7Y

7Y

If Longinus was supervising the crucifixion, Yosef Caiaphas and the other man named Yosef from Ramathaim-Zophim were supervising Longinus. "What is wrong?" Caiaphas demanded.

Longinus replied, "I'm not certain. The condemned man should be showing signs  of, ah,  extreme distress  at this  point." After more minutes  passed Yeshua  voided  his  bowels. The soldiers crucifying him found that  his skin was  growing cool  and they began to fret, because it looked like they  had somehow bungled the execution. And if that proved to be the  case they would be punished themselves.

"It must have been the flogging," suggested Longinus. "Petronius was too thorough. I had nothing  to do with that." He took his spear and depressed the  skin of Yeshua's  bare chest. Then he looked at the two members of the Sanhedrin standing nearby. "By your leave, sirs?"

Caiaphas didn't have Yeshua's suffering  as an agenda. The man had claimed to be  on a  plane with  The Name  and for  that he must  die,  traditionally by  stoning,  but  Yosef's fool  of  a father-in-law had caused the Romans  to withdraw that power from the council. Now, incredibly, Yeshua had  somehow died  in the first few moments of his crucifixion. Longinus asked permission to verify it. Caiaphas said, "You may proceed, Centurion."

Longinus pierced the heart of Yeshua with the tip of his spear. There was no movement. So again with the permission of Caiaphas he made his men unhitch the ropes and lower Yeshua's body into a bag made from hemp, and loaded this onto a wheeled cart.

They followed Yosef  around the  eastern wall  of the  city and across the Kidron ravine to his  prepared crypt on the  Hill of Olives. Then the sack with  Yeshua's body was lowered  into the hewn pit, and a  heavy stone was  slid over it  by all  the men present, even the priests. Longinus put upon on the stone seven seals in the name of the Governor, and they pitched a tent amid the olive trees to keep watch.

As the day drew on Yosef reminded Caiaphas the Shabbat began at sunset  and  standing watch  was  a  kind  of work. "We're not watching the tomb, these men are," replied the high priest.

"Then you must have no objection if we both go home."

Caiaphas thought for a moment, then said to Longinus, "Attend to your duty most carefully. The followers of this man would think little of breaking Shabbat to steal his body from the tomb."