Via Dolorosa. The Via Dolorosa, literally “the sorrowful way,” is the traditional route in Jerusalem which our Lord traveled on the day of His crucifixion from the judgment seat of Pilate, also called the Praetorium (Matthew 27:2-26), to the place of His crucifixion on Mount Calvary. When I watched the video, I wept.
It is Friday of Passion Week. Good Friday, also known as “Holy Friday,” is the Friday immediately preceding Resurrection Sunday, and is the day on which Christ was crucified. Concerning this particular Good Friday, “Oh! How things have changed.” Rock star status on Palm Sunday; fallen star on this, the following Friday. Such an abrupt “turn-about” in the minds of the unbelieving Jews in Jerusalem! Such is the week that Jesus experienced. A meal with friends on Thursday evening; a cross of death on Friday. But, consider all that was accomplished through this sovereign ordered ordeal (Acts 3:18), “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.”
God reached out to Israel, Isaiah 53:5 (NASB)
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
God reached out to all of mankind, John 1:29 (NASB)
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Good Friday’s calendar of events begins with the denial of Christ by Peter (Luke 22:54), in the morning’s, “wee dark hours” (Luke 22:55-56), and continue through Luke 23:55, with Jewish women leaving the tomb of Christ on Friday afternoon. It was due to the approaching of sunset for the observance of the Sabbath that the women left the burial tomb of Christ (Luke 23:56). The Sabbath begins on Friday at sunset, and lasts until Saturday at sunset. The women will return to the tomb early on Sunday morning, after the Sabbath has passed (Luke 24:1).
On Friday, Christ was mocked and beaten in Luke 22:63-65. In verses 66, through the end of chapter 22, Christ is taken before the Sanhedrin. Friday continues with Christ being taken to Pilate in the opening verse of Chapter 23, and stays through verse 55, when the women (above) follow the body of Christ to His burial tomb. During those fifty-five verses of Luke 23, Christ is taken before Pilate, and then before Herod. Christ appears again before Pilate. The crucifixion and burial of Christ follow. Luke 23, Verse 56, shows the women leaving the tomb because the Sabbath (Sunset on Friday) is approaching. So, it is on Friday that the crucifixion of Christ takes place. His body is taken to the tomb before sunset of Friday. Still, a very significant part of this last Friday deals with the call of the crowd in verse 18, “Away with this man (Christ), and release for us Barabbas!” and, in verse 21, “Crucify, crucify, Him”(Christ)! So, who was Barabbas? And, why would the crowd of Jews want Barabbas to be released, instead of Christ? Let’s give this matter some serious thought. We need also to consider, “the Jews.” There were “believing Jews,” and unbelieving Jews in Jerusalem that day. “Believing Jews” were those whom had accepted Christ as Messiah; unbelieving Jews “had not.” “Believing Jews” would not have called for Christ to be crucified.
An hourly timeline of Good Friday events follows. The trial before Pilate occurred at about 6:00 A.M. Christ was crucified at 9:00 A.M. Darkness fell all over the land from noon until 3:00 P.M. The death of Christ occurred at 3:00 P.M.(Unger’s Commentary On The Gospels, Mark 15:25-33). The body of Christ was taken to the burial tomb (Luke 23:53). The women followed and saw where the body of Christ was laid. Sabbath of Friday afternoon was soon approaching. (23:54). The women left the tomb and rested on the Sabbath (Luke 23:54-56). Yes! Christ was crucified on Friday [The day by day timeline of Holy Week, from Palm Sunday through Sabbath Saturday evening, is outlined in the Ryrie Study Bible (Dr. Charles C. Ryrie, Th. M., Th. D., Ph. D., Litt. D.,1925-2016), and has been used as a guide for this study of Holy Week].
