(Gospel of John 19:17 - 19:43)
Bearing the cross himself, Jesus went out of the city to a hill called the Place of the Skull (or Golgotha, in Hebrew). There the soldiers nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him; they were placed on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate had posted on the cross an inscription that read, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Judeans." Many people were able to read the inscription because it was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek and the location where Jesus was crucified was just outside the city. The chief priests, though, complained to Pilate, "Don’t write ‘King of the Judeans,’ but instead, ‘He who claims to be King of the Judeans’.” But Pilate dismissed their objections. "What I have written, I have written,” he told them.
As soon as the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they helped themselves to his clothes, dividing them evenly between the four of them. Remaining was the undergarment, the tunic. This article was woven from top to bottom and, therefore, had no seam. "Let's not tear it," they decided. "Let's draw lots to see who gets it." And that's what the soldiers did, fulfilling a prophecy that said, "They divided my garments among them and drew lots for my clothing.”
Standing near the cross were Jesus' mother, Mary, her sister-in-law, Mary, who was the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother there with a disciple he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Madam, here is your son!” And to the disciple he said, “Here is your mother." And from that time the disciple would shelter her in his own home.
Shortly after, Jesus, knowing that all had now come to fruition said, in fulfillment of prophecy, "I'm thirsty!" A jar of vinegar was there, and so the soldiers soaked a sponge in the vinegar. They attached the sponge to the end of a hyssop branch and conveyed it to his mouth. After tasting it, Jesus proclaimed, "It is finished!" He bowed his head and expired.
As it was the day of Preparation of the Passover and the following day was to be a special holiday, the religious authorities did not want any bodies left on the crosses. They requested of Pilate that the crucified men have their legs broken and removed from the crosses. The soldiers thus came and broke the legs of one of the men who were crucified with Jesus, and then the other, but when they came to Jesus, they found that he had already died; therefore they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, causing a spurting of blood and water. (An eye witness testified to this factual event. He insists that he speaks the truth, so you can believe him.) These things occurred in fulfillment of Scriptures that prophesied, "None of his bones will be broken," and "They will gaze upon the one that has been pierced."
After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was only a secret follower of Jesus because he feared the religious authorities, asked Pilate if he could take custody of the body of Jesus. With Pilate's permission he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who had visited Jesus by night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, a quantity weighing 100 litras. According to the burial customs of the Judeans, the body was wrapped in linen sheets soaked in spices. Near the place where Jesus had been crucified was a park and in it a new tomb in which no one had been interred. Since it was the day of Preparation before the Hebrew Passover and since the tomb was so near, they laid Jesus to rest there.
Notes
1. Golgotha, or the Place of the Skull, was just outside the Jerusalem city gates. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, identified in 325 AD what has become the traditional location of Golgotha (or Calvary). Constantine built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre there; it is the Christian Quarter of the Old City. Alternative sites have been proposed, including one, on Skull Hill, north of the Damascus Gate, that was famously endorsed by the famous British General Charles George "Chinese" Gordon during his travels in Palestine in 1882, a few years before his death at Khartoum. (Gordon, an evangelical Christian and a believer in reincarnation, also asserted that the earth was enclosed in a hollow sphere with Heaven above Jerusalem and Hell above the Pitcairn Islands and that Eden was on the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.)
2. That Jesus carried his own cross is scarcely possible. The stake and crossbar would have comprised a very serious piece of timber perhaps weighing as much as 300 pounds. Even a man of Herculean physique would find it a bit dicey carrying such a load especially after being whipped nearly to death. Stakes were usually permanently installed in the place of execution. It seems more likely that Jesus was forced to carry on his back just the crossbar, which would still weigh a 100 pounds or so. Jesus was nailed to the crossbar when he reached the site of execution. (The iron nails would eventually be removed and reused.) Then he was either hoisted to the top of the stake, or, more likely, the stake was lowered and with the crossbar attached, raised into position and secured. Best evidence suggests that the cross would have resembled a capital letter “T,” although it is not certain that the crossbar was, in fact, secured at the top of the stake. If his feet were secured, nailed or tied, or allowed to support the body with a shelf to stand on, it is possible that the nails were hammered through his hands. If not, the nails would have had to go through his wrists. The exact technique used can not be definitively determined; there were several variations on the crucifixion procedure. Victims were generally stripped naked and a man was lucky if his privates were not impaled. It was all intended to be the most excruciatingly painful, cruel, and undignified death possible. Romans reserved it mostly for slaves and rebels, and no free Roman citizen could be crucified. (That is why Paul, a Roman citizen, escaped crucifixion.) Enlightened Romans, such a Cicero, who lived a century before Jesus, deplored its barbarity and many advocated its abolition.
