The Bible states of Jesus that
“He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” (John 1:11)
Eleven words—one sentence of Scripture. Undoubtedly, this verse has been read countless times by millions. But how many have recognized the profound meaning of these words?
How many have stopped to meditate upon the significance of this portion of God’s Word? How many have grasped what it meant for Jesus Christ to have come to His own—His own people and nation—but also His own creation—and be rejected?
Very few understand, with any level of depth or clarity, what Jesus endured during His 3½-year earthly ministry. From the very beginning of His ministry, until its end, Christ faced and persevered through opposition, accusation, interrogation, schemes, plots, threats—and, ultimately, absolute rejection and death. Few even begin to comprehend the suffering of Jesus Christ.
As Jesus traveled throughout Judea teaching, performing miracles and healing the sick, His notoriety grew; large masses began to follow Him from place to place, assembling to hear Him speak. The excitement and “buzz” about Jesus of Nazareth was on the minds of thousands. Great numbers anticipated a chance to hear Him speak.
But not all felt this way.
Having heard of Jesus, a group of Pharisees and Sadducees sought Him one day. But they were not interested in hearing His teaching.
“Show us a sign,” one of them demanded. Then another chimed in, “Yes, give us a sign from heaven. We want proof You have come from God!”
Perhaps sighing, but looking intently in their direction, Christ responded, “Why does this generation seek a sign? You are a wicked and adulterous generation! The only sign you shall receive is that of the prophet Jonah!”
Jesus turned and walked away. This was only one of countless occasions that the religious leaders tempted and tested Him
The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
16:2: He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
16:3: And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
16:4: A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. (Matt.
16:1-4).
Concerned with keeping their position and power, the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes—the religious elite of the day—were intimidated by Christ’s teaching. They were unsettled by the throngs of people listening to Him. They were angered that people were following Him, and not them.
The revolutionary news of the coming kingdom of God threatened their positions. They knew this was a message about government. The Pharisees were the most threatened of all; some among this religious sect had been given minor government offices by the Romans. Though under a Roman king ruling over the district of Judea, the lower civil offices were important to them. These political offices brought power and prestige—and paid handsomely. In their minds, the announcement that Jesus brought jeopardized all of this.
Filled with fear, jealousy and contempt, they sought to counter Jesus at every opportunity. They could not let this subversive individual (as they assumed and claimed Him to be) continue His preaching unchecked.
These religious leaders, many of whom were politicians, felt they had to act if they were to retain their positions above the common people. They feared being accused of sedition by Rome, which meant summary execution. This self-seeking interest mandated that Christ’s influence on the people be countered—even if it meant taking His life
Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
11:48: If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
11:49: And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all(John
11:47-49).
At every opportunity, the Pharisees opposed, persecuted and sought to frustrate Jesus
And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:
11:54: Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.(Luke
11:53-54)
They deliberately rumored that He was born illegitimately, saying,
“We be not born of fornication” (John 8:41)
They called Him a self-promoter seeking a following
The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. (John 8:13)
They said He was no better than a dog, and demon possessed
Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee? (John 8:48; 7:20).
Their accusations were endless. When Jesus cast a demon out of a blind mute, restoring both his sight and speech, they claimed,
“This fellow does not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils” (Matt. 12:24)
—that Christ’s power to perform miracles came from the devil—putting themselves at risk for committing the unpardonable sin. They portrayed Him as uneducated and unlearned, lacking proper formal education and recognized credentials
And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?(John 7:15)
They accused Him of being
“a man gluttonous…a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners” (Matt. 11:19)
a Sabbath breaker
And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:
12:10: And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. (Matt.
12:9-10)
and a blasphemer
The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.(John 10:33).
Jesus was regularly in danger of losing His life
And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:16, 18)
Several times He narrowly escaped being stoned
Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. (John 8:59;10:31)
on ocasions, the religious authorities sought to bait and trap Christ in words or deeds. Hoping to accuse Him of sedition, a group of Pharisees plotted how they might trick Him. They hoped to cause Him to say something that could be used against Him.
Employing flattery, the Pharisees’ disciples insincerely inquired, “Teacher, we know You speak the truth of God’s way without compromise. You do not care about a person’s status in life; You treat all the same and speak the words they need to hear. Please tell us what You think about this matter for we know You will tell us rightly. Does the law say we must pay taxes to Caesar? Or should we not?”
But Jesus was not fooled. He knew their purpose was to cause Him to speak against the Roman government so they could accuse Him.
Jesus responded boldly, “Why do you try to trap Me in words, you hypocrites? Give Me a piece of money.” Holding a coin up to their faces, He asked, “Whose likeness and words are stamped on this coin?”
“Caesar’s,” came their sheepish reply, knowing their ploy had not worked.
Jesus continued teaching them a hard lesson, commanding, “Then give to Caesar what belongs to him and give to God the things that are His.”
Having been silenced, the frustrated disciples of the Pharisees walked away knowing they would have to report to their masters that their entrapment attempts had failed
Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
22:16: And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.
