Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - DETAILS

DETAILS

The Christian faith has just observed what people consider to be the most significant time in the entire year; or is it? We observe Easter as the time of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection even though it is Passover and those customs, and not Easter per se, that is connected to the event. There is no real evidence that He died on Friday or rose on Sunday. But one thing is certain and that is that He actually lived, died, and rose again.

While the exact day may be debatable, the time of the crucifixion was precise. In the Jewish temple the morning sacrifice was at 9 AM and that is precisely when Jesus was hung on the cross.

Now it was the third hour, 

and they crucified Him 

(Mark 15:25)

It was nine in the morning when they crucified Him 

(Mark 15:25 NIV)

 

The sacrifice that took place at nine probably went on for some time as there were multiple sacrifices to be done. One source, Joachim Jeremias, states that over 15,000 lambs would probably be sacrificed during the morning hours*. Josephus, the Jewish historian suggests that upward of 250,000 animals may have been killed altogether**. 

In any case, the sacrificial procedure would have taken some time and it has been said that the streets would be red with blood by noon when the sun was at its peak. It was precisely then that the sky grew the darkest and “night” covered the land.

Now when the sixth hour [12 noon] had come, 

there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 

(Mark 15:33)

And at the ninth hour [3 PM] Jesus cried out with a loud voice… 

…and breathed His last. 

(Mark 15:34,37)

And this was at this time - of the afternoon sacrifice in the temple - when Jesus gave up His Spirit.

In addition to the timing of His death, there were many other details which may not be obvious when only doing a quick reading of the story. For instance, there’s the use of hyssop, a shrub, which was used at the crucification.

Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there;

 and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, 

and put it to His mouth. 

(John 19:29)

Hyssop was the plant used in Exodus to smear the blood on the door frame at the time of Passover. It was also apparently used, at times, to sprinkle the blood over the altar.

And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, 

dip it in the blood that is in the basin… 

(Exodus 12:22)

John reports that after the hyssop and sour wine were given…

 

[Jesus] said, “It is finished!” 

(John 19:30)

Furthermore in Exodus, when the hyssop was used to mark the doorposts of the house it was to be done in a specific way. First applied across the lintel [horizontal] part of the door and then the doorpost; in a way making a cross symbolic of what was to come in the future.

Little details, all of which make the Passover events more real and understandable, and give us all some more things to think about.

*The Eucharistic Words of Jesus p.g. 42 by Jochim Jeremais

** The Jewish War 6.9.3. by Flavius Jusephus