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BACKGROUND FOR THIS EPISODE

(In Order of Appearance)

NEW TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE:
  • Mark 15:25 – It was about nine o’clock in the morning when they nailed Jesus to the cross. 
  • I Peter 2:24 – In his body he carried our sins on the wooden cross. He wants us to quit sinningg and live right. His wounds were used to heal us. 
  • II Corinthians 5:21 – Christ never sinned, but God caused him to become sin for us, so that we could be right with God in Christ.
  • Romans 3:23 – …because everyone has sinned and is far away from God’s glory. 
  • Romans 6:23 – The pay you get for sinning is death, but God’s gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
  • Luke 7:11-17 – The next day, Jesus went to a town called Nain. His followers and a large group of people were traveling with him. 12When Jesus came near the town gate, look, he saw a funeral procession. A mother had lost her only son. She was also a widow. A large crowd from the town was there with the mother while the dead son was being carried out. 13When the Lord Jesus saw her, he felt very sorry for her. He said to her, “Don’t cry.” 14Jesus went near the coffin and touched it. The men who were carrying it stopped. Jesus said, “Young man, I tell you, get up!” 15Then the dead son sat up and began to talk. Jesus gave him to his mother. 16All of the people felt much respect. They were praising God. They said, “A great prophet has come to us!” and, “God is taking care of His people.” 17This news about Jesus spread into all Judea and throughout all the places around there.
  • Luke 8:41-56 – Jesus said to her, “Dear woman, you are made well because you believed. Go in peace.” 49While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue ruler and said, “Your daughter has just died! Don’t bother the Teacher anymore.” 50When Jesus heard this, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid! Just believe and your daughter will be well again.” 51Jesus got to the house. He allowed only Peter, John, James, and the girl’s father and mother to go in with him. He did not allow anyone else inside. 52Everyone was crying and wailing because of the girl. But Jesus said, “Stop crying, because she is not dead; she is only sleeping!” 53They sneered at Jesus, because they knew that the girl was dead. 54But Jesus held her hand and called to her, “Little girl, get up!” 55Her spirit came back into her, and she stood up immediately. Jesus said, “Give her something to eat.” 56The girl’s parents were amazed. Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about what had occurred.
  • John 10:11 – “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives his own life for the sheep. 
  • Mark 15:23 – They gave him some wine mixed with myrrh,e but Jesus didn’t drink it.
  • Luke 23:36-37 – Even the soldiers made fun of him. They came to Jesus and offered him some sour wine. 37The soldiers said, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 
  • John 19:23-24 – After the soldiers had nailed Jesus to the cross, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts—one for each soldier, but the robe remained. This robe was seamless—completely made of one piece of woven cloth. 24They said to one another, “Let’s not tear it. Let’s gamble for it, to see who will get it!” This happened to make this Scripture come true: “They divided my clothes among themselves. They gambled for my clothing.” (Psalms 22:18) That is what the soldiers did.
  • Despite what famous artists have portrayed through the centuries, those crucified were placed just a few inches off the ground, thus making it easier for taunting from onlookers.
  • Luke 23:34 – Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people. They don’t know what they are doing.”e The soldiers gambled to see who would get Jesus’ clothes.
  • Matthew 27:36 – They sat there watching him. 37At the top of the cross, they wrote the reason for his punishment in these words:                                      “THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
  • Matthew 27:39-40 – The people who were passing by shook their heads and said terrible things to Jesus. 40They said, “You are the one who was going to destroy the temple sanctuary and build it again in three days! Since you are the Son of God, save yourself! Come on down from the cross!”
  • Matthew 27:44  – Even the criminals who were nailed to the other crosses did the same thing—they kept on insulting Jesus.
