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Jesus'
Crucifixion
INTRODUCTION
Arguably, the greatest event in the history of the world is the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. All Christians fix their eyes on this event, and we are told that so do the Angels, for they desire to look into the matter of salvation. It is
amazing how the Cross strips away all the pretence of men, and reveals
their hypocrisy, dissembling, and deceitfulness. It
destroyed the false picture that the leaders of the nation of Israel had
of themselves, for they wanted men to think that they were righteous,
just, zealous for God, and loyal to his commandments, but it showed that
they were willing to break every law, scheme, acknowledge openly that they
had no king but Caesar, and commit murder to protect their own interests. It showed us that Pilate, who wanted to make people believe he was a fair and impartial Roman judge, well able to outwit the scheming Jewish leaders, was nothing but a less than skilful, compromising coward, who was willing to do anything necessary to protect his skin and preserve himself from the wrath of the Roman Caesar. It
similarly turns the spotlight on us for our acceptance or rejection of the
gospel defines who we are, for we are told in Scripture, that the most
important thing is the gospel, and the essence of this gospel is Christ
crucified, and the application of his blood to our hearts.
Therefore, “ We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a
stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are
called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of
God”. (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). Note
that when this gospel was preached, many did not admire it or cling to it,
but hissed their teeth at heaven, they dragged Jesus to the ‘hill of the
skull’, nailed him to the Cross, and let his life slowly drain out in
indescribable agony. Then they persecuted and afflicted his chosen ministers, pouring their bitterness on them in every form and fashion. When we talk about Calvary, we must first pay attention to why Christ died. Christ died because: “
It pleased Jehovah to bruise him”. It was
Jehovah who put him to grief. Therefore,
people must never simply trace the death of Christ to the enmity and
malice of the Jews and the cruelty and cowardly action of the Roman
governor. Jesus
was, as Peter told us, delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God. This was the decree of God which men simply
fulfilled, for they were ignorant but guilty instruments to accomplish the
will of God. It was
the Father, who so loved his creation, that he decreed salvation, set up
the way to ensure it, and took delight in it.
The death of Christ is therefore traceable to all wise, all
knowing, righteous planning of God the Father, and therefore the agonizing
death of Jesus is a glorious event. Christ
came because of the Father's will and pleasure, for he tore his only
begotten Son, his eternal delight, from his bosom and freely delivered him
up to unutterable agonies, so that a worse sin would be remitted. We should note that the
death of God's only Son on the Cross can never be fully understood, for
this mystery is simply too deep for us to understand. Still, we do know
that because of his death, there is a powerful, life transforming, saving
effect that we can see in our lives and in the lives of many people around
us. Jesus crucifixion and
subsequent death marked the climax of his earthly ministry, though his
resurrection three days later would confirm and authenticate that He was
in fact the Messiah, the Son of God. It
is certainly true that this was the hour for which Jesus was born, the
hour of which He had been speaking when He said, "...Mine hour is
not yet come" (John. 2:4); but now His hour had arrived. The
previous part of Jesus ministry had only set the stage for the tumultuous
events of the last two days of His life, where in rapid succession He
would: §
institute
the Lord’s Supper §
undergo
an ordeal in the Garden of Gethsemane §
be
arrested and scourged §
be
subjected to a sham trial §
and
subsequently crucified in short order. His
crucifixion and death is the climactic event of his earthly ministry, as
prophesies, types and symbols converged in the person of Jesus and God’s
plan of salvation was completed. Jesus
had to die according to God’s plan , and die
voluntarily, yet his death had to be both violent and humiliating
according to Scripture. He
was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is
brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is
dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. There
is no more cruel and inhumane method of execution than that of
crucifixion. Modern technology may have perfected the art of killing more
people faster, but there was no harder way to die than upon a Roman cross.
