#Pilate Questions Jesus

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Jesus Brought before Pilate

1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. 2 They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

The Suicide of Judas

3 When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.” 7 After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter’s field as a place to bury foreigners. 8 For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

Pilate Questions Jesus

11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?” 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

Barabbas or Jesus?

15 Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. 16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Jesus Barabbas. 17 So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. 19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.” 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. 21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” All of them said, “Let him be crucified!” 23 Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

Pilate Hands Jesus Over to Be Crucified

24 So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” 25 Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 So he released Barabbas for them, and after flogging Jesus he handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and after twisting some thorns into a crown they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion of Jesus

32 As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; 36 then they sat down there and kept watch over him. 37 Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

38 Then two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to, for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’ ” 44 The rebels who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.

The Death of Jesus

45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46 And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48 At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53 After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54 Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

55 Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

The Burial of Jesus

57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who also was himself a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60 and laid it in his new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise, his disciples may go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone. — Matthew 27 | New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE) New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved worldwide. Cross References: Genesis 20:6; Genesis 31:11; Genesis 50:5; Exodus 21:32; Exodus 26:31; Numbers 4:5; Deuteronomy 21:6; Joshua 2:19; 1 Samuel 19:5; 1 Samuel 20:32; 2 Samuel 17:23; 2 Kings 13:21; 2 Kings 19:21; Psalm 22:8; Psalm 22:16; Psalm 31:13; Psalm 69:21; Psalm 71:10; Psalm 94:21; Isaiah 22:16; Isaiah 25:7; Isaiah 50:6; Isaiah 53:7; Isaiah 53:9; Jeremiah 1:1; Jeremiah 26:8; Daniel 6:17; Zechariah 11:12-13; Matthew 1:16; Matthew 2:2; Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:23; Matthew 20:19; Matthew 26:61; Matthew 26:63; Matthew 28:1; Matthew 28:11; Matthew 28:14-5; Mark 7:11; Mark 15:2; Mark 15:5-6; Mark 15:15; 15:42-43; Luke 23:5; Luke 23:9; Luke 23:53-54; John 19:9; John 19:14; John 20:1; Acts 1:19; Acts 3:14; Acts 5:28; Acts 13:28; Romans 16:7; 1 Thessalonians 2:3; James 1:5; Hebrews 5:7

[museofthepyre]

This is making me lose my mind, I need to dig into it. Forgive me if I’m not spot on with this, I’m no biblical scholar, I’m not even religious. I’m just autistic and had a hyperfixation on the Bible. So gather around, we’re having Bible study (CHNT spoilers… sort of).

I’m sure I don’t need to explain the significance of Jesus as a character in the Bible. Son of god, saviour of man, a martyr. What I’m interested in here is Elijah as Peter, and Jedidiah as Judas.

Elijah as Peter… has many implications of what may be to come? If we are to assume this metaphorical connection follows through the rest of the series. Because Peter in the Bible… he was one of the 12 apostles, he was also leader of the first Christian church. But before that, his story was… well, he betrayed Jesus. When Jesus was being arrested by the Romans, accused of being a traitor… Peter disowned Jesus. He said he did not know the traitor (“How could you!? You—you traitor! The ceremony, the congregants… how… I…”). He affirmed that three times. Upon the third time, he looked at Jesus and saw the hurt in his eyes- also a rooster crowed, which was prophesied to mark this betrayal. The look in Jesus’s eyes broke Peter’s heart, he realized what he’d done, ran away, and cried. Bitterly. Remorse and regret and realization of what he did. After the resurrection, he repented, and earned Jesus’s full forgiveness. He went on to lead the first church, and that became his life. His death came in the form of an upside-down crucifiction. His church was blamed for a fire which broke out in Rome, and he was executed- he insisted on being crucified upside down, as he felt unworthy of resembling Jesus in death. Remember this character is ELIJAH VOLKOV in this metaphor. Assuming the betrayal might be… the pyre? Then what comes next? Remorse arc, forgiveness arc? Ohshdhdhgs WHAT DO I MAKE OF THIS???

AND THEN JEDIDIAH AS JUDAS. MY FFFFUCKING GODDDDDD. Judas is another apostle, but he’s mostly known for his betrayal of Jesus- which ultimately lead to Jesus’s death. Judas disclosed his whereabouts to the people who would later crucify him (ordered by Pontius Pilate, at the time Roman governor) for 30 pieces of silver. He identified Jesus and sealed both their fates with a kiss. After the crucifixion- again, realizing what he’d done- Judas was overcome with so much remorse and regret that he hung himself. Thing is, all of this was prophesied/ predestined to be. There are varying opinions on what degree of choice Judas had- if all of this was fate, if it was all predestined, if he was a necessary part of this larger divine plan. The betrayal… I mean I think it’s obvious what that is in this Jedidiah metaphor. But what comes afterwards… ohhhh. Ohhh. My god. I have so many questions. ALSO IN ANOTHER STATEMENT MAYFIELD SAID JEDIDIAH IS MORESO GOD IN A WAY??? AND SYDNEYS STILL JESUS???? I thought Lucille would for sure parallel Pontius Pilate but then HE SAID MOTHER MARY and I’m. What

Adam as Satan requires little analysis… unless. I mean Lucifer was the most beautiful angel in God’s eyes… before he fell from grace.. Something something “Adam looks like Jedidiah but only sometimes” something something “once the most beautiful angel” something something.

Anyways. Thus concludes today’s episode of me rambling I have no clue what to make of any of this. I usually have more concluding thoughts, this time I’m just staring and shaking uncontrolably.

[saltoftheearth5x2]

Is Jesus Real?

How can we know that Jesus truly walked the earth and wasn't some made up man?

Aside from the countless testimonies from believers, and the records of Jesus within the Bible, is there any evidence that Jesus was here on earth?

Yes.

There are three historical accounts that all mention Jesus and/or Christians. There may be more, but these are the three that I am aware of.

1. Tacitus

Tacitus was a Roman historian from the 1st century who wrote about Christians and the fire in Rome. He mentions these "Chrestians" who are followers of "Christus" - which is referring to Jesus Christ. He notes that these Chrestians started in Judea (in the time of Tiberius and Pontius Pilate) and then spread to Rome. Christus had been put to death under Pilate, which then resulted in the persecution of Christians [under Nero].

This account alligns with what is written in the Gospels, Acts, and Revelations.

2. Josephus

Josephus was a Jewish historian from the 1st century. In his writings, he mentions Jesus, John the Baptist, and James [Jesus's brother]. He notes that James was stoned to death. Which would make sense because in Acts, James is the leader of the church in Jerusalem.

3. Pliny the Younger's letter to Trajan

Pliny the Younger was a Roman Governor in Brthynia and Pontus [which is roughly modern day Turkey] around 100 AD. His letter regards the persecution of Christians. Christians would not recant even after the threat of death. He says that Christians will not curse Christ nor worship idols. However Christians would:

- Meet on a particular day. [Have church]

- Sing to Christ as a God. [Worship]

- Commit to upright lives. [Live by God's standards]

- Eat ordinary food. [Eat the Lord's supper, Communion]

Pliny noted the spread of Christianity in cities and countries. He also noted that pagan worship was in decline because of Christianity, which is similar to Acts 19.

These three accounts prove that Jesus did indeed live here on earth. Feel free to do your own research, and also look at what the Bible says.

Next week I'll speak about the realness Jesus's resurrection [see link below], and I hope that you'll check that out too. God bless.

If you have any questions regarding the Christian faith, please ask me in my ask box. I am not a perfect person, but I will try and answer your questions as best as I can. We all have much more to learn, myself included. So please, do not be shy.

...

