The Three Days + TRIDUUM + Year B, 2024

This Church Year Calendar & Propers uses the Revised Common Lectionary as it

appears in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006). This version includes additional

readings for a number of festivals and occasions, as well as the church year calendar

and terminology from Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Two series of readings are

provided for the Time after Pentecost. The complementary series provides Old

Testament readings and psalms chosen for their relationship to the gospels. The

semicontinuous series provides Old Testament readings and psalms that, while not as

explicitly connected to the gospels, explore many of the books and stories not covered

by the complementary series.

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Maundy Thursday | March 28, 2024

Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14

Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 (13)

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Prayer of the Day

Holy God, source of all love, on the night of his betrayal, Jesus gave us a new commandment,

to love one another as he loves us.

Write this commandment in our hearts, and give us the will to serve others as he was the

servant of all, your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and

the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Or

Eternal God, in the sharing of a meal your Son established a new covenant for all people, and

in the washing of feet he showed us the dignity of service. Grant that by the power of your

Holy Spirit these signs of our life in faith may speak again to our hearts, feed our spirits, and

refresh our bodies, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and

the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Gospel Acclamation

I give you a | new commandment,

that you love one another just as I | have loved you. (John 13:34)

Color: Scarlet / White

1a. CONTEXT - John 13: 1-17, 31b-35

This selection is one of two possible Gospel passages for Maundy Thursday, the

other being Luke 22:14-30. Luke's emphasis is on the Last Supper as a rite of the

community. In John, on the other hand, the emphasis is on footwashing as an expression

of Jesus' nature as servant and as an example of discipleship. Liturgical practice

traditionally has identified Maundy Thursday with the institution of the Eucharist and, in

recent years, there has been renewed interest in footwashing as an act of powerful

symbolism in that situation. The rite also has medieval precedent and frequently

accompanied stripping and washing of the altar. Originally a hospitable amenity in

ancient Palestine, footwashing was offered to guests upon arrival at a host's home. It

was usually performed by a servant or by the wife of the host, while guests reclined at

table. Luke 7:44 offers an example in another context.

In John 13 the illustration of footwashing suggests two kinds of themes. One

is servant ministry; the other is liturgical. Much of the Christian tradition views Jesus'

action as a dramatization of servanthood. Jesus' humility illustrates the kind of life

discipleship requires. The Christian must serve without consideration those who come

to him in need. This thought is strengthened by Jesus' pointed reference in verse 15.

Raymond Brown understands verses 12-20 as a unit which stresses footwashing as a

moral example. The fourth gospel emphasizes that

Christ's act is a metaphor for the Christian life.

+ +

2However Brown also views verses 2-11 as a unit. The actual account of

footwashing presents it as a prophetic symbol of Jesus' death. In this light the event has

liturgical significance. It portrays the power of cleansing especially associated with

baptism. It has implications for the Eucharist as participation in Christ's servanthood and

as a preparation of oneself for ministry. In the context of Maundy Thursday, and the eve

of the passion, such events reinforce the sacramental nature of the Christian community.

Moreover, John 13 offers a powerful juxtaposition of the sacraments and of servanthood.

Ideally the sacraments and the ministry of all believers enhance one another.

1b. TEXT: John 13: 1-15, 31b-35 (ESV)

13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had

come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the

world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into

the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father

had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back

to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it

around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples'

feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to

Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him,

“What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”

8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash

you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but

also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not

need to wash, except for his feet, [1] but is completely clean. And you [2] are clean, but

not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said,

“Not all of you are clean.”

12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed

his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me

Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have

+ +

3washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an

example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a

servant [3] is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who

sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 31 [When he had

gone out, Jesus said, ] “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If

God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.

33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to

the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 34 A new

commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also

are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you

have love for one another.”

NOTES

[1] 13:10 Some manuscripts omit except for his feet

[2] 13:10 The Greek words for you in this verse are plural

[3] 13:16 Greek bondservant

GREEK:

1προ δε της εορτης του πασχα ειδως ο ιησους οτι ηλθεν αυτου

η ωρα ινα µεταβη εκ του κοσµου τουτου προς τον πατερα,

αγαπησας τους ιδιους τους εν τω κοσµω, εις τελος ηγαπησεν

αυτους.

2και δειπνου γινοµενου, του διαβολου ηδη βεβληκοτος

εις την καρδιαν ινα παραδοι αυτον ιουδας σιµωνος

ισκαριωτου,

3ειδως οτι παντα εδωκεν αυτω ο πατηρ εις τας

χειρας και οτι απο θεου εξηλθεν και προς τον θεον υπαγει,

4εγειρεται εκ του δειπνου και τιθησιν τα ιµατια, και λαβων

+ +

4λεντιον διεζωσεν εαυτον.

5ειτα βαλλει υδωρ εις τον νιπτηρα

και ηρξατο νιπτειν τους ποδας των µαθητων και εκµασσειν τω

λεντιω ω ην διεζωσµενος.

6ερχεται ουν προς σιµωνα πετρον.

λεγει αυτω, κυριε, συ µου νιπτεις τους ποδας; 7απεκριθη

ιησους και ειπεν αυτω, ο εγω ποιω συ ουκ οιδας αρτι, γνωση δε

µετα ταυτα.

8λεγει αυτω πετρος, ου µη νιψης µου τους ποδας

εις τον αιωνα. απεκριθη ιησους αυτω, εαν µη νιψω σε, ουκ

εχεις µερος µετ εµου.

9λεγει αυτω σιµων πετρος, κυριε, µη τους

ποδας µου µονον αλλα και τας χειρας και την κεφαλην.

10λεγει

αυτω ο ιησους, ο λελουµενος ουκ εχει χρειαν ει µη τους ποδας

νιψασθαι, αλλ εστιν καθαρος ολος: και υµεις καθαροι εστε,

αλλ ουχι παντες.

11ηδει γαρ τον παραδιδοντα αυτον: δια τουτο

ειπεν οτι ουχι παντες καθαροι εστε.

12οτε ουν ενιψεν τους

ποδας αυτων [και] ελαβεν τα ιµατια αυτου και ανεπεσεν

παλιν, ειπεν αυτοις, γινωσκετε τι πεποιηκα υµιν; 13υµεις

φωνειτε µε ο διδασκαλος και ο κυριος, και καλως λεγετε, ειµι

γαρ.

14ει ουν εγω ενιψα υµων τους ποδας ο κυριος και ο

διδασκαλος, και υµεις οφειλετε αλληλων νιπτειν τους ποδας:

15υποδειγµα γαρ εδωκα υµιν ινα καθως εγω εποιησα υµιν και

υµεις ποιητε.

16αµην αµην λεγω υµιν, ουκ εστιν δουλος µειζων

του κυριου αυτου ουδε αποστολος µειζων του πεµψαντος

αυτον.

17ει ταυτα οιδατε, µακαριοι εστε εαν ποιητε αυτα.

... 31 [οτε ουν εξηλθεν λεγει ιησους, ] νυν εδοξασθη ο υιος του

ανθρωπου, και ο θεος εδοξασθη εν αυτω: 32[ει ο θεος εδοξασθη

εν αυτω] και ο θεος δοξασει αυτον εν αυτω, και ευθυς δοξασει

αυτον.

33τεκνια, ετι µικρον µεθ υµων ειµι: ζητησετε µε, και

καθως ειπον τοις ιουδαιοις οτι οπου εγω υπαγω υµεις ου

δυνασθε ελθειν, και υµιν λεγω αρτι.

34εντολην καινην διδωµι

+ +

5υµιν, ινα αγαπατε αλληλους: καθως ηγαπησα υµας ινα και

υµεις αγαπατε αλληλους.

35εν τουτω γνωσονται παντες οτι εµοι

µαθηται εστε, εαν αγαπην εχητε εν αλληλοις.

2. ANALYSIS: John 13: 1-17, 31b-35

13:1 - Pro de thw 'eorthw toy pæasxa....

The stage is set for Jesus' passion. The Gospel succinctly emphasizes Jesus' awareness of

himself and his fate. His death would fulfill his nature as God's Son. Yet because of his

willingness to be a servant, he would accept the grim fate he foresaw. Voluntary death is

seen in the fourth gospel as the supreme expression of love (15:13). Jesus goes to his

death because of the depth of his love. He loved humanity utterly, completely. Thus he

died as an expression of servanthood.

13:7 - kyrie, sæy moy næipteiw toyw podaw apekræiue 'Ihsoyw kai

eipen aytv:

`O egv poio sy oyk oidaw æarti, gnævsei de meta tayta . . . .