Crucifixion
was reserved for slaves, highway
robbers, rebels, prisoners of war and those guilty of heinous crimes. It
was considered so disgraceful a death, that no Roman citizen could be
crucified. It was not
only conceived of as a fitting penalty for those mentioned above, but was
to be an excellent deterrent for any who might consider such acts against
society. It was a death that was both painful and public, punitive and
preventative. CRUCUFIXION,
THE ORDEAL Normally
the crucifixion process was prolonged to up to two or three days. It would
typically begin by a preliminary scourging, such as that suffered by our
Lord (19:1). We are not told how many stripes were meted out, but on the
end of the whip were attached small pieces of bone or metal which would
tear open the flesh of the victim. Many were unconscious before this
ordeal ended; some even died. If
the criminal survived his scourging, he was forced to carry his own cross
to the place of the crucifixion by the longest possible route. This served
to humiliate the wrongdoer, and to caution those who witnessed his
punishment. Once at the site of the execution, the criminal would be fixed
to across, of which there were several varieties. It was not necessary to
raise the individual to any great height, but only that his feet not touch
the ground. Commonly, the victim bore a sign depicting the offence for
which he was executed. He would carry this around his neck as he made his
way to the place of death and the placard would then be fixed to the
cross. The hands were nailed to the crossbeam and the feet were normally
nailed to the post. Jesus could therefore
show his hands and feet (Luke 24:39) as proof of his death. The
precise cause of death of the one crucified is not known with any degree
of certainty. Shock, exposure, starvation, heart failure, and suffocation
may all have combined to slowly snuff out the life of the sufferer. If
for some reason the life of the victim lingered longer than the
executioners desired, there was a simple and common solution. A large
wooden mallet was used to break the legs of the dying man and his death
would quickly ensue. It seems as though this made it impossible for the
person to enhance his breathing by using his legs to relieve the pressure
on his diaphragm. If this was the case, the person would quickly suffocate
as he could no longer breathe. Another
writer notes :" ...the physical suffering produced by crucifixion was
excruciating. The constrained and immobile posture of the body and arms
would gradually cause violent aching and cramps. The pierced limbs would
become inflamed, producing fever and thirst; the circulation of the blood
being hindered, it gathered in the head and lungs causing great distress;
the body would gradually grow stiff and the vital powers ebb away from
exhaustion. Some would take an agonizingly long time to die, while others
died quickly. In either event, this kind of death was sheer torture. The Gospels record Jesus excruciating grief and sorrow in Gethsemane as he implored His Father (See March 20 lesson) to let the cup pass from him. Many surmise that it was not only the physical aspect of the ordeal from which he recoiled but more-so His isolation and separation from the Father at a time of the severest testing and suffering. One commentator writes in part: It
was not the physical pain which our Lord most dreaded. Neither was it the
rejection of men, even those who were His most intimate friends. It was
the separation from God which caused our Lord to shrink from the shadow of
the cross (Luke 22:39-44). The words of the Psalmist perfectly conveyed the agony of soul of our Lord as the Suffering Servant: “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Psalm 22:1; Mark 15:34). As someone has rightly pointed out, here is the hell our Lord dreaded, but nevertheless experienced for us. Hell is not merely the presence of pain and suffering, but the absence of God in the midst of that pain. This is also true for those who reject Christ as their Savior: “And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). ……..
while God may not choose to deliver us from our fiery trials (Daniel
3:16-18), He will be with us in the midst of them (Daniel 3:25). Only once
has that not been so, and that was when our Lord bore our sins upon the
cross and suffered the wrath and rejection of God in our place. Thousands
have suffered crucifixion at the hands of the Romans but Jesus’
crucifixion was profoundly singular and unique. He was and is the only
sinless person to die. As a result, He only could and did offer the
acceptable, efficacious sacrifice, that atoned for the sins of his people
and this is that which separates his death from all others. For, in his
crucifixion, with it’s
particular circumstances and details, Jesus was the Anti-type of all the
Old Testament sacrifices and all the prophecies related to God’s
redemptive plan of salvation.
