Parallel Chapter Ten

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Chapter 10

Passion Narrative, Death and Resurrection

           The Passion Narrative is the most famous and most intriguing stories of the Bible. What did Jesus know, when did He know it and how is that message conveyed are interesting questions to be answered? How did it happen and who were the players in the crucifixion of Jesus are important not only for history but are important in order to convey the story. Is the Jewish religious leadership the guilty party alone or do the Romans and Pilate share in that? Why would that make a difference to the story line and who would stand to gain by being guiltless of the crime? So many things at play during that week we celebrate when we celebrate Holy Week in the church.

           For the most part I have left John’s Gospel out of the discussion but when it comes to the passion narrative I want to include John. Why? First and foremost John intends that the reader understand that Jesus is God and understands Himself to be God. So throughout the narrative we find references to Jesus acknowledging Himself in that way. Interestingly enough, we also find references in John to a subordinate role as Son of God.  Many of the things in the synoptic Gospel accounts are left out of John’s Gospel. Did he know of the other stories and figured to add onto the storyline, filling in what they had left off? On the other hand, did he simply want to project a different story of Jesus? Maybe the answer is yes and yes!

           We start with Jesus in Jerusalem as we saw in the story from last session.  Jesus and the disciples have arrived at the time of Passover, a high celebration in the Jewish world. It is a chance to remember their roots and the miracle of God through Moses parting the Red Sea (may be Reed Sea), leading the children of Israel into the wilderness where they receive the Ten Commandments and eventually land back in Israel, their ancestral home. Jesus in Matthew prophesizes His death while Mark and Luke simply discuss the desire of the Sanhedrin to bring it about. Matthew takes the viewpoint that Jesus clearly knows what is coming. This fits the need to convey to the Jewish people, Matthew’s audience that Jesus is the Messiah and clearly is following the path that God has set before Him.

           We come to this curious story of the oil. Why is it here? Luke has it earlier in the ministry in Chapter 7 while Matthew and Mark include it as part of the Passion narrative. All three use it as a strong statement for faith that Jesus will not be with them forever and the faith of this young woman who brings the oil is important. Matthew and Mark also use it as a stepping off point for Judas while Luke states that Satan enters into Judas as the reason for his betrayal. Many theologians believe that the point Matthew and Mark are making is that Judas was trying to force Jesus hand to become the Messiah image that Judas had, rather than the plan that God had.

           All four Gospel accounts are very similar in the preparation for the Passover meal, that Jesus indicates a person already chosen to play a part by providing the Upper Room. Then we come to the Last supper or institution of the Holy Communion we celebrate today. In all four Gospel accounts, Judas is identified as the person who will bretray Jesus. All four indicate that Judas participates in the meals though John never mentions the Last Supper, as we understand it. John has a foot washing as the center part of this gathering and then an extensive final teaching of the disciples. Luke has an argument among the disciples about who is the greatest disciple. Luke includes the line, “…my body given for you…”. Why is this important? Every time you hear someone say, “this is my body broken for you” it violates the scripture and suggests then that Jesus is not the Messiah. Why? Because in order for Jesus to be the Messiah, his death must complete the prophetic message and in Numbers 9:12, the body of the Messiah would not be broken. Therefore Luke’s interpretation is correct and more likely the words of Jesus at the table.

           Following the meal Jesus tells the disciples that all will betray Him. Peter of course denies it and Jesus tells the Cock crows three times story. Luke is a little different in the telling but the story is the same. John does not include it in his recount of events but then John does not include the Last Supper in the same way the other writers do.

