Saturday

It's a beautiful day here in north Texas.  Warm sun.  Cool breeze.  Rambling kids.  Greening trees. 

If you followed any of my posts from yesterday, you know the execution of God has consumed my thoughts.  This takes me to a Saturday some 1,990 years back.  What was that Saturday like for Jesus' most intimate followers.

Let's recap.  Less than a week prior, it seemed the whole region would install the Galilean as the foreordained messianic king of Israel, but the week wore on and contention grew between him and the leaders of the nation.  One of the inner circle who had been growing disillusioned turned to those leaders in an act of betrayal of the One who called him by name.  We never get Judas' rationale though film-makers and authors have speculated ever since.

A special seder.  Intimate.  Just the twelve and the Master.  Judas leaves.  Where's he going?  Foot-washings.  Songs.  Vines and branches.  Preparing a place?  It's late.  Pray for me.  Sleep.  Pray for me!  Sleep.  Betrayal.  Clubs.  And then he's gone.  Gone.  Into hiding.

Then the news.  They what?!?  Crucified him.  Despair.  Terror.  All is lost.

Saturday.  Eleven.  They had gotten word that Judas' had hanged himself, that his body had fallen from its perch and ruptured on the rocks below.  A few of the women who followed their Master were with them.

Okay.  What do we do now?  We can't just let the last three years be all for nought.  What are we going to do?  They killed him.  What will they do to us?  I thought something great was going to come about at the hands of the Master.  Do we try and fold his teaching into our lives back home.  But didn't he say he was going to die?  Yeah, but he couldn't have really meant the butchery that took place!  He's DEAD!

Was it a blue-sky day in Jerusalem?  Did the late afternoon sun give the temple constructed by the long-dead Herod a more golden hue that it normally had?  Were they making plans to head back to Galilee?  Were they figuring out how to get out of Jerusalem before anyone saw them?  Peter had been spooked by a little girl.  No doubt they huddled in that room scared to death.  Like sheep without a shepherd and wolves howling in the trees all around them.

Maybe we can get out of here tomorrow.  The women want to go take care of the Master's body.  Okay, but after that, let's put this city far behind us.  Maybe tomorrow things will quiet down.  Maybe tomorrow things can start to get back to normal.

Maybe not.

3:05 p.m.

Then Jesus, calling with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this, he breathed his last...and gave up his spirit.

3:01 PM

He said, "It is finished."

3 p.m.

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabacthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Noon

And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 

9:00 a.m.

It was the third hour when they crucified him...

8:00 a.m.

Pilate, staring at the One who declared himself to be The Truth:  "What is Truth?"

Pilate, after having the Galilean flogged to within a breath of his life:  "Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?"

The Galilean:  "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above."

From then on Pilate sought to release him, (but ulitmately) delivered him over to be crucified.

7:30 a.m.

...When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he was hoping to see some sign done by him...but (when questioned) he made no answer...And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt...and sent him back to Pilate...

7:00 a.m.

...When Pilate learned that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Jesus over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time...

6:00 a.m.

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.  And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor...