From Misfortune to Blessing
Crucify Him! • Sermon • Submitted
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· 140 viewsSimon came to Jerusalem as a spectator but became a participant in the bearing of the cross. His misfortune aided in Jesus ensuring our blessing.
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Intro
Intro
Many of us today are familiar with this symbol… Show picture of the cross.
This is a Roman Cross
Long before it was jewelry, it was a symbol of execution
It is the equivalent of an electric chair guillotine!
Thousands were crucified but we know/identify with this symbol because of ONE
This 7 week journey that we are about to embark on is the story of the humanity and divinity of Jesus
3 For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won’t grow weary and give up.
“He endured so we can endure.”
On the last Thursday before He would go to the cross Jesus had a final meal with His disciples. He told them of His intentions and is ready to prepare himself for what He is to suffer.
After the meal He leads his closest disciples/Peter, James, John to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray with Him.
He is in anguish and praying for comfort and strength
His closest disciples/apostles fall asleep on Him...
Another disciple, Judas arrives and betrays Jesus with a kiss
And a mob arrests Jesus
Jesus ends Thursday being denied by one of His closest friends and followers Peter and being a part of a very unjust trial that began at night!
Faces an unfair trial
He then is severely beaten and mocked
On Friday morning he faces a legitimate court among the Jews and they question His Identity as the Messiah and son of God. Jesus responds with certainty on Friday morning...
“I AM”
On the same day after the Jewish leaders have decided that they have heard enough to condemn Jesus to die they take Him to the person who has the power to move the process through to action.
Pilate the governor questions and finds no fault in Jesus and gives the roaring crowd the opportunity to choose the right way. They choose to condemn Jesus to death. And because of the influence of the High Priest on the crowd and the crowd growing restless in their chants to “CRUCIFY HIM!” Pilate relents and gives in.
“CRUCIFY HIM!”
Jesus is taken away, beaten over the head with a reed, flogged ripping the skin from His body, stripped of His clothing, spit upon, and mocked relentlessly...
Our story continues on Friday after this severe physical and mental abuse...
15 They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
Pilate said to them, “Should I crucify your king?”
“We have no king but Caesar!” the chief priests answered.
16 Then he handed him over to be crucified.
Then they took Jesus away.
Jesus still obedient to the will of the Father allowed himself to be handed over to be crucified.
jn 19
15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them; and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.
16 The soldiers led him away into the palace (that is, the governor’s residence) and called the whole company together. 17 They dressed him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 They were hitting him on the head with a stick and spitting on him. Getting down on their knees, they were paying him homage. 20 After they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple robe and put his clothes on him.
They led him out to crucify him.
mk 15 15-
15 They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
Pilate said to them, “Should I crucify your king?”
“We have no king but Caesar!” the chief priests answered.
16 Then he handed him over to be crucified.
Then they took Jesus away. 17 Carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called Place of the Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.
jn 19 15-17
Jesus is flogged
Is beaten with a whip called a flagrum.
This whip had metal balls on the end to help produce speed.
before the tips were placed sharp bones
the whip ends were made of leather.
The number of lashes would be up to 39 times, but usually depended on the mood of the person doing the whipping.
Roman floggings were traumatically brutal. The soldier would use a weapon called flagrum which consisted of braided leather thongs with metal balls woven into them. One whip can cause deep bruises and contusions due to the weight of the metal balls attached to it. Roman floggings usually consisted of 39 lashes but it could be more, depending on the mood of the solider applying the blows. As the flogging continues, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh! This kind of torture would, no doubt, put one into hypovolemic shock!