Jesus' reply to Peter's dumbfounded query. As happens on other occasions in the New

Testament, Peter's hesitation facilitates a powerful statement of faith. The linkage of now

and later has eschatological significance. The reference to knowledge suggests insight,

understanding, comprehension. As in John 12:16, Peter, like the other disciples, will only

be able to make sense of this episode in the light of subsequent experience. The

implication lingers that with understanding will come the demand to continue what Jesus

has done, for the sake of the Church and its ministry. Verses 8-10 augur against too

literal an interpretation of the rite. Instead, the event overflows with symbolism for the

life of the Christian community. It serves as an example of the Church's nature.

+ +

13:14 - 'o kyriow kai 'o didaskalow

The titles Teacher and Lord were commonly given to rabbis by their disciples. In verse

14 Jesus reversed the order commonly used by his followers (verse 13). The titles, in

this form, suggest Jesus' nature first, his role second. He imputes meaning to the title

Lord that would not be imputed by traditional usage. At the same time he would

dramatize personally the themes underscored in this passage. Footwashing is an

illustration of who Jesus is. It is also an example for all who believe in Him to follow.

The form of the statement recalls a type of argument used by rabbis. Here Jesus uses

such a structure to reinforce his person-hood as the source of his authority.

3. STRATEGY: John 13: 1-17, 31b-35

The passage resounds with powerful, homiletic imagery. Its proximity to the

passion, and resurrection, of Christ heightens its potential. In the context of a Eucharist,

and perhaps a footwashing and a stripping of the altar, a profound moment is within

reach. The eve of sorrow and death anticipates the dawn of triumph. Maundy Thursday

is a moment of birth. It is the synthesis of rite, of Jesus' presence, and servanthood, into

the foundations of the Christian community. At a time in history when privatized faith

remains an irresistible lure for many, when the possibility of being "born again" frequently

diminishes the significance of shared faith, this passage has important implications. Jesus'

summons comes to the community of believers. Jesus' person dwells amid the company

of his followers; his example directs a new kind of relationship, i.e., that of servanthood.

For liturgically grounded forms of Christianity there is a particular opportunity to

interweave the Church's sacramental life with its call to ministry. The Church, as well as

individual Christians, is faithful when it offers itself in humble service. Indeed, faith is not

an intangible set of feelings or pious intentions. Faith is concrete. It entails participation

in community and extension of oneself to serve others.

+ +

7A minor theme in this passage concerns Peter. Peter often serves as the foil.

His doubt reflects our own. His incredulity allows us a ready point of identification with

the Gospel. Here he is astounded that Jesus should wash his feet. Exalted leaders don't

do such things in Peter's eyes. On the other hand, with Jesus' persistence, Peter seeks

personal indulgence. Peter is the modern believer, upon whom Jesus' example initially is

lost. Peter inevitably grapples with what he cannot understand, and thus serves as an

inducement to belief for those who question.

4. REFERENCES, John 13:!-17, 31b-35

Hatchett, Marion J. COMMENTARY ON THE AMERICAN PRAYER BOOK. New

York: Seabury, 1981.

INTERPRETER'S DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE. New York & Nashville:

Abingdon, 1962.

Leon-Dufour, Xavier. DICTIONARY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. San Francisco:

Harper & Row, 1980.

5. MUSIC SUGGESTIONS

"Strengthen for Service, Lord" HB 312 - LBW 218

"This is the Hour of Banquet and of Song" HB 316

"My God, thy Table Now is Spread" HB 321

"O Lord, We Praise You, Bless You and Adore You" LBW 215

"Now the Silence" LBW 205

Exegete: William L. Sachs, Ph.D., author of The Transformation of Anglicanism: From State

Church to Global Communion. Cambndge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

+ +

6. FURTHER READING

While it may seem odd or even irreverent to contemplate joy and laughter in the

midst of this holiest of weeks, it may be something we need. I am thinking here especially

of a "pop" book on religious humor by Cal Samra, founder of an organization known as

the "Fellowship of Merry Christians." Samra's book is entitled THE JOYFUL CHRIST:

The Healing Power of Humor. (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1986). The book is a

wonderful anthology of the meaning and message of humor in the church's mission

today. Samra relates example after example to support his contention that humor is

perhaps the most important missing dimension in the church's life today, a dimension

that is needed for unity and wholeness. It is a challenging and exhilarating thesis,

beautifully expressed. Moreover, once one has begun to ponder THE JOYFUL CHRIST,

Jesus may never be the same! [ http://www.joyfulnoiseletter.com/index.asp ] Their

Joyful NoiseLetter notes:

Many American churches are resurrecting an old Easter custom

begun by the Greeks in the early centuries of Christianity-"Holy

Humor Sunday" celebrations of Jesus' resurrection on the Sunday

after Easter.

For centuries in Eastern Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant

countries, the week following Easter Sunday, including "Bright

Sunday" (the Sunday after Easter), was observed by the faithful as

"days of joy and laughter" with parties and picnics to celebrate

Jesus' resurrection.

Churchgoers and pastors played practical jokes on each other,

drenched each other with water, told jokes, sang, and danced.

The custom was rooted in the musings of early church theologians

(like Augustine, Gregory of Nyssa, and John Chrysostom) that God

+ +

9played a practical joke on the devil by raising Jesus from the dead.

"Risus paschalis - the Easter laugh," the early theologians called it.

In 1988 the Fellowship of Merry Christians began encouraging

churches and prayer groups to resurrect Bright Sunday celebrations

and call it "Holy Humor Sunday," with the theme: "Jesus is the LIFE

of the party."

Many churches from different traditions responded enthusiastically.

Holy Humor Sunday services are bringing back large crowds to

churches on a Sunday when church attendance typically drops

dramatically.

If you Google “Holy Humor Sunday” on the Internet, you’ll be

amazed at how widespread Holy Humor Sunday celebrations on

the Sunday after Easter have become among churches of all

traditions. It’s clearly a movement of the Holy Spirit to shore up

belief in the resurrection of Jesus.

On a much more serious note is Jacob Jonsson's brilliant monograph, Humour and Irony

in the New Testament: Illuminated by Parallels in Talmud and Midrash (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1985).

This study was for many years the only serious, scholarly and theological work in its field

aside from occasional brief essays and exegetical studies by various scholars. Jonsson's

work was first published in Reykjavik in 1965 and exhaustive bibliography and indices on

scriptural references containing elements of humor and irony. This new edition

completely reprints the original and includes a brief foreword by Krister Stendahl,

former Bishop of Stockholm, Sweden. It makes a fine starting point for anyone

interested in a serious study of the place of humor in the Scriptures.

<Lexegete>

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Good Friday | March 29, 2024

Isaiah 52:13—53:12

Psalm 22 (1)

Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9

John 18:1 to 19:42

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God, look with loving mercy on your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was

willing to be betrayed, to be given over to the hands of sinners, and to suffer death on the

cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

or

Merciful God, your Son was lifted up on the cross to draw all people to himself. Grant that we

who have been born out of his wounded side may at all times find mercy in him, Jesus Christ,

our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and

forever.

Gospel Acclamation

Look to Jesus, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregard-

ing its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the | throne of God. (Heb. 12:2)

Color: none

__________________________________________________________

1a. CONTEXT: John 18:1 to 19:42

Each of the four gospels has a passion account. These passion accounts are

thought to be representative of the earliest stories the church passe around.

They are certainly the longest sustained narratives that the Gospel writers

inherited. In the passion narrative the Gospel of John comes closer to the

Synoptics than in any other place. Despite the relative similarities in the four

+ +

11accounts, internal evidence shows them to have different sources. The author

of John has used a different source from the sources used by the Synoptics.

Hence the variance in details in the different accounts can be attributed partly to

different sources and partly to different theological intentions of the Gospel

writers. But the case if the Johannine passion account, a clear theological

perspective and a source with different details make it, as usual, more different

from the Synoptics than they are from each other.

Given that the Gospel for the Sunday of the Passion is the Lucan Passion

Narrative, it would be helpful to review major points of comparison between the

Lukan and Johannine accounts. In John's Gospel, the passion narrative follows

the rather lengthy Farewell discourses, which include some of the incidents and

details that being Luke's passion narrative (Last Supper, prediction of betrayal,

prediction of denial). John's passion begins abruptly, with Jesus leading his

disciples across the Valley of Kidron to a garden, whereupon they immediately

encounter the mob. Luke places it on the Mount of Olives, and includes the

agony of prayer and the sleeping disciples. John's mob includes both state and

religious police, Luke's mentions only religious. John names the injured slaves

and mentions a relative. Luke has Jesus heal the slave.

