REFLECTIONS

The Passover supper had revealed infinitely more than His few followers understood. “Take and eat this bread, for this is my body, broken for you. Drink from this cup, for it is my blood, poured out for the forgiveness of sins.” Jesus knew the seeds of Communion were planted in unknowing hearts. In a few days, clarity would illuminate their spirits with a glory hidden from the dawn of creation; but tonight, all seemed shadowed and frightening.

Seeking solace in His final few moments before the torrent of hate overtook Him, Jesus walked with His Eleven to Gethsemane. Oh, how He loved the peace and solitude of this place! But tonight was different. He did not come seeking peace or solitude. He arrived with an earnest request. Gathering His three closest companions, Jesus pleaded with them to pray as He went before the Father. As He moved a mere stone’s throw away, He cried out to the Father as terror and anguish overwhelmed Him.

In climactic agony, blood trickled from His brow in great drops. The will of this simple carpenter from Nazareth was sacrificed as He declared, “Not my will, but Thy will be done!” The fountain that would soon flood the streets of Jerusalem began to flow in this tiny garden known as Gethsemane.

REFLECTIONS

Some would say Judas was the most promising of the Twelve. Unlike the rough-and-tumble Galilean fishermen, or the other disciples with shaded pasts, this man was properly educated and of the most excellent pedigree. In fact, he was the only Judean of the lot. How could he become the traitor? How does one turn against the very One he followed for three years? While we can make many suppositions, we will never know for sure.

What we do know is that he sought out the enemies of his Master just days before, to ask what price they were willing to pay for betrayal. And what was his fee? This man of great promise sold the life of his Rabbi for thirty pieces of silver.

When the schemer’s plan took place, it caught almost everyone off guard. In the middle of the night, in a secluded garden, the soldiers and guards arrived as an angry mob. The betrayer walked through the crowd. Jesus turned to him and spoke, saying, “Good friend, do what you have come to do.” With that, Judas greeted his Rabbi with a kiss on the cheek. “Judas, are you betraying the Son of man with a kiss?”

Jesus turned to him and spoke, saying, “Good friend, do what you have come to do.” With that, Judas greeted his Rabbi with a kiss on the cheek. “Judas, are you betraying the Son of man with a kiss?” The words of accusation and those eyes of love pierced the man’s soul. Suddenly, the thirty pieces of silver Judas carried hidden in his tunic felt like a millstone hung around his neck. He had betrayed an innocent man. He had betrayed his friend.

REFLECTIONS

This strange type of ordeal was the very reason behind Pilate’s hatred for being posted in this ghetto on the edge of the Roman Empire. He despised these people, and more so, their manipulative leaders. In Jesus, he had met an honorable and worthy Jew. And what was he about to do? He was going to give in to the demands of the angry crowd. He knew he was making the decision to execute an innocent and peaceful man.

But Pilate would try one last option. Certainly the common people, who had now gathered as a multitude in his courtyard, would let this Jesus go after a lesser punishment. But only one response poured forth from their throats: “CRUCIFY HIM!” “But he has committed no crime.” “CRUCIFY HIM!” Pilate, not wanting an embarrassing riot, would allow this travesty of judgment, but he had one more act of protest to carry out.

Quieting the agitated assembly, Pilate had a Jewish ceremonial washbasin brought before him. The people watched this pagan ruler ceremonially wash his hands like a pious Jew. They knew the significance of that action. Pilate was brashly declaring that he would not accept the blame of this man’s blood on his head. He would not take the responsibility of the cross Jesus would soon bear. 

REFLECTIONS

From the beginning, this was nothing but a fool’s theatre. The stage was set to give the appearance of legality during a morning of constant improprieties. The verdict had been cast days before. All the plans had neatly fallen into place until the actual trial. That is when things went wildly askew. Their most crucial witness, Judas Iscariot, had disappeared, so they had to quickly produce some witnesses. Many came forward. Every one of them disagreed with the testimonies that proceeded. Finally, when two came forward declaring that Jesus said He would tear down the Temple and rebuild it in three days, it was enough for Caiaphas. He once again questioned the man in chains.