22:17: Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
22:18: But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
22:19: Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
22:20: And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
22:21: They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
22:22: When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way. (Matt.
22:15-22
And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.
20:21: And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:
20:22: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?
20:23: But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?
20:24: Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's.
20:25: And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.
20:26: And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.Luke 20:20-26).
Such was the resistance Jesus regularly faced.
The one thing most people can count on is family. Yet Jesus could not even rely on the support of His brothers. This became apparent after He returned to His home in Galilee because of the rising threat to His life from the religious authorities. It was shortly before the Feast of Tabernacles.
Not yet understanding who their brother was, they, in their unbelief, became frustrated over His refusal to publicly show His powers. “What are You doing here? Why don’t You go to Judea? Go to Your students and show them Your mighty works. If You can do miracles, why do You hide? If You want to be known, then do Your miracles out in the open!”
Even among His family, there were times when He had no support. Christ knew what yet lay ahead. Jesus responded, “My time is not yet come, but your time is always here. The world does not hate you; but Me it hates, because I testify that this world’s works are evil. You go up to this feast: I will come later because it is not yet My time.”
Imagine how this must have felt—to be challenged even by family who did not understand. Christ’s life was in constant danger. His brothers, who had no such worries, could not give even minimal comfort or support. They simply did not understand who He was, or His message.
Jesus was keenly aware that
“a prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house” (Mark 6:4).
Of course, certain of the common people would have also ridiculed Him. Because Jesus came from a town and region that were looked down upon—Nazareth in Galilee—comments about His heritage evoked sarcastic put-downs.
“Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46)
one man sneered upon hearing about Jesus.
Though masses followed Him wherever He went, not all cared about the words Jesus spoke, as emphasized earlier. Many, having heard of His feeding thousands, were more interested in the physical food available, which sustains only temporary life. Their minds were far away from understanding the spiritual food freely given to them that leads to eternal life.
One day after the feeding of the 5,000 men and families near the Sea of Galilee, Christ crossed over the waters into Capernaum. The crowds from the previous day found Him there. Then one came to Him, and said, “Rabbi, when did you get here? We have been searching for You.”
Knowing why the people were searching for Him, Christ answered, “You have searched for Me because of the food I fed everyone with yesterday. You are not here because of the miracles I performed or the words I speak; you are here to be fed again. You are much too concerned with physical food that perishes. You ought to desire that food I freely give, which leads to everlasting life!”
Not comprehending His words, the people began to ask for more miracles and for bread, like the manna Moses had given their forefathers to eat in the Wilderness of Sinai. They did not understand that Christ was the unleavened Bread of Life. His sacrifice would make possible the gift of eternal life to all who would accept it and surrender to Christ’s rule in their lives.
“Moses did not give them that bread from heaven,” Jesus said to the crowd. “My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. I am that Bread of Life. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood,” Jesus said, speaking of the soon-to-be-instituted Passover symbols, “will receive eternal life and will be resurrected at the last day!”
At those words, many began to express disbelief, asking, “What is He saying?” some said. “This is hard to understand. How can this Man give us His flesh to eat? How will that give us eternal life?” Christ’s followers began to murmur. He explained further that “no man can come to Me, except those whom My Father calls.”
Shaking their heads,
“many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him” (John 6:66)
Those who had seemingly expressed genuine interest in Jesus’ message simply turned, walked away and followed Him no more.
Looking at the apostles-in-training, Jesus asked, “Will you also go away and forsake Me?”
Peter confidently replied, “Lord, You have the words of eternal life, where else would we go?”
Jesus—knowing of events yet to come and who would betray Him—replied, “Have I not chosen you twelve? But yet one of you is My enemy.” He knew that more opposition, rejection and final betrayal were ahead.
As the Pharisees’ resentment of Christ grew, their desire to silence Him increased
Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. (John 11:53)
Ultimately, their goal remained the same: to kill Him. This opportunity came in the spring of A.D. 31, during Passover, as Christ’s earthly ministry was coming to a close
And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
26:2: Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
26:3: Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
26:4: And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.(Matt.
26:1-4;
After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.
14:2: But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people. Mark 14:1-2;
For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. Luke 22:37).
Judas Iscariot, giving in to the lust for money
Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
12:4: Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,
12:5: Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?
12:6: This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. (John
12:3-6)
and Satan’s influence over him, schemed with the chief priests and scribes to deliver Jesus into their hands. As the Passover drew near, Judas approached them, and asked,
“What will you give me and I will deliver Him unto you?” Judas was hoping for a monetary reward (Matt. 26:15-16).
This brought great joy to the chief priests—it was just what they had been hoping for! They agreed to pay him 30 pieces of silver
And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him. (Mark 14:11).
Accepting their offer, Judas, from that point forward,
“sought opportunity to betray Him unto them in the absence of the multitude” (Luke 22:6)
His opportunity soon came.
