ps
Rolph V. Snyder
RR D. 3
Faint JOY, Pr.
SUSQUEHANNA BULLETIN
Susquehanna Times & The Mount Joy Bulletin
MARIETTA & MOUNT JOY, PA.
Vol. 75 No. 12 - March 26, 1975
The bad news
Friday
A recently popular reli-
gious leader, who was ac-
claimed less than a week ago
when he rode into town,
was captured by a mob and
taken away to be tried by
religious authorities.
The religious leader was
identified for the mob by
one of his followers who
had been bribed to point
him out by kissing him.
In the scuffle that follow-
ed a member of the mob
had his ear but off by one
of the leader’s followers,
but the leader disapproved
of this action, and was led
away peacefully.
The followers fled for
their lives. One denied any
knowledge of the leader.
The leader was taken to
a religious court for trial.
His judges accused him of
threatening to tear down a
religious temple and of hav-
ing delusions of being the
son of God.
They then took him to
the civil government for
trial before the governor.
The governor wasn’t
Photo by Susquehanna Bulletin
much interested in the case.
His wife had had a bad
dream the night before and
had warned him against hav-
ing anything to do with the
case.
The good news
Sunday
Because the religious lead-
er had said at one time that
he would come to life again
three days after his death,
the religious authorities ask-
ed the governor to place an
armed guard at the tomb
where the leader was buried.
Otherwise, the authorities
were afraid that the leader’s
followers would come to
the grave, steal the body
from it, and claim that their
leader had come to life
again.
The governor agreed to
put a guard at the tomb.
It is reported that early
Sunday morning two female
followers of the leader came
to his grave. There was a
violent earthquake when
they got there. They saw
an angel come down from
heaven, roll the stone away
that covered the opening
to the tomb, and sit on the
stone. A brilliant light
given off by the angel fright-
ened the guards, so that
they shook and lay down
like corpses.
The angel told the wo-
men not to be afraid, that
their leader was not dead,
that he had left the tomb,
and let them inspect the
slab where the body of the
leader had been placed.
The women were ecstatic
with joy and ran to tell the
leader’s followers.
Suddenly, standing in the
path before them, they saw
their beloved leader him-
self. He told them not to be
afraid. He ‘told them to get
in touch with his followers
and tell them that he would
see them in Galilee.
The religious authorities
said that the followers had
stolen the body of their
leader from the tomb.
But the followers, minus
The people had the right
to free one prisoner at this
time of year, and the gover-
nor asked the people wheth-
er he should free the reli-
gious leader or a notorious
convict named Barabbas.
The people all shouted,
“Barabbas!”
“Then what am I to do
with this religious leader?”
the governor asked the peo-
ple.
And they all shouted,
“Kill him!”
“Why, what harm has he
done?” the governor asked.
“Kill him!” the crowd
shouted back.
The governor saw that a
riot was starting. He saw he
couldn’t stop the mob. In
front of them he washed
his hands and said, “My
hands are clean of this man’s
blood.”
The governor had the
religious leader beaten and
turned over to his soldiers
to be killed.
The soldiers stripped all
the clothes off the leader,
put a crown made of thorns
on his head, a purple mantle
around his shoulders, and
then they all started bow-
ing down to him and calling
him, “King.” They also
spit on him.
When they finished mak-
ing fun of him they took
him off to be killed.
the one who had betrayed
their leader, went to Galilee
and met their leader, come
to life again, on top of a
mountain.
He told them: “Full
authority in heaven and on
earth has been committed
to me. Go forth, therefore,
and make all nations my
disciples: baptize men every-
where in the name of the
Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit, and teach them
to observe all that I have
commanded you. And be
assured, I am with you al-
ways, to the end of time.”
The way they were going
to kill him was to place his
body with outstretched
hands on two crossed beams
of wood, and fasten his
body to the crossed beams
by driving nails through his
hands and feet into the
wood. The crossed beams
would then be set upright
in the ground, and the man
would be left to hang there
to die slowly.
According to one report
the leader carried the cross-
ed beams himself to the
place where he was to be
executed.
When he had arrived at
the place of execution, he
——
Raa
Window in Trinity Lutheran Church, Mount Joy
Ten Cents
was nailed to the cross, and
it was set upright.
Some bystanders said to
him, “If you are the son of
God, why don’t you come
down from your cross?”
There were also two pri-
soners who were being put
to death on crosses beside
him. They also asked him
why he didn’t demonstrate
the supernatural powers he
claimed.
About 3 p.m. the leader
let out a cry, “My God, my
God, why did you forsake
me?”
There was another cry.
Then the leader was dead.
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