The Crucifixion & Burial of Jesus (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A): Revision Note
Exam code: 8062
21 They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. 22 Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take.
25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. 29 Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.
33 When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” 36 And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37 Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
40 There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.
42 When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time. 45 When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid. (Mark 15:21–47)
The crucifixion
Jesus was brought to the crucifixion place just outside the city walls
It was called Golgotha, meaning the “place of the skull”
He was crucified there
Crucifixion was a cruel method of execution used by the Romans, especially for people accused of rebellion
The Romans fixed a person to a cross and left them to die
A man called Simon of Cyrene was made to help Jesus carry his cross to Golgotha
The fact that Jesus needed help showed how weak he must have been by that point
The guards offered Jesus a drink of wine mixed with myrrh, which would have been a painkiller, but Jesus refused it
A sign was fixed above Jesus’s head on the cross to show everyone why he was being put to death. Crucifixions were considered a public example to others
Jesus’s sign read “INRI”, which stands for “Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum”. This is Latin and means “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”
People mocked Jesus and taunted him with comments such as:
“Save yourself, and come down from the cross!”
“He saved others; he cannot save himself”
At midday, Mark reports that the skies went dark
Darkness in the middle of the day would have been seen as a symbol of tragedy
Jesus called out “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”, which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
It is a direct quote from Psalm 22 in the Old Testament
This shows that Jesus, close to the moment of his death, felt lonely and alone, abandoned by God
Stained glass window depicting the crucifixion of Jesus with the death notice, INRI, fastened to the cross
Attribution:
Hablingbo Church, Gotland: Crucifixion. Medieval stained glass. Now in the History Museum of Sweden, Stockholm. Licensed under CC by 2.5
The burial of Jesus
After Jesus’s death, Joseph of Arimathea was given Jesus’s body
This is significant because Joseph was a rich man who could afford to give Jesus a proper burial. Otherwise, Jesus’s body would have been disposed of in the town dump because he had died as a criminal
Joseph followed the burial customs of the time
Jesus was buried in a tomb, and a heavy stone was rolled in front of the entrance
Mark reports that Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were witnesses to these events
The significance of Jesus’s death
At the moment Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple in Jerusalem was ripped in two
This curtain separated the Holy of Holies, the special room in the Temple that only the High Priest could enter, from the rest of the Temple
The tearing of this curtain symbolised that the barrier between God and people (sin) had been removed at the moment of Jesus’s death. Everyone now had access to God
The Roman soldier who was watching said, “Truly this man was God’s Son”
This was a significant statement, as this man would not have been Jewish
It showed that even a Gentile (someone who was not Jewish) saw the significance of Jesus and recognised the truth that he was God’s son, although the Jews had not
Jesus’s death remains important for Christians today because it:
Shows that Jesus was the Messiah and fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies
Showed God’s plan for the salvation of humanity
Removed the barrier of sin, which was dividing humanity from God, and restored humans’ relationship with God
Jesus paid the price for humanity’s sins to be forgiven
Showed that love and goodness can overcome evil and hatred
This would have been of great comfort to the people in the early Church, who were persecuted and suffered for their faith
Sets an example to everyone of self-sacrificing love, even to the extent of being prepared to suffer and die for one’s beliefs
Worked Example
When Jesus cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”, what did this show?
[1 mark]
A. That he was quoting Psalm 22 and felt abandoned by God
B. That he wanted Elijah to rescue him from death
C. That he was calling for Simon of Cyrene to help him
D. That he was asking Pilate for mercy
Answer:
A. That he was quoting Psalm 22 and felt abandoned by God
Jesus’s words are taken from Psalm 22 and show his human sense of loneliness and suffering. B is wrong because some bystanders misunderstood him as calling for Elijah, but this was not the meaning of his words. C and D are not supported by the Gospel account.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
As you did with the trials of Jesus, it is important that you learn the account of Jesus’s crucifixion and burial as reported by Mark in his Gospel. There are details included in other gospels that Mark omits. Including these in your answers will not gain you marks in the exam.
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