Easter Lesson 2: Part B - The Crucifixion

Part B - The Crucifixion

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So much for introduction, let us get on with our study of significant events of that weekend, gleaning applicable truths: I’m taking the text from a book called, “Jesus Christ, the Greatest Life” which is a compilation of all 4 gospels. [Cheney, J. M., Ellisen, S. A., & Cheney, J. M. (1999). Jesus Christ The Greatest Life : A Unique Blending of the Four Gospels. Rev. ed. of: The Greatest Story. 1994.; Includes indexes. (Page 251). Eugene, Or.: Paradise Publishing Inc.]

First, our Lord’s crucifixion:
 When they came to the place called The Skull (or in the Jewish language, “Golgotha” [“Calvary” in Latin]), they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but when He tasted it, He wouldn’t drink.  Matthew 27:33-34
This drink was somewhat of a painkiller designed to alleviate the physical suffering of the victim by numbing his senses.  Jesus, though, refused it because He intended to keep His thinking clear and intact.  You cannot expect to recall and apply doctrine if you cloud your thinking by imbibing in mind numbing drugs!  He chose to bear the full brunt of suffering because He needed a clear mind to concentrate upon the Word of God that filled His soul. 

ü There, at nine o’clock, they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.  But Jesus kept on saying, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’  Luke 23:33-34a

Note His attitude toward those brought Him to that point of crucifixion: Total forgiveness.  This demonstrates for us the power of the virtue love He possessed while bearing the sins of the world.  Do you think He found anything loveable in those soldiers who were casting lots for His garments? Do you think He saw anything lovable in those religious leaders who railroaded Him through those numerous illegal trials?  Do you think He found anything lovable in those who were constantly jeering Him?  Absolutely not!  Yet, He was preparing to bear their sins in His body, willingly!

How do we know He went to the cross willingly, knowing exactly what would transpire?  During the previous night, in the Garden of Gethsemane, our Lord prayed a prayer of petition to the Father.  His prayer was to be relieved of the task of bearing the sins of the world.  He first addressed the accompanying disciples, whom He wanted to pray for Him:

ü And He said to them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.’ And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.’  Mark 14:34-36

That He said to the Father, “not what I will, but what You will.” indicates to what degree He choose to go the cross as a substitute for us.  He choose to follow the Father’s plan for His incarnation: to go to the cross and die spiritually for the entire human race.

            Our narrative continues:

ü Along with Him they crucified the criminals, two robbers, one on either side and Jesus in the middle. [And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”] Mark 15:27-28

“Now the cross was the most disgraceful and one of the cruelest instruments of death ever invented.  The Romans who borrowed it from the Carthaginians, would not allow a Roman citizen to be crucified; but reserved crucifixion for slaves and foreigners of provincials.  The Jews customarily used stoning and never crucifixion. It was not only the death of greatest ignominy but one of the most extreme anguish and suffering… ” [Shepard, John, The Christ of the Gospels p. 596; 3^rd Edition, Eerdman’s, 1946] 

The last phrase, the quote from Isaiah 53:12 was fulfilled as He was crucified between two criminals.

ü When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took His clothes and divided them into four equal parts, and rolled dice to see who would get each part. They left out the undergarment, however, which was of one piece, woven from the top down. “Let’s not tear it,” they said, “but roll for it, to see who will get it.” So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “They divided My garments among themselves, and for My clothing they rolled the dice. [Psalm 22:18]  This, therefore, is what the soldiers did.  Then they sat down to keep guard over Him.  John 19:23-25

ü Pilate also wrote an inscription which they placed on the cross above His head. The accusation said, “THIS IS JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”  Many Jews read this inscription (it was written in the Jewish language, in Latin, and in Greek), since the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘He said, “I am King of the Jews.” ’ ” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”  John 19:19-22

He probably had placed this sign on Jesus’ cross as revenge against the overbearing and arrogant priests.  Because Pilate would not change the inscription on our Lord’s cross, the rulers of the Jews, afraid that the inscription would unduly influence Galileans in the crowd, hurried over to the crosses and mingled with the crowd.  They tried to incite the people to jeers and mockery.  The mob quickly responded and joined in the derision.  They kept scoffing at Him with:

ü He saved others, let Him save Himself, if this one is the Christ [Messiah], of God, His chosen.  Luke 23:35

