Mark 15:21-26 "Jesus' Crucifixion"

Good Morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!

How about Children’s Church?

Ed & Debbie… thank you for being obedient to this fresh vision from the Lord for our church and kids!

Steve & Cora… thanks once again for your guidance to our church!

And, Tim & Kyla… well done today. Thanks for your willingness to be in the skit.

Whatever season of life you are in… the Lord’s smiles upon those who serve Him with a joyful heart!

Please pray for peace in our country as an assassination attempt was made on Former President Trump yesterday.

Whatever side of the aisle you sit… this act of violence stands against our Constitutional Democracy.

Pray also that this rattling experience would draw Trump to the Lord.

Pray God would put into office the man who will best represent Biblical Values.

These are trying times… and we wait… we watch… we take action as the Lord leads…

And, the action we take this morning is to know the truth… so we don’t fall for the lie.

Because there is a thick anti-biblical lie that principalities and power are propagating… and many… who have NOT been wise with this season to know the truth… will be deceived.

So, let’s enter the word and get filled with the truth! Please open your Bibles to Mark 15. Mark 15:21-26 today.

And, I find a bit of irony that we are looking at the crucifixion of Jesus today… being there was an attempt on Trump’s life yesterday.

Not that Trump is our Savior… ONLY Jesus is our Savior and the One we can count on to usher in a perfect government system.

But there is a parallel… in that wicked men historically have killed leaders who go against their agenda.

If you were not here last week…

We find ourselves today in the second to last chapter in the Gospel of Mark… and looking at the well documented final week of Jesus’ life prior to the cross.

In the past few weeks we looked at Jesus’ six trials…

3 Religious Trials & 3 Civil Trials

Which were riddled with illegalities… including brutally beating Jesus prior to being sentenced…

Pilate, the Roman Governor over Judea, found no fault in Jesus…

So he attempted to gratify the Jewish leaders and people (who wanted blood)…

By releasing a prisoner… and they chose the murder and seditionist, Barabbas, over Jesus…

Since that failed, Pilate had Jesus scourged… the brutal torture the Romans nicknamed “the half death”…

It was not intended to kill… crucifixion was the death penalty… but scourging brought the sentenced party ‘‘one stroke away from death’.’

Romans had perfected the art of pain… and their public forms of brutal humiliation and torture sent a clear message… ‘don’t cross Rome!’

After the scouring… the Roman soldier twisted a crown of thorns upon Jesus’ head…

Possible Palm spines from the date palm tree common to Israel… (which I have a slide of).

Nasty looking thorns.

Ironically Palm branches were waived at His triumphal entry… and possibly from the same tree the thorns now placed upon His already battered head.

Thorns which were brought into the world as part of the curse of the fall…

He crowned Himself with our sins, and crowned His faithful with…

The Crown of Righteousness (2 Tim 4:8)

The Crown of Life (Jas 1:12)

The Crown of Glory (1 Pet 5:4)

The Crown of Rejoicing (1 Thes 2:19)

By all rights, we should be wearing the Crown of Thorns, but He wore it for us...

And, after they mocked Him… and beat Him… spit upon Him (which is utterly disgusting and degrading)…

They led Him out to the Jews wearing a purple robe and the crown of thorns and Pilate said, “Behold the Man!”

Pilate declared Him innocent, intended to let Him go, but…

The because of the extreme pressure by the Jews… to avoid them rioting… and because they said, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.”

Pilate succumbed to their cries to “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

John wrote “Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

Which was blasphemy… the original charge they placed upon Jesus.

And, then they led Him out to crucify Him.

It’s true that we joyfully enter the word, but we are far from entering a joyful passage… as we today behold "Jesus’ Crucifixion”… our message title for today.

Keep in mind the exhortation of Heb 12 “...run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

It is completely incomprehensible to us to pair the words “joy” and “cross”, but in love for you and I… and the redemption of mankind… Jesus bore the cross.

Let’s Pray and then enter the word.

In reverence for God’s word please stand as I read our passage today.

Mark 15:21-26 “Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross. 22 And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.

24 And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.

25 Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. 26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS”

Praise you King Jesus! Please be seated.

We pick up today where Jesus has been sentenced to death by crucifixion.

Pilate had called forth a whole garrison (or cohort) of Roman Soldiers… about 600 men trained to kill.

