From Gethsemane to Golgotha
As Jerusalem slept, or retired for the night, temple guards entered the Garden of Gethsemane. Led by one of the Savior's disciples, Judas, they found the Lord after He had completed His work there. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was taken into custody and brought before an ILLEGAL meeting of the Sanhedrin, in a trial that was a sham. It was so rushed that they could not get the witnesses to collaborate their stories sufficiently to convict. In another ILLEGAL move, they forced Jesus to testify against himself. Because it was to be, He gave them what they needed for their shadow show trial.
Peter who was nearby, he who had proclaimed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, denied Him to others. Three times. He was not prepared to follow in the footsteps of his master.
The Jews waited until morning to bring him before Pilate, as they had no power to execute. They would not even enter Pilate's palace, as it was possible there was bread with yeast, and it was the Passover. Just think on that for a minute. About to execute the Messiah, they were worried about becoming unclean by yeast.
While they had convicted him of blasphemy, their charge to Pilate was insurrection. Pilate was on edge, it was a time of trouble, and he was already in trouble with Rome. He sent him to Herod, the Tetrarch of Galilee. Herod mocked him, his soldiers abused him, and sent him back to Pilate. Pilate ordered him scourged, attempting to appease the crowd. It didn't help that Pilate's wife had sent him a message to have nothing to do with that man, that she had suffered much in dreams because of him.
For those that don't know, many died from being scourged. The loss of blood, the tearing of muscles and nerves, and infection, were part and parcel to it. But he was not to die by scourging. The soldiers mocked him. They put a crown of thorns upon him, they dressed him in a purple robe. He was brought before Pilate, who tried to win his release by an annual boon to the Jews, He offered to free a prisoner, and it could be either Jesus or Barabbas, one who had been convicted of insurrection. The Jews chose to free a hardened criminal rather than their King. Pilate washed his hands symbolically, and sent the soldiers to do the deed.
"We cannot know, we cannot tell, what pain he had to bear". (There is a Green Hill Far Away, Hymn #194 LDS Hymnbook, Cecil Alexander) How true the words. We cannot fathom the pain that He felt. The pain in Gethsemane, the crushing pain of the sins of the world. The pain of being convicted by His chosen people, of blasphemy against Himself. The pain at the hands of the Romans. If you want a glimpse of that, I would suggest watching "The Passion of the Christ". The pain depicted is probably very, very accurate. And ultimately the Cross.
As we go into Good Friday, let us all pause, and think about what He did for US. Not us collectively, but in a way we can't understand, for each one of us, individually. Our pain was His pain. Our suffering His. Our salvation from death He freely gave by His death and resurrection. If we strive to follow Him, to keep His commandments, and to repent, then we will enter into His Kingdom.
King of Kings, Lord of Lords.
Peter who was nearby, he who had proclaimed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, denied Him to others. Three times. He was not prepared to follow in the footsteps of his master.
The Jews waited until morning to bring him before Pilate, as they had no power to execute. They would not even enter Pilate's palace, as it was possible there was bread with yeast, and it was the Passover. Just think on that for a minute. About to execute the Messiah, they were worried about becoming unclean by yeast.
While they had convicted him of blasphemy, their charge to Pilate was insurrection. Pilate was on edge, it was a time of trouble, and he was already in trouble with Rome. He sent him to Herod, the Tetrarch of Galilee. Herod mocked him, his soldiers abused him, and sent him back to Pilate. Pilate ordered him scourged, attempting to appease the crowd. It didn't help that Pilate's wife had sent him a message to have nothing to do with that man, that she had suffered much in dreams because of him.
For those that don't know, many died from being scourged. The loss of blood, the tearing of muscles and nerves, and infection, were part and parcel to it. But he was not to die by scourging. The soldiers mocked him. They put a crown of thorns upon him, they dressed him in a purple robe. He was brought before Pilate, who tried to win his release by an annual boon to the Jews, He offered to free a prisoner, and it could be either Jesus or Barabbas, one who had been convicted of insurrection. The Jews chose to free a hardened criminal rather than their King. Pilate washed his hands symbolically, and sent the soldiers to do the deed.
"We cannot know, we cannot tell, what pain he had to bear". (There is a Green Hill Far Away, Hymn #194 LDS Hymnbook, Cecil Alexander) How true the words. We cannot fathom the pain that He felt. The pain in Gethsemane, the crushing pain of the sins of the world. The pain of being convicted by His chosen people, of blasphemy against Himself. The pain at the hands of the Romans. If you want a glimpse of that, I would suggest watching "The Passion of the Christ". The pain depicted is probably very, very accurate. And ultimately the Cross.
As we go into Good Friday, let us all pause, and think about what He did for US. Not us collectively, but in a way we can't understand, for each one of us, individually. Our pain was His pain. Our suffering His. Our salvation from death He freely gave by His death and resurrection. If we strive to follow Him, to keep His commandments, and to repent, then we will enter into His Kingdom.
King of Kings, Lord of Lords.
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