3. It seems credible that the soldiers might confiscate and keep for themselves the clothes of condemned criminals, but why would they want a sweaty, bloody, probably ragged tunic, the underwear of someone who was a non-Roman provincial and, in their eyes, either a criminal or a religious fanatic? Or did rags fetch so a high price on the market that Roman soldiers, who were fairly well paid, would fight over them? It is ambiguous whether lots were drawn for the clothes or if dice were thrown for them. Although dice have been around for thousands of years and comprised a popular form of gambling during the Roman Empire, their use was in fact illegal except during the Saturnalia. It seems plausible that the soldiers, rather than risk drawing the ire of their officer for what would be an infraction, would have simply drawn lots rather than using dice. (Short stick gets the dead guy's underwear!)
4. Present at the crucifixion are Jesus's mother, Mary, another Mary who was probably her sister-in-law or possibly her cousin and not her sister as most translations say. This Mary was probably also the wife of Clopas (Joseph's brother?), although this Mary and Clopas' wife could have been different people. The third (or fourth) woman there was Mary of Magdala (or Mary Magdalene), a devout follower referred to intriguingly in other gospels. She was probably from a place called Magdala, meaning "tower," although its location is not positively known. It is possible, though, that the term Magdalene could have another meaning. (It should be mentioned that this Mary is definitely not the repentant prostitute, as she has been popularly and incorrectly portrayed.) There is also present an unnamed disciple that Jesus loved. (I thought Jesus loved all his disciples.) This unnamed disciple would take Jesus' mother into his home and treat her as his own mother. Jesus apparently has no money or property to leave her, so she is reduced to having to stay with a stranger. But this is a noble gesture on Jesus’ part surely, seeing that his mother will be provided for while he is enduring a painful death on the cross. Note that when Jesus says to Mary, “Here is your son,” he is not referring to himself, but to the disciple -- who is probably meant to be John, the purported author of this gospel.
5. The two men who were crucified with Jesus are not here named. Traditionally they are thieves, career criminals, or rebels. The highly questionable 4th Century Gospel of Nicodemus identifies them as Dismas and Gestas, but it seems unlikely that their names would only be remembered centuries after the event.
6. The crucified man would endure a process of acute suffering that might take hours, or even days. Breaking the legs of the person being crucified would make him unable to support the body otherwise held up only by the nailed wrists or hands. He would then become unable to breathe and would soon die by asphyxiation. Jesus had already died, but, to make sure, a soldier throws a spear at him, piercing his side. That blood and water spurt out of the wound is, of course, miraculous and symbolic, the blood conveying atonement and the water, purification.
7. The soldier who threw the spear is unnamed in the John, but in Nicodemus he is identified as Longinus, a centurion who converted to Christianity and became a saint. Much was subsequently written of him, but he must be regarded as a strictly legendary personage. The Spear of Longinus, also known as the Holy Lance, or the Spear of Destiny, mentioned only in John, is a relic with much lore attached to it. Several candidates for the original have been revered. One, held for a thousand years in Nuremberg and Vienna, has been the center of several fascinating conspiracy theories involving the Nazis. Recent tests, though, have proven that the spear is a phony, old, but not nearly old enough to be the spear.
8. Practically every incident during the crucifixion occurs in order to fulfill some prophecy, or is it that the story is adjusted to make the prophecies seem to come true? Belief that Jesus is the Messiah partly hinges on the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, so the narrative, as propaganda, emphasizes this.
9. Joseph of Arimathea, who is presumed to be a wealthy man, claims the body. He is simply identified as a secret follower of Jesus and a friend of another, Nicodemus, but a huge amount of mythic material has been attached to him -- connections to the Holy Grail, his introduction of Christianity to England, his tutoring of Jesus as a boy, and so forth. Joseph is thought by some to be the uncle of Jesus, but the author of John obviously did not think so.