And, these ruthless specialists in death lead Jesus out of the Praetorium… out of Jerusalem… and they are heading to Golgotha or Calvary.

Jesus had changed hands from the Jewish Temple Guard… to the Roman Soldiers… and had been brutalized by both…

But, Rome knew no mercy… the Jews if they whipped you were prohibited to 40 stripes… and to ensure they didn’t break the law… they gave 39.

Rome didn’t have this law… they would beat you until you were almost dead… but they had their craft down…

And, they knew how much a man could take… how much blood one could lose…

And, they bring Jesus to this point… to the point of “half death”… and typically the condemned… the guilty party… would bear the cross beam on which they would be crucified…

Not typically the whole cross, but the cross beam weighing up to 100 lbs and awkward to carry.

The rough cut wood would painfully scrape against scourged skin…

And, carrying the cross… through the streets of the city in front of all the people… was like digging one’s own grave…

You carried the instrument of your own death to the place you would die… it was shameful… and was a public display by Rome to elicit a sense of fear to not step out of line against Rome or this could be you.

Now… as we look at V21, we see that Jesus did not carry His cross, but a certain Cyrenian… named Simon bore the weight of the cross… as compelled to do so by the Roman soldiers.

And, on one hand… it would be totally understandable that Jesus… after all this brutality… would lack the physical strength to bear the cross.

But, perhaps there is something more.

As mentioned, the one who carried the cross was guilty.

But, Jesus was innocent…

Pilate testified of this… as did his wife… even Judas Iscariot testified, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”

It was not appropriate for Jesus to bear the cross.

It would have been appropriate for any other person alive… or for even you or I to bear the cross… but not Jesus.

He was the spotless lamb of God…

Had Jesus’ disciples not fled… perhaps THEY could have stepped in to help the Lord.

What an honor… what a privilege that would have been.

Had Simon Peter not denied the Lord and fled… he was there on the scene… he could have bore the cross.

The ‘prince of preachers’… Charles Haddon Spurgeon reflected on this scene and Simon of Cyrene carrying the cross and said, “And where was that other Simon? What a silent but strong rebuke this would be to him. Simon Peter, where were you? Another Simon has taken your place. Sometimes the Lord’s servants are backward where they are expected to be forward, and he finds other servants for a time. If this has ever happened to us, it ought gently to rebuke us as long as we live.”

The Lord’s will be done with or without us, but when we flee from our duty to Him and our calling… He raises up another Simon… another servant in our place.

His disciples could have been there… happily they would have carried the cross… but they were in hiding.

Don’t hide from your duty to the Lord Christian.

As tough as this Christian life might be…

In fleeing temptation…

In daily dying to self…

In taking up the cross and following Jesus…

As difficult as it is to put aside our own desires to pursue holiness… don’t run from the Lord.

And, so they lead Jesus out… and a random pilgrim… in Jerusalem for Passover… Simon of Cyrene was compelled… he was “pressed or forced into service.”

There was a Roman practice where soldiers would command Jewish civilians to carry their personal gear for up to a mile… one Roman mile.

You may recall Jesus taught in Matt 5:41 “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.”

And on this day, here is Simon… minding his own business and the Romans… as Luke wrote “laid hold of a certain man Simon a Cyrenian...”

He day took a quick turn as he was forced to carry the cross of Christ.

We don’t know a whole lot about Simon. For sure we know where he was from… Cyrene… a city in North Africa (modern day Libya)… a city populated by many Jews.

We know his name is Simon… a Jewish name. The same as Simeon… meaning “hearkening or ‘hears and obeys.’”

He has two sons… Alexander and Rufus…

Is this the same Rufus who Paul greeted in Rom 16:13? “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.”

Sounds like Paul was close to this family.

It’s interesting when the names of obscure Bible characters are listed… blind Bartimaeus, Malchus…

It would not shock me that we see many of these people in heaven.

Did our gospel writers know their names because of subsequent interactions?… Now as disciples because of the impact Jesus had on their lives…

He restored Bartimaeus’ sight…

He put Malchus’ ear back…

And, we can only imagine the impact carrying the cross… and all the supernatural things that followed… had on Simon of Cyrene.

And, as obscure as these characters are in the Bible… they are NOT obscure to the Lord… their names are eternally etched in scripture (which is an amazing honor)…

And, for you and I, and anyone who calls on His name, John 10:3 states, “… the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

Believers know His voice and YOU ARE NOT obscure to Jesus Christ. He knows you by name.

