The Crucifixion of Jesus

Matthew 27:32-50

We’ve done our best to walk you through the last 24 hours of Jesus life in a very simple way. That was the intention.

The washing of the Disciples feet

The agony Jesus experienced in the garden

The arrest of Jesus

The trial of Jesus

These events all lead up to the crucifixion of Jesus.

The crucifixion of Jesus is:

The worst thing man has ever done

The greatest thing God has ever done

It is both:

Tragic

Triumphant

Ugly

Beautiful

I cannot do justice with my preaching to the importance of this event in history.

How can I explain to you:

The love expressed at the crucifixion?

The evil expressed at the crucifixion?

The agony experienced at the crucifixion?

Continuing our trend, I am going to explain to you in very simple terms what happened that day. I trust the Holy Spirit will apply His power to what is shared through the Word today.

1. The Way to the Cross (32-34).

Jesus would be crucified outside of the city on a hill called Golgotha. The word means “Place of the Skull. Two possible reasons it was called this:

From a distance the landscape resembled a skull

It was a death hill.

The Latin name was Calvaria where we get the term “Calvary” from.

The trip from Jerusalem to this hill was about ½ a mile.

It was the custom of the Romans to make the condemned carry the cross beam from the city to the top of the hill. Probably because the Roman soldiers didn’t want to do it and it added to the shame of the condemned.

John tells us that Jesus began carrying His cross beam up the hill (John 19:17). It probably weighed between 50-75 pounds. At some point He was no longer able to carry it.

Jesus has already suffered a lot of abuse:

Abused by the hand- punched and slapped

Abused by humiliation- spit on, blindfolded, mocked/ridiculed

Abused with weaponry- Scourged, crown of thorns, hit with a reed

He had a sleepless night. He had the anxiety of the punishment He was about to experience.

He was weakened. He could no longer carry it.

A soldier forces a man to carry it for Him.

In Jesus day a Roman soldier could force a Jew to carry a load for him. According to Roman law, the person could be forced to carry the burden for up to a mile

Jesus made a reference to this in Matthew 5:41 when He said:

And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

When Mark describes Simon carrying Jesus cross (Mark 15:21) he uses the same word Jesus used in Matthew 5:41.

What a blessing! None of us will ever have a privilege like that. He was able to alleviate some of the suffering of Jesus. He gave Jesus rest.

Jesus, finally rid of the burden of the cross is approached by some ladies who followed Him. They are weeping loudly. Jesus said to them:

Daughters of Jerusalem do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold the days are coming when you will wish you didn’t have children.

People are going to cry out for death. (Luke 23:28-31).

Jesus was warning them about the destruction of Jerusalem coming shortly. The entire city would be laid waste and the Temple destroyed. This happened in AD 70 when Titus flattened the city.

When they arrived at the place of crucifixion the soldiers tried to give Jesus wine mixed with gall. There are a couple of possibilities as to what this was:

A type of narcotic

Bitter tasting drink

Two things:

Soldiers got a kick out of watching the person taste it.

It helped calm the victim down so he could be crucified more easily.

Jesus was no doubt thirsty. The major point is when Jesus needed sympathy He found none. Psalm 69:21 prophesied of this:

They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

2. The Nailing to the Cross (35-37).

They crucified Him.

They stripped Him of His clothing.

They stretched His arms out on a cross beam and hammered nails through His wrists.

They hoisted the cross beam up and fastened it to the standing beam.

They fastened His feet to the cross beam.

Different ways to crucify:

Fastened by cords to the beam.

Sometimes fastened to a pole.

Sometimes crucified in the form of an X.

Sometimes in the form of a capital T.

Sometimes upside down

They were all horrible.

They cast lots for His garments.

They wanted souvenirs. They were killing a celebrity. They were fulfilling Scripture (Psalm 22:18). They were playing games at the foot of the cross.

I wonder how many of us do that. When the gospel is being preached. When the death of Christ is being explained we sit in our pews playing games. No fear of God, no respect for Christ.

They watched Him. They just stared at Him. Imagine being stripped, covered in blood and bruises. Crown of thorns on your head. People just stare at you. You can’t cover yourself with your arms. You can’t cross your legs. There is no modesty at all.

They hung a sign above His head:

This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.

In three languages so everyone could read it: Aramaic, Latin, Greek.

Religious leaders wanted it changed to say “He said…” (John 19:21)

Pilate wouldn’t change it.

Pilate mocked both Jesus and the religious leaders with the sign.

The fact is the sign was right. There is no reason to be ashamed of this King.

He is our King, but He is also our Savior!

3. The Company of the Cross (38).

Jesus was crucified first. He would also be the first to die. But others were set to be executed that day too. Barabbas would have been.

