UNLEAVENED BREAD «HAG HAMATZOT»

Early in the morning, all the high priest and elders met to plan how to bring about Yeshua’s death. Then they put Him in chains, led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate the governor. Now at the Feast of Unleavened Bread (High Sabbath) the governor was in the habit of setting free for the people any one prisoner whom they chose.When they arrived at a place called Gulgolta/Golgotha, they gave Him wine mixed with bitter gall to drink. After they had nailed Him to the stake, they divided His clothes among them by throwing dice. Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour (noon until 3 o’clock in the afternoon) there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour (at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon), Yeshua uttered a loud cry: “Eli! Eli! L’mah sh’vaktani?”  But Yeshua, again crying out in a loud voice, yielded up His spirit. At that moment the parokhet in the Temple was ripped in two from top to bottom. And  there was an earthquake, with rocks splitting apart. Also the graves were opened, and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. Towards evening, there came a wealthy man from Ramatayim named Yosef, who was himself a disciple of Yeshua. Yosef took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen sheet, and laid it in his own tomb, which he had recently had cut out of the rock. After rolling a large stone in front of the entrance to the tomb, he went away. On the next day, which followed the day of Preparation (when Yeshua was crucified), the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate.

Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Yeshua, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate. The soldiers led Him away inside the palace and called together the whole battalion. They dressed Him in purple and wove thorn branches into a crown, which they put on Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.They brought Yeshua to a place called Gulgolta/Golgotha. And they crucified Him. And they divided His garments and distributed them among themselves, throwing lots for them to decide who should take what. It was the third hour (about 9 o’clock in the morning) when they nailed Him to the stake. And when the sixth hour (about midday) had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour (3 pm). And at the ninth hour (3 pm) Yeshua uttered a loud cry: “Elohi! Elohi! L’mah sh’vaktani?”. But Yeshua let out a loud cry and gave up His spirit.  And the parokhet (the veil) in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. It was the Preparation Day the day before the Sabbath/High Sabbath (14th day of Aviv, when they had slain the lamb and sat down for the ‘Seder’ – the Dinner on Pesach), as evening approached, Yosef a prominent member of the Sanhedrin who himself was also looking forward to the Kingdom of YHWH, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Yeshua’s body. But Pilate wondered whether Yeshua was dead so soon. Yosef purchased a linen sheet; and after taking Yeshua down, he wrapped Him in the linen sheet, laid Him in a tomb which had been cut out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. Miryam of Magdala and Miryam the mother of Yosef saw where He had been laid.

As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying: “If you are the Mashiach/Messiah tell us.” But He said to them: “If I tell you, you will by no means believe.” With that, the whole Sanhedrin got up and brought Yeshua before Pilate.When he (Pilate) learned that He was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him over to Herod, who at that time happened to be in Yerushalayim/Jerusalem too. Herod and his soldiers treated Yeshua with contempt and made fun of Him. Then, dressing Him in an elegant robe, they sent Him back to Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other. Previously they had been enemies. When they came to the place called Golgotha, they nailed Him to a stake; and they nailed the criminals to stakes, one on the right and one on the left. Yeshua said: “Father, forgive them; they don’t understand what they are doing.” They divided up His clothes by throwing dice. It was about the sixth hour (about noon), and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour (3 pm) in the afternoon. The sun did not shine. Also the parokhet (the veil) in the Temple was split down the middle. Crying out with a loud voice: Yeshua said, “Eli! Eli! L’mah sh’vaktani?”  With these words He gave up His spirit. Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of YHWH. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Yeshua. He took it (body) down, wrapped it in a linen sheet, and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, that had never been used. It was the Preparation Day (14th of Aviv, the time when the lamb was slain and they sat down at the table for the evening ‘Seder’ – the Dinner on Pesach), and a Sabbath (the High Sabbath = The Feast of Unleavened Bread) was about to begin.  The women who had come with Yeshua from the Galil followed; they saw the tomb and how His body was placed in it. Then they went back home to prepare spices and ointments.

They led Yeshua from Kayafa to the Praetorium. By now it was early morning. They did not enter the headquarters building because they didn’t want to become ritually defiled and thus unable to eat the Pesach meal (the Dinner on Pesach – ‘Seder’). Pilate went outside to them and said: “What charge are you bringing against this man?” Pilate went back into the headquarters, called Yeshua and said to Him: “Are you the king of the Jews?”On hearing this, Pilate tried to find a way to set Him free; but the Judeans shouted: “If you set this man free, it means you’re not a friend of the Emperor! Everyone who claims to be a King is opposing the Emperor!” When Pilate heard what they were saying, he brought Yeshua outside and sat down on the judge’s seat in the place called The Pavement (in Aramaic, Gabta). It was Preparation Day for the Passover (14th of Aviv, the time when the lamb was slain and they sat down at the table for the evening ‘Seder’ – the Dinner on Pesach) and it was about the sixth hour (6 am). He said to the Judeans: “Here’s your king!” They shouted: “Take Him away!” Then Pilate handed Yeshua over to them to have Him put to death on the stake. So they took charge of Yeshua. Carrying the stake Himself He went out to the place called Skull (in Aramaic, Gulgolta). There they nailed Him to the stake (crucified Him). After Yeshua had taken the wine, He said: “It is accomplished!” And, letting His head droop, He delivered up His spirit. It was Preparation Day, and the Judeans did not want the bodies to remain on the stake on Sabbath (High Sabbath), since it was an especially important Sabbath for that Sabbath was a ‘High Day’ (High Sabbath =The Feast of Unleavened Bread). So they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed. But when they got to Yeshua and saw that He was already dead, they didn’t break His legs. However, one of the soldiers stabbed His side with a spear, and at once blood and water flowed out. After this, Yosef of Ramatayim, who was a disciple of Yeshua, but a secret one out of fear of the Judeans, asked Pilate if he could have Yeshua’s body. Pilate gave his consent, so Yosef came and took the body away. Also Nakdimon, who at first had gone to see Yeshua by night, came with some seventy pounds of spices – a mixture of myrrh and aloes. They took Yeshua’s body and wrapped it up in linen sheets with the spices, in keeping with Judean burial practice. In the vicinity of where He had been executed was a garden, and in the garden was a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. So, because it was Preparation Day (the High Sabbath – the Feast of Unleavened Bread was about to begin) for the Judeans, and because the tomb was close by, that is where they buried Yeshua.

Matthew (27:1-62); Mark (15:1-46);Luke (22:66-23:55); John (18:28-19:41)