On the way to Calvary… Luke 23:27-31 records, “And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. 28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’ 31 For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”

Green wood… picturesque of Jesus/ green and innocent… and the dry… symbolic of Israel who was barren from sin.

And if brutal Rome committed these atrocities against innocent Jesus… guilty Israel would receive no mercies from Rome.

And some 30 years after this scene in 70 A.D. … Rome indeed ravaged Israel and her people.

And, certainly, the Tribulation could be in view here as well.

Luke 23:32 gives us this additional detail, “There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.”

So, the Romans and a mob of Jews, lead Jesus, who is innocent… Simon bearing His cross… and two criminals… truly guilty for their crimes… to Golgotha… the Place of a Skull.

Which is reflected in Mark 15:22…

Golgotha is a Greek transliteration of an Aramaic word meaning “the place of the Skull.”

Luke calls this same place “Calvary” which is an English word based on the Latin word Calvaria…

In Gk., “Calvary” is translated “kranion”… the basis for “cranium” ir skull.

So, Golgotha, Calvary, or Kranion… however you want to say it… they all mean skull.

So… any of you who call “Calvary Chapel” home… you attend “Skull Chapel”…

We have a new logo and branding in the works… it’s real popular in the heavy metal scene…

Now… the actual location of Calvary is disputed…

With Jerusalem being destroyed in 70 A.D., and then built over many times over in the past 2000… Jerusalem today looks far different than 1st century Jerusalem.

What we know is John 19:20 says Jesus was crucified "near the city" / Jerusalem.

Hebrews 13:12 states Jesus “suffered outside the gate.”

Matthew 27:39 and Mark 15:29 indicate people “passed by”… wagging their heads and blaspheming Him…

So, the location was likely not up on a hill, but near a common road where people “passed by”, and could read the sign Pilate posted “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

One commentator wrote, “Golgotha was a rounded, rocky knoll (not a hill or mountain) vaguely resembling the shape of a human skull.”

So, the location must meet these criteria… and two places stand out…

The traditional site is called “The Church of the Holy Sepulchre”…

In which is enclosed the traditional site of Calvary… is the lavish “Altar of the Crucifixion” which holds the “Rock of Calvary” and lays claim to being where the Crucifixion occurred…

Also, in a separate room is the “Edicule” (which translates as “little house”)… it’s a small shrine that protects the tomb of Jesus Christ.

Now… when I went to Jerusalem… this was one of the most difficult sites for me to visit… and NOT because this is the traditional site where Jesus was killed and buried.

It was difficult because people were rubbing clothing on the traditional stone where Jesus was buried… and people were weeping and kissing the stone… and gold was everywhere… and religious orthodox people were everywhere…

And, to me… it just felt like… a shrine of idolatry…

My friend Ed and I were so bothered by it all, that we never even stood in the line… nor did we walk through the Edicule.

I had to hush Ed because he kept making loud comments about idolatry.

Still… if you can get past all the relics and religion… this may be the site… just heavily built over.

But, there is another site… also very popular called “Gordon’s Calvary”…

Named after the British Major-General, Charles George Gordon, who in 1882 endorsed the view of two biblical scholars that this was the authentic site.

They did the research, he got the credit.

Regardless, what I like about this site is that it looks and feels authentic.

Golgotha is the Place of the Skull, and at Gordon’s Calvary there is a rocky knoll that looks like a skull!

And, just around the corner… there is a garden and a tomb.

Jn 19:41 states, “Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.”

Today, you can visit “The Garden Tomb” which is just next to Gordon’s Calvary.

And, look… if Gordon’s Calvary and the Garden Tomb is not the actual site… they certainly give you a closer feel of what the site may have been like.

No relics… much more peaceful and worshipful… minus the bus station at the base of Gordon’s Calvary.

Back in Mark 15… V23 “Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh [or gall… a bitter ingredient] to drink, but He did not take it.”

Just prior to being crucified, the Romans attempt to give Jesus a concoction of wine and myrrh or gall.

This was thought a stupefying potion that would dull the senses, making it easier for the Romans to have less resistance in nailing the condemned to the cross.

Another Rabbinic tradition holds certain women provided this sedative drink to decrease the pain according to Pro 31:6 “Give strong drink to him who is perishing...”

