Welcome
Happy Easter, Sissies!
I thought what better way to start your pages than
by telling you a story. The Easter Story.
Upon returning from prayer in Gethsamane, Jesus
found the deciples sleeping. "Are you still sleeping
and resting? Look the hour is near, and the Son
of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise
let us go! Here comes the betrayer!"
While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve,
arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords
and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders
of the people. The betrayer had arranged a signal with
them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." Going
at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and
kissed him.
Jesus replied, "You betray you Master with a kiss? Do
what you have come for."
Then the men stepped forward, siezed Jesus and arrested
him.
Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the
High Priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders
assembled. The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were
looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could
put him to death. But they did not find any, though many
false witnesses came forward.
Finally two came forward and declared, "This fellow said,
"I am able to destroy this temple and rebuild it in three
days." The high priest said to him, "I charge you under
oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the
Son of God."
"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But, I say to all
of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting
at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds
of heaven."
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has
spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look
now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?"
"He is worthy of death." they answered.
Then they began to spit in his face and hit him with their
fists. Others slapped him and said, "Prophesy to us, Christ
Who hit you?"
Early in the morning, all of the chief priests and the
elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to
death. They bound him, led him away and handed him over to
Pilate, the governor.
Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
"Yes, it is as you say." Jesus replied.
Now it was the governor's custom to release a prisoner
chosen by the crowd. At that time, they had a notorious
prisoner named, Barabbas. So, when the crowd had gathered
Pilate asked them, "Which one do you want me to release to
you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Christ?" For he
knew that it was out of envy that they handed Jesus over to
him.
But the chief priests and the elders had persuaded the crowd
to ask for Barabbas to be released and to have Jesus executed.
"Barabbas" they answered.
"What shall I do with Jesus, who is called Christ?" Pilate asked
They all answered, "Crucify him!"
"Why what crime has he committed?" asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"
When Pilate saw that an uproar had begun, he took water and
washed his hands in front of the crowd and said, "I am innocent
of this mans blood. It is your responsibility."
All of the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and our
children!"
He released Barabbas, and had Jesus flogged and handed him
over to be crucified.
Then the governors soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium
and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They
stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him and then twisted
together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put
a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked
him. "Hail, King of the Jews!" they said. They spit on him and
took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.
After they mocked him and put his own clothes back on him,
they led him away to be crucified.
As they were going out, they met a man Cyrene, Simon and
forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called
Gogatha (which means the Place of the Skull). There they
offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting
it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they
divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they
kept watch over him there. Above his head they had placed
the written charge over him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Two robbers were crucified with him. One one his right and the
other on his left.
Those who passed by, hurled insults at him. Telling him to
save himself if he is the Christ.
From the sixth hour to the ninth hour, darkness came over all
the land. In about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud
voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" --which means, "My
God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"
As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea,
named Joseph, who had himself became a desciple of Jesus. He
asked Pilate for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be
given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped in a clean linen
cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out
of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance
of the tomb and went away.
The next day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to
Pilate. "Sir" they said, "we remember that while he was
still alive that deceiver said, "After three days, I will
rise again." So, give the order for the tomb to remain
secure until the third day. Otherwise his desciples may come
and steal his body and say that he has risen.
"Take a guard" Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure
as you know how." So they went and put a seal on the tomb and
posted the guard there.
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There
was a violent earthquake, for an Angel of the Lord came down
from Heaven and going to the tomb rolled back the stone and
sat on it. His appearance was like lightening, and his clothes
were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they
shook and became like dead men. The Angel said to them, "Do not
be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was
crucified. He is not here. He has risen, just as He said.
Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell
his desciples He has risen from the dead and he is going ahead
of you to Galilee."
So the women hurried away fromt he tomb, afraid yet filled with
joy and ran to tell his desciples. Suddenly Jesus met them,
"Greetings," He said. They came to him clasped his feet and
worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid,
go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, there they will see me.
Then the eleven desciples went to Galilee, to the mountain,
where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they
worshipped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and
said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to
me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age."