Jesus resurrection

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[artandthebible]

Christ Before the High Priest

Artist: Gerard van Honthorst (Dutch, 1592-1656)

Genre: Religious Art

Date: circa 1617

Medium: OIl on Canvas

Collection: National Gallery, London

Christ Before the High Priest is an oil on canvas painting by Dutch artist Gerard van Honthorst, created around 1617. It now hangs in London's National Gallery. It depicts Jesus Christ being questioned by the High Priest Caiaphas shortly before being sentenced to death.

Who was Caiaphas?

Caiaphas was the son-in-law of Annas, the former high priest, which may have accounted for his own rise to power. Caiaphas was also a member of one of the ruling Jewish sects, the Sadducees. Sadducees were often wealthy men of high position and, as they sought to appease their Roman rulers, were heavily involved in politics. They held the majority seat in the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court, over which Caiaphas ruled for the 18 years he served as high priest. In terms of theology, Sadducees denied the afterlife and any existence of the spiritual world (angels, demons, etc.). Because of these things, they were often at odds with Jesus due to His teachings about humility, heaven, and His own deity.

When the Jewish leaders had Jesus arrested at Passover, they first brought Him before Annas. After he had questioned Jesus, Annas sent Jesus to his son-in-law Caiaphas, who as the high priest would be the one to rule on Jesus’ fate. When Jesus stood before Caiaphas and the entire Sanhedrin, many false witnesses were brought forward, but nothing was found to warrant a death sentence (Matthew 26:59–60). Finally, Caiaphas stood up and addressed Jesus directly, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God” (verse 63). Jesus replied just as directly, “You have said so... But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven” (verse 64). Caiaphas had what he was looking for; he tore his robe and cried, “Blasphemy!” (verse 65). The result of the sham trial was that Jesus was pronounced “worthy of death” and beaten and mocked (verses 66–67). However, since the Jews could not legally execute prisoners, Caiaphas sent Jesus to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.

[thesherrinfordfacility]

so here's what we're told about the bet with satan:

god will allow whatever happens to job and his family to happen without intervention

heaven is following these orders, the terms of the permit, and will not interfere at all; whatever happens to job is in fact up to satan and hell's own actions

aziraphale considers the possibility that god does not necessarily want job and his family to suffer - or more specifically, that crowley is wrong

crowley is steadfast to the contrary, and asserts that god's will must be that the children die, and to question god is essentially to follow the same kind of fate (or as close as).

all of this is stating the fairly-obvious, i know. but i think we're possibly, once again, reading this scene and taking crowley's word for it - understandable, given that the minisode starts, and continues to be for a lot of scenes, from crowley's perspective. but there is nothing to indicate that god actively wants suffering brought on job and his family, nothing to show that that was her intent; satan seemed to initiate the bet, going by muriel's whole account, and god is letting whatever happens, happen.

because that's the thing: standing by and watching whilst hell does so is not, arguably, the right thing to do, but it is the right thing for god to do; to let her creation do what it wants. if hell chooses to go ahead with putting job and his family through hardship, then she will not - and should not - stop it. even when job is beseeching to her for answers, she does not give them; she cannot and will not get involved.

crowley and aziraphale do the right thing by putting a stop to it all, and i think that was the plan, particularly of the ineffable variety - not that crowley and aziraphale were pre-destined to stop it per se, but that all the players of her game would act on their own, and make their own choices. they would exercise their free will as they see fit, whether to cause suffering, or to prevent it. free will is not necessarily a good thing, but it is the right thing. this is the game of her own devising.

i also want to consider that this very situation may turn out to be, in part, a parallel of the fall. in the minisode, it seems that the reason why aziraphale didn't fall is because he did exactly as god intended - to act of his own free will, according to what he thought was right - but equally he would not have fallen if he had done the opposite (regardless of how he would essentially punish himself if he had told gabriel the truth). i don't think that god is in the business of punishing anyone, regardless of their motivations or moral alignment, if they are acting out of free will.

and further from this, i don't think god had a hand in the fall at all, not beyond it being - essentially - cool with her if some of her angels didn't agree with her plans for the universe. i don't think she cast them out in the way we're all imagining it to have happened. i think some of her creations acted with cruelty out of free will, and others did not. crowley obviously, more than likely anyway, belongs in the latter category. but she cannot interfere, she cannot and will not take free will away from them.

what crowley thought were her orders were unlikely to have ever been that at all. if anything - wherever crowley is or isn't placed in the narrative of the fall - i think she likely excused herself from deciding the fate of the fallen altogether, and left it to 'her people' to decide. her inaction, to allow the fall to happen, may not have been the right thing, but it ultimately the right thing for her to do. (frankly, i think we can take pontius pilate's handling of jesus' trial in Matthew as some further kind of parallel here)

then take into account aziraphale's constant rhetoric throughout s1 and s2 that humanity has a choice, that everyone has choices; i think he potentially understands god a little more than he's given credit for. and when he says that he's on god's side, specifically doesn't say heaven's, i think that's more literal than even he knows.

[myremnantarmy]

𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

Mk 15:1-39

As soon as morning came,

the chief priests with the elders and the scribes,

that is, the whole Sanhedrin held a council.

They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.

Pilate questioned him,

“Are you the king of the Jews?”

He said to him in reply, “You say so.”

The chief priests accused him of many things.

Again Pilate questioned him,

“Have you no answer?

See how many things they accuse you of.”

Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them

one prisoner whom they requested.

A man called Barabbas was then in prison

along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion.

The crowd came forward and began to ask him

to do for them as he was accustomed.

Pilate answered,

“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”

For he knew that it was out of envy

that the chief priests had handed him over.

But the chief priests stirred up the crowd

to have him release Barabbas for them instead.

Pilate again said to them in reply,

“Then what do you want me to do

with the man you call the king of the Jews?”

They shouted again, “Crucify him.”

Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?”

They only shouted the louder, “Crucify him.”

So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd,

released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged,

handed him over to be crucified.

The soldiers led him away inside the palace,

that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort.

They clothed him in purple and,

weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him.

They began to salute him with, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him.

They knelt before him in homage.

And when they had mocked him,

they stripped him of the purple cloak,

dressed him in his own clothes,

and led him out to crucify him.

They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon,

a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country,

the father of Alexander and Rufus,

to carry his cross.

They brought him to the place of Golgotha

—which is translated Place of the Skull —

They gave him wine drugged with myrrh,

but he did not take it.

Then they crucified him and divided his garments

by casting lots for them to see what each should take.

It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.

The inscription of the charge against him read,

“The King of the Jews.”

With him they crucified two revolutionaries,

one on his right and one on his left.

Those passing by reviled him,

shaking their heads and saying,

“Aha! You who would destroy the temple

and rebuild it in three days,

save yourself by coming down from the cross.”

Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes,

mocked him among themselves and said,

“He saved others; he cannot save himself.

Let the Christ, the King of Israel,

come down now from the cross

that we may see and believe.”

Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.

At noon darkness came over the whole land

until three in the afternoon.

And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,

“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”

which is translated,

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Some of the bystanders who heard it said,

“Look, he is calling Elijah.”

One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed

and gave it to him to drink saying,

“Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.”

Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.

Here all kneel and pause for a short time.

The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.

When the centurion who stood facing him

saw how he breathed his last he said,

“Truly this man was the Son of God!”

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

26th September >> Fr. Martin's Reflections/Homilies on Today's Mass Readings for Thursday, Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time (Inc. Luke 9:7-9): ‘Who is this?’

Thursday, Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Except USA) Luke 9:7-9 'John? I beheaded him; so who is this?'

Herod the tetrarch had heard about all that was being done by Jesus; and he was puzzled, because some people were saying that John had risen from the dead, others that Elijah had reappeared, still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. But Herod said, ‘John? I beheaded him. So who is this I hear such reports about?’ And he was anxious to see Jesus.

Gospel (USA) Luke 9:7-9 John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, “John has been raised from the dead”; others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”; still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.” But Herod said, “John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see him.

