Paper 186 Overview: Just Before the Crucifixion

Jesus was taken through a series of trials before his crucifixion while his family gathered at Bethany. As Jesus was being led away to his accusers, he instructed John to bring his mother to see him before he died. John hastened to Bethany where Jesus' family had assembled at the home of Martha and Mary, and upon hearing the news of Jesus' arrest and impending execution, Mary immediately left with John to see her son. Jesus' sister Ruth and brother Jude followed while the rest of the family remained in Bethany under the direction of James.

Throughout his trials and as his death approached, Jesus maintained remarkable composure and dignity. He refused to speak except when it might benefit someone's understanding of truth, and he showed no anger or fear in the face of his accusers. Jesus knew his work on earth was complete and submitted to these events not by divine command but as a voluntary continuation of his human experience. His death was not required by God as a sacrifice for sin, but was entirely orchestrated by humans while God allowed events to unfold without divine intervention.

As Jesus and his accusers departed to see Herod, Jesus told the Apostle John to find his mother and bring her to him before his death. John, though reluctant to leave Jesus alone among his enemies, hurried to Bethany where Jesus' family had gathered at the home of Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus. Throughout the morning, messengers had been bringing news to Martha and Mary about Jesus' trial, but Jesus' family didn't arrive in Bethany until shortly before John came with the request from Jesus for his mother.

When Mary heard John's message, she immediately departed with him to see her eldest son before his execution. Jesus' sister Ruth refused to stay behind and went with her mother, accompanied by her brother Jude. The rest of Jesus' family remained at Bethany under the guidance of James, receiving regular updates from David Zebedee's messengers about the terrible proceedings against Jesus of Nazareth. By the time Mary and John reached Jerusalem, Jesus was already being led to Golgotha for crucifixion.

Around 8:30 on Friday morning, Jesus was placed in the custody of Roman soldiers for crucifixion while the Jewish guards returned to their temple headquarters. The chief priests and Sanhedrists followed closely, gathering in the hall of hewn stone to discuss what should be done with Jesus' followers. During this meeting, Judas appeared to claim his reward for betraying Jesus. Despite the contempt the Jewish leaders felt for Judas, he expected to be praised and honored for his service, believing he had rendered a great service to his nation.

To Judas' shock and humiliation, instead of public recognition, a servant of the high priest simply handed him thirty pieces of silver—the price of a common slave—and dismissed him. Stunned by this treatment, Judas tried to enter the hall but was denied access. Realizing the enormity of his betrayal, he wandered away in a trance-like state, eventually witnessing Jesus being raised on the cross. Overwhelmed by guilt, Judas returned to the temple and threw the money on the floor, declaring he had sinned by betraying innocent blood. The rulers mockingly told him to leave, and Judas, now experiencing the full weight of his actions, walked alone to the valley of Hinnom where he attempted to hang himself. When the knot failed, he fell to his death on the rocks below.

When Jesus was arrested, he knew his work on earth in human form was finished. He fully understood the nature of his coming death and showed little concern for the specific details of his trials. During his appearance before the Sanhedrist court, Jesus declined to respond to false testimony, only answering when asked about his divine nature and mission on earth. He consistently affirmed his identity as the Son of God but refused to speak to the curious and wicked Herod.

Jesus spoke to Pilate only when he believed his words might help Pilate or others gain better understanding of truth. He exemplified his own teaching about not casting pearls before swine, demonstrating patient submission in his human nature while maintaining the solemn dignity of his divine nature. Jesus chose not to use his persuasive powers or even his human abilities to influence the outcome of these events, accepting that he should submit to the natural course of human events like any other mortal. Throughout this ordeal, Jesus displayed incredible patience and self-possession, never showing anger even when blindfolded, struck, and mocked by coarse soldiers and unthinking servants.

Shortly after Jesus was turned over to the Roman soldiers following his hearing before Pilate, temple guards rushed to Gethsemane to arrest or disperse Jesus' followers. However, the disciples had already scattered—the apostles had hidden, the Greeks had separated to various homes in Jerusalem, and other disciples had similarly disappeared. David Zebedee, anticipating that Jesus' enemies would return, had moved several tents up a ravine near where Jesus often prayed, establishing a hiding place and coordination center for his messenger service.

As soon as David learned that Jesus was being taken for crucifixion, he dispatched messengers to spread the news to Bethsaida, Pella, Philadelphia, Sidon, and other cities. Throughout the day, David sent updates every half hour to the apostles, Greeks, and Jesus' family at Lazarus's home in Bethany. After Jesus was buried, David dismissed his local runners for the Passover celebration and Sabbath rest, instructing them to report to Nicodemus's home on Sunday morning. Unlike the other disciples, David took Jesus' assertion that he would "rise again on the third day" literally and planned to assemble his messengers early Sunday to spread the news if Jesus were to rise from the dead, though he shared this belief with few others.

After Pilate washed his hands to symbolically escape guilt for condemning an innocent man, he ordered Jesus turned over to Roman soldiers with instructions for immediate crucifixion. The soldiers led Jesus back to the praetorium courtyard, removed the robe Herod had put on him, and dressed him in his own garments. Though the soldiers mocked and ridiculed Jesus, they did not inflict further physical punishment. Jesus stood completely alone at this point, with his friends in hiding, his enemies departed, and even John Zebedee no longer by his side.

Pilate handed Jesus over to the soldiers shortly after eight o'clock, and they began the journey to the crucifixion site just before nine. During this half-hour period, Jesus never spoke a word while the executive business of a great universe virtually came to a standstill. Gabriel and the chief rulers of Nebadon either gathered on Urantia or closely monitored reports from the archangels about what was happening to the Son of Man. The soldiers were notably impressed by Jesus' extraordinary composure and dignity, as well as his uncomplaining silence. The delay in starting the procession resulted from the captain's last-minute decision to include two condemned thieves in the crucifixion, one of whom had never seen Jesus before.

There is no direct connection between Jesus' death and the Jewish Passover celebration. Though Jesus died on the preparation day for Passover around the same time the Passover lambs were being sacrificed in the temple, this was merely coincidental. Jesus was a Jew, but as the Son of Man, he was a mortal of the realms, and the events leading to his crucifixion were entirely natural and orchestrated by humans, not by divine plan.

God did not demand or require Jesus' death on the cross. The Father allowed human events to unfold on Urantia without divine intervention, but he did not decree that Jesus must die in this specific manner. Jesus had already completed his required experience on earth by the time of his baptism, which was necessary for his seventh and final universe bestowal. His life after baptism, including his death, was a voluntary personal ministry to benefit and uplift humanity. The good news of human salvation through faith is not dependent on Jesus' death, though his death greatly illuminated the gospel of the kingdom. The essential relationship between God and humans is inherent in universal realities and existed from eternity, not beginning with Jesus' life on earth.