Regardless of the exact motivation… Ps 69:21 prophesied this 1000 years prior… “They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”

Myrrh was a spice… a product of Arabia… obtained from a tree.

It was multi-purposed… used in embalming… mixed with wine… also a fragrance.

It often symbolized bitterness, suffering and affliction.

The wise men presented gifts to the child Jesus, ‘gold, frankincense, and myrrh.’

Gold for the divine King… Frankincense for the fragrance of His perfect and sinless life… Myrrh pointing to His sufferings and death.

But, Jesus did not drink this mind-numbing mix of wine and myrrh…

With a clear head, He faced the cross and took the punishment of our sin.

Jesus did not lessen the intensity of the punishment against sin by drinking the wine and myrrh. He took ALL of God’s wrath on sin.

V24 begins, “And when they crucified Him…”

Sometimes we read the three words of V35… “…they crucified Him…” and God forgive us… sometime we almost pass and don’t pause in reverence of just how significant those three words are…

“They crucified Him.”… They crucified Jesus.

One scholar wrote, “With restrained simplicity Mark wrote, And they crucified Him.”

This was Rome’s form of Capital Punishment reserved for non-Roman citizens.

Readers of the first century needed no explanation or elaboration as to what crucifixion meant.

But today, we require explanation because Capital Punishment looks much different… at least in the U.S....

It’s not a public spectacle held in public squares… and largely it comes by means of “lethal injection”…

Though, the electric chair is still legal in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Death by hanging is still legal in New Hampshire.

The Firing Squad… still legal in Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah.

The Gas Chamber… still legal in eleven states.

France last used the Guillotine in 1977… the year of my birth.

The book of Revelation tells us it will make a resurgence.

Rev 20:4… martyred saints “beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God.”

I guess that could come by the headsman as well… the executioner.

You can count on beheading coming back, but all that other info. about death penalties…

That comes by Sir Google… you may want to fact check.

Regardless… none of these forms of capital punishment compare to the horrors of crucifixion… which Rome used until finally outlawed in the fourth century by Emperor Constantine.

Cicero and Josephus… who were first hand eye witnesses of crucifixion… had this to say…

The Roman orator Cicero noted that "of all punishments, it is the most cruel and most terrifying."

Jewish historian Josephus called it "the most wretched of deaths."

In Iran and Saudi Arabia, crucifixion remains a rare method of public execution still used today.

Historically… the earliest record of crucifixion dates to 519 BC, when King Darius I of Persia crucified 3,000 of his political enemies in Babylon.

Fascinating in almost 500 years prior to Darius… David penned Psalm 22… which clearly and prophetically points to the Messiah being crucified…

Some excerpts from that Psalm… “… all My bones are out of joint (an effect of hanging on the cross)… My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me.... My tongue clings to My jaws (heart attacks and dehydration were common with crucifixion)… They pierced My hands and My feet (a clear reference).

That was written 500 years prior to the first record of crucifixion and 1000 years prior to Christ.

Truly amazing.

Later… Greeks, Carthaginians, and the Seleucid Antiochus IV Epiphanes all crucified… Epiphanes specifically crucified Jews who refused to accept Hellenization.

And while the Romans didn’t invent crucifixion… they certainly perfected it to inflict the maximum pain and shame the was publically witnessed for up to 4 days…

Which sent a clear message deterring anyone from crossing the Roman Government.

Scourging often preceded crucifixion, and the loss of blood led to dehydration, shock and respiratory failure.

Not to mention pain when the victim carried their cross beam (called the patibulum)… and anytime the victim lifted themselves or lower themselves on the cross to catch a breath…

Their raw body from the scourging would scrape against the rough cut beam of the cross… causing further injury and pain.

Crucifixion was also of the most embarrassing and shameful deaths… as the condemned were often stripped naked and then hung on the cross…

… that’s why the soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ clothes.

And, as read earlier, Heb 12:2 states Jesus “endured the cross, despising the shame...”

Some Bibles read, “disregarding its shame” or “scorning its shame.”