Having instituted the new Passover symbols, Jesus began to focus on events that were just hours ahead. Would He be able to endure the extreme pain, suffering and abject humiliation? Could He complete the purpose for which He was born? Could there be another way to accomplish this pivotal step in God’s Plan of salvation?
Leaving the location where the Passover had been held, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, to the Garden of Gethsemane, as He had done many times; the disciples followed. Arriving at the garden, in the darkness of the night, “He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, saying, Father, if you be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
Some believe Jesus Christ was incapable of sinning. They reason that since He was prophesied to succeed, it was impossible for Him to fail.
The Bible clearly reveals that Jesus divested Himself of the spiritual glory He previously possessed and became a flesh-and-blood human being. By doing this, He put Himself at risk of failing in His role as mankind’s Savior. He was subject to the pulls of the flesh and had to overcome temptation to sin.
As a human being, Jesus was both fully God and fully human. Though He was God-in-the-flesh, He did not possess the full amount of glory He had in His former spiritual state as the Word
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
or the God of the Old Testament. This is made plain in
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. John 17:5
from the Moffatt translation: “Father, glorify Me in your presence with the glory which I enjoyed in your presence before the world began.”
Some believe
"For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” Colossians 2:9
—means that Christ had at His disposal full powers of a Spirit being. The Phillips Bible translation sheds light on this scripture by providing parenthetical commentary along with the biblical text: “Yet it is in Him that God gives a full and complete expression of Himself (within the physical limits that He set Himself in Christ).”
This explanation correctly shows that God had empowered Jesus to the full—but within the limitations of a physical being.
On the night after His last Passover, Jesus stated,
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Jesus had concluded His ministry and trained His disciples, who would become the nucleus of the Church. He was now prepared to die for the sins of the world.
When Christ died, His spirit (the “spirit in man” – Job 32:8) returned to God. A physical Christ did not die while a “spiritual phantom” of sorts continued to live, as some believe. Misunderstanding
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
3:19: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; I Peter 3:18-19
some even think that Jesus preached to fallen angels in “hell” when He was dead in the grave for three days and three nights.
The Gnostic belief of Docetism, adhered to by many in the early centuries A.D., stated that Jesus did not have a human body. He supposedly appeared to have died on the cross. The physical Christ is said to have been a reflection of the real “Divine Christ” who remained in heaven. The Gnostics taught that the spiritual Christ continued to live while the inferior physical Christ died.
Yet Romans 14:9 states, “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that He might be Lord both of the dead and living.” Only one Christ died and was resurrected—not two separate beings.
In John 18:37, Pontius Pilate questioned Jesus: “Are you a king then? Jesus answered, You say that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth hears My voice.”
A number of other scriptures
The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
16:2: He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
16:3: And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
16:4: A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
16:5: And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
16:6: Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
16:7: And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.
16:8: Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
16:9: Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?(Matt.
17:1-9;
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1:19: But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1:20: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
1:21: Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. I Pet. 1:18-21
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: John 11:25;
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: Heb. 8:10
along with many references to the Old Testament prophets) stress the certainty of Christ’s victory during His physical life, as well as the assurance of His future Millennial reign. Some have mistaken this certainty to mean there was no possibility of Christ failing.
If there were no danger in completing His earthly work, then why did Jesus fast for 40 days and nights
And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. (Matt. 4:2)
Why did He need to draw closer to His Father prior to confronting Satan? The Bible states that Jesus was
“in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15)
If one is capable of being tempted to sin, then a possibility of sinning must exist!
Christ frequently cried out to God and offered up prayers and supplications, with tears
Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; (Heb. 5:7)
It also states that He learned obedience through the things which He suffered
Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; (Heb. 5:8)
Does this sound as though there was no possibility of Jesus sinning?
Jesus not only carried out His ministry successfully—He also resisted temptation. By doing so, He qualified to be the perfect sacrifice, taking away the world’s sins
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29;
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. I John 2:2)
He endured the pressures and pulls of Satan, society and self—setting a perfect example for His servants to follow.
Why then did the Scriptures prophesy Jesus’ victory beforehand? Because the perfect willpower and determination of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ meant that victory was all but certain!
Isaiah 59:15-17 reveals how Jesus was to fulfill His work: “Yes, truth fails; and he that departs from evil makes himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no judgment. And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him; and His righteousness, it sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon His head; and He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.”
This prophecy, along with many others, describes Jesus Christ’s success in overcoming sin. Due to God’s determination and strength, failure was not an option—though it was possible! Jesus knew that if He went to the Ultimate Source of power in the universe, He would receive all He needed to succeed.
Jesus Christ was vulnerable to temptation, subject to death and capable of sinning, and He carried out the greatest and most demanding ministry the world has ever seen. Only by relying on God’s strength, not His own human power, was He able to overcome the almost insurmountable hurdles and roadblocks before Him.
Christ was keenly aware of what was about to unfold. God sent an angel to strengthen Him.
Jesus’ prayers intensified.