In the judicial process, John has Jesus taken to Annas (where he is accompanied

by "another disciple," while Peter is left behind). He then goes to Caiphas, and

then to Pilate, before whom there is a lengthy dialogue. Luke has Jesus go to the

high priest's house, the council of elders, Pilate, Herod, then Pilate, before whom

Jesus is relatively silent.

John's Jesus carries his own cross to the crucifixion. Pilate imposes his tri-

lingual proclamation. Jesus entrusts his mother and the Beloved Disciple to each

other. The women stand close the cross. Jesus declares his thirst, and ends with,

"It is finished." The soldiers do not break his legs, but do pierce his side.

+ +

12Luke's account has Simon of Cyrene carry the cross. Jesus asks God to forgive

the tormentors. He has conversations with the criminals. His final words are,

"Into your hands I commend my spirit." Darkness and testimonials follow his

death. The faithful women stand afar.

1b. TEXT: John 18:1-19:37

ESV:

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

18:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his

disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden,

which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed

him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his

disciples. 3 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and

some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went

there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus,

knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to

them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of

Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” [1] Judas, who

betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus [2] said to

them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 So he

asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus

of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if

you seek me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word

that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost

not one.” 10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and

struck the high priest's servant [3] and cut off his right ear. (The

servant's name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put

+ +

13your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the

Father has given me?”

Jesus Faces Annas and Caiaphas

12 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of

the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they led him to

Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high

priest that year. 14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews

that it would be expedient that one man should die for the

people.

Peter Denies Jesus

15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since

that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with

Jesus into the court of the high priest, 16 but Peter stood

outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to

the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept

watch at the door, and brought Peter in. 17 The servant girl at

the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's

disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the servants [4]

and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and

they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was

with them, standing and warming himself.

The High Priest Questions Jesus

19 The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and

his teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to

the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple,

where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21

+ +

14Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said

to them; they know what I said.” 22 When he had said these

things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his

hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23 Jesus

answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the

wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” 24

Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Peter Denies Jesus Again

25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they

said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He

denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the servants of the

high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off,

asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Peter

again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

Jesus Before Pilate

28 Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the

governor's headquarters. [5] It was early morning. They

themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that

they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. 29 So

Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you

bring against this man?” 30 They answered him, “If this man

were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to

you.” 31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge

him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for

us to put anyone to death.” 32 This was to fulfill the word that

Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to

die.

+ +

15My Kingdom Is Not of This World

33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and

said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered,

“Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you

about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation

and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have

you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.

If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been

fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my

kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So

you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For

this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into

the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the

truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is

truth?”

After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and

told them, “I find no guilt in him. 39 But you have a custom that

I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you

want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 They cried

out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a

robber. [6]

Jesus Delivered to Be Crucified

19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers

twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and

+ +

16arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying,

“Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 4

Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him

out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So

Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple

robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” 6 When the chief

priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him,

crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and

crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” 7 The Jews answered him,

“We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die

because he has made himself the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate

heard this statement, he was even more afraid. 9 He entered his

headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?”

But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You will

not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to

release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered

him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had

been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me

over to you has the greater sin.”

12 From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried

out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend.

Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” 13 So

when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat

down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone

Pavement, and in Aramaic [7] Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day

of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. [8]

He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 They cried out,

“Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to

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17them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered,

“We have no king but Caesar.” 16 So he delivered him over to

them to be crucified.

The Crucifixion

So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross,

to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is

called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two

others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate

also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus

of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read

this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near

the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21

So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write,

‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of

the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have

written.”

23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his

garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each

soldier; also his tunic. [9] But the tunic was seamless, woven in

one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another,

“Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.”

This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

“They divided my garments among them,

and for my clothing they cast lots.”

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18So the soldiers did these things, 25 but standing by the cross of

Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of

Clopas [not “Cleopas”] , and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw

his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he

said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said

to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the

disciple took her to his own home.

The Death of Jesus

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to

fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood

there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop

branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the

sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and

gave up his spirit.

Jesus' Side Is Pierced

31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies

would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath

was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be

broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers

came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had

been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and

saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But

one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once

there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne

witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling

the truth—that you also may believe. 36 For these things took

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19place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones

will be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They will

look on him whom they have pierced.”

[1] 18:5 Greek I am; also verses 6, 8

[2] 18:6 Greek he

[3] 18:10 Greek bondservant; twice in this verse

[4] 18:18 Greek bondservants; also verse 26

[5] 18:28 Greek the praetorium

[6] 18:40 Or an insurrectionist

[7] 19:13 Or Hebrew; also verses 17, 20

[8] 19:14 That is, about noon

[9] 19:23 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak

next to the skin

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a

publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Text -- John 18:19-37

Greek:

18.1Ταῦτα εἰπὼν Ἰησοῦς ἐξῆλθεν σὺν τοῖς µαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ πέραν τοῦ χειµάρρου τοῦ Κεδρὼν ὅπου ἦν

κῆπος, εἰς ὃν εἰσῆλθεν αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ µαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ. 2ᾔδει δὲ καὶ Ἰούδας ὁ παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν τὸν τόπον,

ὅτι πολλάκις συνήχθη Ἰησοῦς ἐκεῖ µετὰ τῶν µαθητῶν αὐτοῦ. 3ὁ οὖν Ἰούδας λαβὼν τὴν σπεῖραν καὶ ἐκ

τῶν ἀρχιερέων καὶ ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων ὑπηρέτας ἔρχεται ἐκεῖ µετὰ φανῶν καὶ λαµπάδων καὶ ὅπλων.

4Ἰησοῦς οὖν εἰδὼς πάντα τὰ ἐρχόµενα ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἐξῆλθεν καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Τίνα ζητεῖτε; 5ἀπεκρίθησαν

αὐτῷ, Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ναζωραῖον. λέγει αὐτοῖς, Ἐγώ εἰµι. εἱστήκει δὲ καὶ Ἰούδας ὁ παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν µετ'

αὐτῶν. 6ὡς οὖν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Ἐγώ εἰµι, ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω καὶ ἔπεσαν χαµαί. 7πάλιν οὖν ἐπηρώτησεν

αὐτούς, Τίνα ζητεῖτε; οἱ δὲ εἶπαν, Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ναζωραῖον. 8ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς, Εἶπον ὑµῖν ὅτι ἐγώ εἰµι: εἰ

οὖν ἐµὲ ζητεῖτε, ἄφετε τούτους ὑπάγειν: 9ἵνα πληρωθῇ ὁ λόγος ὃν εἶπεν ὅτι Οὓς δέδωκάς µοι οὐκ

ἀπώλεσα ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐδένα. 10Σίµων οὖν Πέτρος ἔχων µάχαιραν εἵλκυσεν αὐτὴν καὶ ἔπαισεν τὸν τοῦ

ἀρχιερέως δοῦλον καὶ ἀπέκοψεν αὐτοῦ τὸ ὠτάριον τὸ δεξιόν. ἦν δὲ ὄνοµα τῷ δούλῳ Μάλχος. 11εἶπεν οὖν

ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῷ Πέτρῳ, Βάλε τὴν µάχαιραν εἰς τὴν θήκην: τὸ ποτήριον ὃ δέδωκέν µοι ὁ πατὴρ οὐ µὴ πίω

+ +

20αὐτό; 12Ἡ οὖν σπεῖρα καὶ ὁ χιλίαρχος καὶ οἱ ὑπηρέται τῶν Ἰουδαίων συνέλαβον τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ ἔδησαν

αὐτὸν 13καὶ ἤγαγον πρὸς Ανναν πρῶτον: ἦν γὰρ πενθερὸς τοῦ Καϊάφα, ὃς ἦν ἀρχιερεὺς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ

ἐκείνου: 14ἦν δὲ Καϊάφας ὁ συµβουλεύσας τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὅτι συµφέρει ἕνα ἄνθρωπον ἀποθανεῖν ὑπὲρ

τοῦ λαοῦ. 15Ἠκολούθει δὲ τῷ Ἰησοῦ Σίµων Πέτρος καὶ ἄλλος µαθητής. ὁ δὲ µαθητὴς ἐκεῖνος ἦν γνωστὸς

τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ, καὶ συνεισῆλθεν τῷ Ἰησοῦ εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν τοῦ ἀρχιερέως, 16ὁ δὲ Πέτρος εἱστήκει πρὸς τῇ

θύρᾳ ἔξω. ἐξῆλθεν οὖν ὁ µαθητὴς ὁ ἄλλος ὁ γνωστὸς τοῦ ἀρχιερέως καὶ εἶπεν τῇ θυρωρῷ καὶ εἰσήγαγεν