Reflections (11)

(i) Thursday, Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

It is said of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, at the end of today’s gospel reading that ‘he was anxious to see Jesus’. Why would a powerful ruler like Herod Antipas want to see a preacher and healer from a small village in Galilee? The gospel reading says that he was puzzled because of the various reports he was hearing about Jesus. He was asking himself, ‘Who is this?’ This is the same Herod who had John the Baptist beheaded in prison. According to Luke’s gospel from which we are reading, Herod did get to see Jesus on the eve of Jesus’ death by crucifixion. Pilate sent Jesus to Herod to get his view on this troublesome prophet. According to Luke, Herod questioned him at some length but Jesus gave him no answer. So Herod and his soldiers treated Jesus with contempt, putting an elegant robe on him in mockery and sent him back to Pilate. Herod’s curiosity about Jesus did not bring him to faith in Jesus. Yet, sometimes people’s curiosity about Jesus does bring them to faith. According to the gospel of John, Nicodemus’ curiosity about Jesus brought him to faith eventually. Even people of faith can be curious about Jesus and their curiosity can help to deepen their faith. There is much to be curious about when it comes to Jesus. The question, ‘Who is this?’ remains a valid one for believers. There is such a depth to Jesus that there is no limit to the questions we could ask in his regard. To believe is to see dimly, as Saint Paul says, and, as people of faith, we will always be trying to see more clearly until that heavenly moment when we will see the Lord face to face. More broadly, it is good to notice the questions that our faith gives rise to, questions about God, about Jesus, about the world. Exploring those questions can lead to a deepening of our faith, to a growth in our relationship with the Lord.

And/Or

(ii) Thursday, Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

In the gospels different people are shown as reacting to Jesus in different ways. Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, was tetrarch of Galilee during the public ministry of Jesus. He ruled Galilee on behalf of Rome. In this morning’s gospel reading Luke gives us a portrayal of the way Herod Antipas reacted to Jesus. Luke says that when Herod heard about all that was being done by Jesus he was puzzled. He was asking himself the question, ‘Who is this?’ As a result, he was anxious to see Jesus. In Luke’s gospel Herod finally did get to see Jesus. In the course of the passion of Jesus Pilate sent Jesus to Herod for a second opinion but Luke tells us that although Herod questioned him at great length, in the end Herod and his soldiers treated Jesus with contempt and mocked him. Herod was curious about Jesus, but his curiosity did not lead to faith. Yet, there were other people in the gospels who were curious about Jesus and whose curiosity eventually led them to faith. Nathanael and Nicodemus come to mind. Even for people of faith, there is much to be curious about in regard to Jesus. The question of Herod Antipas, ‘Who is this?’ is a good question for us all. It is a question that keeps us searching for Jesus. We always need to be searchers in his regard because we can never know him fully in this life. As Saint Paul says, ‘now we see as in a mirror dimly’. We are all on a quest to know the Lord more clearly so as to love him more dearly and follow him more nearly.

And/Or

(iii) Thursday, Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Herod Antipas who features in today’s gospel reading was tetrarch of Galilee. On one occasion in Luke’s gospel, Jesus refers to him as a ‘fox’. Pharisees had come up to Jesus and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you’, to which Jesus replied, ‘Go tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons today and tomorrow and on the third day I will finish my work’. Luke would suggest that Herod was in fact hostile to Jesus and that Jesus had very little regard for Herod. Given that Herod had John the Baptist beheaded, we would not expect him to be overly sympathetic to Jesus. When we hear in today’s gospel reading, therefore, that Herod was anxious to see Jesus, we suspect that he didn’t really want to see Jesus to learn from him or to be enlightened by him. It was more a case of a certain kind of curiosity about this unusual preacher and healer. Not everyone who was anxious to see Jesus wanted to see him for the right reasons. In John’s gospel, on the other hand, there is a story of certain Greeks who come to Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples, and say to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus’. Here indeed were true searchers who really wanted to come to know Jesus more fully so as to follow him more closely. They were responding to Jesus’ invitation to ‘Come and see’. We can all identify with those Greeks who wanted to see Jesus, who wanted to know him more deeply. That is one aspect of our baptismal calling. It is true that we will never know the Lord fully in this life. As Paul says, ‘now we see as in a mirror dimly’. However, we can keep on growing in our knowledge and love of the Lord until that day when we see him face to face. The Lord knows us thoroughly, as the shepherd knows his flock, and he invites us to know him as deeply as he knows us. As he remains in us, he calls on us to remain in him.

And/Or

(iv) Thursday, Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

The Herod mentioned in this morning’s gospel reading is Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great; he was tetrarch of Galilee during the time of the public ministry of Jesus. Luke portrays him as curious about Jesus. He has heard about all that is being done by Jesus and he is puzzled. He asks himself, ‘Who is this I hear such reports about?’ He is anxious to see Jesus. That kind of curiosity and puzzlement about Jesus can be the beginning of faith for some people. Yet, even those who have been people of faith all their lives, and know a great deal about Jesus, will continue to be puzzled by him, will continue to ask that fundamental question, ‘Who is this?’ and will continue to want to see him more clearly. We never exhaust the mystery of Jesus on this side of eternity. As believers, we will always be seekers in his regard. We seek to know Jesus more fully, not only with our mind but also with our heart. In the words of Saint Richard, a thirteenth century bishop of Chichester, ‘may I know you more clearly, love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day’.

And/Or

(v) Thursday, Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

The Herod mentioned in this morning’s gospel reading is Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. He ruled Galilee on behalf of the Romans during the whole period of Jesus’ public ministry. He was responsible for the beheading of John the Baptist. In this morning’s gospel, it is said of him that he was puzzled or perplexed by what he was hearing about Jesus of Nazareth and, as a result, he was anxious to see him. The short gospel reading we have just heard is from Luke and in Luke’s gospel Herod does get to see Jesus and to meet with him. In the course of Jesus’ passion, Pilate sends him off to Herod for questioning. Luke tells us that at the end of Herod’s interrogation he and his soldiers treated Jesus with contempt, and mocked him, putting an elegant robe on him for fun, before sending him back to Pilate. It seems that Herod’s curiosity about Jesus didn’t lead to faith in Jesus. Other people’s curiosity about Jesus did lead them to faith. Nicodemus and Zacchaeus come to mind. Curiosity, puzzlement, the desire to know more about Jesus, can be a good starting point for faith. Indeed, those of us who consider ourselves to be disciples of Jesus, people of faith, will often retain that sense of curiosity and puzzlement about him, that desire to know him better. Saint Paul, who met the risen Lord, could say, ‘I want to know Christ’. As the revelation of God in human form, Jesus is infinitely fascinating. He will always puzzle us; we will always be searching for him. It is in our searching that we find him more fully; it is in our desire to see him with the eyes of our heart and mind that we will come to know more completely.

And/Or

(vi) Thursday, Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

In the gospels curiosity can sometimes be the first step on the path to faith. The person of Nicodemus in John’s gospel comes to mind. He came to Jesus by night, under cover of darkness, because he was curious about him. At the end of John’s gospel he is found alongside Joseph of Arimathea, arranging a dignified burial for Jesus. Curiosity and the questions that arise from it can open us up to faith or to a deeper faith if we are already people of faith. In this morning’s short gospel reading, Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee, is curious about Jesus. He is full of questions about this man Jesus on the basis of the reports he has heard about him. ‘Who is this I hear such reports about?’ Luke tells us in the gospel reading that Herod was anxious to see Jesus. It is only in Luke’s gospel that Herod does get to see Jesus. During the passion of Jesus, Pilate decided to send Jesus to Herod for an opinion, because Jesus was from Galilee, Herod’s territory. Herod got his wish to see Jesus. However, Luke tells us that Herod and his soldiers treated Jesus with contempt and mocked him before sending him back to Pilate. In Herod’s case, curiosity did not lead to faith. The questions generated by our reason, on their own, do not bring us to faith. Faith is ultimately a gift from God. It is given to all but to receive this gift we need to become like little children, as Jesus said. We need to acknowledge our poverty before the Lord and entrust ourselves to the gift he is offering us, which is none other than the gift of himself. As Jesus states in the first beatitude, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’.