Thus in his crucifixion, He was the Lamb
of God that taketh away the sins of the world; the sin-bearing scapegoat(Heb.
13:12-13) and the Suffering Servant
of Isaiah 52 and 53. In
his account of the crucifixion, John seemed to have been particular
diligent to mention those details that are directly linked to prophecy, so
that there can be no doubt as to the identity of the one crucified. This
would be in line with the Apostle’s stated intent to convince that
Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, (1 john 5:13). Given the
indisputably, large number of prophecies Jesus fulfilled in His
crucifixion, as we come to the text of our lesson, let us be mindful that
it was the Son of God who had to be crucified; it was the Son of God that
was crucified, voluntarily and according to the will of God Many
might have and did regard the crucifixion of Jesus as yet another. We
know, for example, that two criminals were also put to death alongside Him. Due
to some unusual events, even while he was still on the cross this
view was short-lived, because the Gospels record the growing disquiet of
many who were previously agitators for his death and even the outright
confession from unexpected quarters that indeed, this man was the Son
of God. (Mark
13:39). As a matter of fact,
three days later His resurrection would compound the problems of His
enemies and lead to Christianity as we know it today.
Several
miraculous events accompanied His death and these were divine attestations
both to the identification of the Lord Jesus as the Son of God, and to the
significance of His death. There was the supernatural phenomenon of the three-hour period of darkness (Mark 15:30). John had introduced Jesus as the light of the world. “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:4-5). The
significance of this can be seen when we consider that men would rather
live in darkness than to have their evil deeds made evident by the light.
When the crowds put Jesus to death, they momentarily extinguished that
light and revealed the darkness of their own souls. Another
sign was the earthquake that occurred simultaneously with the death of our
Lord. This quake split rocks and opened many tombs (Matthew 27:51-53). At
that time many of the saints who had died were raised and they entered the
holy city. Implied in this miracle was the truth that the crucifixion of
our Lord Jesus Christ was the death of death itself. He was to be the
victor over the grave. When He died, death no longer held its deadly
power. One
writer understands this phenomenon as follows: “
The tombs of the recently buried saints (that is, people who loved Jesus)
opened, and they were raised from the dead; and after our Lord's
resurrection they entered Jerusalem and became a sign to demonstrate the
hope of our final bodily resurrection for all who believed in Jesus as the
Messiah. These saints, like
Lazarus, would have to physically die again in order to acquire their
eternal bodies.”(1 Cor. 15) Finally,
we are told that the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to
the bottom. This veil was no mere sheet hung before the Holy of Holies; it
was said to have been one hand in thickness. Nothing less than a miracle
could have torn it in this way and at the precise time of our Lord’s
death. In
the rending of the veil we are symbolically instructed that the death of
Jesus Christ removed the barrier between man and God. The sin which
separated us has been paid for by the shedding of His blood. Through His
sacrifice men can freely and boldly approach God. The
‘crucifixion’ was a ‘watershed’ and
ushered in a new era in God’s plan of salvation; the sacrifice
that removed all sin, covered and otherwise,
had been made. The basis on which God graciously extends salvation was
established.
THE
TEXT Following his betrayal in Gethsemane, Jesus was brutally and physically abused by the Roman soldiers, in an attempt by Pilate the Roman governor, to placate the Jewish authorities. In the greatest travesty of justice in recorded history, the previously wilful, hostile and arrogant Pilate in a move born of political expediency, gave in to the mob and handed over Jesus to be crucified. (See March 21, 2004 lesson). Verse
16. Unable
to persuade the persecutors otherwise and with the veiled threat of a
complaint to Caesar hanging over his head; Pilate callously, knowingly and
against what little conscience he had, sent an innocent man to his death,
while at the same time tried to ‘wash his hands’ of the whole affair. Pilate is not to be viewed sympathetically as some weak, vacillating leader, for he strongly disliked the Jews and had previously offended and rebuffed Jewish sensibilities. Note,
when the fear of man rules over the fear of God, then sin triumphs. The….
them were in effect the Jewish
authorities, for although Pilate provided the execution crew (soldiers),
it was the chief priest and his collaborators that were squarely in
charge. While we are not told that they supervised the crucifixion, it was
on their insistence that Jesus was crucified and they were not only
spectators at the event but taunted Jesus as he hung on the cross.