10. Those crucified were usually left to rot on the cross. It would have been very unusual for one to be taken down and given a proper burial. Pilate was, according to the narrative, available to grant Joseph of Arimathea permission to do just that. Good thing, for the resurrection story would have otherwise been more complicated. It is generally assumed that the tomb granted Jesus belonged to this Joseph, but John does not say so, only that the tomb happened to be handy and Joseph purchased it. The burial was hastily arranged, and there doesn’t seem to be anything like funeral held.
11. The myrrh and aloes brought by Nicodemus for the preparation of the body weighed 100 litras, about 75 pounds (some say 100 pounds). The quantity is preposterous. One might drolly question whether Jesus could even rise from his tomb weighed down by strips of spice-soaked linen strips weighing so much. And how did all this stuff cost? Did Nicodemus have a couple slaves to carry it for him? At any rate, it would all be wasted, for Jesus’ body would not need to be perfumed.
12. Most translations say that the tomb was located in a “garden.” I have used the word “park.” In modern usage a garden is commonly a plot of ground where flowers or vegetable are grown. A park is a large area of greenery and that is what is obviously meant here.
Showing posts with label Nicodemus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nicodemus. Show all posts
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Monday, May 12, 2014
The Instruction of Nicodemus
(Gospel of John 3:1-3:21)
There was a man named Nicodemus who was a Jewish religious leader and a member of the Pharisee sect. He visited Jesus one evening after dark and said this to him, "Rabbi, I know that you must be sent by God to teach us, for you would not be able to perform the miracles you do without God's help."
Jesus replied, "I tell you truly that unless you are spiritually reborn, you cannot have experience of the spiritual realm."
Nicodemus disputed this, "How can an adult be reborn? Can someone reenter his mother's womb and be born again?"
Jesus answered, "I assure you, no one can enter the spiritual realm without being born of water and spirit. What is born in the physical world is merely physical, but what is born in the spiritual world will be spiritual in nature. Don't be surprised by what I'm telling you: all of you must be spiritually reborn. ... The wind blows where it wills. You may hear the sound of it, but you know not whence it comes or whither it goes. So it is with all those who are spiritually reborn."
"How can these things be?" questioned Nicodemus.
"What? You're a respected teacher of the Jewish religion, and yet you don't possess an understanding of these things? ... I tell you with certainty of what we know and what we have seen, and yet your people dismiss the testimony. If you won't believe me when I speak of material things, how will you believe me when I speak of spiritual things? ... Indeed, no one has visited the abode of God, except he who departed there to come to earth -- the Son of Man. ... As Moses raised up the bronze snake on a pole when he was in the desert, so must the Son of Man be raised up in order that those who believe in him will, because of him, enjoy life everlasting."
Because God so greatly loved the world, he sacrificed to it his only son, so that those who believe in him may not die, but may achieve life everlasting. God did not send his only son to earth to condemn the world, but to furnish the means to save it. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but those who do not believe are already condemned, because they have refused to place their trust in the good name of God's only son. Such is the condemnation: Light has come into the world, but the people prefer darkness to light because their deeds are evil. Those who do evil hate the light and, afraid that their deeds will become exposed, shun it. But whoever conducts his life honestly will come into the light, so his deeds, done in accordance with God’s will, can be clearly seen.
Notes
1. Nicodemus, a religious leader and a Pharisee (a sect that advocated meticulous conformity to Old Testament traditions); he probably held a seat on the Sanhedrin, a ruling council that advised the Roman occupiers. He visits Jesus, but only after it is dark. This suggests that his visit is in secret and that he is fearful his recognition of Jesus as a someone sent by God would not meet with the approval of his colleagues. (It is interesting that Nicodemus believes that Jesus is divinely inspired not because of his message, his teachings, but because of the miracles he is able to perform.) The evening call might have a symbolic interpretation as well, that Nicodemus is coming from a place of ignorance, the darkness. This is very likely since the analogy of light and darkness is picked up later.
2. Jesus introduces the concept of spiritual rebirth (being born again) as a requisite for entering the spiritual realm (the Kingdom of Heaven, a vague and ambiguous translation I have eschewed). Born of water refers to the natural, physical birth. He tells Nicodemus that even his people, the religious leaders, must be reborn of spirit. But what constitutes spiritual rebirth is not yet articulated. On this matter Jesus makes no effort to enlighten the obtuse Nicodemus, who is still stuck on the idea of rebirth as something purely physical. --- The metaphor of the wind is a play on words, the Greek word pneuma meaning both spirit and wind, (perhaps more appropriate than in English, where "spirit" in the plural refers to hard liquor).