And/Or

(vii) Thursday, Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

In today’s gospel reading we hear that people had various views about who Jesus was. The three views that are mentioned all have one thing in common. Jesus is considered a prophet of the past come back to life, whether that be John the Baptist who had been recently executed, or Elijah or some other ancient prophet. This must have been how many people saw Jesus, as a prophet in the line of the prophets of old. It is how Muslims and, many Jews, continue to see Jesus today. He is a great prophet. Luke, from whose gospel the reading is taken, would acknowledge that there is some truth in this understanding of Jesus. Jesus stands in the tradition of those prophets who proclaimed God’s word to God’s people. Yet, for Luke and for the early church as a whole, there is more to Jesus than just one more prophet from God. The question of Herod Antipas in this morning’s gospel reading, ‘Who is this that I hear such reports about?’ is a valid question. Shortly after this gospel passage Luke gives us his account of the Transfiguration of Jesus in the course of which God says of Jesus, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen’. This had never been said of any prophet. Jesus had a more intimate relationship with God than any of the prophets before him. God was more fully and powerfully present in Jesus than in any of the previous prophets. It is because we believe that Jesus is God’s Son that we seek to listen even more attentively to his word and allow that word to shape our lives.

And/Or

(viii) Thursday, Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

The author of the Book of Ecclesiastes, from which our first reading is taken, seems to have a rather jaundiced view of life. He looks out upon the natural world and, rather than being inspired by its wonder, he says of it, in the words of our reading, ‘all things are wearisome’. All he sees in nature, and in life generally, is tiresome repetition, ‘there is nothing new under the sun’. In the gospel reading, Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, seems to look upon the life-giving ministry of Jesus and his disciples with somewhat jaundiced eyes. The reading says that Herod was puzzled by Jesus and was anxious to see him. That could suggest that there was a certain openness in Herod to Jesus. However, a few chapters later in this gospel of Luke, the Pharisees come to Jesus and warn him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you’, and, of course, Herod had already killed John the Baptist. Both readings invite us to reflect on how we see the world, how we see other people, how we see ourselves. Like the author of Ecclesiastes, are we prone to seeing wearisome monotony where, in reality, there is wonderful diversity; like Herod, are we prone to seeing a problem when, in reality, this is a moment of opportunity through which the Lord is calling out to us. How we see the world shapes who we are, how we behave, how we relate to others. We need to keep refining the eyes of our minds and hearts, so that we see the world with the Lord’s eyes, eyes that are attuned to the signs of life and creativity all around us.

And/Or

(ix) Thursday, Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Today’s short gospel reading shows that Herod was puzzled by the reports he was hearing about Jesus. Other people were puzzled too, wondering if Jesus might be John the Baptist back from the dead, or if was Elijah or one of the ancient prophets come back to life. Herod’s puzzlement about Jesus finds expression in his question, ‘Who is this I hear such reports about?’ His puzzlement made him anxious to see Jesus, so that his curiosity might be satisfied. Jesus was puzzling to many of his contemporaries. There was something strikingly different about his presence and his ministry. There is a sense in which Jesus remains something of a puzzle today. Herod’s question, ‘Who is this?, is a question that we can all ask. Because Jesus was the revelation of God in human form, and God is ultimately mysterious, Jesus will always remain something of a mystery to us. We can never fully answer the question, ‘Who is this?, in this earthly life. We are always on a journey when it comes to Jesus. He knows us, as a shepherd knows his flock; he knows each of us by name. However, we do not know him as he knows us. Our sense of puzzlement about Jesus can be the driving force of the exciting journeying of coming to know him more fully, so as to follow him more closely and love him more dearly. As Saint Paul says, it is only beyond this earthly life that we will know the Lord fully, as we have been fully known by him. In the meantime, the Lord is always calling us to keep setting out on the journey of coming to know him more and more, not just with our mind but with our heart.

And/Or

(x) Thursday, Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

The first reading today has a rather downbeat mood to it. The author wonders about the value of human work, asking, ‘For all his toil, his toil under the sun, what does man gain by it?’ He looks out on nature and rather than being inspired by it he just sees tiresome and repetitive motion, ‘all things are wearisome’. He looks out on all of life and concludes that there is nothing new to be found there, ‘what was, will be again’. For the author of this book, the Book of Ecclesiastes, life is a puzzle that doesn’t make much sense to him. Some people think this is a strange book to have made its way into the Bible. Yet, the outlook of this writer is true to the human condition. We may have all felt a little like this at some time in our lives, perhaps more so in these Covid times. There is much in life to be puzzled over, many questions that seem to defy rational answers. In the gospel reading, Herod is also puzzled, but the focus of his puzzlement is Jesus. His puzzlement about Jesus made him anxious to see Jesus. However, his puzzlement did not bring him to faith in Jesus. Later in Luke’s gospel, the Pharisees come to Jesus and say, ‘Herod wants to kill you’, and in Luke’s story of the passion of Jesus, Herod mocks Jesus before sending him back to Pilate who will seal Jesus’ fate. A questioning, puzzled spirit doesn’t always lead us to God. However, neither is honest questioning and puzzlement alien to deep faith. The author of the first reading, for all his scepticism, was a person of faith. He believed that God was at work in the world, even though he didn’t understand what God was doing. Believers in every age, including Jesus himself, have hurled the question ‘Why?’ at God. If we can open up our questioning, puzzled, spirit to the Lord in prayer, he will work through it to bring us closer to him.

And/Or

(xi) Thursday, Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

There is something in us that likes to solve a puzzle. Crosswords continue to be very popular with people. Board games based on solving puzzles continue to be purchased. Puzzles of this type tend to get solved eventually, even though it may take time and we may need help. There are other puzzles relating to the earth, the universe, the solar system that not even the greatest minds have managed to fully resolve as yet. Perhaps the most complex puzzle of all is the human person. We never get to know another fully, even after living in their company for many years. Jesus was more complex than any human being. He was, after all, God in human form. At the beginning of today’s gospel reading, we hear that Herod Antipas was puzzled by Jesus, having heard all that he was doing. Puzzlement about Jesus can be the beginning of a journey towards faith. Nicodemus was puzzled by Jesus and, by the end of the gospel, he was helping to ensure that Jesus had a dignified burial. Herod Antipas’ puzzlement did not lead him to faith. Later in the gospel of Luke, from which we are reading these weekdays, we are old that Herod was trying to kill him. Puzzlement about Jesus can lead to faith in him if it is accompanied by an openness to receive Jesus on Jesus’ own terms. If we seek to know Jesus as Jesus is rather than as we want him to be, our puzzlement will serve as a guiding light leading us to the Light of the World.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[conduit-of-grace]

“It is hard to read in the holy Gospel that question of Pilate’s: ‘Whom do you wish that I release to you, Barabbas or Jesus, who is called the Christ?’ But it is more painful to hear the answer: ‘Barabbas!’

And it is more terrible still when I realize that very often - when I have wandered away - I, too, have said, ‘Barabbas!’ And I’ve added, ‘Christ?… Crucifige eum! - Crucify him!’”