Contrary to Roman and Jewish legal or judicial practice, Jesus was taken directly from the judgment hall (court) to the place of execution. No opportunity for an appeal or for the condemned to confer with family or put one’s affairs in order. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. Isaiah 53:8. Verse
17. With
ungodly haste, the bloodthirsty mob immediately led Jesus to the place of
execution. Jesus
was executed immediately after His trial, when the law actually provided
for a two-day interval, between the sentencing at the trial and execution,
so any new evidence could be revealed or for a man to put his affairs in
order. The leaders were in a hurry--they wanted Him dead right away.
Immediately after His sentence was pronounced, He was executed. He went
from judgment to execution with no stops in between (See Isaiah 53:8). No
waiting around for Pilate to change his mind or for volatile public
opinion to swing against them. Of course unbeknownst to them, it all had
to unfold in this manner according to the plan of God. Their thinking was
‘let’s get rid on him
quickly’, but even the wrath of
men shall praise God. Jesus offered no
resistance to the proceedings but with resignation and purpose started his
walk on what has come to be called ‘the way of sorrows’, (via Delorosa). It was the custom to
force the condemned to carry their cross to the place of execution, while
someone would walk in front with a placard listing the offences on which
the malefactor was convicted. This was meant to further humiliate and
serve as a deterrent to other would-be criminals. John’s account of Jesus’ journey is rather brief, but we are told elsewhere that at some point, one Simon of Cyrene was pressed into service to carry Jesus’ cross, as Jesus was physically spent from the brutal beatings and loss of blood. From the other Gospels we know: - At first Christ carried the cross himself (John 19:17). - After Christ could not bear it, Simon did (Mark 15:21). "Weep for yourselves" was addressed to the company of sorrowing women who followed (Luke 23:27). This
group of women who were mourning and lamenting appeared to have been
mothers, whose heart sorrowed when they saw the badly beaten figure pass
them, on the way to Calvary. Jesus heard the weeping and told them that they were weeping
for the wrong person, for they should instead be weeping for themselves
and for their children. There
was worst to come on them. The
Romans would eventually destroy the city and their personal suffering
would be so great, that his suffering in comparison would seem trivial. - Two robbers were also in the procession (Luke 23:32). -
The wine and gall were given as they neared the cross, or perhaps after their arrival there (Mark 15:23). Golgotha
(place of scull) was outside the City of
Jerusalem and would likely be the place where prisoners were executed,
thus the scull of some executed wretch could probably be found there.
