The Crucifixion
READINGS : Mark 15: 20-41 Matthew 27:32-55
This is the climax of Jesus’s stay on earth. This is the very event He came to undergo – to free His people and start the growth of the Church, His bride.
All through the Old Testament in the history of the Israelites God was preparing His people, the Jews, for this event, for this moment in history. They didn’t know it but they were actually living out prophecy. They were living out the foreshadows of what was to come, for eg.
1. The requirement of sacrifices of the perfect animal, in many cases the lamb, for atonement of sins. It did not forgive them but it passed over them. Specific instructions were to be adhered to. It was to be a male, without defect and instructions were given in Numbers 9:12, not to break any of the bones of the animal, which was significant too because Jesus did not have His bones broken on the cross. It was the custom that if they wanted to hurry up the death of those on the cross they would break the bones in their legs so they would be asphyxiated as they couldn’t hold themselves up. By the time the soldiers came to do that Jesus had already died so they didn’t break his bones at all. The two criminals beside Him did.
Psalm 34:20 “He keeps all His bones, not one of them is broken”
John 19:32,33,36 “Not a bone of Him shall be broken”.
2. Numbers 21 When the people in the desert complained to Moses the Lord sent venomous snakes among them. They bit the people and many died. The people came to Moses for help. Moses prayed to God who told him to make a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived. God provided a way of escape that required faith by the people as He similarly provided a way of escape for us by lifting up Jesus that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish. This was a type. The medical profession have adopted the picture of a snake on a pole as their symbol.
3. Abraham and Isaac were another type. The Lord asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son on the very same hill that Jesus was crucified. He started out immediately on a journey of three days during which time he would have been feeling like his son was already dead. On the third day he prepares to carry out the deed but God, seeing his faith, stops him and provides a lamb. From that time on Isaac isn’t mentioned until he is introduced to his bride Rachel. Jesus leaves the earth after His resurrection and will only return when His bride is ready.
4. Joseph foreshadowed the Lord Jesus Christ.
· Loved son of his father
· Hated by his brothers
· Sent on an errand of mercy
· Conspired to kill him
· Delivered him to Gentiles
· Sold for 20 pieces of silver
· Innocent
· Suffered because of their sin
· Two fellow sufferers – baker and winetaster
· Bound in prison
· Lifted up in prison and then lifted to highest place in the place next to Pharoah
· He is alive, having been believed dead
· Called “Zaphnaath-paaneah” which means Saviour of the World
· Forgives his brothers
· Pleads their cause
· Saves them and gives them a home of their own
5. The Passover revealed Jesus : the blood of the lamb protected the Israelites from the angel of death, as the blood of Jesus protects us. The lamb for Passover was to be chosen five days before, Jesus came into Jerusalem five days before His crucifixion. John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”. John 1: 29. Jesus was referred to as “The Lamb” several times, Isaiah 53:7 “Jesus was led like a lamb to the slaughter” and in Revelation 5:6 John actually sees Jesus as a slaughtered lamb. “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.”
6. Numbers 2. The Israelites were told by God to camp in a certain formation and move in that formation while they were in the desert. This formation was the shape of a cross. In the centre were the Levites with the Tabernacle so they had God at their centre.
7. Exodus 24:7/8 Moses read the Book of the Covenant to the people in the desert and then he took the blood of the sacrificed bulls and sprinkled on the people, saying “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Jesus Himself used the phrase at the last supper “the blood of the covenant”.
Scriptures foretelling of the crucifixion
Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 are like eye witness accounts. Psalm 22:16 “they have pierced my hands and my feet” - this points to crucifixion 700 years before it was even invented by the Persians and later adopted by the Romans.
Illegal Trials
There were six trials and they were illegal in many respects:
1. The binding of a prisoner, unless resisted, was illegal
2. Illegal for judges to participate in the arrest of the accused
3. No legal transactions could be conducted at night yet He was arrested at night in the Garden of Gethsemane
4. No prisoner could be convicted on his own evidence
5. Illegal to carry weapons on the feast day
6. Use of violence during the trial was unopposed by the judges
7. False witnesses were called
8. No witness was called for the defence
9. Illegal to conduct the court on a feast day
Pilate tried to get out of this responsibility. He didn’t want to condemn Jesus as he found no guilt in Jesus. Pilate tried 7 times to rescue Jesus but finally gave in under the pressure of the people. But he does put a sign above Jesus. : The words that Pilate wrote above Jesus when He was on the cross “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” John 19:19-22, What he wrote spells the word YHWH when you take the first letter of each letter of the Hebrew words of which there are four only. Hebrew reads backwards, ie from right to left, not unlike English which reads from left to right. YHWH is the Hebrew for Yahweh which means “Messiah”. The Jews asked Pilate to change the words but Pilate wouldn’t saying “What I have written I have written”. Did Pilate do that on purpose, was that deliberate? Or was he directed, unknowingly to himself, to write it like that? Or was he beginning to suspect that there was more going on here than he previously realized? Who knows!
