Jesus Crucifixion

Praise and Prayer

The past five Sundays or so we have been looking at Jesus’ journey to the cross as we approach Easter which is next Sunday.

Last week we looked at Jesus’ trial before Pilate who could find no fault in Jesus, and declared Jesus innocent three times, but because of the pressure from the Jewish officials, he eventually sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion, to keep the peace and keep the Jewish officials from starting problems.

This morning we are going to look at the crucifixion, we are going to look at it from all four Gospel accounts.

I. Crucified with Thieves.

To begin with let’s look at the first part of the story of the crucifixion. Luke 23:32-43

Luke 23:32–43 CSB

32 Two others—criminals—were also led away to be executed with him. 33 When they arrived at the place called The Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided his clothes and cast lots. 35 The people stood watching, and even the leaders were scoffing: “He saved others; let him save himself if this is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him. They came offering him sour wine 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 An inscription was above him: This Is the King of the Jews. 39 Then one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other answered, rebuking him: “Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? 41 We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Here Jesus is led to be crucified along with two other - criminals, these two criminals, according to studies, of wording and details, were violent thieves.

They are taken to the place called the Skull, which we know from Matthew 27:33

Matthew 27:33 CSB

33 When they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull),

The place of the skull in Aramaic is Golgotha, in Greek it is kranion, which gives us the English word cranium, the Latin word is calvaria and is where we get the word Calvary from.

Jesus is nailed to the cross, and as they lift the cross into place Jesus cries out to God the Father, forgive them they do not know what they are doing.

The people did not truly realize who Jesus was, but the thing was, it was all part of the plan of salvation, Jesus’ crucifixion had to take place in order that our sins could be forgiven, and that we could have salvation.

People that had gathered around started to make fun of Jesus, the soldiers had taken Jesus clothes and were seeing who could keep them.

Then the one thief started to make fun of Jesus, but then the other thief told him to stop, and asks Jesus if he would forgive him and if he could go to heaven, Jesus told him, he could go to heaven and he would even be in heaven that day.

II. The Darkness of Crucifixion

When the Romans would put people to death by crucifixion it was something that sometimes would take days at a time, but with Jesus he was whipped with a leather whip that had bone and metal pieces in it, He was whipped during his trial and he had lost a lot of blood just a few hours before being nailed to the cross.

The way a person would die is, all in the way that they are put on the cross, see their arms and upper body is up where it push down on their lungs to a point that makes it hard to breath, their legs are bent enough that it is hard for them to push up, as they have a nail through their feet, or they are just tied and on just a small block of wood, and they get very tired and loose strength, and they get to the point they cannot push up to get a breath of air, and eventually they die from a lack of air.

It is considered the worst and most torturous ways to die known to man at the time of the Romans where using it.

Jesus’ crucifixion began in the morning hours as we see in Mark 15:25

Mark 15:25 CSB

25 Now it was nine in the morning when they crucified him.

Jesus’ trial was done in the middle of night as the Jewish officials wanted to get it pushed through while everyone was sleeping, because they did not want the people that supported Jesus to go against them.

So they finally get Pilate to sentence Jesus to death by crucifixion, because the Jews could not do it on their own, and he has been taken to Golgotha nailed to the cross.

As I mentioned earlier, some crucifixion had been recorded to last up to 4 days, but Jesus did not last that long.

Matthew 27:45–46 CSB

45 From noon until three in the afternoon, darkness came over the whole land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Here we see that at noon, the middle of the day, when the sun is at the highest point, darkness came over the whole earth and it lasted until three in the afternoon.

Scientist and astrologers have tried to explain how and why this happened, but Jesus tells us right there in the next verse.

It says, about three in the afternoon Jesus cried out, My God, My God, why have you abandoned me? some translations say, why have you forsaken me?

See what happened for those three hours, is Jesus took upon himself the sins of the world, that is my sins, your sins, and everyone else sins.