3. Nicodemus, very literal-minded for a man of religion, seems clueless in understanding the concepts of spirituality that Jesus touches upon in their conversation. Jesus is rightly appalled by his ignorance. There is an untold back story here. Apparently Nicodemus' colleagues, the Pharisees, or perhaps the entire Jewish religious establishment, have already rejected the message that Jesus and his disciples are bringing. Jesus is obviously more than a little miffed by the rejection. He complains that they won't believe or try to understand anything he has to say, even about non-spiritual matters.
4. The teachings conveyed to Nicodemus do not seem really part of a single argument, but discreet thoughts. Therefore, for clarity, I have separated them with dots.
5. The abode of God (I am avoiding the term heaven, whose meaning is imprecise -- sometimes it means the sky.) is a place that no man has visited. Only the Son of Man, that is, Jesus, has been there, because that is his place of origin (as Logos). The commonly held Christian view that good Christians go to Heaven after death is hardly consistent with this statement by Jesus.
6. Jesus alludes to his crucifixion by saying that he must be raised up as Moses raised up a bronze snake on a pole. The raising up is probably also metaphorical, an exaltation. This raising up (crucifixion) and exaltation is necessary so that his believers can achieve everlasting life.
7. I prefer the term everlasting life to eternal life. "Eternal" means existing in the eternity of the past as well as the future, while "everlasting" suggests existence only from a certain point onward, the future eternity, but not necessarily the past. --- Jesus is promising everlasting life on the condition of belief; no other condition is yet imposed.
8. Jesus' purpose in coming to earth and becoming incarnated as a man is not to save the world per se, but to furnish the means (his death and martyrdom) by which the world, that is, its people, may be saved and not condemned (presumably to death). Those who will not believe (as opposed to those who merely do not believe) are condemned, or rather, they have condemned themselves.
9. The analogy of light and darkness is again presented, but awkwardly. One expects the light that comes into the world to be spiritual revelation, which is rejected by evil doers who prefer ignorance, darkness. The metaphor here does not quite have this meaning. In this analogy, the light is not revelation, wisdom or even goodness, but rather the kind of enlightenment that allows one to appraise clearly human actions, to see people and the world as they really are. The good conduct their lives openly and honestly and, therefore, welcome the light that allows everyone, even God, to see and judge their actions, while the evil must act in secret, in darkness, to hide their evil deeds.
10. Many translations have the last paragraph of this chapter as a part of Jesus' dialogue, but it seems evident that this is the author of John speaking and not Jesus himself.
There was a man named Nicodemus who was a Jewish religious leader and a member of the Pharisee sect. He visited Jesus one evening after dark and said this to him, "Rabbi, I know that you must be sent by God to teach us, for you would not be able to perform the miracles you do without God's help."
Jesus replied, "I tell you truly that unless you are spiritually reborn, you cannot have experience of the spiritual realm."
Nicodemus disputed this, "How can an adult be reborn? Can someone reenter his mother's womb and be born again?"
Jesus answered, "I assure you, no one can enter the spiritual realm without being born of water and spirit. What is born in the physical world is merely physical, but what is born in the spiritual world will be spiritual in nature. Don't be surprised by what I'm telling you: all of you must be spiritually reborn. ... The wind blows where it wills. You may hear the sound of it, but you know not whence it comes or whither it goes. So it is with all those who are spiritually reborn."
"How can these things be?" questioned Nicodemus.
"What? You're a respected teacher of the Jewish religion, and yet you don't possess an understanding of these things? ... I tell you with certainty of what we know and what we have seen, and yet your people dismiss the testimony. If you won't believe me when I speak of material things, how will you believe me when I speak of spiritual things? ... Indeed, no one has visited the abode of God, except he who departed there to come to earth -- the Son of Man. ... As Moses raised up the bronze snake on a pole when he was in the desert, so must the Son of Man be raised up in order that those who believe in him will, because of him, enjoy life everlasting."