“And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:41-44)
Three times Jesus prayed to God that there might be another way to pay for the sins of mankind:
“O My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Your will be done” (Matt. 26:42).
Yet, there was no other way. Jesus was ready to fully submit to His Father’s will.
Looking for support from His disciples during this agonizing period, Jesus instead found them sleeping.
“What, could you not watch with Me one hour?” He asked. “Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:40-41)
He warned. The disciples were unaware of the tremendous trial about to come—one that would test their commitment and loyalty to Jesus to the utmost degree.
But Peter and the disciples had already forgotten Christ’s earlier warning
Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
26:32: But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.
26:33: Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
26:34: Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.(Matt.
26:31-34;
But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
14:28: And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
14:29: And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
14:30: But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. Mark 14:27-30).
Returning from praying the third time, He found them asleep again. With urgency, Christ roused the disciples from their slumber.
“Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that does betray Me” (Matt. 26:45-46).
Around midnight, Jesus turned and saw Judas approaching with a crowd. Among them were soldiers and officers carrying clubs and swords. Walking toward Jesus with open arms, Judas said, “Greetings, Teacher!” and then kissed Him. The signal was given; the deed was done.
Looking His betrayer in the eyes, Jesus asked, “Judas, do you betray me with a kiss?”
Several men wielding clubs and swords stepped forward. Treating Christ like a common criminal, they seized Him, and took Him away. Watching in disbelief, the disciples, still groggy from sleep, turned—forsaking their Master and Teacher—and fled!
Even Peter, who only hours before had vehemently declared he would never forsake Christ, denied Him three times in the coming hours
And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest:
14:67: And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.
14:68: But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.
14:69: And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.
14:70: And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.
14:71: But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.
14:72: And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept. (Mark
14:66-72).
Jesus was now on His own through the coming agonizing ordeal. But His heavenly Father would be there to strengthen Him.
Bound, and surrounded by unfriendly faces, the angry mob pushed and pulled Jesus as they led Him away in the darkness. They first arrived at the home of Annas, father-in-law of that year’s High Priest, Caiaphas. Then Annas sent Him to Caiaphas.
Once there, Jesus began to face false accusers. One after the other came forward with fabricated and contradictory testimony. The chief priests and elders desperately wanted a reason to put Christ to death. And then two men claimed, “We heard this man say He was able to destroy God’s temple and rebuild it in three days!”
Standing up from his chair, his voice rising in anger, Caiaphas examined Jesus: “Did You say those words? Is their testimony true? Will You answer me or not?”
Jesus remained silent.
Becoming more incensed, the High Priest glared at Him. “I adjure You by the living God,” he charged, “that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
Looking back at Caiaphas, Jesus answered, “What you have said is correct.” Knowing what would come next, He continued, “Nevertheless I say unto you, hereafter shall you see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of Power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
His anger boiling over, Caiaphas tore his clothes and shouted, “Blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Now you have heard His blasphemy!”
He eagerly asked the chief priests and members of the Sanhedrin, “What do you think?”
“He must be put to death!” they decreed in agreement. They did not understand that their minds were being used as tools of the devil—but also God’s supreme purpose.
There stood Christ—a perfect, sinless human being, who, for telling the truth, was now sentenced to death by His own creation. Yet because He was filled with love for mankind, He was willing to endure much more.
The atmosphere rose to a fever pitch. Taunts, insults and blows came crashing down. Blindfolded, Jesus could not see the attacks coming. Time and again, they struck His face while spitting in it, and delivered painful strikes to His body. Blood and spit ran down His swollen face. Bruises from broken blood vessels began to show. Taunts rang in His ears: “Prophesy to us, You who claim to be Christ. Tell us, who hit You?”
As morning came, the chief priests and elders plotted how they would put Jesus to death—but who would do the deed for them
And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
26:58: But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.
26:59: Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
26:60: But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,
26:61: And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
26:62: And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
26:63: But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
26:64: Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
26:65: Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
26:66: What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.
26:67: Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,
26:68: Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? (Matt.
26:57-68;
When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: Matt. 27:1
And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.
14:54: And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.
14:55: And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.
14:56: For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.
14:57: And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,
14:58: We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
14:59: But neither so did their witness agree together.
14:60: And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
14:61: But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
14:62: And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
14:63: Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?
14:64: Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.
14:65: And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands. Mark 14:53-65
And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate. Mark 15:1
Having hatched their plan early in the morning, the religious leaders led Jesus to Pilate, hoping for a speedy execution. Once there, they accused Him before Pilate to make their case. “We found this man perverting the nation and forbidding the people to give tribute to Caesar, saying He was a king, Christ.”
Pilate asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“It is as you say,” Jesus replied.
Satisfied with Christ’s answer, Pilate turned to the chief priests and said, “I find no fault in this Man.”
This was not what they wanted to hear, so they began to plead their case more earnestly: “But He is a troublemaker! He stirs up all of the people, teaching throughout the land.”