- St. Josemaria Escriva, “Supernatural Life” from The Way, #296

[fluffypotatey]

Leverage 2x02

This show is so good why did it take me so long to come back T^T

Tap-Out Job they say… wonder if that’s bdsm or boxing. ELIOT EPISODE???👀👀👀👀please 🙏 please be an Eliot episode

ooooh Nebraska

IT IS BOXING

idk shit about boxing but my guess is that there’s steroids involved

Oh he looks drugged

Yikes

He’s fine

Maybe dead

Probably dead

God this intro 😂 so cheesy I love it

Oh so he’s still alive

Hmmmmm plant closed, Rucker something…..dots connecting

Ok so Rucker is a big deal wrestling ceo? He want a monopoly 

Awww Eliot geeking out over boxing 🥺🥺🥺 he better play. I want him to. For reasons

He’s been teaching Parker 🥺

Rip Hardinson

“Pilates or yoga?” Nate is so good at playing the ditzy asshole. Like he already is an asshole so it’s fun to see him play it up for cons

Hardinson talking about his special golf balls is so sweet but I have no idea what some of the words he is saying means but please keep talking sweetie

Rucker talking all polite but oh you can feel the anger in it 😂😂😂

ELIOT

YESSSSSSSSSSS YESSSSSSSSS

Jesus Christ what the fuck Rucker

YEAH ELIOT FUCK THEM UP

Parker’s little disguise 😂😂😂

Sophie :( chicken fried steak is good

“I can see you’ve had some training.” “…..some.” yeah some is right 

That’s a nice headshot, Sophie

Awwww Eliot 🥺 he needs to stop acting all soft and nervous I wanna squish him

ELIOT EPISODE! ELIOT EPISODE! ELIOT EPISODE! 

Sophie >:( pork rinds are good

ELIOT MY BELOVED!!!! He needs to stop being so sweet 🥺 Hardinson watch out

“White people doing white people things” 💀💀💀

Ok and how are they gonna steal a concert 🤨

Jesus, dude can’t you be nice :(

HEEHAW??????

Hardinson needing to check his name tag 💀💀💀

is that how tv works???? <- genuine question 

JIMMY YOU SNITCH

JENNY YOU SNITCH

ah shit

Tank, aka the dude who almost killed Mark. hmmmmm ‘spicious

oh come on, Rucker, playing your cards so soon??? you are going to let the con men know you know????  rookie mistake

Ok wait were they actually going to hurt Sophie >:(((((

Ugh Nate stop doing that!!! You didn’t have to let them know about Parker or Hardinson (BUT HE DOES IT BECAUSE HE CARES AND I KNOW THAT BUT NATE!!!!!)

Rucker really wants Eliot lmao

Rucker >:( 

Yessssss I believe in you Eliot (<- just wants to see him fight)

Ok uh, Eliot, I don’t trust this gym 

“I can take the punishment. It’s what I do.” Eliot what the fuck does that mean?????

I swear if they try to drug Eliot

BET IT ALL????? RUCKER????

Rucker that doesn’t sound legal

IF HIS WATER IS DRUGGED IMMA CRY

man I’m stressed

I want Eliot to win actually 

HE IS BLEEDING

NOOOOOOOOOO

I FUCKINH KNEW IT

is Tank dead????? 

OH SHIT 

ELIOT NO

NOOOOOOOOOOO HE IS SO SAD

of course he’s running lol

Ok but what if Tank isn’t dead and this was all a ploy

IS IT??????

I fucking knew it

PARKER

AND A SAX???????

I fucking knew the bet was through Hardinson!!!!!!

“Where’s your cousin Jinny now?” I LOVE HIM

AWWWWWWWWW happy ending 🥺🥺🥺🥺

YAY SHE LIKES PORK RINDS

General thoughts

ELIOT EPISODE!!!!!! It’s kind of sweet how we sort of know when each episode will focus on each character. Like Eliot is when they go rural, and Nate is if there are children. So I can now check off boxer after horse girl with Eliot ✅ and it’s interesting how can still see a strain on Sophie and Eliot’s dynamic but this time doesn’t have to do with betrayal but just understanding now. 

And ough the way Eliot plays the skittish dude who works under Nate out of debt for the com was just *chef’s kiss* I would have fallen for that persona instantly if he played THAG on me. The way this team would have conned me so bad if I was their target lol 

But yeah, this episode was so fun and I can’t believe I was fooled into the “Eliot got drugged” scene because these guys are smart!!!!! They would know he would play this and they just pretended like Rucker fooled them and AGHHHHH 🤧 lmao on to next episode 

[walkswithmyfather]

John 18:37-38 (AMP). “So Pilate said to Him, “Then You are a King?” Jesus answered, “You say [correctly] that I am a King. This is why I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth [who is a friend of the truth and belongs to the truth] hears and listens carefully to My voice.” [Dan 7:13, 14; Luke 1:32, 33] Pilate said to Him [scornfully], “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no guilt in Him [no crime, no cause for an accusation].”

“What Is Truth?” By In Touch Ministries:

“There is only one firm, unshakeable foundation for life: Jesus.”

“In the Garden of Gethsemane, hours before His arrest, Jesus prayed for the disciples: “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17). A little later, when questioned by Pilate, Jesus replied that He’d come into the world to testify to the truth. This prompted Pilate’s philosophical question that people today still ask: “What is truth?” (John 18:37-38).

The meaning of the word corresponds to what actually is, not what we feel or wish were true. We may avoid truth—or water it down or cover it up—because it can be uncomfortable to expose weakness or bring wrongdoing into the light.

Truth is so important it’s mentioned almost 200 times in Scripture. In fact, in chapters 17 and 18, which describe Jesus’ last hours before the crucifixion, the word is mentioned six times. Here’s why it matters so much: When truth loses its supreme position in our life, everything begins to crumble.

But truth is more than factual or accurate information. It’s a way of living that removes barriers and sets people free to enjoy the abundant life Christ wants for us. (See John 10:10.) He is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and by following Him, we’ll discover the key to true peace and fulfillment.

How can you pursue truth in a greater way this year? This month? This week?”

[Picture thanks to Levi XU at Unsplash]

[sleeplesssmoll]

So I've been reading the traces recently and came across a line that seems like it should be important to well at least something but I haven't seen anyone talk about it? Here's the line btw:

It's specifically the "you're imitating the Messiah" Part that's like making me think. So uhh yeah I just wanted to share it.

Sorry if it's a strange thing to send I wanted to see someone else's opinion on it.

Reverse1999 loves to put Vertin in the position of Jesus. We saw this at the end of Chapter 2 where she was sitting in Judas's position and Schneider was in Judas's spot. Arcana calls her "the savior" and describes Vertin in an almost biblical manner whenever she's interacting with her. Even her little Suitcase is called an "ark". However, this instance is a bit different.

Disclaimer, Idk much about religion but I did try to look this bit up because it reminded me of something too. If anyone has more experience in the matter pls feel free to correct me or add on. I will do my best but I might get stuff wrong.

Note: Vertin was placed in a coma because the Foundation wanted her out of the way. This is relevant to the theory.

Here is what I found:

Source

The Jewish high priests were apparently looking for a reason to get rid of Jesus. As the revolutionary leader of a new movement that challenged the religious status quo, he posed a threat to their power. But they couldn’t just take action themselves. Ultimately, sentencing was up to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor at the time. And they needed to provide him with a legal justification for Jesus to be crucified. The trial of Jesus A number of witnesses testified against Jesus before the Sanhedrin, a Jewish court. Although the Gospel of Mark says many of them gave false testimony, Jesus didn’t confirm or deny their accusations. In fact, Jesus remained quiet through most of his trial, refusing to respond to the charges leveled against him. But he did respond to one question. Asked, “Are you the Messiah?” he seemed to admit that he was. Caiaphas, the chief priest, called this blasphemy. And then the others agreed that Jesus should be put to death. 

This trial parallels Vertin's story.

Moving on, this trail is in the chapter where Madam Z is playing ping-pong while trying to convince her friend to vote for her decision. The whole thing is an analogy to referring to how Vertin started off as the simple Timekeeper who kept records of the end of eras and now she plays this pivotal role that is rocking Foundation's core. She is the real ping-ping ball being batted between two factions of the Foundation. She has no say in the matter because she is now an object in a bigger game. Her fate relies on the people around her. Poor little Vertin is always a pawn in someone else's game. I highlighted some bits in red from the trail posted below that helped me put it together in my head. You can see it if you click "Keep reading." I hope this helps!

