Passion, Suffering before the Crucifixion

Passion / Suffering before the Crucifixion 


Overview


Matthew 26:36―27:32, Mark 14:32―15:21, Luke 22:39―23:32, John 18:1―19:17


After the Last Supper, Jesus went off to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, knowing he was about to be arrested. One of his followers, Judas, kissed him as a way of identifying him to the crowd who arrested him. A scuffle broke out wherein one of those with Jesus sliced off the ear of a servant of the high priest. Jesus reattached it. Jesus was questioned by the high priest and charged with blasphemy for his preaching about the Kingdom of God and his suggestion that he was a king in that Kingdom. He was then turned over to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, for trial. Pilate didn’t see a problem but ordered Jesus beaten, scourged. The soldiers, taking the king idea a bit far, wove Jesus a crown from thorny vines. They crowned him, mocked him, and gambled away his clothes. Pilate, thinking the beating would placate the crowd, offered to release Jesus because of the Passover festival. The crowd said no; they wanted Pilate to release a bad guy named Barabbas instead. Jesus was then made to carry his cross uphill to Calvary, where he was nailed to it.

Each of these scenes has been the subject of many artworks. Because there is so much to explore in each, they are addressed separately.


These scenes have been popular in the art tradition. These subtopics can be explored more fully through the links below:



Return to Passion, Suffering, Death Return to Jesus Christ in the Bible Return to the Jesus Christ Overview Return to Interpretations Return to Engaging the Art
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