           From here we move the Gethsemane though again, Luke descirbes it differently as going back the Mount of Olives. Matthew and Mark have Peter, James and John going with Him while Luke has all the disciples. Matthew has Jesus praying, My Father, Mark, Abba, which translates Daddy, and Luke simply Father. Mark’s writing is to the Gentile, which makes the prayer more endearing and intimate. In Luke’s Gospel Jesus, anguish is so great He actually is bleeding. Some years ago, I read an account that extreme anguish can in fact cause bleeding. There on the Mountain, or in the Garden, Jesus is arrested. Judas who uses a kiss to identify Jesus leads the arresting body. An interesting side note is that the Mafia use this scripture reference for their famous “Kiss of Death.” In the story, the synoptic writers say one of the disciples cuts off an ear of one of the arresting body while John identifies this person as Peter. Why? Maybe John wants to elevate Peter in the eyes of the faithful. There is a curious element to the story in Mark. It concerns a young man who forever remains unidentified that is arrested but slips away naked. Who is this young man? Over the generations there is has been much speculation.

           Now comes the heart of the passion story. Jesus is hauled off to the Sanhedrin who has no authority to do what they desire. Their desire is to put Jesus to death believing that by doing so Jesus ministry will end. In the story in Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus is hauled before the Sanhedrin who finds Him guilty. Small surprise there of course. Then He is hauled before Pilate because the Sanhedrin does not have the power to put a person to death. Pilate cannot resolve Jesus guilt so he allows the promise of setting a Hebrew free to prevail. The crowd stirred up by the Sanhedrin of course calls for Jesus to be crucified. In the Luke story, Pilate sends Jesus to Herod who then sends Him back to Pilate. In the Gospel of John, Pilate begs for the truth of what constitutes sending Jesus to His death. In the three synoptic Gospels Pilate washes His hands of the matter. You might wonder at the reason for this in the Gospels and there has always been much speculation. All four accounts have different audiences but likely want to express the same thing, that Rome did not crucify Jesus, the Jewish leadership did. This would have allowed the Christian movement to thrive if their focus is on the Jewish Leadership and not on Rome.

           From this point on several important points. Much of the story of Jesus crucifixion is written in a similar way in the four Gospels. Since Jesus death is a historical event, the sequence of events would be documented and the writers would want to share it with us. The three synoptic writers include a story about a Cyrene named Simon who carries the cross when Jesus, already beaten and weak, cannot do so. In Matthew Jesus is offered wine with gall early in the story. Matthew likely includes it to make a connection with the prophecy in Psalm 69. Jesus however refuses it and most scholars would point to the idea that Gall would have meant poison. Mark indicates it is wine mixed with Myrrh, the burial perfume. Luke and John do not mention Jesus being offered anything to drink. Matthew focuses on the prophetic message from the 22^nd Psalm and recounts the events to assure that Jesus fulfills them.

           We have the story of the Two Thieves that is included in all four Gospel accounts. John does not identify them. Matthew indicates they taunted Him. In Mark’s rendition the thieves do not taunt Jesus while Luke has one taunting and one asking for Jesus to remember him. It is the Luke account that points current day belief in an immediate arrival into heaven upon death.

           Jesus death is a dramatic event in Matthew, Mark and Luke but in different ways. In Matthew, Mark and Luke the Temple curtain is torn in two, in Matthew and earthquake occurs. John’s rendition simply calls us to read that Jesus died. It is important to note that in John’s Gospel account, Jesus is in control even at the end of His life and He determines when it happens. I might add that over the years I have seen numerous examples of will power over death in the end transition of life. So I personally find it no surprise that Jesus could decide the moment. Luke has the guard say that Jesus was innocent while Matthew and Mark have him saying, Jesus really was the Son of God. Again, remember who the audience and what the writer is trying to convey. John makes no mention of an explanation upon Jesus death.

           Upon His death, all four Gospel accounts indicate that Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man, comes to take His body to the tomb. Two important points about this. The first is that this fulfills the prophecy in Isaiah 53:9 that the Messiah would be buried in a rich man’s tomb. Second, this happens before sundown in order that Passover can begin for the parties involved. The Hebrew tradition would require Jesus body be placed in the grave before sundown or the people performing that service would not be able to participate in the Passover celebration. In John’s account, Nicodemus is also involved. Mark includes the identification of one of the Mary’s as Jesus mother though the other three do not. This will be important to the continuation of the story.

           The creed tells us eloquently that Jesus has been crucified, dead and buried. On the third day, the women go to the tomb to finish the hurried job of preparing the body for death. In the Hebrew tradition, the body would be covered with oils, perfumes to mask the smell of death. Those perfumes would include Myrrh, which has a rich fragrance. The body then would be wrapped, first with a face cloth over the face and then cloth would be placed around the entire body as it lay there on the stone tomb surface. In Matthew’s Gospel account we have two Mary’s that go, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary who is not clearly identified. Is this mother Mary? In Mark’s account, Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of James and Salome who is thought to be Jesus mother’s cousin goes to the tomb in the morning. Luke’s account includes Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James and other women. John’s account only includes Mary Magdalene. Only Mary Magdalene is in all the accounts as having gone to the tomb.

There are other differences as well. In Matthew, a great earthquake moves the stone from in front of the tomb and an Angel appears to the women who tells the women to go and tell. Jesus appears to them before they leave the tomb area.  This would set the stage for the belief that Mary Magdalene is the first true apostle of Jesus to go and tell. In Mark, the stone is already rolled away and an angel tells them to go and tell. Curiously, it also says that they tell no one. Luke’s account also has the stone rolled away but there are two angels in the tomb. The women are not told to go and tell but to remember His words. This sets the stage for a great visual in that the two angels are at each end of the tomb, an image that should have brought the Ark of the Covenant into view for the listener. John’s Gospel has no angels, Mary goes and tells Peter, John the tomb is empty, they check out the empty tomb and leave, and then Jesus confronts Mary. Why are they different? Wrong question maybe! Each author is remembering the story in his or her own way. The basic story line stays in sync, Jesus is out of the tomb, risen indeed, the woman or women arrive and find it empty and then the telling that Jesus is risen begins.

From that point the writers all diverge. Matthew moves to Jesus meeting the disciples on the mountain and gives them the Great Commandment to go and change the world. There is no mention of the ascension of Jesus in Matthew. Mark has a short version where Jesus does not appear to the disciples but they begin the work of witness. The longer version of Mark has this curious story of the two men on the road to Emmaus who meet Jesus along the way. Then Jesus meets the eleven in the Upper Room and gives them a different version of the Great Commission before he ascends to heaven. Luke’s Gospel account is the same story as in Mark. Did Mark not know this story and then add it later or did someone else know the story in Luke and make an addition to Mark? We don’t know. John’s account has Jesus appearing in the Upper Room to the ten disciples, less Thomas, and then a week later to them all where we get the doubting Thomas story. Jesus encounters Peter and offers him forgiveness, not once but three times to overcome Peter’s denial. Peter asks Jesus what will happen to John at this point and Jesus tells him it is not his worry, simply follow Jesus. This may have been written by John to let us know that he alone of all the original disciples lives a long life. There also is no ascension story in John.

We have come to the end of this parallel study. My hope is that I leave you with a couple of important points. One, ask the right question, which is not why they are different, but who is their audience. Two, to look at the differences and realize that these oral traditions include what the writer knew or has heard. Where they are all the same or similar, even if it occurs at different times in the account, we are confident the basic story is true. Matthew is preaching to the Jewish people in and around Jerusalem and his Gospel is a series of preaching stories collected in a way to make it easy to teach the story. His emphasis is on assuring the Jewish people understand Jesus to be the Messiah. Mark and Luke are preaching to the Gentile and Roman people throughout the Mediterranean. Their desire is to share the teachings of Jesus while lifting Jesus up to be the Son of God. Their focus allows the reader to see the authority of Jesus in His teaching in order to make disciples, followers of Jesus. John’s Gospel is to the Roman and the Greek and clearly wants the reader to know that Jesus is God.  

^NRS Joshua 24:15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."