Jesus was taken to the home of the High Priest where the priests demanded that he be killed. But the land was ruled by the Romans, and no one could be executed without their sanction. So Jesus was led to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate questioned Jesus, and then declared he could not sentence him for he saw no evil in him. But the priests and the Pharisees insisted that Jesus was a troublemaker, and should be put to death. So Pilate sent Jesus to King Herod, who ruled Galilee from where Jesus came. But Herod too could find no evil in Jesus, and sent him back to Pilate.

Once again Pilate said to the enemies of Jesus that he saw no reason to execute him, and that he should be set free. But Jesus' enemies demanded that he be crucified. At length, Pilate gave in to their demands, and ruled that Jesus be put to death on the cross.

Jesus was crucified as a political rebel the very same day on a hill called Golgotha. When at length he died, his friends asked Pilate if they might take down his body, to give it proper burial. Pilate agreed. So Jesus' followers took him down from the cross, and wrapped him in a shroud, and buried him in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea near Golgotha.

That Jesus was a real person, of that there is no doubt. But very little is known of his life, apart from what his followers told and wrote. It is therefore difficult to separate facts from belief while telling the story of Jesus.

Jesus' story, according to the Christians, does not end with his death and burial. Three days after his death, some women went to Jesus' tomb with fragrant herbs to place in the linen wrappings around his body. But they found that the tomb lay open, and two Angels sat where the body of Jesus had been lying. The Angels told the women not to be afraid, for said they, Jesus had risen from the dead.

The Story of Easter cont'd... 
1   2   3   4   5