Hearing Jesus was from Galilee, Pilate thought he had a way out. This is Herod’s business, not mine, he thought, so he ordered that Jesus be sent to Herod.
Having heard of His fame, Herod was pleased to see Jesus. At last, I might see Him perform a miracle! Herod questioned Him at length while the chief priests and scribes leveled their accusations.
Yet Christ stood still and kept silent.
Growing restless, Herod made sport of Him.
“And [he] with his men of war [soldiers] set Him at naught [despised utterly], and mocked Him, and arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him again to Pilate” (Luke 23:11).
Again, the religious leaders accused Jesus before Pilate. But Pilate, perceiving their motives
For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. (Mark 15:10)
desired to let Christ go.
“You brought this Man to me to put to death, but neither I nor Herod find any reason to do so. You have a custom that one be released for the Feast; let me first scourge Him and then I will let Him go,” Pilate said, hoping to placate them.
This world’s professing Christianity has traditionally taught that Christ died on a cross. Since Christ Himself warned against blindly following the traditions of men
He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7:7: Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Mark
7:6-7)
we must not make assumptions.
Recognize that the cross has long been understood to be a symbol widely used by many pagan religions in various forms of sex worship. Its roots are ancient, with its original design being that of a line through a very narrow oval shape—which connotation is easy for the imagination to understand.
In the gospel accounts, the Bible says that Christ was nailed to a cross. The Greek word used for “cross” is stauros, which means “stake, pole, upright post or cross.” Interestingly, other scriptures record that Christ was nailed to a “tree”
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (I Peter 2:24;
The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Acts 5:30,
And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Acts. 10:39,
And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. Acts. 13:29)
The Greek word used in these passages is xulon, meaning “timber, stick, club, tree or other wooden article or substance.”
In ancient times, Roman soldiers used to crucify people using wooden structures of various shapes. Sometimes they used upright stakes or poles. Other times they used wooden crosses by attaching beams either at or just below the top.
The Bible does not specify the exact shape of the “stauros” or “xulon” on which Christ was crucified. If God thought it was important for us to know, He clearly would have recorded it, leaving us no doubts. Christ may or may not have been crucified on a cross. The shape of the instrument is not important, but Christ’s sacrifice is!
“No!” they cried. “We do not want this Man—we want Barabbas!” Not believing his ears, Pilate appealed to the crowd: “Who would you have me release to you?”
“Give us Barabbas!” they shouted in unison. “Crucify Jesus!”
When Pilate asked, “Why, what evil has He done?”, the crowd continued their frenzied cries of
“Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” (Luke 23:1-25).
Symbolically washing his hands of the matter, Pilate released Barabbas, a robber and murderer
When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. (Matt. 27:24)
Beaten, bruised, swollen, weary and humiliated, the One who was innocent took the place of one deserving death.
With Jesus’ fate sealed, Pilate sent Him to be scourged and crucified—one of the most excruciating and reprehensible forms of death that man has ever devised.
While various forms of crucifixion were used, we will describe one possible method.
To begin the horrible ordeal, Jesus is stripped of His clothing and His hands are bound to a post above His head. A Roman legionnaire steps forward with a flagellum—a short whip with jagged pieces of bone, glass and metal tied into nine strips of leather. This gruesome instrument of torture is commonly referred to as a cat-o’-nine-tails.
The heavy whip is brought down without mercy, over and over again, across Jesus’ shoulders, back and legs. At first, the flagellum cuts through the skin only. But as the blows continue, they cut deeper into the flesh, causing blood to ooze from the capillaries and veins. Blood then begins to spurt from smaller arteries in the underlying muscles.
The flagellum produces large, deep bruises, which are then ripped open by succeeding blows. In time, the skin of Jesus’ back is hanging in long ribbons, like spaghetti. The entire area is an unrecognizable bloody mass of torn flesh.
The severe beating is halted when the Roman centurion in charge has determined that Jesus is near death.
Under the proficiency of His tormentor, it was not long until
As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:saiah 52:14
was fulfilled:
Jesus was literally beaten beyond recognition. His appearance did not remotely resemble the popular idea of His Body on the stake.
Though the Jews had a law that prohibited more than 39 lashes, there is speculation that the Romans would not have made any attempt to obey the statute.
At this point, Jesus is close to being in shock. One can only imagine the agonizing pain pulsing throughout His nervous system. He is then untied from the post and allowed to fall to the ground—soaked in His own blood. The soldier performing the beating notices a great irony in a “simple, unsophisticated Jew” claiming to be a king. A robe is thrown across Jesus’ shoulders, and a stick is placed in His hand, like a scepter. To complete the mockery, flexible branches covered with long thorns are formed into a crown and pressed firmly into Jesus’ scalp. Since the scalp is one of the most vascular areas of the body, profuse bleeding begins almost immediately.
