Death, Burial and Resurrection

“…night, and you will not believe in your life” (Deuteronomy 28:66). And again he says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Deuteronomy 21:23).

58. That His suffering is freedom from suffering. Isaiah cries out, saying, “We reckoned him to be in pain and stricken; but he was wounded for our iniquities and weakened for our sins; the chastisement that brought our peace was upon him, and by his bruise we have all been healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5). And Sirach says, “They beat me, and I felt no pain” (Proverbs 23:35). And David says in the 64th Psalm, “Their blows have become like children’s arrows” (Psalm 64:7).

59. That Christ will suffer at night, while it is cold and a charcoal fire has been laid (John 18:18). Zechariah says, “And on that day there will be cold, and there will be frost for one day” (Zechariah 14:6-7).

60. That the sun will set. Zechariah is the first to say, “And on that day there will be no light; that day is known to the Lord, and it will be neither day nor night, and toward evening there will be light” (Zechariah 14:6-7). And Joel says, “Before his face the earth will be gathered together, and the heaven will be darkened; sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will withdraw their brightness” (Joel 2:10).

61. That the sun will set at noon (Amos 8:9). Amos says, “And on that day, says the Lord God, the sun will set at noon, and its light will grow dark on the earth by day, and He will turn our feasts into mourning” (Amos 8:9-10).

62. That they will divide His garments among themselves (Psalm 22:18). David says in the 22nd Psalm, “They divided my garments among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots” (Psalm 22:18).

63. That He will be crucified with robbers. Isaiah says, “And he was numbered with the lawless, and his soul was handed over to death” (Isaiah 53:12).

64. That they will pierce His side. Zechariah says, “They will look on him whom they pierced” (Zechariah 12:10).

65. That not one of His bones will be broken (Exodus 12:46; John 19:36). Moses says, “No bone of his will be broken” (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12).

66. That water will flow from His side as a figure of baptism. Isaiah says, “Bread will be given to him, and his water will be sure” (Isaiah 33:16).

67. That He will be laid in a rock. Isaiah says, “Look to the solid rock that you hewed, and to the hollow of the pit that you dug” (Isaiah 51:1).

68. That the door of the tomb is a stone. He also says, “And they laid a stone upon me” (Lamentations 3:53).

69. That they will set a seal on Him. Daniel says, “And they brought a single stone and laid it on the mouth of the pit, and the king sealed it with his ring and with the ring of his nobles, so that nothing might be changed in the case of Daniel” (Daniel 6:17).

70. That His passion will take place as summer begins, in the month we call March. In the Song of Songs it says, “The season has passed; the nations have gone their way. He has appeared on the earth; the time of pruning has come” (Song of Solomon 2:11-12).

71. That He will be buried. Isaiah says, “The righteous man has been taken away from the presence of injustice; his burial will be in peace” (Isaiah 57:1-2). And again he says, “Because of the sins of my people he was led to death; and I will give the wicked in return for his burial and the rich in return for his death” (Isaiah 53:8-9). And Jacob says, “Lying down, he slept like a lion and like a lion’s cub; who will rouse him?” (Genesis 49:9). And in Numbers it says, “Lying down, he rested like a lion and like a lion’s cub” (Numbers 24:9). And David says in the 22nd Psalm, “You have brought me down to the dust of death” (Psalm 22:15).

72. That, once buried, He will strike Hades with fear. In Job it says, “The gates of death will be opened to him in fear, and the gatekeepers of Hades cowered when they saw you” (Job 38:17). And Isaiah says, “Hades below was embittered when it met you” (Isaiah 14:9). And David says in the 107th Psalm, “He shattered gates of bronze and crushed bars of iron” (Psalm 107:16).

73. That He is without sin. Isaiah says, “He committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth” (Isaiah 53:9). And again, “Because of the sins of my people he was led to death” (Isaiah 53:8).

74. That He will rise again. David says in the 12th Psalm, “Because of the misery of the poor and the groaning of the needy, now I will arise, says the Lord” (Psalm 12:5). And again he says in the 16th Psalm, “For You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You let Your Holy One see corruption” (Psalm 16:10). And again he says in the 30th Psalm, “You brought up my soul from Hades, from among those who go down into the pit” (Psalm 30:3). And Jeremiah says, “Therefore I awoke, and behold, my sleep became sweet” (Jeremiah 31:26). And David says in the 88th Psalm, “By day I cried out, and by night before You; I was counted among those who go down into the pit” (Psalm 88:1, 4). And again, “I have become like…” (Psalm 88:4-5)