John 19:38-42, The Day of Preparation/Crucifixion (2)

The second “therefore,” which is that Christ was on the cross during the Day of Preparation.  If the place of crucifixion is where I think it is, on the north outside Jerusalem in the “land of Moriah,” (not east where the temple was, not west where the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is, but north of the temple), then there were many people taking their lambs on the road that took people to the sheep gate, that brought them to the Pool of Bethesda for washing the lamb, and then onto the temple mount for killing the lamb.  What we know is that the “many people” who passed by the cross were busy about Passover.  That is what was happening in Jerusalem at the time.  And there was Jesus, our Paschal Lamb, being sacrificed on the altar of the cross!  It is an awesome picture.

The “Day of Preparation” was quite a full day.  It takes months, for me at least, to preach and teach through the chapters involved in that 24-hour day.  Every event is full of significance.  You might wonder if it was possible for all those events to be limited to one day; from the preparation of the Passover meal until the body of Christ was laid in the tomb, a lot happened.  John records 4 chapters of Jesus’ teaching (Jn. 13-16) as taking place at the meal.  The prayer of Ch. 17 might have been prayed at Gethsemane.  In between the Upper Room and the Garden they crossed the Kidron, although that would have been less than half an hour.  He prayed at the Garden, then returned under arrest to Caiaphas house.  There were trials before the Jews, and then before Rome, including both Pilate and Herod.  Again, the movements from Fortress Antonia to Herod’s location near Jaffa Gate and then back was not as far as you might think in the compact city of Jerusalem.  Getting to Golgotha would take a little longer than normal since Jesus was not moving fast.  Then 6 hours on the cross, with Joseph going back into town to get permission to take the body.  At least the tomb was “nearby” we are told.  It is not the most important question, but here is a chart with some possible times that show it is not unreasonable.  What a day! But it was the day we have longed for.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it!  For your consideration.