Thank You for the Trauma

Today I intend to bring connection to the power of the cross. If I were to point out all the connections in the Bible to the cross we would be here for hours, if not days.

DINNER WITH FRIENDS

The following takes place between John 13-19 , and takes place the night before Jesus is crucified.

1/3 of John details out the night before and day of Jesus Death.

Preparing for Passover

Mark 14:12–16 ESV

12 And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 13 And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, 14 and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” 16 And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

God is always prepared

The Passover

This was a sacred observance (annual holiday) in Judaism that remembered when God struck down all the firstborn males of Egypt when bringing Israel out of Egyptian slavery.

The Sacrificial Lamb

According to the custom – you take a male lamb without blemish and sacrifice it on the 14th day at twilight.

Then you take the blood from the lamb and place it on your door posts that when the angel of death would pass by, he would “pass over” your home.

In order for there to be life, there had to be death.

WE WILL COME BACK TO THIS IN A LITTLE BIT...

Following Events

Keep in mind, this is all taking place at evening, Jesus and his disciples have already had a full day of activity.

Setting: Large upper room for dinner

Jesus washes the Disciples feet

Dinner (Communion)

Judas is exposed and leaves to betray Jesus

Peter is told about his forthcoming denial

Jesus makes two I AM statements:

I am the Way, Truth, Life

I am the True Vine

Jesus teaches about the Holy Spirit (Our Comforter)

The World is going to hate us just like it hated Him

Jesus prays - John 17

The sing together and depart to the garden (Mt 26:30, Mk 14:26)

I’m going to shift to focusing more on the trauma of the following events. The following is disturbing...

GARDEN PRAYERS

Jesus leads his disciples to a garden nearby, as he had done many times before (John 18:2)

Jesus begins to pray to His Father.

Luke 22:41–44 AMP

41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw and knelt down and prayed, 42 Saying, Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but [always] Yours be done. 43 And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven, strengthening Him in spirit. 44 And being in an agony [of mind], He prayed [all the] more earnestly and intently, and His sweat became like great clots of blood dropping down upon the ground.

Jesus is in mental anguish

Sweating drops of blood - hematidrosis

Doctors don't know exactly what triggers hematidrosis, in part because it's so rare. They think it could be related to your body's "fight or flight" response.

Tiny blood vessels in the skin break open. The blood inside them may get squeezed out through sweat glands, or there might be unusual little pockets within the structure of your skin.

Setting: Night, the cool of night

Because it would’ve been cool in the night, it’s most likely that this blood wouldn’t have been “flowing” but would’ve most likely dried onto his skin.

His appearance may have looked as though he was “dirty”

Arrest

Emotionally, Jesus has now been turned over to the very ones that have called for His death, by one that He hand picked and has poured into, spent time with, intimately shared the most vulnerable moments of life with.

No arrest warrant is given.

The crowds make it look/appear that Jesus is a criminal worthy of such a mob.

Jesus is led away like a lamb to the slaughter (Is 52:7)

TRIAL & CONVICTION

The First Strike - John 18

Jesus is taken to the house of Caiaphas (The High Priest) and he is questioned by Annas (Caiaphas’ brother-in-law).

Jesus responds to their questions and is struck in the face.

Passed Around

Jesus is taken from the High Priest’s house >>

Pilot’s (Governor) Residence >>

Herod (happened to be in Jerusalem at that time) >>

Herod had his men mock and beat Jesus

Pilot for judgment

Jesus would’ve been so physically exhausted by this time. Again, He has been awake for almost 24 hours and it has been action packed

Scourging & Mockery

Pilot finds NO GUILT in Jesus

John 19:1 AMP

1 SO THEN Pilate took Jesus and scourged (flogged, whipped) Him.

Pre-crucifixion torture usually involved flogging/scourging, and could also include burning, racking, mutilation, and abuse of the victim’s family.

Scourging was performed by a Roman Lictor – specially trained in the art of torture.

The victim was stripped of all clothing and the wrists were fastened to a stone post

there were two Lictors, one on each side of the victim

The Scourge was a wooden handle with leather straps. Intertwined in the straps were iron balls, sharpened sheep bones, sharps rocks.

the lictors would take turns scourging the victim

The metal balls would’ve produced deep contusions on the victim.

The sharp rocks and bones would’ve shredded the victim’s flesh and muscle, many times down to the bone.

these wounds would have each been great enough for 10-15 stitches.

Jewish Flogging was limited to 39 lashes as it was believed that the 40th would’ve produced death. The roman’s had no such policy. It is entirely possible that Jesus was beat more or less than that. It would’ve been up to the Lictor as when to stop. The purpose of the scourging was torture, not death.

The Mockery was what immediately followed. They would take the bloodied victim into a room and surround them with soldiers.

they would take turns spitting, hurling insults, mocking, beating the victim

We know that they placed a purple robe on Jesus, twisted a crown of thorns and gave him a reed staff.