Jesus had not been officially charged, so He allowed no answer to come forth. Caiaphas, in all his sanctimonious authority, charged the prisoner by sacred oath to answer this question: “Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”

For the first time in the whole ridiculous procession, He looked up and spoke with unhindered conviction: “I Am.”

This reply, stunning the Sanhedrin, left no more doubt; Jesus had openly declared His claim as the Christ. Caiaphas, in his rejection of the Messiah King, tore his clothes. Even though it was illegal, the punishment would begin now, as darkness entered the hearts of the men who stood around the Son of God. He was blindfolded, and they began to mercilessly beat Him…

REFLECTIONS

The governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and then, twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand and knelt in front of Him and mocked Him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on Him and took the staff and struck Him on the head again and again. After they had mocked Him, they took off the robe and put His own clothes on Him.

Christ was barely recognizable. His body was covered with caustic bruises and great clots of blood. As the robe was ripped off His body, the wounds that covered much of His frame would have likely reopened yet again. The sweat, blood, and waste of the condemned would cause the air to grow pungent.

Likely forced to His knees with a rough-hewn cross beam plunged onto His shoulders, He might have felt the splinters digging deep into His back. It would have been very possible that the beam was tied to His arms, placing all the weight on a battered, broken, and bloody frame. He would carry the instrument of His humiliation, torture, and death.

REFLECTIONS

The One who now carried a hundred pounds of raw wood on His beaten and bloodied back also bore the sins of all mankind (past, present, and future) on His human frame. No other vessel but His could ever contain the blemish of Eden and the hope of Heaven. He understood this day from before eternity. He had come out of great love and embraced Gethsemane. By this point, Jesus was exhausted from the loss of sleep, blood, and water. His feet became unsteady as He walked along the stone-paved streets. Finally, trembling under the weight of the crossbeam, the Son of God succumbed to the weakness of His flesh and went down. Hands likely tied to the beam and unable to catch Himself, He fell. The pain must have been excruciating. Without a moment of relief, the guards grabbed the beam, lifting the bearer who was tied to it. Resolute, He kept walking toward Golgotha to finish the work the Father had set before Him.

REFLECTIONS

Simon originated from a Jewish colony in the coastal city of Cyrene in North Africa. He was likely wealthy, cultured, intellectual, and known for piety. Traveling to the City of David, Jerusalem, on the holiest day of the year must have taken several days. It is likely on the Morning of Preparation, Simon started early toward Jerusalem so as to enjoy as much of the day’s festivities as possible and to take a sacrifice to the Temple. But the greeting he received at the city gates was anything but joyful. As he entered, he found himself in the midst of a crowd and three men bearing crossbeams on their backs. Here, on the holiest of days, people were screaming for the sacrifice of these men.

One of the three men was horribly beaten and weak. Yet He was somehow carrying the hundred-pound weight, step by step. Stumbling under the weight, with a beaten body, Jesus fell again near Simon. The guards must have cut the crossbeam loose from Christ, possibly in an attempt to speed things up. Simon, being close in proximity, was ordered to carry the crossbeam.

REFLECTIONS

As Christ reached the site of execution, the guards removed the crossbeam from His neck. Standing motionless, the temporary reprieve of weight seemed wondrous. Activity continued around Him. The two men before Him screamed as they were nailed to the beams.

Jesus waited. Two soldiers approached Him and removed His belt and outer robe. Noticing the fine quality of His inner garment, they took precautions in stripping it off His body. To these hardened men, the prisoner’s bloodied, seamless tunic was much more valuable than His life. As they stripped it from His upper body, coagulated wounds that had drawn to the cloth were ripped open. Again, blood flowed.

But one final act of humiliation would occur. In customary cruelty, they stripped Him of His loincloth, leaving only shame and humiliation. In a few moments, the execution squad would roll dice for His garments directly below His torn body. The Christ would be displayed, utterly exposed before all who mocked, wept, and worshiped.

