THE LAST WEEK OF JESUS' PUBLIC MINISTRY AND HIS CRUCIFIXION

The First Three Hours On The Cross

-Matthew 27:35-44; Mark 15:24-32; Luke 23:33-43; John 19:18-27

-Mark informs us that “it was the third hour” (Mark 15:25), approximately 9:00 a.m., “...the hour of

 offering up the lamb in the daily sacrifice in the temple” (Boles, Matthew, pg 540).

-Jesus was crucified along with two thieves, one on each side of Him. 

            -This was a fulfillment of Isaiah 53:12 - “...and he was numbered with the transgressors...”

            -“These two may have been crucified at this time for convenience’ sake, but the fact that

             Jesus was placed between them suggests that they were crucified with him to heighten his

             shame and indignity.  For, though Pilate had no personal ill will toward Jesus, he wished to

             show contempt for Judah’s king” (McGarvey/Pendleton, pg 725).

            -Perhaps these two thieves were associated with Barabbas and Jesus was literally in the

       place that otherwise would have been occupied by that notorious, now-released insurrectionist.  

       Of course, in a spiritual sense, Jesus was in the place of each and every one of us. 

      -In regards to Jesus being flanked on each side by a thief, Dorris made an interesting 

       observation:  “John was standing somewhere near the cross, and how vividly must have come to

       his mind the request which he and James had once made, to be on his right and left, and the

       answer that Jesus made” (pg 368).

-“And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross...” (John 19:19).  When we assimilate the wording

 revealed in the four accounts of the Gospel, it seems that the sign placed above Jesus’ head stated,

 “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”  It was written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin,

 languages utilized in Jerusalem at that time.

      -Pilate’s purpose in utilizing this sign was to express his contempt for the Jews.  “They had

       forced him to crucify an innocent man, and he retaliates by giving to that man the title which

       his enemies accused him of professing” (McGarvey/Pendleton, pg 726).

      -Although Pilate used the title for contempt and even though the Jews as a whole rejected it,

       Jesus died under an accurate title.  Indeed, He was/is King of the Jews - and not the Jews

       only but King of all - “...Lord of lords, and King of kings” (Rev. 17:14).

-The fact that the message inscribed on the sign carried a sting for the Jews is seen in their request

 to have it changed (John 19:21).  They clearly did not like the fact that many of the Jews would

 read the sign due to the fact that the crucifixion sight was near to the city and evidently near a

 road that lead in and out of it.

      -Pilate refused their request saying, “What I have written I have written” (John 19:22).

      -“Over against every evil deed there finally appears the finality of ‘What I have written I have

       written.’  The chief priests were suddenly left out in the cold with their deeds.  They could no

       longer bend a weak and vacillating governor to their evil will.  The great crime so tragically

       accomplished before the eyes of all generations was at that point forever beyond their slightest

       control.  That very day, history hardened around the deed of infamy, leaving it petrified and

       frozen in all its ugly details and to be studied and analyzed by millions of men for thousands

       of years afterwards” (Coffman, Matthew, pg 479).

-At the foot of the cross, our Lord’s executioners (specifically, the four Roman soldiers assigned

 to Him, see pg. 196 of this study) divided His garments amongst themselves and cast lots for His

 coat.

      -This also was a fulfillment of scripture - Psalm 22:18.  A student of the scriptures would be

       well served by a careful examination of Psalm 22 with a comparison made between its

       numerous prophecies and their fulfillment in the events of the crucifixion. 

      -The garments distributed amongst the soldiers “...included the sandals, the girdle, the outer robe,

       the headdress” (Woods, pg 405).  Regarding His “coat” (John 19:23), “[t]his was the tunic or

       undergarment.  It reached from the shoulders to the knees.  Ordinarily it was in two pieces,

       which were fastened at the shoulders by clasps; but Josephus tells us that the tunic of the high

       priest was an exception to this rule, being woven without seam...Thus, in dividing the Lord’s

       garments, they found a suggestion of his high priesthood” (McGarvey/Pendleton, pg 726).

      -After dividing His garments, the soldiers sat down and watched.  Their presence served as a

       deterrent to any rescue attempts.   

-In severe agony, the One who could have called legions of angels to destroy the world prayed for

 His enemies - “Father, forgive them; for they know now what they do.”  This was in accordance

 with what Jesus had previously taught (Matt. 5:44) and fulfilled yet another prophecy - “he...made

 intercession for the transgressors” (Isa. 53:12).

      -“The prayer was offered for those who were guilty of putting him to death.  It is not quite

       certain whether he referred to the ‘Jews’ or ‘to the Roman soldiers.’ Perhaps he referred to

       both” (Barnes).

      -Later, when referencing the crucifixion of Jesus, Peter stated, “"And now, brethren, I know

       that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also” (Acts 3:17).  No doubt, you have

       heard the statement, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.”  “Ignorance mitigates, but does

       not excuse crime” (McGarvey/Pendleton, pg 725).

-While Jesus endured His incredulous suffering while suspended on the cross, many chose to

 verbally abuse Him, mock Him and taunt Him.  Included were “they who passed by” (Matt. 27:39),

 “the chief priests...with the scribes and elders” (Matt. 27:41), “[t]he thieves also” (Matt. 27:44),

 those who “stood beholding” (Luke 23:34) and “the soldiers” (Luke 23:36).

      -It is hard to imagine the depth of hatred being shown and expressed to the One who was

       exhibiting ultimate love!

      -Some made reference to the words spoken by Jesus all the way back in John 2:19 - “Destroy this

       temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  Of course they had misunderstood these words and

       attempted to use them against Jesus during His trial.  Unbeknownst to them, they were at that

       time destroying the temple (His body) that He would indeed raise up on the third day.