They bowed down mocking him

They took the reed out of his hands and beat him in the head with it

They brought him out in the robe, bloodied and beaten to the crowd – the crowd responds with, “Crucify Him!”

John 19:7 ESV

7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.”

Deuteronomy 21:22–23 ESV

22 “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.

THE CROSS

John 19:17 AMP

17 And they took Jesus and led [Him] away; so He went out, bearing His own cross, to the spot called The Place of the Skull—in Hebrew it is called Golgotha.

Again, Isaiah 53:7, they led him away like a sheep to the slaughter.

Journey to Golgotha

The victim would’ve had to carry their own cross beam (the part of the cross that their hand were fixed too) through the town to their place of death.

The cross beam would weigh anywhere from 75-125 lbs.

The victim would carry this on their upper back and neck area (keep in mind, his back is filleted open).

This cross beam was not a sanded down piece of wood. Chances are this beam had blood from previous criminals on it. That the wood was splintered and absolutely would’ve agitated the already opened wounds of his back.

Nails

Once the victim reached the destination, they were then “fixed” to the cross beam.

Most-likely the main post was already at the execution location.

The soldiers would’ve stripped Jesus of his purpose robe, ripping open the wounds that had dried.

Placing a nail/spike (5-7” in length) at the base of his palm where the wrist meets, the soldier would pound the nail through, thus fixed the victim to the cross beam.

Next the soldiers would drive a nail/spike through the victim’s feet (one on top of the other) at just the right location that once the cross was upright, the victim would not be able to breathe fully.

Right before they hoist him into the sky, they offer him vinegar mixed with myrrh.

This mixture would’ve been sour and used as a pain reliever for the victim.

Jesus refuses the pain management and takes the full experience.

Myrrh was the main ingredient of the Holy Anointing Oil according the Law. It was also used as an embalming agent for the dead.

Hanging on the Cross

As the victim hung on the cross, naturally insects and birds would be drawn to such a scene.

It wasn’t uncommon that birds would land on the victim’s and tug as meaty parts of their body.

People would pass by the vicim continuing to hurl insults and mockery at them.

Jesus’ response when he is hoisted up...

Luke 23:34 AMP

34 And Jesus prayed, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they divided His garments and distributed them by casting lots for them.

After all that had been done, and what was still to come, Jesus’ response is, “Father forgive them...”

Passover Time

The original Passover, the blood of the lamb was put on the door posts.

Jesus said, “I am the door” - John 10:7-11

John 10:7–11 AMP

7 So Jesus said again, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that I Myself am the Door for the sheep. 8 All others who came [as such] before Me are thieves and robbers, but the [true] sheep did not listen to and obey them. 9 I am the Door; anyone who enters in through Me will be saved (will live). He will come in and he will go out [freely], and will find pasture. 10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). 11 I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd risks and lays down His [own] life for the sheep.

What a picture as the Lamb of God (John 1:29) who is also The Door, has his blood spread across the post (the cross) as he is laying His life down.

1 Corinthians 5:7 AMP

7 Purge (clean out) the old leaven that you may be fresh (new) dough, still uncontaminated [as you are], for Christ, our Passover [Lamb], has been sacrificed.

God is bringing deliverance from slavery for the World this time.

It Is Finished

John 19:28–30 AMP

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished (ended), said in fulfillment of the Scripture, I thirst. 29 A vessel (jar) full of sour wine (vinegar) was placed there, so they put a sponge soaked in the sour wine on [a stalk, reed of] hyssop, and held it to [His] mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, It is finished! And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

Mark 15:34 ESV

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Psalm 22 referenced here...

Starts with, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Ends with, “It is Finished.”

Crucifixion was never meant to kill the victim! It was meant for torture.

The breaking of legs would be what brought about the death. With legs broken, they would have no strength to stand, thus causing asphyxiation.

Proof of Death

John 19:31–37 AMP

31 Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from hanging on the cross on the Sabbath—for that Sabbath was a very solemn and important one—the Jews requested Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first one, and of the other who had been crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came (flowed) out. 35 And he who saw it (the eyewitness) gives this evidence, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he tells the truth, that you may believe also. 36 For these things took place, that the Scripture might be fulfilled (verified, carried out), Not one of His bones shall be broken; 37 And again another Scripture says, They shall look on Him Whom they have pierced.

THE GOOD NEWS!

Jesus didn’t stay dead

3 days later, Jesus is raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit

Significance: He did what no human had ever done on their own…he conquered death and the grave.

Forgiveness for All

John 20:21–23 AMP

21 Then Jesus said to them again, Peace to you! [Just] as the Father has sent Me forth, so I am sending you. 22 And having said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit! 23 [Now having received the Holy Spirit, and being led and directed by Him] if you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained.

Purpose of the Church

Salvation for All

Romans 10:9–10 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

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