And because he was bearing the sins of the world, God cannot look on sin, and had turned his back on Jesus at the time, and the consequences of our sins, the wrath that was meant for me and you because of our sins, was poured out on Jesus at the time.

Back in Matthew 26:36-46 records Jesus praying that God the Father would remove a cup from Him if it be His will if not thy will be done.

That cup that Jesus is fervently praying for Luke 22:44

Luke 22:44 CSB

44 Being in anguish, he prayed more fervently, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.

This is the cup of wrath that Jesus new he was going to have poured out over him on the cross, because of our sins, so that we could have forgiveness of our sins, and have salvation and eternal life.

See Jesus new this all was part of the plan even before he came to earth, before he was born of the virgin Mary, because Him and God the Father and God the Holy Spirit made this plan of salvation before the creation of the earth.

Even knowing the pain and suffering He would endure, Jesus still willingly and freely came and gave of His life that we might have salvation.

III. Crucifixion brings Death

After Jesus cried out to God asking why He had abandoned Him, we then see in Mark 15:37-39

Mark 15:37–39 CSB

37 Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 Then the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 When the centurion, who was standing opposite him, saw the way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

When Jesus took his last breath, when He died, the curtain in the temple that separated the main part of the temple from the Holy of Holies, only the high priest was allowed to go in there, it was in the Old Testament where God dwelled on earth.

But when Jesus died, this curtain or veil was torn in two, bringing an end to this, as Jesus paid the atonement for our sins.

The curtain was roughly 60 feet high, and believed to be possible four inches thick, made of blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen.

The curtain was not just torn in two, but was torn from top to bottom.

The tearing of the curtain at the moment of Jesus’ death dramatically symbolized that His sacrifice, the shedding of His own blood, was a sufficient atonement for sins.

It signified that now the way into the Holy of Holies was open for all people, for all time, both Jew and Gentile.

As the day was getting late in the afternoon, and with the way the Jewish days go, their days go from sun down to sundown, another words, today, Sunday started last night when the sun set, and it will end this evening when the sunsets.

John 19:31–37 CSB

31 Since it was the preparation day, the Jews did not want the bodies to remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special day). They requested that Pilate have the men’s legs broken and that their bodies be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the other one who had been crucified with him. 33 When they came to Jesus, they did not break his legs since they saw that he was already dead. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. 35 He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows he is telling the truth. 36 For these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: Not one of his bones will be broken. 37 Also, another Scripture says: They will look at the one they pierced.

The Sabbath was a day the Jews could not work, therefore, they had to get these bodies in the tomb, or grave before the Sabbath.

They asked Pilate to break the legs of the men on the crosses legs, as this would cause them to die quickly, as then they would not be able to push up to breath.

The soldiers went and broke the legs of the two thieves but when they got to Jesus they noticed he was already dead.

Therefore, they did not break his legs, this was a fulfillment of prophecy in Psalm 34:20

Because Jesus was already dead, they took a spear and stuck him in the side and blood and water flowed out of his side.

Verse 35, tells us, He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe, His testimony is true, and he knows he is telling the truth.

That is the testimony of Jesus’ Death on the cross, that he freely died for our sins, the sins of the world, but see he did not stay in that tomb that he was placed in, three days later, he rose again, to bring victory over sin, victory over death, and give us the gift of eternal life.

Do you believe this testimony, let me tell you, I know it is true, you may ask well how do you know, if it happened 2,000 years ago.

Well, I am glad you asked, I know it is true because I have seen Jesus work so many times in my life, I have seen how he has protected me so many times, how he has provided for me so many times, how he has performed miracles in my life and the lives of my loved ones.

And I would love to stand here all day telling you about them, but I know we got a bunch of kids that are ready to get their awards.

But if you do not know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, that is if you do not have a personal relationship with him, we are going to have a song of invitation, please come and allow me to share more with you or maybe you just need prayer.