{"id":1992,"date":"2014-11-05T10:50:16","date_gmt":"2014-11-05T14:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/billykangas\/?p=1992"},"modified":"2014-11-01T22:04:04","modified_gmt":"2014-11-02T02:04:04","slug":"does-how-jesus-died-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/billykangas\/2014\/11\/does-how-jesus-died-matter.html","title":{"rendered":"Does the way Jesus died matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>


\nJesus\u2019 death matters. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"HowI think very few Christians would disagree with that statement. For nearly all believers, the death of Jesus is one the primary points upon which their theology turns. How one understands the death of Jesus underscores how we view God, salvation, human destiny, love and Christ himself.<\/p>\n

This has certainly been true in my own life. In fact one of the primary reasons I became catholic is because of my own struggles answering the question, \u201cwhy did Jesus die?\u201d<\/p>\n

However, in spite of the importance that many people put on the death of Jesus, for many Christians there has been little effort made into seeing how each of the four evangelists articulated Christ\u2019s death differently<\/em> in each of the four Gospels. Here are a few of the more significant variances:<\/p>\n

In Matthew<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pilot washes his hands of Jesus death and the crowd utters that Jesus\u2019 blood should be on their hands and on the hands of their children.<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There is a mysterious dream that Pilate\u2019s wife has, and she warns him to have nothing to do with Jesus<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Is the only account to have the dead come out of the tombs<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jesus tasts the wine, but does not drink (Mark make no mention of tasting)<\/p>\n

In Mark<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The wine offered to Jesus is mixed with myrrh (Matthew says it was mixed with gall, Luke and John don\u2019t mention it)<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Is the only gospel to mention the names of Simon of Cyrene\u2019s children (Alexander and Rufus)<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Is the only one where Jesus wears a purple cloak (Matthew has a crimson robe; Luke and John don\u2019t mention it).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In Luke<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It is the only account where Jesus is not given a crown of thorns<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It is the only account where Jesus turns to the wailing women and tells them to weep for themselves<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Is the only passage where Jesus asks the father to forgive his executioners<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It is the rulers (not the scribes and chief priests) that mock Jesus (like in Matthew and Mark)<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Only in Luke does one of the robbers rebuke the other, and receive the promise of paradise<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Luke is the only Synoptic to omit the calling of \u201cmy God my God why have you forsaken me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The centurion does not<\/em> say Jesus was the son of God in this gospel, but instead says he is innocent<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The multitudes beat their breasts and go home at the end in this gospel<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In this gospel the people watch, but don\u2019t mock<\/p>\n

In John<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Is the only account without a Barabbas narrative (though in Luke Barabbas is not <\/em>named)<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jesus is not helped by Simon of Cyrene<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Only in this gospel does Jesus talk to John and his mother, and give his mother into John\u2019s care<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 John does not even include the mockers while Jesus is on the cross<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Only in this gospel is the account of the pierced side told<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Only here is the narrative about the dispute between Pilate and the Chief Priests \u00a0about Jesus being called \u201cking of the Jews\u201d \u00a0given.<\/p>\n

Not only are there these significant valences in the count of Jesus death, but there are also major differences in the accounts of Jesus\u2019 betrayal, trial, burial and resurrection.<\/p>\n

I find these discrepancies fascinating. <\/strong><\/p>\n

They are a powerful reminder that Jesus death has been seen in different ways, even within the scriptures. When we think of the story it is important that we don\u2019t simply conflate all the stories together. The common composite of all the elements removes each element of the story from its original narrative context.<\/p>\n

Although we will never know for certain what each evangelist was thinking, it is valuable to take the time to at listen to each of the four gospels on their own terms. This is also true of each of the four gospels in their entirety.<\/p>\n

I believe that the way\u00a0Jesus died is very important, but I also believe that it is important to remember the different ways he died. We have four lenses in our Bibles that each see Jesus\u2019 death differently. When we fail to read each gospel on it\u2019s own terms we simply create a fifth gospel of our own devising, and that can be quite dangerous,<\/p>\n

MY CHALLENGE TO YOU<\/p>\n

Sit down and read through each of the four gospels straight through. You can do it in multiple sittings, but try to get through a whole gospel in a day so that you get the full force of what each evangelist is trying to do. I have done this a few times myself and have found it to be an incredible experience, and a powerful way to get to know Jesus better through the scriptures.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jesus\u2019 death matters. I think very few Christians would disagree with that statement. For nearly all believers, the death of Jesus is one the primary points upon which their theology turns. How one understands the death of Jesus underscores how we view God, salvation, human destiny, love and Christ himself. This has certainly been true […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1678,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nDoes the way Jesus died matter?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jesus\u2019 death matters. I think very few Christians would disagree with that statement. 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