He was crucified with two robbers. Isa. 53:12 said He would be numbered with the transgressors.

These were not innocent men. They were violent thieves, tried, convicted, sentenced to death.

Most of you know that one of them was saved that day. But initially both mocked Christ (44). I’ve always thought the position of Christ in the crucifixion was interesting.

Jesus was put in the middle.

Both had access to him. They could easily speak with Him. They chose to curse Him instead. The truth is there was no better place for those two men that day. They were as close to the grace of God as they could get.

If you are on your deathbed you want to be as close to Christ as you can be, and they were.

Jesus saved one of those men that day. That very day he went to heaven with the Lord. In this we see the grace of God!

Not by works!

By grace this man was saved!

After Jesus died these men were still alive. They had their legs broken so they could no longer breathe. They suffocated to death. That’s where the suffering of one of them ended.

A crucified Christ can do more for you than anyone or anything else. Look to him!

These men were not crucified with Christ to give Him comfort. They were crucified with Him that they might be comforted. It was by the providence and grace of God they were crucified with Christ.

In your suffering will you curse God like the one thief did?

Those who suffer cannot use the excuse of their own suffering for not coming to Christ. Look at the cross. How do we reconcile suffering with a good God? Because our good God has suffered as well. He has suffered for us. One of the thieves on the cross recognized that and the other did not.

4. The Mockers of the Cross (39-44).

You who would destroy the Temple & rebuild it- Jesus never said that.

Save yourself!

Come down from the cross!

They are yucking it up. It’s funny to them.

Religious leaders:

He saved others, why can’t He save Himself?

If He will come down from the cross we will believe He is the King of Israel (Imagine Jesus pulling those nails out).

He trusts in God, let God deliver Him.

Notice the phrase “if He desires Him”

They’re saying not even God wants Him.

These are cruel people. They are even mocking His compassion. They are saying to him “If you want us to be saved so badly, come down here and save us.”

“We want to be saved now! Come save us!”

This is demonic.

Their insincerity would be revealed soon because when He rises from the dead, they still do not believe in Him.

Know this: If you reject Christ, it is not because the claims of Christ are not reasonable. It is because you love your sin too much to come to him.

5. The Darkness of the Cross (45-50).

Three hours have passed. Jesus is only halfway through His suffering. The final three hours will be far worse than the first three.

From noon until three God shuts off the lights.

At the time of day when it should be brightest it is the darkest.

This was an actual darkness

This was a symbolic darkness

As soon as the darkness falls Jesus cries out “My God, My God why have you forsaken Me?”

Something different is happening.

He didn’t say this in the Garden.

He didn’t say this when He was arrested.

He didn’t say this when He was scourged.

He didn’t say this when He was nailed to the cross.

He said it when the lights went out.

It was such an excruciating cry that one person was moved to compassion and gave Him a drink.

Some expected a prophet like Elijah might come and deliver Him.

At that moment He felt in His body the pains of hell. Hell came to earth. It was poured out upon Jesus. For three hours He was beneath the spout.

Let me speak for a moment on the darkness of the cross.

The darkness of our sin- What has happening to Jesus was the result of sin. Sinful people killed Jesus. They killed Him in a sinful way. They tortured Him physically and emotionally.

Spurgeon once asked the question: If you could hold up your finger and there would be no more:

Religion to bother you

Judgment day for you to dread

No resurrection

No hell

No heaven

God would be put away, there would be no God.

Spurgeon said many would lift their finger. He said then you are guilty of the death of Christ because that is exactly what those who crucified Christ were attempting to do. They wanted to kill God. This reveals the darkness of our sin. If we could get away with it and still live many would kill God.

So, we see the darkness of our sin revealed at the cross.

The darkness of hell- In Scripture darkness often symbolizes judgment. Hell is a place of darkness. The darkness that day was a warning. Sin will lead us to the place of darkness the bible calls hell.

If you do not believe God will send you to hell look at the cross. Look what God allowed to happen to His Only Begotten Son. The darkness reflected the sorrow He experienced. Hell came to him. He is far more beloved than we are.

He is perfect.

He is holy.

He is without sin.

The Father poured out His wrath on Him, who are we to think He would not pour it out on us?

The darkness lifted- Jesus died at 3:00. He died voluntarily. He yielded up His spirit.

The darkness lifted when Jesus died because our sins were atoned for. The end of the darkness symbolizes the finished work of Christ on the cross. He drank the cup of God’s wrath dry.

Notice He cried with a loud voice. This was no whisper. This was a victory shout. It’s clear He was forsaken for only a short time because His last words were “Father, Into your hands I commit My spirit.”

Through the finished work of Jesus, the darkness of our sin has been removed.

The power of sin is defeated.

The penalty of sin is paid.