As a nation, Israel had been under attack and oppression of other countries and world empires, going back to 722 B.C. Such empires were the Assyrian, Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman. The Jews of 33 A.D. were looking for someone to free them from the oppressive Roman government. They saw Barabbas as being a rugged Jewish freedom fighter, always riding a mighty horse, trying to rid their land of the cruel Romans. Barabbas was in jail for insurrection against the Roman government, and for the murder of Romans in the insurrection (Luke 23:21-25; Mark 15:7.)
Consider the comment of John MacArthur on Mark 15:7. {15:7 Barabbas. A robber (John 18:40) and murderer (Luke 23:18, 19), in some way involved as an anti-Roman insurrectionist. Whether his involvement was motivated by political conviction or personal greed is not known. It is impossible to identify the specific insurrection in question, but such uprisings were common in Jesus’ day and were precursors of the wholesale revolt of A.D. 66–70.}
In his commentary of Mark, Dr. R. C. Sproul (Deceased) makes the comment: “Perhaps Barabbas was a hero of the people for his opposition to Rome (the very thing they had looked for in Jesus).”
There was a movie that was made about Barabbas. In the movie, Barabbas was seen as being a very rugged man, whom had a great hatred for the Romans. After all, Barabbas rode a mighty horse, and killed Romans; he may have been viewed as a Jewish freedom fighter. But, Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey (Matthew 21:1-11) and told the Jews, “turn the other cheek” (Matt 5:39).
The following link leads to a very informative article that also discusses Barabbas. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Barabbas
Passion Week/Holy Week – Good Friday.
Luke 22:54-23:55, Friday, The crucifixion of Christ
Consider the following verses, by link.
Friday
Luke 22:54-23:55 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+22%3A54-23%3A55&version=HCSB
Matthew 26:57-68 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matt+26%3A57-68&version=HCSB
Matthew 27:1, 11-56 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matt+27%3A1%2C+11-56&version=HCSB
Mark 14:53-65; 15:1-47 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+14%3A53-65%3B+15%3A1-47+&version=HCSB
John 18:13-24; 28-40 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+18%3A13-24%3B+28-40&version=HCSB
John 19:1-42 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+19%3A1-42&version=HCSB
Key supportive verses
John 19:14 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” (Ryrie Study Bible Note: “preparation for the Passover.” Friday of Passover week. In verse 31 “preparation” refers to Friday as the day of preparation for the Sabbath. Re: Luke 23:54 “It was the preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.” Ryrie note. It was the “preparation day.” Friday, the day Jesus died, was the time of the preparation for the Sabbath, which began Friday at sunset.)
John 19:30 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. (Ryrie Study Bible Note: “it is finished!” Receipts for taxes found in the papyri have written across them this single Greek word, which means, “paid in full.” The price for our redemption from sin was paid in full in our Lord’s death.)
John 19:31 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
31 Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. (Ryrie Study Bible Note: “”that Sabbath was a high day.” I.e., the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread fell that year on a Sabbath, making it a “high” or “special” festival; Exodus 12:16, Leviticus 23:7).
Consider women. Consider the women.
It was women (Matt 27:55,56; Mark 15:40, 41; Luke 8:1-3; Luke 23:55, 56; John 19:25, 20:1) who saw the body of Christ being laid in a burial tomb. It was Friday afternoon, prior to sunset, when the women saw the body of Christ being taken from the cross to the tomb. Without a doubt, the women saw Christ being crucified on Friday. Without a doubt, the women saw Christ being placed in a burial tomb on Friday, before the beginning of the Sabbath. Without a doubt, Christ was not crucified on any day of the week, except Friday.
It was a woman who explained the great significance of the women in these last hours of Friday, which led to the beginning of the Sabbath, which began at sundown on Friday. She said, “if Jesus had been crucified on Wednesday or Thursday, women would not have waited until Friday afternoon to go to the place where Jesus had been laid. ” This discussion “about the women,” “about women,” is great food for thought.
Note: Reading the Old Testament is important in understanding God’s plan for His chosen people, Israel. (Deuteronomy 14:2).
Eternity 