τὸν Πέτρον. 17λέγει οὖν τῷ Πέτρῳ ἡ παιδίσκη ἡ θυρωρός, Μὴ καὶ σὺ ἐκ τῶν µαθητῶν εἶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου

τούτου; λέγει ἐκεῖνος, Οὐκ εἰµί. 18εἱστήκεισαν δὲ οἱ δοῦλοι καὶ οἱ ὑπηρέται ἀνθρακιὰν πεποιηκότες, ὅτι

ψῦχος ἦν, καὶ ἐθερµαίνοντο: ἦν δὲ καὶ ὁ Πέτρος µετ' αὐτῶν ἑστὼς καὶ θερµαινόµενος. 19Ὁ οὖν ἀρχιερεὺς

ἠρώτησεν τὸν Ἰησοῦν περὶ τῶν µαθητῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ περὶ τῆς διδαχῆς αὐτοῦ. 20ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ Ἰησοῦς,

Ἐγὼ παρρησίᾳ λελάληκα τῷ κόσµῳ: ἐγὼ πάντοτε ἐδίδαξα ἐν συναγωγῇ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, ὅπου πάντες οἱ

Ἰουδαῖοι συνέρχονται, καὶ ἐν κρυπτῷ ἐλάλησα οὐδέν. 21τί µε ἐρωτᾷς; ἐρώτησον τοὺς ἀκηκοότας τί

ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς: ἴδε οὗτοι οἴδασιν ἃ εἶπον ἐγώ. 22ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ εἰπόντος εἷς παρεστηκὼς τῶν ὑπηρετῶν

ἔδωκεν ῥάπισµα τῷ Ἰησοῦ εἰπών, Οὕτως ἀποκρίνῃ τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ; 23ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ Ἰησοῦς, Εἰ κακῶς

ἐλάλησα, µαρτύρησον περὶ τοῦ κακοῦ: εἰ δὲ καλῶς, τί µε δέρεις; 24ἀπέστειλεν οὖν αὐτὸν ὁ Αννας

δεδεµένον πρὸς Καϊάφαν τὸν ἀρχιερέα. 25*)=ην δὲ Σίµων Πέτρος ἑστὼς καὶ θερµαινόµενος. εἶπον οὖν

αὐτῷ, Μὴ καὶ σὺ ἐκ τῶν µαθητῶν αὐτοῦ εἶ; ἠρνήσατο ἐκεῖνος καὶ εἶπεν, Οὐκ εἰµί. 26λέγει εἷς ἐκ τῶν

δούλων τοῦ ἀρχιερέως, συγγενὴς ὢν οὗ ἀπέκοψεν Πέτρος τὸ ὠτίον, Οὐκ ἐγώ σε εἶδον ἐν τῷ κήπῳ µετ'

αὐτοῦ; 27πάλιν οὖν ἠρνήσατο Πέτρος: καὶ εὐθέως ἀλέκτωρ ἐφώνησεν. 28Ἄγουσιν οὖν τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀπὸ

τοῦ Καϊάφα εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον: ἦν δὲ πρωΐ: καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐκ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον, ἵνα µὴ µιανθῶσιν

ἀλλὰ φάγωσιν τὸ πάσχα. 29ἐξῆλθεν οὖν ὁ Πιλᾶτος ἔξω πρὸς αὐτοὺς καὶ φησίν, Τίνα κατηγορίαν φέρετε

[κατὰ] τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου; 30ἀπεκρίθησαν καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ, Εἰ µὴ ἦν οὗτος κακὸν ποιῶν, οὐκ ἄν σοι

παρεδώκαµεν αὐτόν. 31εἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Πιλᾶτος, Λάβετε αὐτὸν ὑµεῖς, καὶ κατὰ τὸν νόµον ὑµῶν

κρίνατε αὐτόν. εἶπον αὐτῷ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, Ἡµῖν οὐκ ἔξεστιν ἀποκτεῖναι οὐδένα: 32ἵνα ὁ λόγος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ

πληρωθῇ ὃν εἶπεν σηµαίνων ποίῳ θανάτῳ ἤµελλεν ἀποθνῄσκειν. 33Εἰσῆλθεν οὖν πάλιν εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον

ὁ Πιλᾶτος καὶ ἐφώνησεν τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Σὺ εἶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων; 34ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς,

Ἀπὸ σεαυτοῦ σὺ τοῦτο λέγεις ἢ ἄλλοι εἶπόν σοι περὶ ἐµοῦ; 35ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Πιλᾶτος, Μήτι ἐγὼ Ἰουδαῖός

εἰµι; τὸ ἔθνος τὸ σὸν καὶ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς παρέδωκάν σε ἐµοί: τί ἐποίησας; 36ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς, Ἡ βασιλεία ἡ

ἐµὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ κόσµου τούτου: εἰ ἐκ τοῦ κόσµου τούτου ἦν ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐµή, οἱ ὑπηρέται οἱ ἐµοὶ

ἠγωνίζοντο [ἄν], ἵνα µὴ παραδοθῶ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις: νῦν δὲ ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐµὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐντεῦθεν. 37εἶπεν

οὖν αὐτῷ ὁ Πιλᾶτος, Οὐκοῦν βασιλεὺς εἶ σύ; ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Σὺ λέγεις ὅτι βασιλεύς εἰµι. ἐγὼ εἰς

τοῦτο γεγέννηµαι καὶ εἰς τοῦτο ἐλήλυθα εἰς τὸν κόσµον, ἵνα µαρτυρήσω τῇ ἀληθείᾳ: πᾶς ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς

ἀληθείας ἀκούει µου τῆς φωνῆς. 38λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Πιλᾶτος, Τί ἐστιν ἀλήθεια; Καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν πάλιν

ἐξῆλθεν πρὸς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Ἐγὼ οὐδεµίαν εὑρίσκω ἐν αὐτῷ αἰτίαν. 39ἔστιν δὲ

+ +

21συνήθεια ὑµῖν ἵνα ἕνα ἀπολύσω ὑµῖν ἐν τῷ πάσχα: βούλεσθε οὖν ἀπολύσω ὑµῖν τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἰουδαίων;

40ἐκραύγασαν οὖν πάλιν λέγοντες, Μὴ τοῦτον ἀλλὰ τὸν Βαραββᾶν. ἦν δὲ ὁ Βαραββᾶς λῃστής.

19. 1 Τότε οὖν ἔλαβεν ὁ Πιλᾶτος τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ ἐµαστίγωσεν. 2καὶ οἱ στρατιῶται πλέξαντες

στέφανον ἐξ ἀκανθῶν ἐπέθηκαν αὐτοῦ τῇ κεφαλῇ, καὶ ἱµάτιον πορφυροῦν περιέβαλον αὐτόν,

3καὶ ἤρχοντο πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ ἔλεγον, Χαῖρε, ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων: καὶ ἐδίδοσαν αὐτῷ

ῥαπίσµατα. 4Καὶ ἐξῆλθεν πάλιν ἔξω ὁ Πιλᾶτος καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Ἴδε ἄγω ὑµῖν αὐτὸν ἔξω, ἵνα

γνῶτε ὅτι οὐδεµίαν αἰτίαν εὑρίσκω ἐν αὐτῷ. 5ἐξῆλθεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἔξω, φορῶν τὸν ἀκάνθινον

στέφανον καὶ τὸ πορφυροῦν ἱµάτιον. καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Ἰδοὺ ὁ ἄνθρωπος. 6ὅτε οὖν εἶδον αὐτὸν οἱ

ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ ὑπηρέται ἐκραύγασαν λέγοντες, Σταύρωσον σταύρωσον. λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Πιλᾶτος,

Λάβετε αὐτὸν ὑµεῖς καὶ σταυρώσατε, ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐχ εὑρίσκω ἐν αὐτῷ αἰτίαν. 7ἀπεκρίθησαν αὐτῷ

οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, Ἡµεῖς νόµον ἔχοµεν, καὶ κατὰ τὸν νόµον ὀφείλει ἀποθανεῖν, ὅτι υἱὸν θεοῦ ἑαυτὸν

ἐποίησεν. 8Οτε οὖν ἤκουσεν ὁ Πιλᾶτος τοῦτον τὸν λόγον, µᾶλλον ἐφοβήθη, 9καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ

πραιτώριον πάλιν καὶ λέγει τῷ Ἰησοῦ, Πόθεν εἶ σύ; ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἀπόκρισιν οὐκ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ.

