Jesus is alive! His resurrection is not some kind of philosophical revival of His ideas and teachings - He rose from the dead in a very real way! God's power rushed into the tomb, reunited Jesus' spirit with His dead body, filled the body with life, and He was resurrected! Such a powerful force burst into the tomb that even the earth began to shake. Then the Angel moved the stone from the entrance and alive Jesus came out of the tomb! He rose again between sunset on Saturday and dawn on Sunday, before the women arrived at the tomb. The only eyewitnesses to the resurrection process itself were the angels present there and the four guards guarding the tomb by order of Pilate: “Pilate said to them: You have a guard; go and protect it as best you can. They went and placed a guard at the tomb and put a seal on the stone.” (Matthew 27:65-66).

When you read in all four Gospels about the events of that morning, there may seem to be some kind of discrepancy between them. But if you chronologically arrange the details of what happened, then everything becomes extremely clear and the apparent inconsistency disappears. I want to give an example of what may seem like a discrepancy. The Gospel of Matthew says that The angel was near the tomb. The Gospel of Mark says that The angel was sitting in the tomb. The Gospel of Luke describes that there were two Angels in the tomb. And in the Gospel of John, first the Angel in general not mentioned and it is said that when Mary returned to the tomb in the afternoon, she saw two Angels, one sat at the head where Jesus lay, and the other at his feet. So where is the truth? And how many Angels were there really? But, as I already said, in order to have a correct idea of ​​what happened on that day, you need to correctly chronologically arrange the events described in all four Gospels.

“And after the Sabbath had passed, at dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.” (Matthew 28:1). In addition to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, the mother of James, other women also came to the tomb. They were at the tomb when the body of Jesus was laid there, but then they returned home and prepared incense and ointments so that, when they returned on Sunday, they would anoint the body of Jesus with them for burial: “The women also who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed, and looked at the tomb, and how His body was laid out; Having returned, they prepared incense and ointments; and on the Sabbath they remained at rest according to the commandment.” (Luke 23:55-56). While they were preparing the incense, the tomb was sealed and a detachment of soldiers was stationed to guard it around the clock. If the women had known about this, they would not have returned, because no one would have allowed them to move the stone anyway. “And very early, on the first day of the week, they come to the tomb, at sunrise, and say among themselves: who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” (Mark 16:2-3). And when they approached the tomb, they discovered that the stone had been rolled away; and he was very great” (Mark 16:4).

Greek word sphodra — « very”, translatedvery, extremely, extremely. And great - in Greekmega: huge, massive, huge. As you can see, the soldiers have closed the entrancea huge massive stone. But the stone was rolled away! Matthew says who rolled away the stone:“...The angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb, and sat on it.” (Matthew 28:2). Apparently, the Angel was of enormous size, since he was sitting on such a huge stone, like on a chair. This means that moving the stone away was a simple matter for him. Matthew writes that the Angel was not only very strong, but also“His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.” (verse 3). The Angel's enormous size, strength and radiance explain why the guards ran away.“Fearing him, those who guarded them trembled and became as if they were dead.” (verse 4).

Greek word phobos — "frightened" meansget scared. And it was panic fear, which made the guards tremble.

Greek word seio — "awe", is a cognate with the Greek wordseimos — "earthquake". The strong, strong Roman soldiers shook with fear at the sight of the Angel and became as if they were dead.

Greek word hekros — "dead", translateddead body. The soldiers were so frightened by the appearance of the Angel that they fell to the ground in fear and could not move. And having come to their senses a little, they rushed to run as fast as they could. When the women came to the garden, there was already no trace of them. The women walked past the moved stone and the Angel sitting on it, and entered the tomb. But what did they find at the place where Jesus was laid?“And when they entered into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe.clothes; and were horrified" (Mark 16:5). First, the women saw an Angel sitting by a stone at the entrance to the tomb, and when they went inside, they saw another Angel that looked like a young man. He was dressed in white clothes. Greek wordslot — "clothes" were long, flowing dresses worn by rulers, military leaders, kings, priests and other high-ranking people. The women stood in the tomb and were perplexed. AND“...suddenly two men appeared before them in shining clothes” (Luke 24:4).

Greek word epistemi — « appeared", translatedsuddenly come across, take by surprise, suddenly show up, suddenly approach, suddenly appear. While the women were trying to comprehend what they had seen, the Angel sitting on the stone decided to join them and went inside. This is what the women saw in the tombsecondAngela in shining clothes.

Greek wordastrapto — “brilliant”, they called whatglitters or flashes like lightning. This description applies tosparkling sight Angelov, and to lightning speed, with which they appear and disappear. The angels, having conveyed the good news of the resurrection of Jesus, said to the women:“But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you into Galilee; There you will see Him, just as He told you." (Mark 16:7). And they're right there “...they ran to tell His disciples” (Matthew 28:8). Mark writes:“And they went out and ran from the tomb...” (Mark 16:8). And Luke writes that women“...they announced all this to the eleven and to all the rest.” (Luke 24:9). Can you imagine how worried the women were, trying to explain to the Apostles what they saw and heard this morning?“And their words seemed empty to them, and they did not believe them.” (Luke 24:11).