Hypovolemic shock, as it is medically defined, is characterized by decreased intravascular blood volume caused by external fluid losses as in traumatic blood loss. In short, the person will suffer the effects of losing huge amount of blood such as:
1. Increased heart rate to pump the blood that isn’t there.
2. Blood pressure drops, causing fainting or collapse.
3. Kidneys would shut down and stop producing urine to maintain body fluids left in the body.
4. Sensation of extreme thirst as the body craves for fluid to replace lost blood volume.
The Gospel accounts recorded that Jesus was, indeed, in hypovolemic shock after the terrible Roman scourging. Due to decreased blood pressure, Jesus collapsed while carrying his cross to Golgotha. That’s why one Roman soldier forced Simon to help Jesus carry the cross (). While hanging on the cross, Jesus also said he is thirsty (). Furthermore, the increased heart rate contributed to heart failure, resulting in pleural effusion (fluid accumulation in the membrane around the lungs) and pericardial effusion (fluid accumulation in the membrane around the heart). This is why when the spear that was thrusted through Jesus’ side was pulled out, some clear fluid (those collected in the membranes surrounding the heart and lungs) came out followed by huge amount of blood, just as the Apostle John has documented (). The Gospel’s description is consistent with what modern medicine would expect to have happened. Source: Janowbi’s Light bulb
Jesus warns His disciples that they too would be flogged.
21 They forced a man coming in from the country, who was passing by, to carry Jesus’s cross. He was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.
18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 They were hitting him on the head with a stick and spitting on him. Getting down on their knees, they were paying him homage. 20 After they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple robe and put his clothes on him.
They led him out to crucify him.
Simon of Cyrene
From Cyrene, a Roman capital city in North Africa
Father of Alexander and Rufus
Would have been known by those to whom Mark was written to.
He was forced/pressed/compelled to carry the cross.
We see that this was something that Roman soldiers were allowed to do. Jesus mentions this type of thing earlier on.
“…if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile...”
Simon was not in Jerusalem to carry bloodied crosses! He being from Cyrene and coming from a place close to Jerusalem would have been there to celebrate Passover! He was there to celebrate the day when God REDEEMED (BOUGHT BACK) Israel from Egypt! The day God helped His people to overcome their former master to serve the good master. He would not have wanted to get blood all over himself to make himself unclean and not be a part of this great day! He was there to celebrate the passover lamb and did not count on meeting THE LAMB! This lamb would do more than save from a nation of people, this Lamb would set free the whole world overcoming the adversary and providing the means for REMISSION of sin!
2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
This is not a joy mixed with grief or mixed with anger… This is a complete joy! In the Greek it says ALL JOY! Here’s why.
28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
29 For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
It does not matter what happens in your life! If you are a LOVER of God, you can best believe that God will turn tragedy to triumph, pain into peace, and death into life!
As Jesus is on His way to change the lives of every human being ever, his humanity was weakened by what He has been through. He has lost blood and is weak because of it. But the new Adam had to do his job on this earth. Jesus could have called on His deity to give him more strength in His human form but the sins of the world was at stake!
17 Carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called Place of the Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.
7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.”
When he starting out the author of John states that he carried or BORE the cross.
Jesus carried a weight that did not belong to Him.
Our sin was the cause of His heavy cross.
21 They forced a man coming in from the country, who was passing by, to carry Jesus’s cross. He was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.
So when Simon is compelled to carry the cross of Jesus is helping to carry His own cross.
Jesus makes a statement that appears across the synoptic Gospels early on in His ministry in regards to the cross and those who were his disciples/students. He stated that if anyone wanted to become His followers they first had to deny themselves.
34 Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
Put your will on mute and God’s will on full blast!
“…take up his cross, and follow me.”
Jesus said that after you put yourself on mute to pickup your cross and follow Him. Simon was seems to be the first to do so.
21 They forced a man coming in from the country, who was passing by, to carry Jesus’s cross. He was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.
Jesus’ goal was to fulfill the will of God but in this moment there was need for a human to become involved in the divine plan for the whole of humanity to be saved! And if you claim to be a lover of God we ought not let uncomfortable scenarios stop us from being full participants in the will of God! We all benefited from the assistance that Simon of Cyrene provided!
Simon son may be the person greeted by Paul through the epistle to Rome before He ever set foot there in . This misfortune of having to carry the cross was a blessing to the whole world! And could have possibly helped with the spreading of Christianity to Rome through Simon’s children.
Who will benefit from your cross carrying?
Conclusion
Conclusion
We too must be involved with God’s method of glory which involves shame being turned into triumph. Discipleship involves a surrendering of who you are, being compelled by someone greater than you, for the sake of Jesus doing what He needs to do for others!