10λέγει οὖν αὐτῷ ὁ Πιλᾶτος, Ἐµοὶ οὐ λαλεῖς; οὐκ οἶδας ὅτι ἐξουσίαν ἔχω ἀπολῦσαί σε καὶ

ἐξουσίαν ἔχω σταυρῶσαί σε; 11ἀπεκρίθη [αὐτῷ] Ἰησοῦς, Οὐκ εἶχες ἐξουσίαν κατ' ἐµοῦ

οὐδεµίαν εἰ µὴ ἦν δεδοµένον σοι ἄνωθεν: διὰ τοῦτο ὁ παραδούς µέ σοι µείζονα ἁµαρτίαν ἔχει.

12ἐκ τούτου ὁ Πιλᾶτος ἐζήτει ἀπολῦσαι αὐτόν: οἱ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐκραύγασαν λέγοντες, Ἐὰν

τοῦτον ἀπολύσῃς, οὐκ εἶ φίλος τοῦ Καίσαρος: πᾶς ὁ βασιλέα ἑαυτὸν ποιῶν ἀντιλέγει τῷ

Καίσαρι. 13Ὁ οὖν Πιλᾶτος ἀκούσας τῶν λόγων τούτων ἤγαγεν ἔξω τὸν Ἰησοῦν, καὶ ἐκάθισεν

ἐπὶ βήµατος εἰς τόπον λεγόµενον Λιθόστρωτον, Ἑβραϊστὶ δὲ Γαββαθα. 14ἦν δὲ παρασκευὴ τοῦ

πάσχα, ὥρα ἦν ὡς ἕκτη. καὶ λέγει τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, Ἴδε ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑµῶν. 15ἐκραύγασαν οὖν

ἐκεῖνοι, *)=αρον ἆρον, σταύρωσον αὐτόν. λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Πιλᾶτος, Τὸν βασιλέα ὑµῶν

σταυρώσω; ἀπεκρίθησαν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς, Οὐκ ἔχοµεν βασιλέα εἰ µὴ Καίσαρα. 16τότε οὖν

παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν αὐτοῖς ἵνα σταυρωθῇ. Παρέλαβον οὖν τὸν Ἰησοῦν: 17καὶ βαστάζων ἑαυτῷ τὸν

σταυρὸν ἐξῆλθεν εἰς τὸν λεγόµενον Κρανίου Τόπον, ὃ λέγεται Ἑβραϊστὶ Γολγοθα, 18ὅπου αὐτὸν

ἐσταύρωσαν, καὶ µετ' αὐτοῦ ἄλλους δύο ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν, µέσον δὲ τὸν Ἰησοῦν.

19ἔγραψεν δὲ καὶ τίτλον ὁ Πιλᾶτος καὶ ἔθηκεν ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ: ἦν δὲ γεγραµµένον, Ἰησοῦς ὁ

Ναζωραῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων. 20τοῦτον οὖν τὸν τίτλον πολλοὶ ἀνέγνωσαν τῶν Ἰουδαίων,

ὅτι ἐγγὺς ἦν ὁ τόπος τῆς πόλεως ὅπου ἐσταυρώθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς: καὶ ἦν γεγραµµένον Ἑβραϊστί,

Ῥωµαϊστί, Ἑλληνιστί. 21ἔλεγον οὖν τῷ Πιλάτῳ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς τῶν Ἰουδαίων, Μὴ γράφε, Ὁ

βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐκεῖνος εἶπεν, Βασιλεύς εἰµι τῶν Ἰουδαίων. 22ἀπεκρίθη ὁ

Πιλᾶτος, Ὃ γέγραφα, γέγραφα. 23Οἱ οὖν στρατιῶται ὅτε ἐσταύρωσαν τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἔλαβον τὰ

ἱµάτια αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐποίησαν τέσσαρα µέρη, ἑκάστῳ στρατιώτῃ µέρος, καὶ τὸν χιτῶνα. ἦν δὲ ὁ

χιτὼν ἄραφος, ἐκ τῶν ἄνωθεν ὑφαντὸς δι' ὅλου. 24εἶπαν οὖν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, Μὴ σχίσωµεν

αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ λάχωµεν περὶ αὐτοῦ τίνος ἔσται: ἵνα ἡ γραφὴ πληρωθῇ [ἡ λέγουσα], Διεµερίσαντο

+ +

22τὰ ἱµάτιά µου ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἱµατισµόν µου ἔβαλον κλῆρον. Οἱ µὲν οὖν στρατιῶται ταῦτα

ἐποίησαν. 25εἱστήκεισαν δὲ παρὰ τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἡ µήτηρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ ἀδελφὴ τῆς

µητρὸς αὐτοῦ, Μαρία ἡ τοῦ Κλωπᾶ καὶ Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή. 26Ἰησοῦς οὖν ἰδὼν τὴν µητέρα

καὶ τὸν µαθητὴν παρεστῶτα ὃν ἠγάπα, λέγει τῇ µητρί, Γύναι, ἴδε ὁ υἱός σου. 27εἶτα λέγει τῷ

µαθητῇ, Ἴδε ἡ µήτηρ σου. καὶ ἀπ' ἐκείνης τῆς ὥρας ἔλαβεν ὁ µαθητὴς αὐτὴν εἰς τὰ ἴδια.

28Μετὰ τοῦτο εἰδὼς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι ἤδη πάντα τετέλεσται, ἵνα τελειωθῇ ἡ γραφή, λέγει, Διψῶ.

29σκεῦος ἔκειτο ὄξους µεστόν: σπόγγον οὖν µεστὸν τοῦ ὄξους ὑσσώπῳ περιθέντες προσήνεγκαν

αὐτοῦ τῷ στόµατι. 30ὅτε οὖν ἔλαβεν τὸ ὄξος [ὁ] Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, Τετέλεσται: καὶ κλίνας τὴν

κεφαλὴν παρέδωκεν τὸ πνεῦµα. 31Οἱ οὖν Ἰουδαῖοι, ἐπεὶ παρασκευὴ ἦν, ἵνα µὴ µείνῃ ἐπὶ τοῦ

σταυροῦ τὰ σώµατα ἐν τῷ σαββάτῳ, ἦν γὰρ µεγάλη ἡ ἡµέρα ἐκείνου τοῦ σαββάτου, ἠρώτησαν

τὸν Πιλᾶτον ἵνα κατεαγῶσιν αὐτῶν τὰ σκέλη καὶ ἀρθῶσιν. 32ἦλθον οὖν οἱ στρατιῶται, καὶ τοῦ

µὲν πρώτου κατέαξαν τὰ σκέλη καὶ τοῦ ἄλλου τοῦ συσταυρωθέντος αὐτῷ: 33ἐπὶ δὲ τὸν Ἰησοῦν

ἐλθόντες, ὡς εἶδον ἤδη αὐτὸν τεθνηκότα, οὐ κατέαξαν αὐτοῦ τὰ σκέλη, 34ἀλλ' εἷς τῶν

στρατιωτῶν λόγχῃ αὐτοῦ τὴν πλευρὰν ἔνυξεν, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν εὐθὺς αἷµα καὶ ὕδωρ. 35καὶ ὁ

ἑωρακὼς µεµαρτύρηκεν, καὶ ἀληθινὴ αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἡ µαρτυρία, καὶ ἐκεῖνος οἶδεν ὅτι ἀληθῆ

λέγει, ἵνα καὶ ὑµεῖς πιστεύ[ς]ητε. 36ἐγένετο γὰρ ταῦτα ἵνα ἡ γραφὴ πληρωθῇ, Ὀστοῦν οὐ

συντριβήσεται αὐτοῦ. 37καὶ πάλιν ἑτέρα γραφὴ λέγει, Ὄψονται εἰς ὃν ἐξεκέντησαν.

Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 26th edition © 1979, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart;

The Greek New Testament, 3rd edition © 1975, United Bible Societies, London

2. ANALYSIS: John 18:1 to 19:37

Jn. 18:3 - speiran - This Roman term for cohort implies that there were soldiers

of Pilate involved in the arrest.

Jn. 18:6 - ego eimi...apelthan eis ta hopiso dai epesan chamai - Jesus' presence

and his proclamation of it stuns his attackers.

Jn. 18:9 - plerothe...The fulfillment of prophecy is a recurrent theme in this

passion narrative. Here Jesus probably refers ato his own statement in John

6:39.

Jn. 18:11 - to poterion ho dedoken moi ho pater, ou me pio auto - The rhetorical

phrasing of what was a genuine question in the synoptics calls for a positive

response, "Yes, you shall."

+ +

23Jn. 18:15 - allos mathetes...gnostos to archierei - How another disciple of Jesus

could have made it into the priest's court when Peter didn't is problematic.