The soldiers proceed to mock Jesus and strike Him across the face. “Hail, King of the Jews” came the humiliating epitaphs. They then take His “scepter” and strike Him on the head—the thorns driven deeper. At last, the soldiers grow weary of their vicious attack and tear off Jesus’ robe. This causes agonizing pain, similar to carelessly removing a surgical bandage, due to His robe having bonded to the clots of blood and serum in His wounds. Significant bleeding takes place once again, as though He were being whipped with the flagellum.
Some cuts are so deep that His bones are visible. The beating is so severe, they are pulled out of joint
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. (Psa. 22:14,17)
! Jesus took this beating so that
“by [His] stripes [we may be] healed” (I Pet. 2:24)
Our physical sins could now be forgiven.
Badly disfigured, Jesus is led into the street. Those who see Him are horrified.
Ironically, in respect of Jewish custom, the Roman soldiers return Jesus’ garments, and then make Him carry a long wooden beam along His back. The condemned “criminal,” along with the Roman soldiers, begins His slow journey to the site of the crucifixion, Golgotha. Jesus struggles to walk uprightly, but considering the immense weight of the wooden beam and the state of near shock produced by incredible blood loss, He constantly falls. The weight is too much to bear. The beam gouges into the shredded skin and muscles of the shoulders. Jesus tries to rise, but the endurance of His muscles has been exceeded.
In the final hours of Jesus’ death, He was nailed to a stake, positioned between two criminals also being crucified. At Pilate’s command, Roman soldiers broke legs of the criminals to hasten their death. (Unable to heave themselves higher with their legs, they would slowly suffocate, unable to get air into crushed lungs.) When soldiers came to break Christ’s legs, they discovered Him already dead
Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. (John 19:32)
They were surprised; crucifixion was designed to be a torturous process intended to extend one’s final hours so their last moments would be agonizing.
But Jesus had already died—why?
As with other myths and false teachings, an idea arose long after the gospel accounts were written and canonized: “Jesus died of a broken heart.” In other words, “His heart ruptured under the emotional weight of being tortured, humiliated, rejected and scorned.”
Those who believe this use the following “proof” to support their thinking: When a soldier had thrust a spear into Christ’s side, blood and water gushed out—“evidence” (they claim) that tears had welled up and collected around Jesus’ heart, and that when He was pierced, His “broken heart” could not take it anymore, bringing death.
But was Jesus so physically and emotionally weak that He could not endure what crucified criminals could? (Remember, their deaths were hastened; had their legs not been broken, the criminals would have stayed alive hours longer.)
Jesus was a carpenter for years before His earthly ministry began. He worked outside with His hands, arms and muscles, having to endure seasonal weather conditions. He obeyed God’s laws of good health. Violating them would have disqualified Jesus from becoming man’s sinless Savior. In addition, as a carpenter, His profession required good health. The livelihood of the family depended on it.
Then there is Jesus’ ministry, which required that He travel from city to city, often long distances mostly by foot. He sometimes slept outdoors, breathing clean, fresh air. As He traveled, He was subject to changing weather conditions—summer heat, arid deserts, storms at sea, etc. Christ had to be incredibly strong—mentally, physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually—to withstand the ongoing battles, trials from temptations from Satan, the scribes and Pharisees, unbelievers, and of course from His own flesh.
Obviously, Jesus Christ was not a weakling—far from it! His heart would not have suddenly “broken” under even extreme pressure. His had been a life of pressure and physical demands.
Then what did kill the Savior—what did cause Him to die?
Let’s switch to the first Passover, when the Israelites were in Egypt about to be delivered from slavery. God ordered each family to sacrifice a lamb. It had to be young, physically perfect (without blemish or defect), and without broken bones. Families were to roast and eat it. That Passover night, the Death angel “passed over” their homes, sparing the lives of those houses “sprinkled” with the blood of a lamb. The blood is what saved Israel’s firstborn sons from death.
How did the Passover lamb die? We might ask if it could die “of itself.” No, or God would have forbidden them to eat it:
“And the fat of the beast that dies of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but you shall in no wise eat of it” (Lev. 7:24).
“That which dies of itself, or is torn with beasts, he shall not eat to defile himself therewith: I am the Lord.” (Lev 22:8).
“You shall not eat of anything that dies of itself: you shall give it unto the stranger that is in your gates, that he may eat it; or you may sell it unto an alien: for you are an holy people unto the Lord your God” (Deut. 14:21).
So how did the lamb die?
“…the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it” (Ex. 12:6)
—it was put to death! They put a knife to the lamb and shed its blood. THIS caused its death.
Return to considering Christ. As
“the Lamb of God” (John 1:29, 36)
Jesus gave the supreme sacrifice. As with the original Passover lamb, which typed Him, Jesus was young (He died in His early 30s), perfect (like His Father –
I and my Father are one. John 10:30;
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matt. 5:48)
innocent (without sin –
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.Heb. 4:15)
defenseless (by choice –
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. John 18:36;
The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: Acts 8:32)
and His bones were not broken
But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. (John 19:34).