Also, thanks for giving me a chance to really look at this. I glossed over it the first time but the scene is even more intense now and I have a deeper appreciation for it. Any corrections or additions are welcome cause I'm out of my depth here.

Source: Chapter 4-16 Ball Game

Ping, pong. Ping, pong. Ping pong ping pong ping, pong. Ping. Pong.

An imitation show?

Yes, an imitation show. A ball imitation show, little thing.

You're imitating the Messiah, while I'm imitating an orange ball made of plastic.

Being pushed back and forth by two rackets, I have nowhere else to go. Once they apply a force on me, I can't help bouncing to the sky. 

You can see how the air flows across my dry, wrinkled skin ...

Oh, what a coincidence! Aren't you in the same situation as mine now!

Ha! Look at your frowning face-

Your face wrinkles from the eyebrows to the nose tip, but people can barely see those light furrows. We know what that means. You have a poker face, and it's never your fault.

But for now, your face is not the thing that matters. Well, maybe for someone it is, but still, it's not. You know what really matters?

The game! Yes, it's the game, of course the game matters!

Everyone loves the game. They gather at the stadium, yelling or roaring vehemently. They choose one team to become its fan and spend good money on a team uniform or an autographed ball.

Yet, it's just a ball. You see where I'm coming from?

Just a ball. Its outline, a circle, could be found in any geometry textbook and anywhere in this world. When the first hominid picked up a coconut and threw it to the sky-and caught it—and threw it—and caught it-and threw it again, when she felt joy and yelped, had she ever thought of the future?

The future where a simple ball has become so complicated and enchanting, now we call it the present.

Complicated and enchanting?

Hahahahahaha! Yes, sure! Complicated and enchanting!

Use your silly and smart head to think about this ball game carefully.

The complex scoring rules, the harsh requirements for reactive agility, the countless possible foul points ... Your fingers, your wrists, and arms, a correct way of using them will lead to victory!

What matters more is, like every ball game, it focuses on how you serve the ball and hitting it back.

It's not an easy job as it sounds. When you are in the game, you need to concentrate. Where will the ball come from, and how will you return it to your opponent-you need to figure that out within half a second.

Use your power in a proper way, move your feet in a stable pace, inhale and exhale at the right timings.

Ping. Pong. Ping. Pong. Ping. Pong. Ping. Pong...

The sound will last forever and ever until that bouncing little thing falls to either side of the court.

[eliounora]

in light of your latest rb, what is your preferred production of jesus christ superstar?? i've yet to see any but want to have fun with everyone & trust your taste on this :) ty in advance and also! i really love your art ^__^

you have come to the right neighbourhood... *puts on my pharisees hat* I am so happy to answer this question

I recommend you start with the 1996 west end revival (spotify, youtube). the insrumentation is great, the quality of the recording is crisp, and the performers are top-notch. steve balsamo as jesus is definitely the star of this one, his voice is very light and pure but he also portrays the character's inner conflict magnificently.

for comparison, there is also the original 1971 broadway cast recording (spotify, youtube). this is one of my favourite versions!

here is also the original 1972 west end production (youtube). also excellent!!!

if you actually want something to watch, there is the 1973 film (spotify, youtube, I think the film can be rented on YT as well, I borrowed the DVD from my local library haha). the film also has a magnificent cast, many people consider ted neeley the best jesus ever and he has an unique take on the role and a gorgeous voice. carl anderson as judas is also just superb. I think the best word to decribe this version is "raw", it's really haunting.

the original 1970 concept album (spotify, youtube) with ian gillan of deep purple as jesus and murray head as judas is also a must-listen! both singers are just divine, both their performances easily hold up against newer productions with ease, they're just divine.

there is also the 2000 film, watchable on youtube (the album on spotify). jerome pradon plays judas and he is absolutely glorious at it. dude is going absolutely off the rails and his voice is so whiny and he's so deliciously vindicative in the end. I've gotten the impression his performance can be sort of hit-or-miss, but I really like it!

for something more recent, there's also the 2012 arena tour (youtube) with ben forster as jesus and the legendary tim minchin as judas. a lot of people like this one, and while I personally don't like it much, maybe you will! there is also the 2018 live in concert (spotify, youtube). a solid, good production I think.

now I think every song in JCS is a solid banger, but good songs to look out for when listening is

heaven on their minds, sung by judas

everything's alright, sung primarily by mary (in many of the early productions, like the original concept album and the film, mary is played by yvonne elliman) while judas and jesus argue

this jesus must die, includes caiaphas, who has a bass voice, and annas

pilate's dream

I don't know how to love him, mary's ballad

gethsemane (I only wanted to say), jesus's power ballad. look out for his high note at "why should I die" (awesome compilation here)

king herod's song

superstar, judas questioning jesus from beyond the grave

good luck to you superstaring!!! I'm very normal about this musical

[platadesangre]

we NEED to talk about jcs 1975 madrid cast!

i have come to make camilo sesto justice

(i finally finished this post yay!)

i may be a bit biased, since this was my first jcs.

short story on how i discovered it

my dad used to be an apostle for a bootleg staged playback jcs in peru during the 70s! they used this version.

he had the cd. he also had the mp3 files. i used his computer, so that was how 13 year old me found it.

those were tough times, bc later i started doing catechesis and i kind of got depressed and started questioning my faith lol. judas' character really resonated with me

since this is a recording, i didn't have any footage to reference, so i made up everything in my mind. (this is why it was a bit weird for me to see the english productions, bc they looked nothing like in my head lol)

now, a bit of historical context for spain in the 70's

camilo sesto was a popular spanish singer and actor who went to see the jcs 1971 broadway production in london. he loved it so much that he did everything he could do financially to bring the show to spain.

spain was in a fascist dictatorship at the time

they fought with censorship for years, that's why the lyrics are a bit different (i'll make a post about that too)

they had to remodel the alcalá-palace theater stage entirely

franco (our dictator) died two days after the premiere (about time lol)

the "ultras" (conservatists) didn't like the show so they did lots of crazy stuff (for example, praying for the cast outside the theater or sending BOMB THREATHS?)

anyways, this was the first official translation for jcs!

on the main cast we have

camilo sesto as jesus christ (he wanted the role from the beggining)

teddy bautista as judas iscariot

ángela carrasco as mary magdalene

here's an old pic of them (and some apostles)

(now that i look at it closely, it kind of looks like a bootleg jcs 1973 lol)

on the recording

it's a stereo recording, so use both headphones or you'll miss out on half of it

musically speaking, it's similar to the og concept album (songs ending on fade-outs and shorter trial before pilate) but it has some interesting choices (teddy, the producer and the voice of judas, took a lot of... artistic liberties)

some things this version has

it adds lots of synth. it's very psychodelic. i understand this can be a turn off for some people

they kinda change the key to many songs. maybe to fit vocal ranges idk

teddy just loves to make up new melodies (please give this man some water)

EPIC GUITAR SOLO in what's the buzz

what's the buzz and strange thing mystifying are separated tracks for some reason

camilo sings so good

cute synth in everything's alright ángela has such an angelic voice she makes such a good mary

the drums and guitars during this jesus must die are so danceable

the BEST simon zealotes i've heard. shit goes HARD. he goes CRAY

i really love this pilate, in my rating he would be the best one

camilo's "¡SALVAOS VOSOTROS!" during the temple is really pathetic lol

damned for all time interlude replaced by synths. the SAX SOLO is also replaced by synth (questionable choice)

cool thing happens during the end of this song that i'll talk about in another post

judas' occasional nervous laughter really adds to his character

also he cries a lot

"you sad pathetic man" part during last supper is... fairly different! (i'm looking at you teddy...)