Possible "others" are: 1) The Beloved Disciple [because of closeness to Jesus,

association with Peter, presence at the cross].;

The improbability of the Beloved Disciple begin allowed to enter gives rise to

three others: 2) an unknown, 3) Judas, and 4) Nicodemus.

Jn. 18:19 - peri ton matheton autou kai peri tes didaches autou - This is John's

only recorded questioning by the temple authorities, who seek to ascertain how

subversive as well as how blasphemous Jesus is. Note that Jesus avoids the

question of his disciples, and stands on his public record of teaching (v. 20).

Jn. 18:29 - Pilatos - John first mentions Pilate here without identifying him as

governor. The tradition of Pilate's humanity and concern for Jesus is unlikely,

given the presence of Roman soldiers at the arrest. Pilate's question in verse 29

(tina kategorian pherete tou anthropou toutou) is formal rather than

informational.

Jn. 18:31 - kai kata ton nomon hymon krinate auton - Scholars debate whether

the Jewish authorities did have capital powers. The state had jurisdiction over

political crimes.

Jn. 18:32 - plerothe - See John 18:9.

Jn. 18:33-6 - basileus - Pilate and Jesus use the same word, king, but with entirely

different meanings.

Jn. 18:37 - ego eis touto gegennemai - Jesus explains his destiny.

Jn. 18:37-8 - aletheias - Again, Pilate and Jesus have vastly different meanings for

the same word, truth.

Jn. 19:7 - uion theou - This is the theological accusation.

Jn. 19:8 - mallon - We haven' heard of fear previously, though here it is reported

to have increased. Is it a fear of hearing the truth, or of facing the consequences?

Jn. 19:10-11 - exousian - Jesus and Pilate use the word for power in difference

senses also.

+ +

24Jn. 19:12 - philos tou kaisaros - An official title meaning "friend of Caesar."

Jn. 19:16 - paredoken - Pilate judges and sentences Jesus.

Jn. 19:17 - Heauto - It was standard for a condemned person to carry the

crossbeam.

Jn. 19:24 - Note here the need to fulfill scripture.

Jn. 19:25b - Note the faithful women, para to stauro.

Jn. 19:26-7 - ide - Jesus uses the same word, behold, to Mary and the Beloved

disciple in this adoption formula. A new reality is coming into being.

Jn. 19:28 - dipso - Even this apparent expression of weakness is turned into a

triumphant fulfillment of scripture.

Jn. 19:30 - tetelestai - "accomplished" ; paredoken to pneuma - The same word is

used for Pilate handing over Jesus in 19:16. The emphasis here is on Jesus'

volition in his own death.

Jn. 19:34 - aima kai hydor - Only John reports this, which may be part of the

symbolism of the crucified Christ.

Jn. 19:36 - plerothe - Again scripture is fulfilled. Jesus is as an unblemished

Passover lamb.

3. STRATEGY: John 18:1 - 19:42

Good Friday is the most solemn day of the church year. Many churches

observe it with special services such as Stations of the Cross, Tenebrae or

meditation on the Seven Last Words. Virtually every church member, however

peripheral, knows the story of Good Friday. But most people, lay and clergy

alike, when asked to tell the story of Jesus' Passion, will give an syncretistic

account.

+ +

25Good Friday is like Christmas in that we mix the various Gospel

accounts with legends within our memories. Many Good Friday services

encourage a blended view of the various Gospel accounts. There is nothing

wrong with being conversant with the various versions of the Passion of Jesus.

Each gospel is rich in detail and perspective, and to leave any one of them out is

to lose a great deal. However, to know the story and to hear it proclaimed only

as an amalgam is to do disservice to the theological perspectives of the four

Gospel writers.

It is not random, therefore, that John's Passion account is used on Good

Friday. Passion Sunday alternates among the Synoptics, but Good Friday remains

Johannine. Reading the Synoptics, we may wonder with the child,

"What is so good about Good Friday?" The answer given to that question in

John's Gospel is an essential preaching point, especially if one chooses to be

Biblical and not simply narrative on Good Friday. Good Friday is good,

according to John, because Jesus is completely in control of his own destiny.

Together with God he plans and implements everything for our salvation.

From his confident striding onto the Mount of Olives, to his spirited debates

with Pilate, to his final words on the cross, Jesus is in charge. There is no room

for our pity here. Even to wallow in our own sinfulness is self-indulgent and not

the point of the Gospel. The drama that we witness is God's will, even the

seemingly incongruous details. All attempts to humiliate Jesus glorify him. All

attempts to discredit him acclaim him.

The preacher's Good Friday challenge is to proclaim the Johannine triumph

while maintaining the solemnity of the day. The victory on the cross is total, but

it is not without cost. God is the playwright, and Jesus the star in this drama,

yet the stage (for at least the Passion) is the world. One cannot interpret this

drama completely without contemplating

+ +

26the world's role in it. The Passion of Jesus is about humanity's rejection and

destruction of God. It is about the religious establishment colluding with the

state to resist God's will. It is about human nature, free will.

It is about historic events, and about a continuing human tendency. It is about

them, and about us, a point made dramatically clear when the Passion is done by

congregational reading and the people are called on to say "Crucify, crucify!"

4. REFERENCES

Brown, Raymond E. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN (xiii-xxi). THE ANCHOR BIBLE. Garden

City, NY: Doubleday, 1970.

Bultmann, Rudolf. THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1971.

Additional Textual Notes, SEE: < http://net.bible.org/bible.php >

5. WORSHIP SUGGESTIONS

Worship leaders are encouraged to plan Good Friday observances taking

great care to convey the triumph and the dignity of John's Passion account. On

this day, the Eucharist for once is not appropriate. It is to be saved for the

Easter Vigil, or Easter, as the culmination. Good Friday remains quiet, watching

and waiting. We are like the women at the foot of the cross, witnessing the pain,

awaiting the new community.

Some helpful comments for worship preparation are given by Philip H.

Pfatteicher and Carlos R. Messerli in the MANUAL ON THE LITURGY: Lutheran

Book of Worship, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1979, pp. 320-326.

While church music for this day is normally restrained (no entrance hymn

or recessional hymn, e.g.) some hymns that may be appropriate for

meditation include the following:

+ +

27A LAMB GOES UNCOMPLAINING FORTH (LBW 105)

AH, HOLY JESUS, HOW HAST THOU OFFENDED (HB 158, LBW 123)

ALONE THOU GOEST FORTH, O LORD (HB 164)

AT THE CROSS HER VIGIL KEEPING (HB 159, LBW 110)

BENEATH THE CROSS OF JESUS (HB 498, LBW 107)

CROSS OF JESUS, CROSS OF SORROW ( HB 160)

DEEP WERE HIS WOUNDS (LBW 100)

GO TO DARK GETHSEMANE (HB 171, LBW 109)

IN THE CROSS OF CHRIST I GLORY (HB 441/2, LBW 104)

IN THE HOUR OF TRIAL (LBW 106)

JESUS IN THY DYING WOES (LBW 112/3)

JESUS, I WILL PONDER NOW (LBW 115)

LAMB OF GOD, PURE AND SINLESS (LBW 111)

MY SONG IS LOVE UNKNOWN (HB 163, LBW 94)

O SACRED HEAD (HB 168/9, LBW 116/7)

O SORROW DEEP (HB 173)

OF THE GLORIOUS BODY TELLING (LBW 120)

SING MY TONGUE THE GLORIOUS BATTLE (HB 165/6, LBW 118)

THE FLAMING BANNERS OF OUR KING (HB 161)

THE OLD RUGGED CROSS (Traditional)

THERE IS A GREEN HILL FAR AWAY (HB 167, omit st. 3,4;LBW 114),

TO MOCK YOUR REIGN (HB 170)

WERE YOU THERE WHEN THEY CRUCIFIED MY LORD? (HB 172, LBW 92)

WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDROUS CROSS (HB 474, LBW 482)

Lexegete: Bishop Jessica Crist-Graybill

The Rev. Jessica Crist is the former Bishop of the Montana Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran

Church in America. She also served as chair of the Conference of Bishops. A resident of Great

Falls, she is married to Turner Graybill, a retired attorney. They have two children—Rhiannon,

Prof. Hebrew Studies at University of Richmond and author off the JONAH Commentary in

the Lake Anchor Bible, , and Raphael, who, after graduating from Columbia, earned an MPhil in

Political Theory at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Prior to assuming the office of Bishop, Pastor

Crist served as Associate to the Bishop for 5 years, and Director of the Northern Rockies

Institute of Theology for 18 years. She served congregations in Great Falls, Montana, and

Cambridge, Massachusetts, and started in ministry as a campus pastor. She served on the

Transition Team that helped put together the Montana Synod from the predecessor churches,

and was elected Synod Secretary at the Constituting Convention. She served in that capacity

for 12 years. She has worked with the Montana Association of Churches for many years,

including serving as president, and as part of the teaching staff for the Lay Ministry Institute.

