If we think about dying we picture our death as calm and peaceful while being attended by those who love and respect us. For Jesus it was very different. His death was not only agonizing, it could not have occurred in a more degrading and humiliating way.
Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, condemned Jesus to die by crucifixion – that is by having His outstretched arms nailed to a wooden beam and His feet nailed to the supporting upright. Jesus had already been severely beaten and whipped. As a result He was unable to carry His cross to the place of execution. In chapter 15 of the account which bears his name, verses 21 through 41, Mark tells us what happened.
“They compelled one passing by, coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear his cross. They brought him to the place called Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, “The place of a skull.” They offered him wine mixed with myrrh to drink, but he didn’t take it. Crucifying him, they parted his garments among them, casting lots on them, what each should take. It was the third hour, and they crucified him. The superscription of his accusation was written over him, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” With him they crucified two robbers; one on his right hand, and one on his left. The Scripture was fulfilled, which says, “He was counted with transgressors.” Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who destroy the temple, and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” Likewise, also the chief priests mocking among themselves with the scribes said, “He saved others. He can’t save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe him.” Those who were crucified with him also insulted him. When the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is, being interpreted, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Some of those who stood by, when they heard it, said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” One ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down.” Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and gave up the spirit. The veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. When the centurion, who stood by opposite him, saw that he cried out like this and breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” There were also women watching from afar, among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; who, when he was in Galilee, followed him and served him; and many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.”
The crucifixion of Christ is both the ultimate example of mankind’s baseness and God’s redeeming love. God, in His mercy, used Jesus’ murder and degrading humiliation as the means by which our sins may be forgiven. Volumes have been written about Jesus’ death and it’s meaning for us. In this program we will only look at a few details.
At least some at the cross tried to ease Jesus’ pain. They offered Him wine mixed with myrrh. Myrrh is a narcotic. Whether they offered it in mercy or whether they did it to make the soldier’s task easier, Jesus refused to drink it. He would experience the full measure of pain and suffering with a mind not dulled by drugs. When we are faced with suffering should we not follow His example? While discussing how we should respond to persecution the Apostle Peter writes, “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.” (1 Peter 4:7 NIV) The word he uses for ‘self-controlled’ means ‘free from the influence of intoxicating substances.’
The notice the governor placed on the cross declaring Jesus the King of the Jews was Pilate’s way of taunting those who brought Jesus before him. They condemned Jesus on the basis of claiming to be a king. Jesus’ kingdom was not political and Pilate knew it. Pilate’s sign actually vindicated Jesus and condemned the Jews for killing their Messiah whose coming they had awaited for centuries. Yet the Jews condemned themselves for they also, in their mocking, acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah. He only needed to prove Himself, they said, by coming down from the cross. Since these people did not believe the signs Jesus had already performed it is unlikely that they would have believed even if Jesus had come down.
However, those around the cross also expressed a great truth in their mockery. They said that Jesus saved others but He could not save Himself. The reality is that Jesus could have saved Himself. Another Scripture says that He could have called 10,000 angels to His assistance. But if He had saved Himself, He could not have saved others. Only by His death could the sinless Jesus pay the price God requires for sin. And so, Jesus’ love compelled Him to endure the cross.
Scripture often links darkness with judgment. When the sun stopped shining on the day Christ died it indicated God’s judgment upon the world. But it also showed God’s judgment against Jesus. While on the cross Jesus took the sins of the entire world, past, present and future, upon Himself. Since God is pure, holy, and righteous He cannot abide sin. When Jesus became sin, God turned away from Him. This prompted Jesus to cry out in the words of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” That forsaking made it possible for us to come near to God. The Apostle Paul writes, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV)
God’s presence dwelt in the form of a divine light in the inner room of the Temple in Jerusalem. When Christ Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” and gave up His spirit the curtain which separated this room from the rest of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. This symbolized that Jesus’ sacrifice has made it possible for mankind to come into God’s presence.
The manner of Jesus’ death convinced the soldier in charge that Jesus really was the Son of God. When we consider His death and the meaning of it should we not believe also?
Jesus’ crucifixion was not only a testament to man’s cruelty, it was a fulfillment of prophecy. In Psalm 22, King David predicted Jesus’ suffering on the cross, the taunts, insults and mockery of the crowd, the gambling for Jesus’ clothes and being forsaken by God. Yet in the same Psalm David predicted Jesus’ ultimate triumph and exaltation.