Expositors wrote, “If one “scorns” a thing, one normally has nothing to do with it, but “scorning its shame” means rather that Jesus thought so little of the pain and shame involved that he did not bother to avoid it. He endured it. Then, having completed his work of redemption, he “sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”

Now stripped of their flesh through scourging… and stripped of their clothes…

The person to be crucified was forced to stretch out their arms on the crossbeam where Roman crucifixion spikes about 5-7” long (similar in size to that of a railroad spike)… were nailed through their wrists and their feet.

Not the palms of their hands which is often depicted, but the wrists which was considered part of the hand in ancient times… and could bear the weight…

The legs were bent into an awkward position which caused cramping… and the feet were typically one foot on top of the other with the nail through the middle and arch of each foot.

And each time the crucified person shifted or lifted their body to catch a breath… the nails would press on their ulnar and median nerves in the wrists and the plantar nerves in the feet… sending painful jolts through the body.

The crossbeam would then be hoisted up and fastened to an upright post that would normally remain standing between crucifixions.

And then the body hung… all the weight of the body was supported by the three nails… causing tremendous pain through the body…

And the outstretched arms would cause cramping and paralysis in the chest muscles making it impossible to breath…

One would have to alternate between pulling up on the wrists or pushing up on the feet… pressing against nerves in both the hands and feet…

And, the raw back from the scourging scraping against the wood with each movement.

Death occured by a number of ways… but all slow and torturous… most often by progressive asphyxiation from impaired respiratory movement, , but also dehydration, infection, cardiac arrest… some were even hung low, so wild animals could gnaw at their feet and legs.

In order to hasten death, Roman soldiers might take a mallet to the victim’s legs breaking them… which would prevent the condemned from pushing up to breathe; thus, asphyxiation would follow shortly after.

But, for Jesus, we know the Romans “did NOT break His legs” (according to John 19:33)… which fulfilled Ps 22:17 “I can count all My bones.”

I came across and printed a purely scientific article on crucifixion from a journal called “Accident and Emergency Nursing” and they nicely describe crucifixion from a medical standpoint, and then postulate the cause of death for Jesus Christ…

… even providing a list of theories of His death going back to 1874…

Such as cardiac rupture, myocardial infarction (heart attack), shock, asphyxia… an so forth.

Fascinating to read a purely medical perspective on crucifixion… the articles are on the info table if you’re interested.

BUT, I had to disagree with the cause of death…

Because in John 10:17-18 Jesus said, “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

NO ONE took Jesus’s life… John 19:30 records Jesus said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”

Jesus suffered a slow and torturous and humiliating death.

But in the end… He yielded His spirit because “it” was finished. The means for mankind’s redemption was accomplished.

Which we will look closer at that next week… where we will break down the statements Jesus makes from the cross.

Because there’s too much depth and richness in this scene to cover it in just one week.

I’m not going to rush this one.

Jesus’ death and resurrection… this is Holy Ground… I’m good taking a couple weeks here… and I’m sure you are too.

Again, in V24 of Mark 15, we simply read, “And, when they crucified Him...”

But let forever be burned in our minds the horrors that He faced this day.

There should be a deeper understanding in our minds… and a response in our hearts… we should always take a moment to pause and praise God when we read versus like…

“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29)

“…the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Pet 1:19)

“Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” (1 Cor 5:7)

So many verses point to Jesus’ sacrificial death… so many types in the OT confirmed in the New…

The Passover… the Sacrificial System… the Mercy Seat…

Perhaps not better said than this… John 3:14-16 “And, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness [Num 21], even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

When we think about the crucifixion… beyond horror… beyond awe… beyond praise…

The best response one can have in their heart is belief… is faith… is saying ‘yes’ and receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior.

If you’ve never confessed Jesus as Lord… Elders will be available at the end of service to pray with you… and make that confession… accept Jesus as the Truth.

… and then we have a Baptism this afternoon… come get Baptized.

It will be a day of days!

Finishing up V24 “And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.”

Romans kept watch until the condemned died, and were granted the right to keep the personal effects of the condemned.

John tells us there were five personal effects of Jesus… typically four soldiers were present, so each got one garment, but the fifth was a tunic without a seam. To divide it would make it worthless, so they cast lots, and the lucky winner got the tunic.

This was customary for them… but what they didn’t realize, is what Matthew wrote, in this action they fulfilled the prophecy of Ps 22:18.

David wrote, “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.”

So often God weaves the supernatural into the natural. He accomplished His divine sovereign will in very natural ways not seen to the natural eye.