Executions were forbidden inside the city (Numbers 15:35; 1 Kings
21:13; Acts 7:58; Hebrews 13:12). Note from Exodus 29:14; Leviticus 4:12, 16:27, the ‘sin’ offering was burned outside the ‘camp’. Jesus is our ‘sin’ offering and had to die outside the ‘camp’, (Jerusalem). Golgotha, definitely a ceremonially unclean place, as indignities are heaped upon the Saviour; part of the price He paid for our sins. Verse
18. At
Golgotha, the whole gruesome process in one sentence. The two are identified as thieves elsewhere, likely very notorious and
this company would only add shame and contempt to Jesus’ situation and
what with Him being placed in the middle. Then again the Scripture say He was
numbered with the transgressors; our reproaches fell on Him. Note, Jesus death, a
most shameful, cursed, painful and degrading spectacle, at once, speaks to
the strictness of God’s justice
and the extent of His love for us. Note also, that in His death, Christ was dying as a scapegoat and substitute for us, for he died in our place. He was the representative Head of all his people. Verse 19. Pilate was the author of the sign and used it to take a swipe at the Jews. After-all, it was customary for the victim’s crime to be hung above his head on his cross and his accusers did say ‘He made himself King’. This point is underlined by a composite from all four Gospels, which would read: This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Pilate’s sarcasm aside, the statement was in fact true, Psalm 76:10. The inscription,
accusation or title as it is addressed by the Gospel writers insulted the
Jews in whichever way it was read. This is Jesus of Nazareth, yes that
same Nazareth in the Galilee or look what happened to the Jew’s king! On a more serious note, seditious elements be warned, Rome takes a dim view of other kings in the empire outside of Caesar. Verse 20. There was an element of public display in Roman executions to serve the purpose of deterrence. They would be carried out near public thoroughfares, so they could be viewed by passers-by. Golgotha
was not far outside the city and likely close to a main road. Consequently
many of the Jews read the sign,
not only those of Jerusalem, but those from the countryside, and from
other countries; strangers and proselytes, that came up to worship at the
Passover. Given
the usual Messianic expectations around ‘Passover’, the spectacle of
the ‘King of the Jews’ hanging on a cross would have touched a nerve
in many of the passers-by and lead to some contemplation and anger. Pilate seemed to have
gone overboard with his sadistic joke to antagonize the Jews by having the
inscription written in three languages, which in itself would attract
attention. Many though see this as something beyond a spiteful ruler and
as a divine declaration that Jesus was king in all languages. The words were written
in Aramaic, the language of the Jews of Palestine, Latin, the language of
the Romans, and Greek, the common language of the day in that part of the
world. Because it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin, it would be
legible to all; the Jews being diligent to see their children literate. It certainly would have been difficult to pass by that way and not look at Jesus, and to read the notice above His head. Many of those who saw the sign paused to ponder its meaning, making Jesus the centre of attention. Verse 21. The reaction of the chief priest and his cohorts showed that even in his death Jesus continued to be a major problem for them. The fallout from His diabolical murder was anything but what they intended. Two facts were very clear from the inscription: -Jesus of Nazareth was the King of the Jews -The
Romans had crucified him. No
matter how one read it, it was bad news for Israel. Spiteful and
malicious, they would not honour Jesus to call him the King of the Jews
and further, it was insulting to their nation, that a king of theirs
should be crucified. One can easily understand the chagrin and anxiety of
the priests who now sought to get it changed. This
notoriety and publicity upset them. They did not wish for Jesus’ claims
to be advertised publicly. They especially did not like the inference of
Pilate’s wording, which may have been intended as a barb, but now came
across as making Jesus’ claim to be the “King of the Jews” look
true. Seeking to remedy the situation, they appealed to Pilate, urging him
to modify the words on the inscription. They wanted the notice to indicate only that Jesus claimed to be “King of the Jews,” the inference being that His claim was false. They would cast Him as a seditious person, a traitor or usurper of honours and powers he was not entitled to and who had justly suffered for his crime. Verse
22. Pilate’s
annoyance and exasperation with the Chief Priest and his crowd is very
evident in his curt reply. What he had written would stand, end of
discussion. He had just about enough of them for one day; he was not going
to let them tell him what to do this time. Pilate’s words would stand as
they were written. Note again, God’s will, designs and prophecies must and will be fulfilled, either by good men or evil men. Earlier Caiaphas, the High Priest had unwittingly prophesied, when he expressed a desire that one die, rather than the nation perish (John 11:47-52); and here Pilate published the news that Jesus was the ‘King of the Jews’. Verse 23-24. These verses are a direct and detailed fulfilment of the description of the crucifixion and its aftermath in Psalm 22, something the Apostle confirmed. Psalm 22:18: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots” (NKJV). Note,
crucifixion as method of execution was yet unknown in Israel at that time. The
soldiers did not consciously fulfill prophecy in their disposal of the
clothing, they knew nothing of the Scripture, or had any intention of
fulfilling it; but this was a case of the all-powerful Providence
accomplishing through evil or indifferent men the fulfillment of divine
prophecy. It
was customary that the executioners share the clothes of the victims as a
sort of bonus for their work. Callously,
the soldiers did not wait for Jesus to die but went about, dividing up his
clothes, as if he were already dead.