<Lexegete>

+ +

28__________________________________________________________________________________________

Resurrection of Our Lord | Vigil of Easter | March 31, 2024

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Creation

First Reading: Genesis 1:1–2:4a

Response: Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26 (1)

Flood

Second Reading: Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18, 8:6-18, 9:8-13

Response: Psalm 46 (7)

Testing of Abraham

Third Reading: Genesis 22:1-18

Response: Psalm 16 (11)

Deliverance at the Red Sea

Fourth Reading: Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21

Response: Exodus 15:1b-13, 17-18 (1)

Salvation Freely Offered to All

Fifth Reading: Isaiah 55:1-11

Response: Isaiah 12:2-6 (3)

The Wisdom of God

Sixth Reading: Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6 or Baruch 3:9-15, 32–4:4

Response: Psalm 19 (8)

A New Heart and a New Spirit

Seventh Reading: Ezekiel 36:24-28

Response: Psalms 42 and 43 (42:2)

Valley of the Dry Bones

Eighth Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Response: Psalm 143 (11)

The Gathering of God's People

Ninth Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-20

Response: Psalm 98 (4)

+ +

29The Deliverance of Jonah

Tenth Reading: Jonah 1:1–2:1

Response: Jonah 2:2-3 [4-6] 7-9 (9)

Clothed in the Garments of Salvation

Eleventh Reading: Isaiah 61:1-4, 9-11

Response: Deuteronomy 32:1-4, 7, 36a, 43a (3-4)

Deliverance from the Fiery Furnace

Twelfth Reading: Daniel 3:1-29

Response: Song of the Three 35-65 (35)

New Testament Reading

Romans 6:3-11

Gospel -- John 20:1-18

Prayer of the Day

Eternal giver of life and light, this holy night shines with the radiance of the risen

Christ. Renew your church with the Spirit given us in baptism, that we may worship you

in sincerity and truth and may shine as a light in the world, through your Son, Jesus

Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and

forever.

Or

O God, you are the creator of the world, the liberator of your people, and the wisdom

of the earth. By the resurrection of your Son free us from our fears, restore us in your

image, and ignite us with your light, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who

lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. Let us sing to the Lord, who has | triumphed gloriously;

our strength and our might, who has become | our salvation. Alleluia. (Exod. 15:1-2)

Color: White / Gold

+ +

30__________________________________________________________________________________________

Resurrection of Our Lord | Easter Day

__________________________________________________________________________________________

March 31, 2024

Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah 25:6-9

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 (24)

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 or Acts 10:34-43

Mark 16:1-8 or John 20:1-18

Prayer of the Day

O God, you gave your only Son to suffer death on the cross for our redemption, and by his glorious

resurrection you delivered us from the power of death. Make us die every day to sin, that we may live

with him forever in the joy of the resurrection, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and

reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

or

God of mercy, we no longer look for Jesus among the dead, for he is alive and has become the Lord of

life. Increase in our minds and hearts the risen life we share with Christ, and help us to grow as your

people toward the fullness of eternal life with you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives

and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. Christ, our paschal lamb, | has been sacrificed.

Therefore, let us | keep the feast. Alleluia. (1 Cor. 5:7, 8)

Color: Whte / Gold

1a. CONTEXT: Mark 16: 1-8

The Resurrection accounts--or, more precisely, the stories of the discovery of the

empty tomb-- differ significantly among the four Gospels. The narrative inconsistencies

are so striking that some might think the truth claim of this central Christian

proclamation thereby discredited. Many Christians, of course, never noticed the

contradictions, while a few, especially in the 19th century, came upon them with so

strong a disappointment and sense of betrayal as to thenceforward abandon church and

faith altogether. Yet we may see these discrepancies quite differently, as confirmations of

both the church's need and its ability to tell the Truth through more than one accounting

+ +

31of the story. The choice of these four distinct books over against Tatian's harmonized

version of the Gospels in the formation of the canon should remind us that our

ancestors in the faith could both see the variety in these documents and affirm the value

of that diversity. Their freedom from a narrow consistency derived more from wisdom

than from stupidity, and is more a hermeneutical help than a problem.

In Mark, the witness to the Resurrection is not a report of the risen Jesus but of the

empty tomb and the words spoken within it. It is arguable that the earliest tradition of

the kerygma understood and proclaimed the resurrection in terms of the appearance of

Jesus, as most notably in I Cor. 15:3-7. Unless one considers the strikingly unMarcan

versions of Mark 16:9ff to represent a now lost ending to the narrative, however, it

appears that Mark has no intent of grounding faith in the resurrected Lord in an account

of his appearance. The empty tomb, this abrupt and powerful reversal of Jesus'

destruction on the cross, points ahead to an encounter which is narratively future: he

will meet his followers in Galilee, back where they began.

As we move into this last scene of Mark's Gospel, it is important to remember how

dramatically the resurrection will contrast with the description of Jesus' trial and death

just before. The horror and defeat was there tempered by neither the loving piety

heard in Luke's passion account nor the majestic notes of triumph sounded by John.

There was not even a grand Matthean earthquake to prefigure the vindication of the

saints. This messiah was too weak to carry his own cross, and even his cry of desolation

proved yet another occasion for him to be misunderstood. There were of course

intimations of divinity and purpose in all this, but they were ironic, ambiguous, or

unaccountably grounded in some peculiar vision. One would have had to remember

Jesus' earlier words about seeds and secrets and a mission of suffering in order to see

anything hopeful at the end of Chapter 15.

+ +

321b. Text: Mark 16:1-8

16:1 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and

Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.

16:2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went

to the tomb.

16:3 They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from

the entrance to the tomb?"

16:4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already

been rolled back.

16:5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting

on the right side; and they were alarmed.

16:6 But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth,

who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid

him.

16:7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there

you will see him, just as he told you."

16:8 So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized

them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

+ +

331b. TEXT: Mark 16: 1-8

ESV:

The Resurrection

16:1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and

Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first

day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying

to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4

And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And

entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white

robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus

of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they

laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There

you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for

trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they

were afraid.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles,

a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission

GREEK:

1Καὶ διαγενοµένου τοῦ σαββάτου Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ καὶ Μαρία ἡ [τοῦ]

Ἰακώβου καὶ Σαλώµη ἠγόρασαν ἀρώµατα ἵνα ἐλθοῦσαι ἀλείψωσιν αὐτόν. 2καὶ

λίαν πρωῒ τῇ µιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων ἔρχονται ἐπὶ τὸ µνηµεῖον ἀνατείλαντος τοῦ

ἡλίου. 3καὶ ἔλεγον πρὸς ἑαυτάς, Τίς ἀποκυλίσει ἡµῖν τὸν λίθον ἐκ τῆς θύρας τοῦ

µνηµείου; 4καὶ ἀναβλέψασαι θεωροῦσιν ὅτι ἀποκεκύλισται ὁ λίθος, ἦν γὰρ µέγας

σφόδρα. 5καὶ εἰσελθοῦσαι εἰς τὸ µνηµεῖον εἶδον νεανίσκον καθήµενον ἐν τοῖς

δεξιοῖς περιβεβληµένον στολὴν λευκήν, καὶ ἐξεθαµβήθησαν. 6ὁ δὲ λέγει αὐταῖς,

Μὴ ἐκθαµβεῖσθε: Ἰησοῦν ζητεῖτε τὸν Ναζαρηνὸν τὸν ἐσταυρωµένον: ἠγέρθη, οὐκ

ἔστιν ὧδε: ἴδε ὁ τόπος ὅπου ἔθηκαν αὐτόν. 7ἀλλὰ ὑπάγετε εἴπατε τοῖς µαθηταῖς

αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ Πέτρῳ ὅτι Προάγει ὑµᾶς εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν: ἐκεῖ αὐτὸν ὄψεσθε,

καθὼς εἶπεν ὑµῖν. 8καὶ ἐξελθοῦσαι ἔφυγον ἀπὸ τοῦ µνηµείου, εἶχεν γὰρ αὐτὰς

τρόµος καὶ ἔκστασις: καὶ οὐδενὶ οὐδὲν εἶπαν, ἐφοβοῦντο γάρ.

+ +

34Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 26th edition © 1979, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart;

The Greek New Testament, 3rd edition © 1975, United Bible Societies, London

2. ANALYSIS: Mark 16: 1-8

Mk 16:1 "When the Sabbath was past..." A capacious, useful, and lovely cloak can be

hung on this little peg: this Sunday is not just the first day but the eighth day, not just the

beginning of another week but the totally unexpected and unnatural fulfillment of the

story that had seemed finished and dead, the Sabbath beyond the Sabbath, etc., etc.

