Jesus Goes to the Cross

By Bob Myhan

According to Matthew, Mark and Luke a man named Simon was compelled to carry the cross on which Jesus was to be crucified. John tells us that Jesus carried His own cross, which was usually the case when a non-citizen of Rome had been condemned to death by the Romans. It must be the case that both Jesus and Simon car­ried the cross, either in tandem or in rota­tion. Jesus had lost a tremendous amount of blood during the scourging while in the presence of Pilate. The blood would have clotted against the fabric of the royal robe the soldiers placed on Him. And pulling it off would open up the wound anew causing ad­ditional blood loss. He had limited Himself in the incarnation and His body had to be in a weakened state and His physical strength diminished.

Luke alone tells us of a great company of women who were following the procession, vocally expressing their grief over His situa­tion.

But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!' Then they will begin 'to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" ' For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?" (Luke 23:28-31)

Green wood is a symbol of innocence and dry wood a symbol of wickedness. The in­nocent Son of Man was being put to death then but the day was coming when the en­tire nation of Israel would be destroyed be­cause of their rejection of Him. This came to pass in AD 70.

The four evangelists agree in their testi­mony that Jesus was crucified between two men—identified as robbers by Matthew and Mark but merely as criminals by Luke. John simply says “two others.”

 The place of the crucifixion was known as “Golgotha” by the Jews and “Calvary” by the Romans. Both words mean “skull.” It is not known why the place had this name. It is an appropriate name for a place of execution.

Matthew and Mark tell us that someone, probably the soldiers, “gave Him wine min­gled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.” (Mark 15:23) This was in fulfillment of Psalm 69:21. “Wine mingled with myrrh,” it has been suggested, would have acted as an analgesic. But Jesus came into the world to suffer and die for mankind and He would not have that suffering alleviated.

It was Pilate’s custom to nail to the cross, above the head, the crimes for which the person was being crucified. Over the head of Jesus was written—in Greek, Latin and Hebrew, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Even while hanging on the cross, Jesus was blasphemed, ridiculed and reviled. The soldiers divided His garments, casting lots for a tunic that could not be divided because it had no seams.

Adding to the humiliation of the situation was the presence of Jesus’ mother, the only person on earth, be­sides Him, who knew He had been born of a virgin. If she had known otherwise, surely she would have spoken up in an attempt to save her son. Other friends were there, as well, including “the disciple whom He loved,” the apostle John.

It was the third hour when they crucified Him, according to Mark. This would be 9AM, by the Jewish method of timekeeping. From the sixth to the ninth hour, or from noon to 3PM, “there was darkness over the whole land.” (Matt. 27:45; Mark 15:33)

Jesus made no less than seven state­ments from the cross, all of which were in­dicative of His state of mind.

1 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." (Luke 23:34)

2 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us." But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:39-43)

3 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. (John 19:25-27)

4 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Mark 15:34)

This fourth statement is the most diffi­cult of the seven to grasp. Calvinists claim that the Father had actually forsaken His Son be­cause He “could not look upon sin.” But this seems to be based on a misunderstanding of Paul’s statement that God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21)

Jesus was not made to be “sin” but, by metonymy, “a sin sacrifice.”

Many believe that Jesus was simply quot­ing Psalm 22:1, in order to call attention to the many prophetic statements in the Psalm to the events then occurring. This presents no problem of which this writer is aware.

My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? (Psalm 22:1)

But I am a worm, and no man; A re­proach of men, and despised by the peo­ple. All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, "He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!" (Psalm 22:6-8)

They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has en­closed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My gar­ments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. (Psalm 22:13-18)

5 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scrip­ture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" (John 19:28)

6 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.' " Having said this, He breathed His last. (Luke 23:46)

7 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. (John 19:30)

These statements indicate that Jesus was not so much concerned with His own physi­cal well being as with the spiritual well being of mankind and with the fulfillment of “all things … which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning” Him. (Luke 24:44)

Those who are not impressed by such a man are surely few and far between. &