REFLECTIONS

He offered no resistance when they stretched His arm upon the beam. Lying face up, the first spike was carefully placed between the bones in His wrist. Without a moment of mercy, the soldiers grabbed His other arm and pulled, separating the shoulders with a wicked snap. Spikes pierced the One who cured lepers, wiped away blindness, and lovingly held children. Torn flesh and bursting arteries would invite unconsciousness as the Carpenter was fixed to the wood, but such a respite would be denied.

Placing His legs on the post, they purposefully aimed the nail through the bones in the center of His feet. This would securely hold the lower body in a sitting position. All three nails had been placed through major nerves in the limbs. The victim could not move without sending razor-sharp pain traveling through the length of the body.

Once Jesus was attached to the tree, the soldiers lifted Him into place. As the bottom of the cross slipped into place, He heard a taunting voice in the crowd. “You who will destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” His enemies snickered at the comment. Knowing His fate was sealed, they hushed, waiting to hear his reply. Instead, He whispered a statement that must have caused the soldiers to stare, His followers to weep, and His accusers to rile in fury. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Something other than nails was holding Him to this cross.

REFLECTIONS

Of all the cruel tortures man has devised, crucifixion is one of the worst. The Romans brought people to the brink of death and held them there as long as possible. The long, drawn-out process of scourging, beating, and languishing on the cross caused the victim to dance with death.

Few if any had ever taken the punishment that Jesus had. For three hours, He moved His bloodied back on the post of the cross—a victim of crucifixion was placed so that he was forced to move his torso up and down to keep air in his lungs. If he stopped, his lungs would fill, causing him to drown in his own blood.

A moment after the Son sipped of the wine-vinegar, He spoke, “Tetelestai!” This strange, single word meant, “It is finished,” or “Paid in full.” Then, bowing His head, He spoke His last words. “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit.”

REFLECTIONS

Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy and reputable member of the Sanhedrin. Unlike the majority of his group, he must have sensed that the long-awaited Christ had indeed arrived and yet now was dead on the cross. It was a bold move to go to the home of Pilate and ask for the body of Jesus. When Pilate granted his request, he quickly went back to Golgotha, removed the body from the cross, and in the company of women—perhaps with their help—he washed the gashed corpse and wrapped it in a layer of cloth.

In the rush to entomb the body before sunset, the women and men set their grieving aside until the task was complete. They prepared the body to the best of their abilities and carefully placed Him on the cold stone shelf in the fresh-hewn tomb. Because the Jews were concerned that the disciples would come and steal the body, a seal was placed on the tomb and guards set to keep watch throughout the following days.

With the Sabbath upon them, they left the tomb and the body in a secure place and observed their Sabbath as commanded by the Law. Their thoughts and emotions during that Sabbath were probably unlike any they had observed before. As they gathered the final spices and oils for burial, they must also have been preparing to see His body one last time to say their goodbyes.

REFLECTIONS

The mission of Jesus was quite different than what most who knew Him believed it to be. So many that had followed Jesus during His ministry abandoned Him at the end once it was clear that He would not be leading a revolution against Rome or ushering in the type of kingdom they were expecting.

After Jesus’ crucifixion, even those who had been closest to Jesus were found fearful, dejected, and in mourning. Their leader had been killed. The mission had failed. They had thought He was the One. After Jesus’ death, we see some of the disciples return to their previous careers as fishermen. We see women returning to the tomb to finish their burial preparations. They do so out of respect for the dead. No one expected Jesus to rise again. But the resurrection of Jesus points toward the success of Jesus’ mission, not its failure. Jesus did what He came to do.

The generation of Jesus’ day desired a life of freedom, blessing, safety, and comfort. We are not so different than them. But above all those desires are God’s desires to provide for us everlasting life, forgiveness of sins, and a forever relationship with Him.

God poured out and ultimately extinguished His wrath against human sin by inflicting that wrath upon Himself. Divine wrath was diverted through divine self-sacrifice. The resurrection of Jesus means that the penalty for sin was paid in full. Jesus took it all. Now it’s all over. A way has been made for us. Jesus’ death and resurrection has opened access to God. Jesus turned hopelessness into hope, defeat into victory, and death into life. And He did it for us.