Although such reflection has homiletical and spiritual value, it does not seem of great

exegetical truth, especially given the pace and urgency of Mark's narrative. We are not

being invited to pause and caress this phrase or this moment.

"Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome" are the three who are

named in Mk 15:40 as among the women who were present at the death of Jesus. In this

they contrast to the male disciples, who have disappeared from the story after betraying,

abandoning, or denying their teacher.

The contrast is, I think, significant: it is the women, not the supposed leaders of the

community, who have kept and are now keeping the faith. They lack the conventional

authority of male witnesses, but they are the only witnesses Mark will offer us. (This in

distinction to I Cor. 15, which had attested the resurrection with the witness of Peter

and other men; The other evangelists, moreover, all include revelations to men after the

initial female discovery at the tomb.) Yet it would also run against the grain of Mark's

narrative simply to extol the women as heroic paragons of faith. It was, after all, only

"from afar" that they had watched the crucifixion, and now their frightened failure to

obey the angel's command will constitute the last written fact of the Gospel. They are of

course significantly more faithful than their brethren, but Mark still aims to avoid

presenting a vision of the church based on heroes, male or female.

+ +

35"...to anoint him."-- The mission and motive of anointing, prefigured in 14:3-9, carries

on the image of humble service connected with Salome in 15:41, and may suggest to us

also the tenderness exhibited so movingly by Mary Magdalene in Jn 20:11-18. The form

of faithfulness which would so minister to a corpse two days dead bespeaks an intimate

human solidarity in the face of death. Without such a faithfulness, grounded more in love

than in reason, this particular resurrection account would dissolve, the tomb unvisited.

Note also the possible suggestion of taboo and transgression here: as Jesus had so often

done, these women now reach across the boundary to the realm of the unclean. (Such a

liminal task, of course, is one often accorded to women in a patriarchal culture.)

16:3 "'Who will roll away the stone?'" This belated forethought may indeed be more

an example of what John Meagher calls Mark's clumsiness as a storyteller than a detail of

significance. It is nonetheless a detail with which many of us, prone to lapses of

practicality and foresight, can identify, and it does also move the narrative toward the

discovery that someone or something has already moved the great stone out of the way.

16:5 "And entering the tomb..." Note that in Mark the angelic encounter takes place

*inside* the tomb. The tomb is actually not empty, but contains the young man who will

announce Jesus' resurrection. This entry into the tomb provides, I would suggest, a

reinforcement of Marcan imagery: the victory is made known within the place of death,

in a place which is--in the root sense of the word--secret. We may be reminded of Jesus'

own simile of the Kingdom's presence as a seed in this world, a seed buried in the dark

soil, a seed whose form is hard and enclosed like a tomb, and yet which cracks open with

mysterious life and power. Mark's passion narrative took us insistently into the horror

of Jesus' death, and now it is into the tomb that he would bring us in order to tell of that

death's secret meaning.

"...a young man"-- This *neaniskos* has interestingly been linked to the youth in Mk

14:51. While such a connection may form part of the history of the text, the canonical

+ +

36form of the Gospel does not appear to intend more than that this figure be seen as an

angel, a messenger of divine mission and authority, robed in white as was the figure of

Jesus at his Transfiguration. (Still, the link back to chapter 14 may be worth some

reflection in terms of the contrast between the youth's connection to defeat and shame

and his[?] appearance now clothed as the messenger of God's vindication.)

16:7 "Go tell Peter..."- Remember that the apostolic leadership remained centered in

Jerusalem, and Lk indeed gives Dominical warrant to the disciples staying there. There

may thus be here again a Marcan suggestion that Peter and the inner circle missed the

point. Perhaps, in fact, they didn't even get the message. And the implications may go

further: if Jerusalem, capital city of the priests and scribes, and of Herod and Pilate, has

become the home of the apostles, might not they now have become new purveyors of

that pharisaic leaven (Mk 8:15) which puffs up but does not nourish?

"... to Galilee." Not at the tomb and not in Jerusalem. Consider here the evocation of

Jesus' ministry in Chapters 1-8. The direction is back home, back again to the Gospel's

beginning, back to the countryside and towns where Jesus' liberating words and deeds

had begun the plundering of Satan's house. That Galilee-- homeground for the messianic

ministry-- will

of course prove to be not only Jewish but multi-ethnic and Gentile, and is indeed the

promised place for encounter of the risen Lord, but the force of this direction is

diminished and deflected if it is taken as either just the geographic locus of the parousia

or simply a coded term for the Roman world.

16:8 "they said nothing to anyone..." The double negative in Greek (*oudeni ouden*)

intensifies rather than cancels. An English triple negative would convey the force of the

statement, albeit in a more colloquial fashion: "they didn't say nothing to nobody."

+ +

37As Don Juel has observed, there is a kind of existential realism here which shrouds

even this triumph in disappointment and failure, and yet the very abruptness of the

ending, like the direction back to Galilee, indicates that the story is not yet ended. Jesus

has proved true to his own predictions (*"... kathos eipen hymin"*), and our response--

like the ultimate responses of the women, and of the disciples-- is still an open question.

3. STRATEGY: Mark 16: 1-8

Several homiletical possibilities have, I hope, already been suggested by the

analysis above. In more detail, I offer these two approaches to the preaching task:

1) It might be helpful for the preacher simply to lay out the narrative shape of Mark's

Gospel, with particular attention to the drama of this strange turning of the tables. Jesus,

who had seemed able to bind Satan and plunder his house, has himself been bound and

defeated. Describing both Jesus' initial power and his eventual destruction can be done

in a manner which connects with issues of empowerment and failure in our midst, and

the preacher may then carry her or his hearers to a renewed sense of Easter's great

reversal: of Satan bound, the tomb broken, and the defeated one triumphant after all.

The evidence for such a resurrection in this world may seem tenuous, with attestation as

slight and ambiguous as what Mark offers us here, puny seeds indeed. Yet we may sense

the stirring of those seeds, and dare to ask afresh the Gospel's open question of faith

and response. One could end with that question, but before doing so it would be

important to show something of what is at stake for human lives in its answering. (Mk.

9:24 might also be a valuable memory here.)

2) The words of the angel open up another aspect of the Easter Gospel worthy of

explication: Jesus is not here, but has moved on ahead of us. He awaits his followers

back in Galilee. The Church on this morning is like the open tomb, a place associated

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38with the mysteries of love and death, a place for remembrance and for this wondrous

announcement. But in an important sense Jesus is not here. He is waiting for us at

home, back in the world where he tried to show us the kingdom of God. It feels good

to savor this sweet morning at the tomb, but with that sweetness let the preacher send

the people back to the places where Jesus is waiting for them.

4. REFERENCES: Mark 16: 1-8

Myers' Binding the Strong Man is one of the most helpful books for the

consideration of Mark's text and its use, not least so in this final section. Perrin's The

Resurrection Narratives and Fuller's more ponderous Formation of the

Resurrection Narratives are both also useful in thinking through the contra-

dictions among the sources. Juel's little Augsburg Commentary also offers several

concise and valuable insights on Chapter 16.

5. MUSIC SUGGESTIONS: Mark 16:1-8

There is certainly no dearth of great hymnody for this day. Two particularly apt

for a Marcan reading are NOW THE GREEN BLADE RISES (LBW 148; HB 204)

and WELCOME HAPPY MORNING (LBW 153; HB 179).

Exegete

-

Rev. John Stendahl, Lutheran Church of the Newtons,

Newton Centre, Massachusetts (Retired)

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Easter Evening | May 31, 2024

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Isaiah 25:6-9

Psalm 114 (7)

1 Corinthians 5:6b-8

Luke 24:13-49

Prayer of the Day

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread, open the eyes of

our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives

and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. Our hearts | burn within us

while you open to | us the scriptures. Alleluia. (Luke 24:32)

Color: White/Gold

Easter Monday | April 1, 2024

These propers may be used for a service on Easter Monday or on another day during the week after

Easter Day. Why not find and use a nearby “Upper Room” ?

Daniel 12:1-3

Psalm 16:8-11 (9)

Acts 2:14, 22b-32

Matthew 28:9-15a

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God, you give us the joy of celebrating our Lord's resurrection. Give us also the joys of life in

your service, and bring us at last to the full joy of life eternal, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. God raised up Jesus, having freed | him from death,

because it was impossible for him to be held | in its power. Alleluia. (Acts 2:24)

Color: White/Gold

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