camilo's gethsemane is epic. he's a baladist singer but MAN he can ROCK

cool harmonica during the arrest

i'll never shut up about our pilate (he nervous laughs too)

herod is so fruity

judas' death really hits different when you were depressed and questioning faith (this version is BRUTAL) also lyrics change (i'll talk about it i swear)

teddy's one of the few judas who sing the i don't know how to love him reprise in the higher scale!! it sounds so painful and anguished

the album continues acceptably

other cool things it has

jesus and judas have this interesting accent difference. since camilo is from valencia, he has this pristine and traditional spanish accent. and teddy is from canarias (also lived in the usa) so his accent is rougher and more, crusty? idk how to explain it but it's neat and stablishes their dynamic a bit. (ángela is from dominican republic! but her accent is barely noticeable)

on the footage aspect, we only have old vhs videos and live audios uploaded on youtube. also some old photos

there is a book about this version. it has some anecdotes (only available in spanish)

now we have a 4 episode mini-series about the odyssey that it was to produce this. it's called "camilo superstar" (i won't be watching it bc it's a bit fan-ficy from what i've seen)

the posts i'll make about this production will be tagged as #jcs 1975 madrid

you can listen to it on spotify!

or on youtube (playlist made by me)

[rayshippouuchiha]

Can I ask why you dislike Pixar Cars? Is it the story? The characters? The art? The fact that they're cars?

Like, no shame, I'm just curious.

It's the questions it raises.

Like, there was a Car Pope so that means there was a Car Jesus.

How did the Crucifixion go down? Did Pontiac Pilate find him guilty of blasphemy? What was he preaching? A Single Great Manufacturer instead of like various production plants? Did they nail Car Jesus to the cross by his top two tires??

What kind of car was Car Jesus? It had better have been a Chrysler.

Sarge was a WW2 vet, which means THERE WAS A CAR HITLER. And that everything that happened to lead up to WW2 also happened and probably everything that followed too.

Did someone assassinate Car JFK too? I'm assuming so and Jackie got motor oil all over her new pink paint job.

Just, there's a lot.

[drconstellation]

The Passion of Jimbriel

Part 3: Resurrection

Part 1: The Entry to Soho

Part 2: Trials and Denials

The story of events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus, and the days following, until his ascension to Heaven, are collectively known as the Passion narratives. It comes from the Latin "to suffer," or "to endure."

In Part 1 of this series we looked at the three temptations in the wilderness during the 40 days of fasting, before the entry to Jerusalem on donkey. Then there was the Cleansing of the Temple and the Anointing of Jesus. I matched up the various scenes in S2 that mirrored these parts of the narratives.

In Part 2 we had the Last Supper, before moving to the Garden of Gethsemane and predicting the Three Denials. The burden of other's sin was taken on, the kiss of Judas was received and Jesus was arrested. Then there was a trial, the first of two, before the Three Denials actually happened. Now we are off to the palace to meet the Roman Governor of Judea.

Just a note: Part 3 isn't any easier than Part 2. Now is the time to save it to read for later, if you aren't in a safe place.

The Court of Pontius Pilate

Jesus is taken to Pilate to be judged again, as the priests want this troublemaker executed, but on questioning Jesus Pilate can find no fault with him. Pilate asks Jesus if he is King of the Jews, and Jesus replies "You have said so," which is not really an answer. Pilate is not sure what to do.

AZIRAPHALE: ...So, you don't know who you are? GABRIEL: Oh, yes. AZIRAPHALE: Ah. GABRIEL: I'm me. I just don't know who me is. AZIRAPHALE: I see. GABRIEL: But you know me. You recognized me. AZIRAPHALE: Well, I ah… know someone who looks like you. GABRIEL: That's probably me then. I think that's one of the main ways you can tell.

Pilate can't see any reason to convict Jesus, since he does not lay claim to any earthly kingdom, only a spiritual one, so he sends him off to King Herod.

Herod questions Jesus as well, hoping to observe one the miracles he has heard about. He gets the same non-responses from Jesus, so sends him back to Pilate.

Hey, it's me! King of the Jews! Gabriel! Don't you recognize me?

It's also worth noting Jimbriel's actual pose as he exits the book shop and how he holds his fingers. He holds his pointer and middle fingers out, and curls his ring and little fingers in on both hands (and this is not the only time he does this in the series.) This is a classic "preaching" pose, and he is mimicking an iconic pose of Jesus here.

There is a small question about whether at this point in the narratives whether it is the soldiers of Herod that dress Jesus in the robes of a king to mock him at this point, or its done a little later, after the release of Barabbas, so lets just mention it here, as it seems to happen twice in our story.

It also might be worth taking a small digression about the performer Liberace here, who inspired the ostrich feather coat, and who reigned as a king of entertainers in the post-WWII era. He was famous not only for his over-the-top flamboyance (as well as being queer) but also for his signature candelabra. You know, one of these:

The Release of Barabbas

Pilate was in a bit of pickle now. He really didn't want to condemn Jesus to death, but the priests were still pushing him to condemn Jesus to execution, so he decided he would give the people the choice instead. He offered them the choice of releasing Jesus or a prisoner called Barabbas. Whether they were stirred up by the priests or not they had only one choice.

They chose...

Actually, I think there are two choices for the release of Barabbas here - one is Gabriel, as I will explain below, and the other one -

Release Bwian!

Er, release Barabbas Mr Brown!

Pick a card, Mutt? While you're dressed in robes that are a throw-back to biblical times? What kind of ineffable games are being played here by the Almighty?

The Way of Sorrows

(Also known as: The Stations of the Cross, The Way of the Cross)

Oh, yes, its this bit. And you thought it was just a bit of silliness.

Lead the way, soldier!

Some of the narratives have the Roman soldiers who take him from Pilates court strip him and robe him in either red or purple, give him a crown of thorns and call him "King of the Jews!" again in mockery before he is forced to walk to his place of execution.

Wait, who's execution are we walking towards again?

Crown of Thorns. ✅ Mocking garb.✅

I had already mused in the past that Crowley had dressed like this to mock the Archangels in my big colour meta (under silver,) and I have also bumped into pre-release comments that thought he was doing that as well, so I 'm glad to see I'm not the only one on this train of thought! He's gone a bit over-the-top with his outfit, which is similar to Saraqael's (a hint to the connection there) plus he has a tactical turtle neck on to go with his master spy work he's undertaking (but so does Saraqael!) It also tells us its a level of rank he's quite familiar with.

Oh, hang on. Gabriel didn't get away from doing anything here.

The Three Stations of Gabriel's Cross Bearing: The first in 1827, when Crowley shows it to Aziraphale on a midnight date, the second when Aziraphale comes across it again in the present - and tells Crowley "I think I've found some clues," and the third when we see Gabriel showing it off to Beelzebub.

OK, one more bit of mocking...

The Crucifixion

On arriving at the top of Golgotha, Jesus was stripped of his clothes and nailed to the cross. A sign was placed above his head declaring him the king of the Jews. On either side two other criminals were also crucified that day.

This is the one part of the narratives that did not fit into S2, so it got given to us separately.

In S1 we had the scene at Golgotha in S1E3 Hard Times, where we are shown Aziraphale and Crowley meeting to witness the event. Aziraphale remarks that he is "not consulted on policy decisions," while Crowley relates that he carried out the Third Temptation on Jesus not long before this.

A red cloth draped on the ground symbolizes blood in S1. In S2 we have red tomatoes spilling across the road as Gabriel walks past on his way to the bookshop. They take us back to S1 and tell us its repeating again. I would expect another iteration in S3.

Then we have the two classic poses that were given to us, that are not in any scene from S2. When these were first released a number of ops posted about the similarity to the iconography of the Madonna and Jesus on the Cross.

On the left, is Aziraphale, posing as mother Mary, in the "Stabat Mater" pose, or "the mother was standing." This is Mary standing at the base of the cross, and she is traditionally shown on the left hand side. She is but a spectator to the scene.