Greek word leros - “empty”, translated nonsense, chatter, nonsense. The women’s words were unintelligible, but still interested Peter and John, and they went to find out what had happened. Yes, it is not always possible to convey in words your experiences of meeting the Lord. But as much as you can, tell your family, friends, and acquaintances about Christ. Because while you are speaking to them, the Holy Spirit is also speaking to their heart. You will have finished telling them about Christ, and the Holy Spirit will continue to work in their hearts. And when they accept Christ, they will not even remember that you confusedly told them about salvation - they will be grateful to you for not remaining indifferent to where they will spend eternity. Never be shy about sharing that Jesus Christ rose from the dead!

When was the last time you told your family, friends, and acquaintances about Jesus? Since the day is coming when they will bow the knee to Jesus anyway, don't you want them to bow to Him here on earth and not in hell? How long has it been since you bowed your knees? To pray and praise Jesus? I advise you to do this every day.

Let's pray:

“Lord, show me people who are not yet saved and therefore need saving. You died for them to give them eternal life. I know You are counting on me to tell them about You. Holy Spirit, strengthen me and give me the courage to tell them the truth that will save them from eternal torment in hell. Help me tell them about salvation before it's too late. Lord, help me to never forget the cost of my salvation. Forgive me that in the turmoil of life I often forgot what You have done for me. No one could pay for my sin, so You went to the cross, taking upon Yourself my sins, illnesses, pain, worries. On the cross You redeemed me, and I thank You for that with all my heart.

Lord, I don’t have enough words to fully thank You for everything that You did for me by dying on the cross. I don't deserve it. So that You would give Your life for me: take away my sin and bear the punishment that I had to bear. I thank You with all my heart: You did for me what no one else would ever do. If it were not for You, I would not have salvation and eternal life, and I thank You, Lord, for giving Your life for my redemption.

I will testify for Jesus Christ. I am ready at every opportunity to speak about salvation to those who have not yet been saved. And when I speak to them, they will listen with an open heart and heed my words. I am not ashamed to talk about the Lord, so my family, friends, acquaintances, and co-workers will accept Christ and find salvation. In faith I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen".

Your friend and brother in Christ,

Rick Renner

Alexander asks
Answered by Viktor Belousov, 06/07/2013

Alexander asks:“Please explain the essence of Jesus’ atonement for our sins. After all, He, being the Son of God, is still one God with the Father. It turns out that God atoned for our sins from Himself. And why did this require atonement by blood, and not just forgiveness? Help me understand. Thank you. "

Peace be with you, Alexander

There are several views on this issue. I will try to reveal two of them a little.

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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The original text says: “The wages of sin is death...”. There are different views on sin. Does God punish sin with death or does God call that which leads to death sin?

The Greeks have a thought: “Do the gods choose good because it is good, or is good good because it was chosen by the gods?”, similarly, you can substitute the words “law”, “sin”, “righteousness”, etc. Is good good because God chose it? Or did God choose it because it is good?

You can consider the issue of sin “legally” - that death is a punishment, as St. Augustine considered it in the concept of “theodicy”, there is its own logic of reasoning.

One can look at the issue of sin "medically" - that sin is a disease that causes death in itself.

If in the first case there is a chain “sin -> retribution as the will of God -> death”, then in the second “the law of life -> violation is sin -> which causes death.”

The second option is more like the truth, from my point of view, because there are obvious laws of life in the Universe. There is a “golden ratio”, there are constants, there is homeostasis in organisms, etc. If these laws are violated, it will be bad, ugly, destructive - either immediately or over time. The very violation of these rules of “righteousness” causes the destruction of life; violation does not need to be punished. Parents can punish a child for falling and breaking his knee, but the fact that he broke his knee is already sufficient punishment, and the fact that he is scolded so that he does not do this again is pedagogy.

Christ took our sins upon Himself. He took all our mistakes, all the reasons (which led to consequences) and suffered death (as a break with God the Father). It's like injecting a virus into a person who has a strong immune system so that his body produces antibodies - which will help cope with diseases in many people. But death did not hold Him back - because Christ Himself did not sin, He took our sins and therefore sin had no power over Him. Christ thus conquered sin and was resurrected. Because where there is no cause, there is no effect.

Why blood? Blood is a carrier of information, in modern terms. There are many such interesting texts in Scripture:

10 If anyone from the house of Israel or from the strangers who live among you eats any blood, then I will set my face against the life of the one who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from among his people.
11 For the life of the body is in the blood, and I have appointed it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for the blood makes atonement for the soul;
12 Therefore I said to the children of Israel, “Not one soul among you shall eat blood, nor shall the stranger who sojourns among you eat blood.”
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Soul, life, emotions - somehow interact with blood. You may have read the facts that during a blood transfusion or heart transplant a person’s tastes, desires, and preferences can change. There is some meaning in this. The blood of Christ - if one can say so figuratively as “the bearer of His righteousness” - cleanses us from sin.

7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
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Bless you,
Victor

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