Jesus was so badly treated, He was stripped and beaten, mocked, jeered at, humiliated, forced to carry His cross until Simon of Cyrene was ordered to help Him as He was falling over.
He was crucified between two criminals that day fulfilling prophecy. Isaiah 53:12 “He was numbered with the transgressors”.
During the crucifixion:
· It was shortly before 9.00am when the Lord was taken from the palace to be crucified. Mark 15:25. He was clad once more in His own garments and was compelled to carry His cross. It is likely only the cross bar as the upright was probably a permanent fixture at the place of execution.
· He was surrounding by guards and a hostile crowd.
· They offered Jesus wine to drink, but He refused to drink it as He didn’t want His senses dulled. He had work to do. Sometimes they gave wine to help with the pain but He refused, suffering the agony of crucifixion alone and unaided for our sake.
· They divided up his clothes by casting lots. One item of His clothing was all in one with no seams woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they decided to cast lots for that one to fulfil the prophecy in Psalm 22:18 “They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.”
· All throughout He was insulted and jeered at, even by the two thieves being crucified beside Him, until one of the thieves was convicted in his heart and his new born faith received the promise that he would be in paradise with the Lord. Despite being mocked, abused and dying, Jesus still cared for others. He listened to the confession of that convicted criminal hanging beside Him, responding with the comforting promise, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise”. Upon that man’s death he would be ushered into Heaven, so it is evident we can be forgiven and granted salvation even at the last hour.
· Jesus prayed compassionately “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”.
· Near the cross stood Jesus’ mother and John whom He loved dearly. He was moved by his mother’s distress and said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” He turned to John and said, “Here is your mother.” From that time on John took her into his home. This suffering of Mary was to fulfil the prophecy by Simeon, Luke 2:35, “that she would see the suffering of the Son that she had borne.”
· At noon when the sun had been shining brightly, the sky suddenly turned dark over the entire land for the next three hours.
· At the ninth hour Jesus cried out in the loud voice “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
· While He was on the cross He went to administer to people in hell believed to be those from Noah’s day who wouldn’t listen to Noah. 1 Peter 3:18 “…..He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.”
· Jesus finally said He was thirsty and after He had had a touch of a sponge soaked in wine vinegar on His lips, He said “It is finished” and gave up His spirit. Satan was defeated!!
Following Events
· Following the death of the Lord, the earth shook, there was an earthquake, tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people were raised to life. After Jesus’ resurrection they went into the Holy city and appeared to many people.
· At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. This was a massive thick curtain in the temple in Jerusalem and it sealed off the Most Holy Place. No one except the high priest was allowed into the presence of God in that place and he was only permitted to do that once a year. This splitting of the curtain signified the immediate access to God made possible by Jesus’ death. We now have direct access to God due to the death of Jesus. No more sacrifices will ever be required. Jesus has won for all of us free access to God’s presence. He has removed the barrier between God and us forever.
· The spectators were filled with awe especially the centurion who had probably been present at the trial. He said, “Surely this was a righteous man, this was the Son of God”.
Jesus bled 7 times (the figure 7 means completion)
1. Head from the crown of thorns
2. Left hand
3. Right hand
4. Left foot
5. Right foot
6. Side where soldier put a sword in Him to make sure He was dead
7. Back where the whips had scourged Him
Jesus gave 7 cries from the cross:
1. Cry of forgiveness - prayer for His enemies: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”.
2. Cry of a promise – the dying thief is certain that Jesus is true and owns Him as His Saviour and Lord and Jesus promises him a place with Him in Paradise.
3. Cry of love and care for His own – giving His mother into the care of His most beloved disciple, John.
4. Cry of loneliness and agony directed to God “why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
5. Cry of longing – “I thirst” - not for the water that would quench the thirsting body but the water that would quench the longing soul.
6. Cry of victory – “It is finished!!”
7. Cry of peace - “Into Thy hands I commend My spirit.”
SUMMARY OF MOST IMPORTANT POINTS
1. Voluntary
Christ’s death on the cross was voluntary, it was for what He came to earth to do, thereby paying for the sins of the entire world for all time so whosoever believes in Him can be saved and have eternal life in Heaven. It wasn’t the nails that held Him there, it was His love for us.
John 10:14 “I am the Good Shepherd, I know my sheep and my sheep know Me. I lay down my life for the sheep – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me but I lay it down of my own accord, I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
2. Vital
John 3:14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert so the Son of Man must be lifted up that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.”
John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. This bread is my flesh which I give for the life of the world.”
3. Vicarious (acting as substitute, done or suffered by one person on behalf of another)
1 Peter 2:24 “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, by His wounds you have been healed.”
4. Victorious
John 19:30 “When He had received the drink, Jesus said ‘It is finished’. With that He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
5. For Me! - a sinner and ungodly
John 5:6 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” ……………”but God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous to bring you to God.”
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this : while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
MEMORY VERSE
John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. This bread is my flesh which I give for the life of the world.” by Lynne Dodds
