CrucifixionOn the night between Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, Christ was tortured and flogged. Pontius Pilate handed Jesus over to the Jews, saying that he could not condemn him, because he had found no fault, and that the man was innocent. The Jews realized that they could only torture Jesus, but they could not condemn Him, so they told Pilate that Jesus was actually rebelling against the emperor, because he was proclaiming himself king, and for such a sin the Romans must punish the perpetrator. As it was the eve of Passover, the greatest Jewish holiday, the custom required that one prisoner be released. Pilate asked the people whom he should release: Jesus Christ or Barabbas, a robber who had killed several Roman soldiers. The crowd, incited by the Pharisees, demanded Barabbas. Pilate asked what to do with Jesus, and the crowd shouted: Crucify him! Crucify him! They placed a crown of thorns on Christ's head, and a heavy cross was placed on his shoulders and led him along the road that even today, two thousand years later, is called the Street of Sorrows. They spat on him and hurled insults at him. There was also a good man there, Simon of Cyrene, who took pity and helped the Lord carry the Cross of Suffering. On the hill of Golgotha, they set up three crosses, on which they crucified Christ and two thieves. Christ's cross was in the middle. And after all the suffering and humiliation suffered, Christ prayed to his Heavenly Father to forgive people, because they do not know what they are doing. When, at about three o'clock in the afternoon (according to our reckoning of time), He gave up His spirit to the Father, all of nature, God's creation, rebelled against injustice and crime: the sun darkened, the graves opened, the earth shook. The curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom. The stones, with a terrible crash, disintegrated. The rocks cracked. Thus, Christ's words came true that even dead stones would testify to the Living God. The captain who was guarding the cross said that this Man was truly righteous, and the gathered people were seized with unspeakable horror. The Mother of God remained beside the Cross with the Apostle John, Mary Magdalene, and some other women. Silent and petrified with pain, the Mother of God looked at the lifeless body of her Son and God. Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and begged that he take Christ's body down from the cross and bury it. Pilate, because tomorrow was the Sabbath (when nothing was done), and so that the body would not remain on the cross for three days, allowed Him to be taken down from the cross. They wrapped Christ's body in linen and took it to a new tomb that Joseph had prepared for himself. The tomb was hewn out of the rock. When they laid Christ's body, they rolled a huge stone against the entrance. The Romans posted guards around, fearing that the Christians would take the body.

Holy Martyrs Agathopos and Theodulus. Venerable Mark of Thrace. Easter Fast.