For these Romans, this was just another execution and another dividing of personal effects…

But beyond the natural… supernaturally 1000 years prior… it had been penned that this action would take place.

The entirety of Psalm 22 should make you quiver… read or re-read it this week in comparison to what we are looking at today…

It’s vivid… it’s prophetic… it’s exact.

V25 “Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. 26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS”

The third hour, according to Jewish reckoning, is 9 A.M.

John 19:14 mentions Jesus’ trial before Pilate was at the sixth hour, but John probably used Roman reckoning of time… so 6 A.M.

In that space of 3 hours… Jesus had His fill of Roman beatings and mockery… and Rome prepared for the crucifixions of Jesus and the two criminals… the robbers.

And, then Pilate perhaps in subtle revenge to the Jews for forcing his hand to crucify Jesus…

John 19 tells us “Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross.”

John says a “title” was written… Mark calls it an “accusation”… and it was typical for the crime of the person being crucified to be posted.

And, Pilate saw fit for Jesus’ accusation to be… not blasphemy or sedition… or tax evasion, but “The King of the Jews.”

There were several types of crosses… a single beam, a T-shaped cross, and the traditional cross, we think of, where the vertical beam goes beyond the horizontal beam.

The fact that a sign was hung above Jesus’ head gives weight to the traditional cross being authentic…

The sign had to posted on something, and it was likely a longer vertical beam.

John tells us Pilate had the sign written in three languages: Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

Hebrew Hĕbraïsti by def. “the Jewish Chaldean language” (Aramaic)… Greek- the common language of the world, and Latin- for the Roman officials.

Hebrew- the language of religion. Greek- the language of commerce. Latin- the language of power.

Pilate ensured all could read the sign.

And, John tells us “many of the Jews read this title, for the place Jesus was crucified was near the city…”

Which the chief priests did not like.

Objecting, we read in John 19:21-22, “Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” ’ ” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

They want the statement not to proclaim the fact (Jesus is ‘The King of the Jews’), but they want a statement reflecting Jesus made an untrue claim to be their King.

But Pilate is not having it. He did enough dirty work for them and now puts his foot down.

And, these are his last recorded words in scripture… concluding a series of fascinating utterances by Pilate…

“What is truth?”

“Behold the Man!” “Behold your King!”

“What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”

Washing his hands, Pilate said, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.”

But, Pilate was far beyond innocent.

True salvation is not just a conversation with Jesus…

It take more than simply asking, “What is truth?”

We are held accountable for our actions… Pilate had many opportunities to take a stand for Jesus…

He pronounced Jesus innocent, but had Him beat like a criminal.

He wanted to release Him, but gave into pressure.

Luke said… And as soon as Pilate knew that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod… He didn’t know what to do with Jesus, so he tried to pawn Him off to someone else.

Today, there are many Pilates still in the world who don’t know what to do with Jesus…

They do everything except for putting their foot down for Jesus.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life… “

And, Paul wrote that unrighteous men “suppress the truth in unrighteousness.”

One cannot be not saved through the good work of trying to defend His innocence… but ultimately caving into the pressure of the world… and agreeing to crucify Him.

This is the error of Pilate.

“Well I tried. But, the pressure was too great. Therefore, I wash my hands… I am innocent of His blood.”

Like Pilate, is some sense we all ask the question, “What is truth?”

And, like Pilate, we will all be known for all eternity for what we did with Jesus.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jn 14:6

Pilate looked truth in the face, but never personally accepted the Truth. He folded and crucified the Truth.

He is forever the sad case of the man who walked away from “THE Truth.”

Worship team you can come…

Jesus’ crucifixion… when you break it down in great depth and detail is a heavy topic… so we’re going to end here today…

But read ahead… if you’re thinking, “But Pastor Marc, what about the other details surrounding the crucifixion? Jesus’ statements… the supernatural occurrences… the darkness… the veil torn in two…?”

Don’t worry… this is at least a two-part-er… we’ll get there next week.

Scripture is rich… and our God is good for giving us His Son.

Amen? Let’s pray!

If you need pray today, our elders and pray team are coming up and are available to pray with you and for you.

If you have never confessed Jesus as Lord… maybe today is your day of salvation… come get saved and then baptized at 4pm today…

I promise I won’t hold you under too long.

May the Lord bless you and keep you and cause His face to shine upon you. God bless you as you go!