Jesus Enters the Shadow of the Cross

The Roman state had convicted Jesus of NOTHING – and sentenced Him to be crucified in an absolute shambles of a trial before Pilate. The vaunted Roman system of justice, as administered in this instance by its weak, inept procurator, had broken down terribly.

Once again the reader must force himself to stay with this story as we go through the ghastly procedure of the crucifixion. It has been asserted that death by crucifixion was one of the most shameful and torturous inventions ever dredged up by man out of his basest instincts. We shall try, as we are helped by the Spirit of God and data relevant to that day, to see, step-by-step, what our blessed Savior endured as He approached the cross:

1. We have witnessed the farcical appearances of Jesus before
   1. Annas,
   2. Caiaphas,
   3. the Sanhedrin and
   4. Pilate.
   5. We recoiled in utter dismay as He was horribly scourged by the Roman soldiers. Our minds revolted at the picture of the jagged tips of the scourge biting into Jesus’ back. We could scarcely stand the concept of these happenings; but to Jesus they were much more than a concept: they were cruel and factual and they burst upon His life and being with devastating impact.

He has up to this point endured it all: the buffeting, being spat upon and greatly ridiculed. Now He stands before Pilate once again, fatigued, sick and alone as Pilate gives in to His tormentors and tells them in resignation, “You crucify Him.” And Jesus knows all too well that His suffering is not yet over.

Mat. 27:31b-49; Mark 15:20b-36; Luke 23:26-45; John 19:17-28

The soldiers take Jesus away in what is leading up to the climactic moment of the most dramatic twenty?four hours in – history? No; we cannot confine this tremendous tableau to the confines of history. Never in the existence of the world or of the unimaginably vast universe has there been, nor can there be, a more powerful example of love and self sacrifice. This had to be the ascendant period of all existence; and yet without doubt it was the lowest depth to which humanity could descend.

The purple robe was taken from Jesus and His own robe returned to Him. The soldiers gave Jesus His own cross to bear to His execution. It has been suggested, based on recent archeological discoveries, that a crucified man carried only the upright beam of his cross (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia n.d.) The cross beam apparently was already at the crucifixion site.  The upright beam alone would still be a heavy burden for Jesus in His physical condition. It has further been asserted that the hands of the one being crucified were not nailed to the cross beam, but were tied to it by ropes; and the feet alone were fastened by nails.

This theory could be acceptable except for the fact that the Scripture relates that after Jesus’ resurrection Thomas said, “Except I shall see IN HIS HANDS THE PRINT OF THE NAILS… I will not believe.” If Jesus were hanged on the cross beam there would be no nail prints for Thomas to see.

In any event, the believer’s faith is not based on any outside evidence such as discoveries in archeological diggings, but on the Word of God. If, for example, man should have proof that the sky is blue, but the Word of God says it is green, then green it is. The only possibility of error in the Word is in the various translations, not in the original Word itself.

The procession set forth: Jesus and two others, both criminals, going to a common death. (Isa. 53:9a) It was not possible that Jesus’ body, weakened by the lack of food and the terrible ordeal of the past several hours, could carry His own cross. He staggered; He stumbled. Rough hands jerked Him upright and placed the cross again on His shoulders several times before they realized finally that Jesus could not make the journey to Calvary without help. The soldiers were not being merciful; Jesus was physically unable to bear His own cross. They could have beaten and shoved and cursed Him even more – Jesus was still physically unable to bear His cross.

The soldiers commandeered one Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross for Jesus. There is something in this that tears both ways at one’s emotions. It would appear at first glance to be a signal honor to carry the burden for Jesus, but then, on second glance, we have to remember that Simon was really hastening Jesus’ death. The whole scene seems so unreal and so much at cross?purposes to the normal order of events. The person who reads the story now feels that if he had been there, he too would have helped the strick­en Savior; the solders would not have had to force him to do so. It was all so confusing; yet out of it came the greatest gift of the ages: the salvation of man.

A large gathering of people accompanied the tragic procession. Most of them were probably indifferent to the plight of this so-called blasphemer who had the effrontery to make Himself equal with God. But some of them were women whose lives Jesus had touched and who, as women always have, had more compassion and faithfulness than men. (The twelve apostles were more than likely deathly afraid to show themselves at this time, as well they might be.) The women beheld this pathetic, disfigured Man, pushed and prodded and cursed by the soldiers, and they wept.

Jesus saw them weeping and paused long enough – and the soldiers were so surprised that they stopped too – to speak to His sympathizers. “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but for yourselves and your children. For the days shall come in which they shall say, ‘Blessed are they who never had children.’ For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?”

Text Ref. 36

As He spoke, the onlookers could see close at hand the dried blood on His face and the angry gashes where the lash, indifferently applied, had curled around into His face. The crushing emotional and mental burden of this, His hour of Passion, and the extreme physical abuse had disfigured Him terribly. “His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.” (Isa. 52:14) All heaven must surely have been appalled.

As the procession wound its way through the city streets all eyes were on Jesus, the Man who had made such great claims and who had done such great things. Where was the miracle?working power now? If He were the Son of God, how could He look so ghastly and be condemned to such an ignominious death?

They had now gone out of the city to a place called Golgotha. The two criminals who were to be cru­cified alongside Jesus had a look of stark fear on their faces. It is probable the soldiers had to physically force them to submit to their cross. But Jesus, in spite of His physical appearance, was the calmest person in the execution party, which included Jesus, the two criminals and the company of soldiers.

According to the custom, the soldiers offered to Jesus and the other two con­demned men a potion made of wine and gall intended to deaden the pain. When Jesus had tasted it, He would not drink it. He was not looking for anything to mitigate His suffering. Love has always needed to show itself by the magnitude of the sacrifice it has to make for the one it loves. And what greater sacrifice, what greater love can there be than the sacrificial love that God in Christ displayed in His indescribable sojourn on earth?