Such is the
depravity and hardening nature of sin, that these men
cold-heartedly
see nothing
to gain from Jesus but some item of clothing. One
writer notes: Yet,
let us not be too quick to judge these soldiers. They are no different, in
heart, than many today. They ignore the atoning work of Jesus and look to
Him only to meet their material needs—not the need for the forgiveness
of sins and the gift of eternal life—but for their physical needs. Even
we who name the name of Christ as Saviour and Lord all too often only look
to Him to care for our material needs. Our prayers sound more like
shopping lists than serious petitions for our spiritual needs and those of
others. Jesus was spared no
shame at His crucifixion, as He was stripped of His clothes. Note, the
shame of nakedness came in with sin. He therefore who was made sin for us
bore that shame, to roll away our reproach. He was stripped, that we might
be clothed with white raiment
(Revelation 3:18), and that when we are unclothed we
may not be found naked. It is worth remembering that the crucifixion of Christ was at the request and solicitation of the Jews, was ordered by the Roman governor, and performed by the Roman soldiers. Verse
25. Mercifully
Jesus is not totally abandoned in His suffering. John identifies by name,
four dedicated women who strike a stark contrast in attitude, to that of
the four, male, reprobate, dice-rolling soldiers. It is noteworthy also
that it is Jesus’ mother and some of the women who served Him during His
ministry, that have risked ridicule and abuse, if not outright danger to
be at the cross with Him. The disciples except for John are nowhere to be
found. One can only imagine the
grief and distress of a mother in Mary’s position and she might have
reflected on Simeon’s words to her in Luke 2:34-35, as she observed the
plight of her son. And Simeon blessed
them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the
fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be
spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,)
that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. God must have enabled
Mary to endure the spectacle of seeing her son in such unimaginable pain
and distress, and it appears she kept her composure and we never know how
much we can bear until we are tested. Surely these women are
setting a fine example in loyalty to our Lord.
Unashamedly they will publicly show their love for Him, at any cost
to themselves. Some critics point to what they see as a discrepancy in the number of women at the cross and whether or not they were within earshot of Jesus or further away, as reported by Mark and Matthew. This so-called discrepancy is attributed to different eye-witness accounts, at different times of the day. Verse
26-27. Jesus
selflessness, his love and concern for others, one of His divine
attributes ever in view, we can see in three individual incidents, one on
the way to Galgotha and two while He was hanging on the cross. Luke 23:28 But
Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but
weep for yourselves, and for your children. Luke 23:43..
