History Prophesied or Prophecy Historicized?

We've just seen one story of Jesus' crucifixion, together with a psalm which seems to parallel it. Indeed, Jesus is evidently refering to that very psalm from the cross. (Quoting the first line of a familiar passage often means that the speaker recited the entire text.)

The other two synoptic gospels (Matthew, Luke) seem to have taken their story either directly from here or from the same source. And John, often differing wildly from the synoptics, is very close in this passage.

Was there in fact any of Jesus' followers at hand to witness the crucifixion? Showing a sympathetic interest in someone being executed as a rebel against Roman authority could be hazardous to one's immediate survival. The male disciples are supposed to be generally in hiding about now, even according to the gospels, and this is certainly no safe place for a woman. Possible, but not likely.

Would they be close enough to hear a man, exhausted and struggling for each breath, recite a psalm?

It seems very likely here that one of Jesus' followers remembered/found that psalm, saw things in the closing lines very close to the significance of Jesus' death as they understood it--and concluded that the psalm must be about Jesus. And therefore they took their account of the event from the psalm.

The dividing & casting lots for his clothes is the clearest example. For people to divide the wardrobe and cast lots for the garments of a warrior-chieftain like David on one of those bad days when he was on the run--that sounds very likely. To divide the one suit of clothes that a man had on his back while he was arrested, manhandled and beaten?

The other details are more plausible, if only Romans and Jews friendly to Rome were likely to be around. But the language is awfully close...

Did the gospel writers really work this way? Certainly, at least once. Where Zechariah has the King enter Jerusalem, "humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass."

"Matthew," apparently unaware that this is a poetic repetition, has Jesus enter Jerusalem riding two animals, sitting on a cloth draped between them. It sounds extremely awkward.

A fraudulent procedure? No, merely the result of a strong belief that whatever really happened must have matched scripture as they understood it.

Mark 15.16-39

Then the soldiers took him inside the courtyard (the Governor's headquarters) and called together the whole company. They dressed him in purple, and having plaited a crown of thorns, placed it on his head. Then they began to salute him with "Hail, King of the Jews!" They beat him about the head with a cane and spat upon him, and then knelt and paid mock homage to him. When they'd finished their mockery, they stripped him of the purple and dressed him in his own clothes."

Then they took him out to crucify him. A man called Simon, from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they pressed him into service to carry his cross.

They brought him to the place called Golgotha, which means "Place of a Skull." He was offered drugged wine, but he would not take it. Then they fastened him to the cross. They divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should have.

The hour of the crucifiction was nine in the morning, and the inscription giving the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews." Two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

The passers-by hurled abuse at him. "Aha!" they cried, wagging their heads, "You would pull the Temple down, would you, and build it in three days? Come down from the cross and save yourself!" So too the chief priests and the doctors of the Law jested with one another: "He save others," they said, "but he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross. If we see that, then we shall believe?" Even those who were crucified with him taunted him.

At midday darkness fell over the whole land, which lasted till three in the afternoon; and at three Jesus cried aloud, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani," which means, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

Some of the passers-by, on hearing this, said "Hark, he is calling Elijah." A man came running with a sponge, soaked in sour wine, on the end of a cane, and held it to his lips. "Let us see," he said, "if Elijah is coming to take him down."

Then Jesus gave a loud cry and died.

And the curtain of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

And when the centurian who was standing opposite him saw how he died, he said, "Truly this man was a son of God."

Mark 15.6-15

At the festival season the Governor used to release one prisoner at the people's request. As it happened, the man known as Barabbas was then in custody with the rebels who had committed murder in the rising. When the crowd appeared asking for the usual favor, Pilate replied, "Do you wish for me to release for you the King of the Jews?" For he knew it was out of spite that they had brought Jesus before him.

But the chief priests incited the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas rather than Jesus.

Pilate spoke to them again: "Then what shall I do with the King of the Jews?"

They shouted back "Crucify him!"

"Why? What harm has he done?" Pilate asked.

They shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" So Pilate, in his desire to satisfy the mob, released Barabbas to them, and had Jesus flogged and handed over to be crucified.

Mark 15.1-5

When morning came the chief priests, having made their plan with the elders and lawyers and all the Council, put Jesus in chains; then they led him away and handed him over to Pilate.

Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

He replied, "The words are yours."

And the chief priests brought many charges against him.

Pilate questioned him again: "Have you nothing to say in your defence? You see how many charges they are bringing against you."

But to Pilate's astonishment, Jesus made no reply.

Mark 14.65->

Some began to spit on him, blindfolded him, and struck him with their fists, crying out, "Prophesy!" And the High Priest's men set upon him with blows.

Meanwhile Peter was still in the courtyard downstairs. One of the High Priest's serving-maids came by and saw him there warming himself. She looked into his face and said, "You were there too, with this man from Nazareth, this Jesus."

But he denied it. "I know nothing," he said. "I do not understand what you mean."

Then he went outside into the porch, and the maid saw him there again and began to say to the bystanders, "He is one of them;" and again he denied it.

Again, a little later, the bystanders said to Peter, "Surely you are one of them. You must be; you are a Galilean."

At this he burst out into curses, and with an oath he said, "I do not know this man you speak of."

Then the cock crew a second time; and Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, "Before the cock cries twice you will disown me three times." And he burst into tears.