      -They challenged Him to come down from the cross while their hope (and ours as well) rested

       in His willingness to remain on the cross.  They claimed that they would have believed in Him

       had He come down; yet, most of them failed to believe even when He came forth from the tomb.

      -Those who passed by challenged our Lord - “Save thyself, and come down from the cross”

       (Mark 15:30).  The chief priests and scribes said among themselves, “He saved others; himself

       he cannot save” (Mark 15:31).  The soldiers added, “ If thou be the king of the Jews, save

       thyself” (Luke 23:37).  Luke 23:35 informs us that the rulers derided Him by saying, “He saved

       others; let him save himself, if he be the Christ, the chosen of God.”  “The thieves also, which

       were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth” (Matthew 27:44). 

            -What they failed to realize was that He willingly chose not to save Himself so that others

             could be saved.  The chosen One of God died so that we, too, could be chosen of God.

            -“They had been compelled to acknowledge his supernatural power in saving others, and

             should have believed on him; but they now taunt him with having lost that power when he

             needed it for his own deliverance; they treated him as an imposter” (Boles, Luke, pg 450).

-“Jesus had had the robber Barabbas preferred before him; he has been placed in his crucifixion

 between two robbers; he has been reviled by the soldiers who executed him, by the people who

 passed by, by the religious teachers who came out of the city to heap upon him their cruelty,

 and now even by those who were suffering on the cross by his side” (Boles, Matthew, pg 542).

      -Consider the prophecy of Psalm 22:  “All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the

       lip, they shake the head saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him

       deliver him, seeing he delighted in him” (Psalm 22:7-8).

      -“God so overruled the wickedness of both the Jews and Gentiles as to fulfill all the prophecies

       and prophetic types concerning Jesus that had gone forth in the Old Testament.  The very

       things they did to degrade him, and show he was not divine, proved he was a child of prophecy,

       the Son of God” (Dorris, pg 369).

-As the verbal abuse continued, an interesting episode unfolded.  One of the thieves (who had

 initially been a participant in the verbal abuse of our Lord) demonstrated a significant change.

 While on his cross, he went from an accuser of our Lord to a defender of Him.

      -As the other thief continued his verbal onslaught, this dying man proclaimed his own guilt and

       Jesus’ innocence.  He requested, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”

      -“He seems to pray to Jesus, not for deliverance from the cross, nor for any present good, but for

       a blessing which can be conferred only after his death, which he recognized as inevitable...This

       penitent malefactor had confessed his sins, reproved his companion, defended Jesus, and

       now asked Jesus to remember him.  We do not know how much knowledge of Jesus and his

       claim this robber had” (Boles, Luke, pgs 452-453).

      -Many have assumed that this was this first display of faith on the part of the thief.  However,

       such an assumption may be unwarranted.  We simply cannot say for certain.  “The penitent thief

       had a good deal of information concerning Christ; exactly when he learned these facts is not

       specified. But there are two possibilities. Either he learned about Christ, and became convinced

       of his royalty, during that six-hour episode, or, else he knew about the Savior from earlier

       circumstances.  It is not impossible that he had been exposed significantly to information about

       Jesus earlier in his life, had been impressed by it, and, later, had regressed into a life of crime”

       (Jackson, www.christiancourier.com/articles/424-what-about-the-thief-on-the-cross).

      -Jesus informed him, “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).  What comforting

       words those must have been to this suffering man!

-Unfortunately, many have since appealed to this account of the thief on the cross in an attempt to

 deviate from God’s requirements for salvation as revealed in the New Testament scriptures.  This

 man lived and died while under the Law of Moses and will be judged accordingly.  We are now

 abiding under the new covenant and must abide by its precepts.  By them, we will be judged.

-At the cross, Jesus did have some friends present - “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his

 mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene.  Also present

 was the apostle, John.

-Some have suggested that “his mother’s sister” is a reference to “Mary, the wife of Clopas.”

Others have suggested that “his mother’s sister” and “Mary the wife of Clopas” are two different

 people.  The later seems to be correct.  As McGarvey and Pendleton explained, “1.  It is unlikely

 that two sisters would bear the same name...2. John gives two pairs of women, each pair coupled by

 an ‘and.’  The first pair is kindred to Jesus, and is unnamed, and is paralleled by the other pair,

 which is not kindred and of which the names are given...3. It accords with John’s custom to

 withhold the names of himself and all his kindred...4. The relationship explains in part why Jesus,

 when dying, left the care of his mother to John.  It was not an unnatural thing to impose such a

 burden upon a kinsmen” (pg 225).

-While in the process of dying upon the cross, Jesus once again displayed care and concern for

 others - this time for His mother. 

      -Looking to Mary, He said, “Woman, behold thy son!” (John 19:26).  Then to John, he said,

       “Behold, thy mother!”

            -How terrible it must have been for her to witness the crucifixion of her son!  This moment

             had been prophesied years before by Simeon.  (See Luke 2:25-35.)

      -In fulfillment of His duties, He honored her until His death and saw to her care thereafter.

       Looking to John, he said, “Behold, thy mother!” (John 19:27).

            -“The relationship in the flesh between Jesus and his mother was about to close, hence he

             commends her to another who should care for and protect her during old age...The last

             time the mother of Jesus is mentioned she was with John in Jerusalem, which would

             indicate that John was true to his trust” (Lipscomb, pg 300).

            -“Joseph, foster father of Jesus, has not been mentioned in any of the gospel narratives for

             some years and was most likely dead.  The brother of Jesus, sons of Mary and Joseph, four

             in number, were unbelievers (John 7:5); hence, Jesus preferred that his mother should be