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with
me in paradise. Here again Jesus,
despite his unbearable pain and anguish,
shows his love and sense of responsibility toward his mother. He was not
so much absorbed by his own overbearing circumstances as to forget those
He loved. Then again this was the very reason for which He came, to give His life
for his friends. Some surmise that Joseph was long dead and Jesus had been supporting Mary so His death would likely leave her destitute. Also there was the responsibility of children to care for aging parents if the need arose. Jesus had neither silver or gold, no estate to bequeath, the soldiers had taken His clothes, all He had was an interest in a friend. There
is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth;
neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she
hath brought up, Isaiah 51:18. The response of His disciple John was that of one that returned His love; from that day on he became a son to her. Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. Prov.23:22. This was a
tribute to both John’s prudence and his fidelity. John took on a
significant responsibility, and the sense is he did it cheerfully. This apostle often
refers to himself as the disciple that Jesus loved. It
is a great honour to be employed for Christ, and to be entrusted with any
of his interest in the world. But, It would be a care and some charge to
John; but he cheerfully accepted it, and
took her to his own home, not objecting the trouble nor expense, nor
his obligations to his own family, nor the ill-will he might contract by
it. Note, Those that truly love Christ, and are beloved of him, will be
glad of an opportunity to do any service to him or his. It is worth noting that
Jesus addressed Mary as woman. This is not to be regarded as disrespect
for her, but rather shows His sensitivity to her likely emotional state,
as the endearing term ‘mother’ might have further aggravated her
sorrow. Another view has Jesus introducing Mary to their future relationship of which he had already given her a preview. In Mark 3:31-35 Jesus was speaking at a place when Mary came to get Him with her other children--His brethren. Someone brought the message that His mother wanted to see Him. "And He answered them, saying, Who is My mother, or My brethren?...For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and mother" (vv. 33, 35). The point is this: When Jesus began His ministry and moved toward the cross, all human relationships with Jesus were severed, and everyone became related on the basis of being a disciple--one who needed to be redeemed. Mary was in the same situation. Paul says, "...know we no man after the flesh; yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more" (2 Cor. 5:16). In other words, after the resurrection, a fleshly relationship no longer mattered, but a spiritual one. The same was true for Mary. Verse 28-29. These are the texts that speaks of Messiah and thirst. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. (Psalm 22:15). They
gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to
drink. Psalm 69:21. Jesus
did not say this to fulfill Scripture as such, He actually thirsted and in
so doing fulfilled Scripture. True to the Scripture, He is given vinegar
to drink. He suffered abuse to His last breath. Rather than water of wine
which might have been customary He was given vinegar. Near death, about to breathe his last as the horrors of pain and death engulfed Him, He still had an awareness of His mission and it’s just about completion. By this He had in mind the entire earthly ministry and in particular his sufferings and circumstances, which were ordained by God, foretold in prophecy, and to which He was party, had perfect knowledge of and was in full agreement with. Verse
30. Every
prophecy now fulfilled, the Law observed perfectly, mission accomplished,
Jesus ‘signs off’, ..It is
finished. The vinegar likely helped to clear His throat so He could
speak triumphantly. It
was truly finished; Jesus had accomplished all He had come to do and He
can now die. He is the One sent to earth by the Father, in order to reveal
Him to men. He is the One who “came unto His own and His
own received Him not… He was “lifted up” so that He could draw
all men unto Himself (3:13-18). He came to do His Father’s will (4:34)
and it was now completed. He came to declare His Father’s Word, and He
has proclaimed it (8:26-28, 38; 12:49-50; 14:10). He came to glorify the
Father, and on the cross, He did that (12:23, 28, 41; 13:32; 17:1, 4).
His life is
not taken away from Him; He
voluntarily gave it up, just as
He had indicated earlier: This
is why the Father loves me—because I lay down my life, so that I may
take it back again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my
own free will. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the
authority to take it back again. This is the commandment I received from
my Father”
(John 10:17-18). One
writer notes in part: Jesus gave up His spirit; it was not taken from Him. In fact, Pilate will be surprised to hear that Jesus has died so soon (Mark 15:44). The soldiers had to hasten the death of the two thieves, but not that of our Lord. Even the timing of His death was indicative of His sovereign control over all things. Because Jesus died when He did, His legs would not be broken, thus fulfilling yet another prophecy, (Psalm 34:20). CONCLUSION The work of Christ upon
the cross accomplished our ransom from the penalty of sin, that is Hell;
our redemption from the effects of sin and a reconciliation with God our
Creator. Perhaps
no words better catch the significance of Christ’s crucifixion than
those of the apostle Paul: “Behold then the kindness and severity of God” (Romans 11:22).
On the one hand we marvel at the love of God which sent our Lord to
the cross to die for those who did and would have Him put to death. “But
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). There is no greater love
than that which we see demonstrated on the cross of Calvary. Jesus
crucifixion is a measure of the immense payment that He made for our sins.