  • Matthew 2741-43 – In the same way, the most important priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders made fun of Jesus. They continued to say, 42“He saved other people, but he cannot save himself! He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now! Then we will believe in him! 43He trusts in God; let God rescue him now, if He wants him. Jesus did say, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”
  • Luke 3:23 – It is written in the law of the Lord: “When the first male in every family is born, he will be called ‘holy for the Lord God.’ ” (Exodus 13:2,12,15)
  • Philippians 1:15-18
  • This Persian word, paradise, means walled in (para-) place (-dise).  Jesus was buried in a garden (John 19:41).  But Jesus meant more than that.  In Greek, garden is “kopos;” a protected hollowed-out place is “kolpos.”  Luke 17:22-23 refers to the “kolpos” of Abraham, translated the bosom of Abraham where the good went.  It was separated from hades where the bad went by a great gulf that neither one could ever cross (Luke 17:24-26).  Heaven is also a walled place (Revelation 21:12f) and is called the Walls of Salvation (Isaiah 21:6).
  • Luke 2:21, 34-35 – When the baby was eight days old, he was circumcised. Then he was named Jesus. (This name was given by the angel before the baby began to grow inside Mary’s womb.)…34Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “Listen, many Jewish people will fall and many will rise because of this boy. He will be a proof from God which some people will not accept. 35The things which people think in secret will be revealed. The things which will happen will slice through your heart.”
  • Mark 15:33 – From noon until three o’clock in the afternoon, there was darkness over the entire land. 
OLD TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE:
  • Job 1:21 – He said: “I was naked when I was born. And, I’ll be naked when I die!uYahweh gave these to me. And, He has taken them away.v Praise be to the Name of Yahweh!”
  • Psalm 69:20-21 [PREDICTED 1000 YEARS BEFORE JESUS] – 
  • Genesis 3:14-15 [PREDICTED ABOUT 4000 YEARS BEFORE JESUS] – Then the Always-Present One, God, said to the snake, “Because you have done this thing, you are banished from all livestock and all wild animals. From now on, you will crawl on your belly, and you will have to eat dirt as long as you live. 15I will put hostility between you and the woman, between your children and her child.k Although her child will crush your head, you will bite his heel.”l
  • Isaiah 53:4-5 [PREDICTED 700YEARS BEFORE JESUS] – But he certainly tookm our sufferingn upon himself, and he felt our paino for us. Though we saw his plight,pwe thought that God was punishing him.q 5But he was woundedr for the things that we did wrong.s He was crushedt for the sinful things we did. The punishment,u which made us well,v was given to him!w And, we ourselves are healedx by means of his wounds.y
  • Psalm 22:14, 18 [PREDICTED 1000 YEARS BEFORE JESUS] – My strength is all gone,like water poured out onto the ground. All of my bones are out of joint.h My heart is like wax.i It has melted inside me.
  • Psalm 22:18 [PREDICTED 1000 YEARS BEFORE JESUS] – They divided my clothes among them,o and they gambled for my clothing.p
  • Amos 8:9-10 [PREDICTED 750 YEARS BEFORE JESUS]  – The Lord, the Always-Present One, says: “At that time, I will cause the sun to go down at noon. I will make the earth dark during a clear day.q 10I will change your festivals into days of crying for the dead people.r And, all your songs will become songs of sadness for the dead.I will make all of you wear rough cloth.s You will shave your heads.t I will make that day like the weeping that happens over the death of an only son. Its end will be very painful.v

OTHER JESUS QUOTES IN THIS EPISODE

FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS:
  • AGAINST APION, I:22; WARS OF THE JEWS, BK 6, 9:3 – Jerusalem…is inhabited by a hundred and twenty thousand men [plus women and children equals nearly half a million people]….Upon coming of their feast which is called the Passover….two millions seven hundred thousand and two hundred persons.
THE MERCK MANUAL OF DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPY: 
  • TETANUS – The incubation period for Tetanus is about two days and up.  Progression of symptoms is rapid.  It initiates in the head usually, but can initiate in the feet.  Stiffness of arms or legs, headache, fever, chills, convulsions are initial symptoms.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA:
  • TETANUS – Tetanus not rarely supervened and the rigors of the attending convulsions would tear at the wounds and add to the burden of pain….sufferings were frightful.

SPECIAL CHARACTERS APPEARING IN OTHER EPISODES

Season 2, Hearts Afire, “Interrupted Funeral”

Season 3, Folk Hero, “The Girl & the Lady”

Season 4, Flood Gates, “Portals of paradise”