On the right, is Crowley, posing as Jesus nailed to the cross. He is a sacrifice of one, to save many, in his present day costume.

What intrigues me is they chose to have Aziraphale wear his Job minisode costume for this shot. The angels were dressed in white and gold to show their "divine majesty," to fit in with the vivid 1950's style colouring. But it was also where he had to chose very carefully what he said, and he chose to lie to save lives.

A scene from the Job minisode, A Companion to Owls: Sitis and Job on the left - Sitis is Aziraphale-coded and Job is Crowley-coded. on the right are the divinely-glowing angels. Gabriel stands on the demonic-sided left of them, but Aziraphale is on the far left, the most demonic angel there. He was lying, after all, and that's what demons do, isn't it?

While Jesus is often called the Lamb of God, as sheep were considered more respectable to Christian ideals, and Jesus is said to have gone willingly to his death, it is perhaps a better way to consider what happened as the scapegoat ritual - where two goats are chosen, one is burdened with the sins of the group and released into the wilderness to take those sins with them and die, and the other to be sacrificed to God. In the Passion, it was Barabbas that was set free, and Jesus that was sacrificed.

The question then becomes how to view this through the lens of the Good Omens story. If we didn't get a crucifixion scene in S2, when is this occurring in the story? If Crowley is Jesus, who is Barabbas? If Aziraphale is Mary, just witnessing the execution, and not able to intervene...what could be the long term implications of that?

This is where I feel like I've done a Crowley on myself, spreading a field of sharp tacks across that shiny clean aisle in Heaven I was sauntering blithely down and stabbed myself unexpectedly in the foot.

Because the answer to the second question there is Barabbas is Gabriel. (hey, wot, didn't you say Mr Brown was Barabbas??) S2 spent quite a bit of time trying to tell us how similar Crowley was to Gabriel, and the two characters appear to be acting as "foils" to each other this season. Indeed, they have been interchangeable in their roles as Jesus throughout this three-part meta (thinking about another meta to expand on this.) And right at the end Gabriel gets to run away into the interstellar wilderness to ostensibly never be seen again - and Crowley stays to be emotionally slaughtered.

Which still leaves us with the first and third questions.

When did happen? The problem is, as already stated - this scene did not fit into S2, so we were given it separately. I know one could argue that the end of the above scene, and the following moments, could count as the crucifixion, as Aziraphale was bound seemingly helplessly by the manipulations of the Metatron to leave Crowley behind, and in doing so to sacrifice him for a greater good. This goes someway towards leaving Aziraphale as the witnessing Mary, but he is still far too involved for my liking here. And we've already put the label of Judas on him in Part 2 of this meta. He had to betray Crowley to get him to stay behind for his own safety.

The more likely scenario is then it happened in the past. I'm going to quote a passage from @vidavalor's meta "The *Original* Original Sin Theory as they say it best, really:

Aziraphale doesn’t need to see Heaven’s files to find out what happened to Crowley when Crowley fell because he was there. S3 is going to be about preventing the Second Coming and so plot allusions to the crucifixion (which had its own Crowley & Aziraphale scene in S1) will likely abound. Aziraphale was there when Lucifer and The Gang were tossed out of Heaven. To be fair to Aziraphale, there is basically nothing he could have done to prevent this and the best possible situation is that he didn’t even have the chance to. The worst possible situation is that he’s literally Judas and sold Crowley out, out of fear of being tossed out of Heaven himself. I tend to think it’s more that he just didn’t stand up and say anything in support of Crowley to prevent himself from being seen as on the side of the eventual demons. Still, just as Crowley thinks the punishment for Adam and Eve was harsh, Aziraphale thought that asking questions and being curious wasn’t enough to send Lucifer and everyone around him to Hell to be damned for all of eternity but it caused an obvious existential crisis in him that he still struggles to totally resolve.

And that is basically how I see it, too. Heaven (the Jewish priests), through the Metatron, wanted the inquisitive, questioning angel!Crowley gone, possibly because he'd found something he shouldn't have seen. Lucifer and the guys (Rome) didn't care much for angel!Crowley either, as I showed back in this meta, and were happy for him to be the scapegoat that got made an example of for punishment. And Aziraphale, as Mary, kept his mouth shut and just watched, because he wanted to be a good angel and not get thrown out of Heaven himself. Maybe he did know something that could have absolved angel!Crowley, maybe he lied to escape being thrown out himself, but what ever happened, he's been carrying a sense of guilt about it ever since.

As for Crowley, he was not a willing lamb at all. We see him question God about his fall, about testing Earth to the point of destruction and he gives the goats in the Job minisode a soliloquy about their impending doom that seems an obvious reflection of his own experience as a scapegoat.

Now we have the Second Coming in S3. Jesus will be back. So will mention of the crucifixion. There is still plenty of dirt to be dug up and aired on this yet.

Maybe someone did die, after all...of embarrassment!

Burial of Jesus

Joseph of Arimathea was given permission by Pilate to remove Jesus' body from the cross, wrap it in white linen, and place it in a tomb. Even though Jesus was considered a criminal, he should still be buried before sunrise the next day.

I'm going to admit, this is the one bit of the narratives I'm not sure about. Was it the burying of Gabriel's essence in the fly? Or the burying of Gabriel's location under the 25 lazurii miracle?

There also a section called the Harrowing of Hell here, where Jesus was said to have descended to the Underworld, or Hell (because that is what Hell means, after all, the Underworld - that's why it's in the basement of the celestial corporate building!) and liberated those caught in Hell up until that time.

This could be why we get the scenes with Beelzebub stressing over the disappearance of Gabriel and lack an any sign of where he has gone. They look more "harrowed" as the days go on.

Resurrection

After three days, Jesus rose from the dead. This act is seen as a guarantee that all the dead (on the "right side" or those whose names are in the Book of Life) will be also resurrected when the Second Coming occurs. It is also known as The Parousia, which we see mentioned inside the cinema on the wall during the opening sequence in S2.

After three days, some women approached the tomb to finish preparing the body, because they had not been able to earlier due to the sabbath day occurring. As they approached, they found the stone that should have blocked the entrance rolled back, and an angel clad in white sitting there telling them not to be afraid, but to go tell others what had happened.

Well, Gabriel had left the building, but the last thing was they were going to do was tell everyone about it!

SARAQUEL: I don't trust him. Can we begin the memory wipe now? MICHAEL: What, without him here? [nods] Good idea. SARAQUEL: Right. I can't… I can't find his memory anywhere. In fact, I can't find him in the building. He's left Heaven. Should I sound an alert? METATRON: Oh, don't be so wet. No, you're all just going to have to find him. That's all.

Humph. You're being the wet blanket, Metatron.

On one side of The Resurrectionist sign for the pub in Edinburgh we have Jesus standing outside his tomb. He is dressed in red and blue. The red represents his connection to humanity but he is wrapped in the blue of divinity. It looks like we are looking out of the tomb into the world. The entrance is supposed to match the "gate" of Eden that Aziraphale sent Adam and Eve through, so if it looks familiar, that's why.

We something similar when Gabriel regains his memories from the fly. We start out with a red transition, then move towards blue as he regains his angelic divinity, then he is finally back as his lilac royal smugness self on the last.

I did take a very long look at @embracing-the-ineffable's The Ineffable Detective Agency's presents: Gabriel's Memory and the quick transition sections, but didn't come to any firm conclusions, other than the colours. Although this may be why Death appears four times.

Ascension to Heaven

Accounts vary - some say it was the same day, some say after forty days - Jesus ascends to Heaven.

See you later, guys!

You know you can never return, right? Right?

Um, so, what about this little thing called the Second Coming, then?

Wait and see? nngggkk...

Here endeth our journey through the Passion narratives.

[prolifeproliberty]

Good Friday - Part 3

”And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.“

‭‭Luke‬ ‭23‬:‭8‬-‭12‬ ‭KJV‬‬