On the cross we see not only the measure of the love of God, but also of
divine judgment. For any who would think that God might wink at sin, let
him consider the price that was paid, and by God Himself in the person of
the Son. If God did not hesitate to punish His own Son with such severity,
what kind of punishment do you and I deserve? Christians
should be stirred every time we read of our Lord’s death. We should
never tire of remembering Him and His death, even as He has commanded (see
Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23). Every temptation to sin should be viewed
gravely, knowing what our sin cost Him at Calvary. We should never cease
to preach Christ crucified, for this is what the gospel is all about. The
death of Jesus Christ is no mere historical fact, unrelated to men and
women today. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross was His full and final
payment for the penalty of our sin. It is on the basis of His death and
resurrection that the offer of salvation is made to all. Only those who
trust in the work of Jesus at Calvary are saved. Now let us consider Paul's related statement in 1 Corinthians 1:23-24. But
we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the
Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Is the
gospel a stumbling block to us or is it foolishness to us? To the
Jew of that day it was a stumbling block. He was full of formal religion,
very pious and devout, tithing of everything he had, fasting twice a week,
looking sad and holy, thoroughly religious, avoiding all those inferior
people that would pollute him. Many
of us are exactly like that. There
is a good looking outside covering, an exalted formalism, but with no
regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit, the heart is not right with God
and therefore the external is good for nothing. There might be good orthodoxy and good doctrine, but as one writer puts it: “
He likes to hear true doctrine; but it never penetrates his inner man..
Tell him of the mighty influence of the Holy Ghost-He admires you
for it, but he'd never had the hand of the Holy Spirit on his soul; tell
him about communion with God, plunging in Godhead’s deepest sea, and
being lost in its immensity- the man loves to hear, but he never
experiences, he has never communed with Christ; and accordingly, when you
once begin to strike home; when you lay him on the table, take out your
dissecting knife, begin to cut him up, and show him His own heart, let him
see what it is by nature, and what it must become
by grace- the man starts, he cannot stand that; h e
wants none of that-Christ received in the heart, and accepted. Albeit
that he loves it enough in the head, ‘tis too him a stumbling block, and
He cast it away. Do
you see yourselves here, my friends? See yourselves as God sees you? O ye
formalists! I speak to you; O ye who have the nutshell, but abhor the
kernel. O ye who like the trappings and the dress, but care not for that
fair virgin who is clothe therewith; O ye who like the paint and the
tinsel, but abhor the solid gold; I speak to you; I ask you, does your
religion give you solid comfort? Can you stare death in the face with it,
and say, “I know that my Redeemer liveth”? Can
you bless God for affliction? Can you plunge in, accounted as ye are, and
swim through the floods of trial? Can you march triumphant through the
lion’s den, laugh at affliction, and bid defiance to hell? Can you? No!
your gospel is an effeminate thing- a thing of words and sounds, and not
of power. Cast it from you, I beseech you; it is not worth your keeping;
and when you come before the throne of God, you will find it will fail
you, and fail you so that you shall never find another; for lost, ruined,
destroyed, ye shall find that Christ, who is now “a stumblingblock”,
will be your Judge.” The
‘Greek’ on the other hand did not care for religion, so in that way he
is different from those in our churches. He is found everywhere, and he is
spotted by his worldly wisdom, his reading of the latest smart books. But
he does not want to hear anything about the Bible. Sometimes he is polished, but sometimes he is crude. But in every case he avoids listening to the wisdom of the Scriptures. If he shows interest in Scripture, he prefers the abnormal interpretations, which reflect
the philosophies of men. He chases after every new thing, and constantly
seek to come up with some new interpretation. But to us who are called, let us remember that the gospel, Christ crucified, is the power of God and the wisdom of God. So let us turn to the gospel of Christ crucified, and by our thoughts, and way of life prove to God that we are truly his.
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