As with the Passover lamb, Christ was “stricken”
He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. (Isa. 53:8)
—which means “a blow, stroke, wound, mark, to strike violently.” He was slain—He did not, and could not, in any sense, die “of Himself.”
Why?
“For the transgression of My people was He stricken” (same verse). Mankind’s sins
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (I John 3:4;
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Rom. 3:23)
caused the death of God’s Son
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom. 6:23).
Remember,
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12
foretold critical elements of Jesus’ death and sacrifice: “Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He has poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
How did Christ “pour out His soul unto death”?
The word for “soul” in Hebrew is nephesh, meaning “a breathing creature,” a “living being (with life in the blood).” Blood contains life within it: “Only be sure that you eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and you may not eat the life with the flesh”
Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh. (Deut. 12:23).
So when Jesus “poured out His soul unto death,” He did so by pouring out His blood to the point where He could no longer live. He did not die of a “broken heart”—He bled to death! This is why He said,
“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
Now let’s study John 19. The passage reads as though it is in time sequence:
(1) In
The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
19:32: Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. John 19:31-32,
Pilate ordered his soldiers to speed up the deaths of those crucified by breaking their legs;
(2) in
But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: John 19:33
the soldiers intended to break Jesus’ legs, but He was already dead; (3) the next verse states that a soldier pierced the side of the dead body, resulting in water and blood coming out.
Here is the point: If Christ was already dead when His blood came out, then He did not bleed to death—which means the prophecy of
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12
failed because Jesus did not “pour out His soul [contained in blood] unto death”—therefore, He was not “stricken” for the sins of mankind, paying the death penalty in man’s stead, since He was no longer alive when He was pierced.
As with any aspect of careful Bible study, we must tie scripture to scripture, “precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little,” like a spiritual jigsaw puzzle to get the full picture of any teaching
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
28:10: For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:(Isa.
28:9-10, 13).
Let’s now tie John 19 with Matthew 27:46-50.
In Matthew 17:46-47, Jesus cried aloud from the cross: “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” (“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”).
Onlookers thought He was calling for Elijah the prophet. While some wanted to give Jesus vinegar to drink, others said, “Let be, let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him” (Matthew 17:49). The next verse states, Matthew 17:50 “ Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost [spirit].”
The King James Version of the Bible and most other translations record verses 49-50 similarly. However, a careful examination of the original Greek text reveals there is another sentence included in verse 49, missing from most Bible translations!
Note the Fenton translation: “But the others called out, ‘Let Him alone! Let us see whether Elijah will come and save Him!’ But another taking a spear pierced His side, when blood and water came out. Jesus, however, having again called out with a loud voice, resigned His spirit.”
Now read Moffatt: “But the others said, ‘Stop, let us see if Elijah does come to save Him!’ (Seizing a lance, another pierced His side, and out came water and blood.) Jesus again uttered a loud scream, and gave up His spirit.”
Adam Clarke’s Commentary states this: “After this verse, BCL and five others add, Another, taking a spear, pierced his side, and there came out blood and water. Several of the fathers add the same words here: they appear, however, to be an interpolation from
But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. John 19:34.”
A margin note in the Revised Standard states, “Other ancient authorities insert And another took a spear and pierced His side, and out came water and blood.”
It was at THIS point when the Roman soldiers pierced Jesus’ side—when He was still alive! It was for THIS reason Christ, in
Matthew 27:50, “cried again with a loud voice, [and] yielded up the ghost [spirit]”
—He screamed in pain when the spear pierced His side!
But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. John 19:34
did not happen after Jesus was dead. The verse is not written in time sequence with the preceding verses. The gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke are called “synoptic gospels.” They follow the same general timeframe of Jesus Christ’s life and ministry, and thus supplement each other in understanding the time sequence. But the book of John is different, emphasizing themes more than time sequence. In this case, the next two verses, including verse 34, were used to verify WHAT happened (the fulfillment of a prophecy), not the precise moment when it happened.
When Jesus was pierced, blood and water gushed out—why? It was not water that came from Christ—it was urine. The soldier’s spear had pierced a number of internal organs also causing Jesus to bleed massively. This in part explains why His corpse, even after being in the tomb for three days and three nights, had not yet decayed
Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Acts 2:27;
Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Acts 13:35)
There was no blood in the body to corrupt the flesh!
Christ’s flesh was not supernatural or “other worldly.” He was mortal just like all men
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (Heb. 2:14)
except He was God. When He, as the Word, became flesh, He
“made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:7-8).
Consider this: Genesis 9:5-6 states, “And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man.”
Jesus died to pay for ALL the world’s transgressions against God’s Law, including murder (which includes hatred toward one’s neighbor—the spirit of murder –
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
5:22: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Matt. 5:21-22)
He paid the penalty for those who have murdered, who have shed the blood of others, by shedding His own blood!
Jesus Christ is mankind’s Savior, not because He “died of a broken heart,” but because He literally poured out His life—His blood!—for the sins of humanity!
A soldier mercilessly barks, “Get up!”