The word, “one’” is HOUTOS, a demonstrative pronoun, translated literally, “other” but meant as a term of derision.  However, unintentionally, they had hit the mark.  They had spoken the truth about His death.  If Jesus had indeed saved Himself, violating God’s plan for Him, He would not have been able to save those abusing Him along with the entire world.  To save others, our Lord had to die in their place.  In rejecting Him, these blinded rulers were leading the Jews down the same road of spiritual suicide they were taking. They refused to recognize, even with all the fulfilled prophetic Scripture, that Jesus was God’s Chosen One.  They kept on jeering Him, inciting the crowd to do the same:

ü He saved others with alleged cures, and now, He can’t even save Himself!  He is the King of Israel; let Him come down now and we will believe in Him.  Matthew 27:42

They kept on deriding Him to remind His followers that His claims to be the Messiah were obviously false.  You know they would not have believed in Him had He followed their jeers! They wanted to insure that the crowd was loyal to them, not to Him.  Now they became blasphemous:

ü He trusts in God? Let God deliver Him.  He said, “I am the Son of God.”  Matthew 27:43 (Quoted from Psalm 22:8)

They were referring to our Lord’s confession before the Sanhedrin, that He was the Son of God.  They went so far as to organize the people in their jeering, even all the while He was bearing their sins on His body.  They kept saying that if He would come down from the cross, then they would believe in Him.  By this, they made themselves look sincere to the people.  The mob, as any, did not think but allowed their emotions to rule. 

The soldiers took up the tirades as well, lifting up their wines cups, drinking to Him with more blasphemies:

ü If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself now!”  Luke 23:37

The word, “if” in the Greek is in the first class condition, so they were actually saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, and You are…”  Once again, unwittingly, these soldiers had spoken the truth.  They did not aim this insult only at our Lord but also to the Jewish people and rulers, whom they considered dogs. 

One of the crucified criminals took up the jeers of the Sanhedrists, and kept insulting Him, saying:

ü Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us! Luke 23:39

The other thief answered, after reflecting on the message posted on our Lord’s cross, upon his own wasted life, and upon witnessing our Lord’s virtue and attitude toward His mockers.  Note that the Scripture says that this thief reasoned.  He was, even under such pain, thinking about the message our Lord communicated by His virtue love.  He reprimanded the other criminal:

ü Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?  And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.  Luke 23:40-41

His suffering had brought him to a point of reality.  Now he as able to see through the thick fog of his own arrogance, sin and ignorance and see the radiant love of the Son of God!  He was hanging there upon the same instrument of torture, bearing up under the ghastly torture and derision without complaint.  The words of derision took on a new meaning to this dying man.  He was groping out with faith!  How much faith could he have had?

ü And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!”  Luke 23:42

How had this man come to understand that our Lord’s kingdom was spiritual and not of this world.  He had gained this critical Gospel information and believed it.  He by faith turned his life around at the last possible moment.  You see, as long as a person is alive, he has the opportunity to change his eternal destination from the Lake of Fire to eternal life with God forever!  No matter what kind of life a person has led, the Father will give eternal life from just a mustard seed of faith in Christ, His Son.

ü Jesus graciously responded to him:’ Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.’  Luke 23:43

Where is Paradise?  Paradise is a compartment below the earth where the Old Testament saints resided before Christ accomplished His work on the cross.  The Scripture refers to it as Abraham’s Bosom. Our Lord prophesied to the Pharisees that He would be visiting Paradise after His burial when He spoke about the sign of Jonah.  [Matthew 12:40]  The thief joined our Lord there until He escorted those believers to Heaven.  Paradise is empty now because our Lord completed His salvation work!

Not only were the soldiers, the mob and the Jewish rulers at the cross but also His beloved disciple, John, his mother, Salome, his aunt Mary, who was the Mother of our Lord’s humanity, along with Mary of Magdala.  They had all come to minister to Him in His dying hour.  Despite the horrible physical and mental anguish our Lord was experiencing, He was not distracted from His mother’s needs.  He recognized that His, at that time, unbelieving half brothers could not give her the support she needed at such a time, so He turned to His cousin John to take care of her.

ü But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.  John 19:25-26

As her son, He had been faithful, obedient and loyal.  Now, even in death, He continued to provide for her.  John then took her from the horror of the cross and took her home.