Harmonized Reading of the Last Days of Christ Part 5

Harmonyblogpost

As a resource for this Resurrection Season we wanted to make a Harmonized Reading Guide for the final days of Christ. Use this in addition to your daily reading or as a resource for study leading up to the celebration of Resurrection Sunday. Each day comes with a summary of the texts included. 

 

You can download the PDF of Part 5 here or continue to read it below. 

 

Harmony of the Last Days of Christ

Part 5 The Crucifixion and Burial of Jesus

Compiled from Matthew 27:33-66, Mark 15:22-47, Luke 23:33-56, John 19:17-42

 

They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between [And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”]

They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink. And they *crucified Him, and *divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”; this was to fulfill the Scripture: “THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS.”  Therefore the soldiers did these things. It was the third hour when they crucified Him. But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there.

 

 

Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

 And the people stood by, looking on.  And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, even the rulers were sneering at Him among themselves and saying,  “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words. The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine,  and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” 

One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”  But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”  And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He *said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.

Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour because the sun was obscured. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 

 

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, *said, “I am thirsty.”  Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a hyssop reed, and brought it up to His mouth and gave Him a drink. But the rest of them said, “[Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.”  Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!”  And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.” And He bowed His head, breathed His last, and yielded up His spirit.

 

 

 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened, he began praising God,  and said, ““Certainly this man was innocent. Truly this was the Son of God!”

And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts. Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him. Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and Salome the mother of the sons of Zebedee. When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him; but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. For these things came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, “NOT A BONE OF HIM SHALL BE BROKEN.” And again another Scripture says, “THEY SHALL LOOK ON HIM WHOM THEY PIERCED.”

 

 After these things when evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, gathered up courage and asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. So he came and took away His body.

 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock where no one had ever lain; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid sitting opposite the grave.  Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes.

 Now on the next day, the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’ Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.

And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.