#st gabriel

[tomicscomics]

04/05/2026

HAPPY EASTER! HE IS RISEN!

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JOKE-OGRAPHY:

In this Bible story (Matthew 28), Jesus has been crucified on Friday. Because Jews can't do work (including burying the dead) on the Sabbath (which is Saturday, but technically starts at sunset on Friday), when Jesus dies, He's hastily taken down from the cross and laid in a new tomb just before sunset. The Jewish priests also convince the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to place a guard in front of the tomb to make sure Jesus's followers don't steal His body and claim He rose from the dead, as He prophesied that He would. After the Sabbath, some women come to Jesus's tomb to mourn Him and perform a belated anointing, as per Jewish funeral custom. However, when they arrive, an angel appears like lightning, frightens the guards so bad that they faint, and rolls back the stone that covers the tomb's entrance. Inside, Jesus is gone. The angel tells the women to go and tell Jesus's disciples that He's risen and will meet them all up north in Galilee.

In this cartoon, Mary Magdalene and another Mary (probably the wife of Clopas and mother of James the Less) show up at the tomb. As in the story, an angel then appears to roll back the stone, reassure the women, and terrify the guards. However, instead of his mighty appearance frightening the guards in itself, the angel in the cartoon makes a joke, pretending that he's going to kill the guards as a magical sacrifice to awaken Jesus from the dead. The guards, already frightened, faint in a fit of terror before the angel reveals he was joking.

I've been informed by some great artists and adamant articles that ethnically Roman guards were a rarity in Judea in Jesus's day. Instead, most Roman soldiers there would be auxiliaries -- non-Romans from Roman-conquered areas who would pledge themselves to Rome's military to earn Roman citizenship. It's likely that the auxiliaries in Judea were a Samaritan or maybe a Syrian cohort. They also wouldn't have worn the classic segmented steel armor that I love drawing, but would instead (most likely) wear chainmail. Things can never be easy, can they?

[wallscores]

Today is St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows' feast day! St. Gabriel, pray for us!

[paintedpatroclus]

i’m in love, i’m alive, i belong to the stars and sky

[portraitsofsaints]

Archangels

St. Michael, St Gabriel, St. Raphael

Feast day: September 29

Archangels are believed to be messengers of God sent to direct, guide, defend, and protect us. Only the three we reverently remember on September 29 – Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael -- are named in the Old as well as the New Testament.

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase. (website)

[inspiredbyjesuslove]

[peter-parsnip]

happy feast day, loser

[its-seyton-art]

The archangel messenger himself!

[eepyangel]

L'annonciation by James Tissot