Because God so greatly loved the world, he sacrificed to it his only son, so that those who believe in him may not die, but may achieve life everlasting. God did not send his only son to earth to condemn the world, but to furnish the means to save it. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but those who do not believe are already condemned, because they have refused to place their trust in the good name of God's only son. Such is the condemnation: Light has come into the world, but the people prefer darkness to light because their deeds are evil. Those who do evil hate the light and, afraid that their deeds will become exposed, shun it. But whoever conducts his life honestly will come into the light, so his deeds, done in accordance with God’s will, can be clearly seen.
Notes
1. Nicodemus, a religious leader and a Pharisee (a sect that advocated meticulous conformity to Old Testament traditions); he probably held a seat on the Sanhedrin, a ruling council that advised the Roman occupiers. He visits Jesus, but only after it is dark. This suggests that his visit is in secret and that he is fearful his recognition of Jesus as a someone sent by God would not meet with the approval of his colleagues. (It is interesting that Nicodemus believes that Jesus is divinely inspired not because of his message, his teachings, but because of the miracles he is able to perform.) The evening call might have a symbolic interpretation as well, that Nicodemus is coming from a place of ignorance, the darkness. This is very likely since the analogy of light and darkness is picked up later.
2. Jesus introduces the concept of spiritual rebirth (being born again) as a requisite for entering the spiritual realm (the Kingdom of Heaven, a vague and ambiguous translation I have eschewed). Born of water refers to the natural, physical birth. He tells Nicodemus that even his people, the religious leaders, must be reborn of spirit. But what constitutes spiritual rebirth is not yet articulated. On this matter Jesus makes no effort to enlighten the obtuse Nicodemus, who is still stuck on the idea of rebirth as something purely physical. --- The metaphor of the wind is a play on words, the Greek word pneuma meaning both spirit and wind, (perhaps more appropriate than in English, where "spirit" in the plural refers to hard liquor).
3. Nicodemus, very literal-minded for a man of religion, seems clueless in understanding the concepts of spirituality that Jesus touches upon in their conversation. Jesus is rightly appalled by his ignorance. There is an untold back story here. Apparently Nicodemus' colleagues, the Pharisees, or perhaps the entire Jewish religious establishment, have already rejected the message that Jesus and his disciples are bringing. Jesus is obviously more than a little miffed by the rejection. He complains that they won't believe or try to understand anything he has to say, even about non-spiritual matters.
4. The teachings conveyed to Nicodemus do not seem really part of a single argument, but discreet thoughts. Therefore, for clarity, I have separated them with dots.
5. The abode of God (I am avoiding the term heaven, whose meaning is imprecise -- sometimes it means the sky.) is a place that no man has visited. Only the Son of Man, that is, Jesus, has been there, because that is his place of origin (as Logos). The commonly held Christian view that good Christians go to Heaven after death is hardly consistent with this statement by Jesus.
6. Jesus alludes to his crucifixion by saying that he must be raised up as Moses raised up a bronze snake on a pole. The raising up is probably also metaphorical, an exaltation. This raising up (crucifixion) and exaltation is necessary so that his believers can achieve everlasting life.
7. I prefer the term everlasting life to eternal life. "Eternal" means existing in the eternity of the past as well as the future, while "everlasting" suggests existence only from a certain point onward, the future eternity, but not necessarily the past. --- Jesus is promising everlasting life on the condition of belief; no other condition is yet imposed.
8. Jesus' purpose in coming to earth and becoming incarnated as a man is not to save the world per se, but to furnish the means (his death and martyrdom) by which the world, that is, its people, may be saved and not condemned (presumably to death). Those who will not believe (as opposed to those who merely do not believe) are condemned, or rather, they have condemned themselves.
9. The analogy of light and darkness is again presented, but awkwardly. One expects the light that comes into the world to be spiritual revelation, which is rejected by evil doers who prefer ignorance, darkness. The metaphor here does not quite have this meaning. In this analogy, the light is not revelation, wisdom or even goodness, but rather the kind of enlightenment that allows one to appraise clearly human actions, to see people and the world as they really are. The good conduct their lives openly and honestly and, therefore, welcome the light that allows everyone, even God, to see and judge their actions, while the evil must act in secret, in darkness, to hide their evil deeds.
10. Many translations have the last paragraph of this chapter as a part of Jesus' dialogue, but it seems evident that this is the author of John speaking and not Jesus himself.
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