Wanting to hasten the crucifixion, the centurion-in-charge selects an onlooker—Simon of Cyrene
And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. (Matt. 27:32)
—to carry the beam. Jesus follows behind Simon, perhaps slightly relieved, but still bleeding and in near physical shock.
Finally, after a 650-yard journey (a little over one-third mile), they arrive at Golgotha,
“the place of the skull,” on a hill just outside Jerusalem (Mark 15:15-22).
Simon is ordered to place the large beam on the ground, where a worn-out Jesus is thrown down with His shoulders against the wood. Then the legionnaire drives heavy square wrought iron spikes through His hands and deep into the wood. These were not the thin, smooth nails found at the neighborhood hardware store. Their entrance both cut through and displaced with crushing the tissue of hands and feet.
The legionnaires then raise the stake to which Christ is attached. At this point, Jesus’ body weight is held up by His spike-driven hands. Then His left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, both feet fully extended, toes down. A square spike pierces through the arch of each foot, leaving His knees flexed. As Jesus’ weight continues to sag downward, with more weight on His hands and feet, unbearable, fiery pain shoots along His fingers and up His arms. Tetany—extreme pain due to lack of oxygen to the tissues—sets in.
The torment continues without relief. With flies swarming over His festering wounds, His naked body racked with pain, those who look on jeer,
“He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him: for He said, I am the Son of God” (Matt. 27:42-43).
Through parched lips and with a swollen tongue, Jesus utters the words,
“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Unfazed by the magnitude of Christ’s suffering, the soldiers standing guard divide His garments by casting lots.
Jesus had always been able to rely on His Father. He knew that through reliance on Him, and maintaining close personal contact through prayer, no trial or difficulty was too great to endure. During His ministry, Jesus’ prayers were heard many times. He needed only to look back to His greatest miracle—raising Lazarus from the dead—and recall the words He spoke that day:
“I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You hear Me always” (John 11:41-42).
Even when the mob came to arrest Him in Gethsemane, Jesus could have called on God’s deliverance.
“Think you that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt. 26:53).
As dark clouds blocked out the afternoon light, it seemed Christ could not count on the Father, who had helped Him through the past 33½ years of physical life. Hanging from the stake, filled with horrific pain and in terrible anguish, having come to His greatest hour of need, He was left alone, completely abandoned.
At about 3:00 p.m., Jesus mustered what strength remained and cried out,
“Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46)
These were not empty words. His cry reflected His innermost feelings. Jesus was fully human, even though God was His Father. He was born of a woman and was capable of feeling, in mind and body, all that any man could.
At that moment, Jesus experienced something He had never known. Having existed from eternity, first as the Word, and then in the flesh as the Son of God, He always had contact with the Father. And now, the realization hit. For the first time, He was completely alone—totally cut off from His Father. Their unbroken contact was now severed.
For
“[God] had made [Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Cor. 5:21)
Yes
“the Lord has laid on [Jesus] the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6)
Jesus had all mankind’s sins laid upon Him, becoming sin for us.
And because
“your iniquities have separated you from your God…your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear” (Isa. 59:2, NKJV)
The Father had no choice. Since He cannot compromise with sin, meaning He can have no interaction with it, it meant He was forced to forsake—to abandon—His beloved Son.
The pain becoming almost unbearable, Jesus Christ now comprehended what it meant to be cut off from God. Remembering how He had lived and taught His disciples that “I can of mine own self do nothing,” the help that He had relied on so many times was no longer available. He knew that He—and He alone—was shouldering the totality of humanity’s sins—your sins. And this meant He would face the last moments of His life on earth fully cut off from the Father.
Crushed, almost drained of life, gasping for breath, and with each cell of His body screaming in pain,
“Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst” (John 19:28).
Reacting to Jesus’ plea, someone retrieved a sponge, dipped it in sour wine and offered Him a drink. Hoping for a small amount of cool water to quench His thirst, He instead received foul-tasting vinegar
Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. (John 19:29;
And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. Matt. 27:48).
An onlooker said, “Leave Him alone, let us see if Elijah will come save Him.”
Jesus’ suffering was almost finished. His long, drawn-out trial for the sake of mankind was nearing its end. He had endured cruel mocking, savage beatings, taunts, humiliation, abandonment and total rejection. His formerly healthy body was a mangled mess of dislocated bones and joints, and bleeding flesh. He was barely recognizable to those who were close to Him.
Barely clinging to life, Jesus prepared Himself for what was to occur next. To all looking on, He proclaimed,
“It is finished” (John 19:30).
Then, a soldier standing by took his spear and thrust it into Christ’s side. From this gaping wound poured “water”—urine—and blood
But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. (John 19:34)
Only by shed blood can sin be forgiven
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. (Lev. 17:11).
With one final agonizing scream, His lifeblood spilling to the ground, Jesus of Nazareth—the Savior of man—cried,
“Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit” (Luke 23:46).
Jesus Christ breathed His last breath.
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