I love numbers! God loves numbers, too! There is certainly order with numbers. I am not a member of the clergy, so keep that in mind as I list the following numbers about Jesus' last 24 hours. The studying of these events adds validity to Jesus' claims. it adds clarity of the horror. clarity of the sacrifice. clarity to the perfection of God's plan to free us from sin. free us from guilt forever by trusting in the fact that Jesus was the spotless Lamb, the Messiah, and (3 days later) the Resurrected King! As you read these numbers, please keep in mind that Jesus has been up all night. He is dehydrated. He is embarrassed. He has been arrested. He has been on trial and falsely condemned. Jesus was whipped so that we could be healed (Isaiah 53:5). After he carries his cross (with some help from Simon of Cyrene--mentioned in Matthew, Mark, and Luke), he is crucified. Jesus is nailed to a cross at 9:00 AM. He stays on that cross, pulling himself up to breathe until 3:00 PM. So for 360 minutes, Jesus had to pull himself up to breathe. Normal respiratory rate is 12-20 breaths per minute. I have no idea how many times a crucified person breaths. Since he has to pull himself up to breathe, let's guess 10 times a minute. If that is accurate, Jesus would have pulled himself up 3600 times. What horror! What pain! But more than that unspeakable physical pain was the spiritual pain of carrying our sins! every sin that had or ever would be done! But still worse for Jesus was the separation from His Father! (Mark 15:34) Perhaps this was the three hours of darkness that fell over the land from Noon until 3:00 PM. Some think that God the Father could not look on Jesus as he bore our sins (Isaiah 53:5-6). I believe this was the case. The bottom line for these 24 hours---JESUS PAID IT ALL!!!
Below are some of the numbers of Jesus' last 24 hours on this earth. It is not an exhaustive list. More could be listed, but these are the ones that I have chosen along with scripture references for each.
Betrayers...ONE: Judas (Matthew 26:16) (Mark 14:10) (Luke 22:3-5) (John 18:2-3)
Number of Disciples who deserted Jesus: ALL (Matthew 26:56) (Mark 14:50)
Number of times Jesus prayed His last night in the Garden of Gethsemane: THREE: (Matthew 26:44) (Mark 14:32-39) TWO (Luke 22:40-47)
Number of times Peter denied knowing Jesus: THREE (Matthew 26:75) (Mark 14:71-72) (Luke 22:56-62) (John 18:27)
Number of pieces of silver that Judas received to betray Jesus: THIRTY (Matthew 27:3)
Number of times Jesus was flogged with a lead-tipped whip: UNCLEAR BUT PROBABLY 39 HITS (Matthew 27:26) (John 19:1)
Number of Crowns of Thorns that Jesus wore: ONE (Matthew 27:29) (Mark 15:17) (John 19:2)
Number of reeds given to Jesus as a scepter in order to mock Him: ONE (Matthew 27:29)
Number of times that Jesus was spit on by the Roman soldiers: NUMEROUS (Matthew 27:30) (Mark 15:19)
Number of times that Jesus was struck with the scepter by the Roman soldiers: NUMEROUS (Matthew 27:30) (Mark 15:19)
Number of feet that Jesus carried the cross: UNKNOWN (Matthew 27: 31-32) (Mark 15:21-23) (Luke 23:26) (John 19:16-17)
Number of people who scoffed at Jesus on the Cross: MANY; people passing by (Matthew 27:39) (Mark 15:29); the leading priests (Matthew 27:41) (Mark 15:31) the teachers of religious law, (Matthew 27:41) (Mark 15:31) and the elders (Matthew 27:41); the leaders (Luke 23:35); the soldiers (Luke 23:36); at least one of the revolutionaries who were crucified on either side of Jesus (Matthew 27:44 says both) (Mark 15:32 says both) (Luke 23:39-43 accounts for one criminal scoffed at Jesus, while the other criminal asked Jesus "to remember me when you come into your Kingdom").
Number of hours that Jesus was crucified: SIX; the following references mention either the ending three hours or the beginning and ending times of Jesus' crucifixion. (Matthew 27:45) (Mark 15:25 & 34-37) (Luke 23:44)
Number of times that Jesus died: ONCE. He was the FINAL Sacrifice for all mankind! (Matthew 27:50) (Mark 15:31) (Luke 23:46) (John 19:30)
Number of Roman officers who saw the way Jesus died and said, "This man truly was the Son of God!": ONE (Mark 15:39)
Number of Roman officers at the cross who said, "Surely, this man was innocent."(Luke 23:47)
Number of women watching from a distance: SEVERAL (Mark 15:40-41)
Number of Jesus's friends (including women) who had followed him from Galilee and stood at a distance. UNKNOW NUMBER (Luke 23:49)
Number of people who took the body down from the cross ONE; Joseph of Arimathea (Luke 23:53) (John 19:38)
Number of people who came with Joseph of Arimathea: ONE (Nicodemus) (John 19:39-40)
Number of specific people standing near the cross: FIVE (Jesus' mother, his mother's sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), Mary Magdalene, and John)
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