Good Friday
In 1968, an ossuary was opened and a victim of crucifixion was discovered. He died in the 1st Century AD, around the same time as Jesus in Jerusalem. This is a rare discovery as most victims of crucifixion were left to rot on the cross.
The evidence shows an 11.5 cm nail was driven into the ankle. The tip had fragments of wood. This victim appears to have been crucified on an olive tree.
This could have been because of the lack of suitable trees in the area. Josephus said that the Romans complained about this problem in AD 70, during the Siege of Jerusalem.
If this was the case, then maybe Jesus may have actually been crucified on an olive tree.
Symbolically speaking, this would mean He is the fruit of the olive.
Olives were a very important commodity in the ancient Mediterranean world (and still are). They provided a consistent food source and they were used to anoint kings. Again, symbolically speaking, this means Jesus is the oil who anoints kings.
It would make the symbolism of Jesus praying on the Mount of Olives extremely poignant. Praying amongst the trees he would soon be killed upon.
Fragments of acacia were also found on the other end of the nail. It was likely from a board made from acacia wood. This would have been used to ensure the victim could not slid their feet off the nail.
Acacia was the wood used in making of the Ark of Covenant. Symbolically, this would connect Jesus to the Ark. Again, this is drenched in symbolism.
No other nails were found in the ossuary and so we do not know what wood was used for the cross beam. So it may not have been olive wood. [My wild guess is Ficus sycomorus. This is the type of fig tree mentioned in the Bible. Symbolically, this is the tree of shame].
Having said all of this, according to tradition, Jesus died on a cross made from cedar, pine and cypress. I think this is more likely, as if He died on an olive tree, it would have probably been mentioned by the early Christians.
But if He was, this adds a further dimension to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Harrowing of Hell
Easter Saturday is also known as the Harrowing of Hell. It charts the time between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Hell comes from the German word for the Underworld. Other similar names are Hades or Sheol. They all mean the same place.
The Bible says that Sheol/Hades has several parts.
In the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus talks about the ‘Great Chasm’, ‘Abraham’s Bosom’ and a ‘place of torment’. We learn more in Luke 8, where the demons beg not to be thrown into the ‘Abyss’, the bottomless pit.
Abraham’s Bosom, also known as Paradise, was where those who were faithful to God went when they died. It was separated from the other parts of Hell. This is where the Good Thief went after he died next to Jesus on the Cross.
Luke 23 v 43
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
The Great Chasm separates Paradise and the ‘place of torment’, where there is ‘gnashing of teeth’ (Luke 13 v 28). It is thought the Great Chasm and the Abyss are one and the same.
So what did Jesus do when he harrowed Hell?
According to the 1 Peter, Jesus preached to the dead (the imprisoned spirits) and in the Book of Zechariah, we learn He freed them.
Zechariah 9 v 11
As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.
Christian tradition extends this further. The Old English Biblical Texts from the 7th Century, has a section called Christ and Satan. I love how Jesus is alluded to as the ‘Terror of the Demons’.
Then terror came to them, and a crash before the Deemer,
when He bowed and broke the doors of hell. Bliss came to men
when they saw the head of the Savior.
Then was that folk terrified…
they were all frightened with terror,
widely throughout their windy hall… It is that one Himself, the Son of the Sovereign,
the Lord of Angels. He will lead these souls upwards from here…
Then He turned to hell, the Hero of Men, the Measurer (Creator) by His might.
He wished to lead forth a number of men, many thousands up to His homeland. Then came the voices of angels, a thundering at the crash of dawn. The Lord Himself had
conquered the enemy.
In the extra-biblical writings, the Gospel according to Nicodemus (written in the 4th Century) expands on Christ’s descent into Hell. This book is not canonical and shouldn’t be assumed to be inspired by the Holy Spirit. But it helps us to understand what early Christians we’re thinking at the time.
Near the end of the book is this beautiful line:
Then Jesus stretched forth His hand, and said, Come to me, all my saints, who were created in My image, who were condemned by the tree of forbidden fruit, and by the devil and death;
The Bible does not mention much about the Harrowing of Hell event, but it helps us to bring to mind the mighty works that Christ achieved on the Cross, freeing those faithful to God from the captivity of Hades.
Easter Sunday
At the Last Supper, Jesus takes bread and wine and announces the beginning of the new covenant.
Matt 26 v 26v27
Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
At the meal, Jesus associates His body with the bread and His blood with the wine. This feast has been celebrated throughout the centuries.
The next day, Jesus is tried, found guilty, tortured, hung on the Cross and died.
John 19 v 33 - 37
But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”
When He died, a soldier came to break His legs. When he found He was already dead, he pierced His side with a spear. From the wound flowed Jesus’ blood. His blood left His body. His body was then taken down from the cross and buried.
What I find interesting here is that the blood separated from the body. Just like in the Lord’s Supper, where Christ separately holds the bread and then the wine.
Just like in Genesis, where Joseph’s cellmates, the chief baker (bread) and the chief cupbearer (wine) are separated, one dies while the other is restored to Pharaoh.
When we come to celebrate this feast, we take the bread and the wine. We eat His body and we drink His blood. Then within us, they come together. The bread and the wine mix within us, the body and the blood combine to symbolically allow Christ to inhabit within us.
John 6 v 53
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”
As always, there are so many insights insights packed in here. Another terrific edition.