Passover, part 2

In part 1, I discussed one Passover night, two millenia ago.

Jesus had taken the Passover meal with his close friends, then went to pray in a garden near the City.

While he was there, praying, Jesus was arrested by men from the Temple guard.

The trial before the Temple leaders took much of the night. Then, they delivered Jesus over to the local Roman governor. Who promptly held a different trial, but one that came to the same conclusion: a death sentence.

The day before Sabbath came, and the punishment of Jesus at the hands of the soldiers began.

Whipping and beating were followed by the path up the hill. He was forced to carry a heavy cross, but tiredness, blood loss, and shock cause him to fall down.

Two others were sentenced to die that day.

The cruelly efficient soldiers began the work of execution. A description of each man's crime was fastened to the top of their cross. Holes were dug to place the crosses in. The soldiers then stripped the condemned men naked, laid each victim on a cross, and drove large spikes through their wrists and feet. They erected the crosses and dropped the vertical shaft into the holes in the ground.

The condemned were expected to die of blood loss and asphyxiation; the posture of the crucified made each breath a painful struggle.

The stories that were told by witnesses conclude that Jesus died suddenly, after crying out with a loud voice.

Close to sunset, the bodies were brought down from the crosses after the soldiers double-checked that the condemned were actually dead. The body of Jesus was hastily interred in a borrowed tomb.

The next day was a day of rest.

The religious leaders thought they had ended Jesus' actions and influences. His followers and family met in secret, wondering what would happen next.