We first look at the process of Jesus being sentenced to crucifixion. Pilate knew very well that according to Roman law, Jesus did not commit anything worthy of death, and he could not legally crucify Jesus. In the end, he illegally crucified Jesus. Although he tried, he could not wash away his sin. Second, we see that Jesus carried the cross by Himself at the beginning, and in the second half, Simon of Cyrene helped Him carry it. Third, some women wept over the crucifixion of Jesus, who again predicted the destruction of Jerusalem. Fourth, we look at the final stages of Jesus’ crucifixion. Finally, we pointed out when we discussed that a robber who was crucified with Him ascended to Paradise without being baptized because of an act of faith. Here we see a contrast, the other robber is unrepentant. We also see that Jesus did not come down from the cross, because this is how salvation is accomplished. We also see that when He became flesh, He was fully God and fully human. Because a full man does not have the power to come down from the cross, if there is a thought that tells you that He has the power to come down from the cross, it must be from Satan, because the Bible clearly says that God is faithful.
1. Jesus was sentenced to crucifixion
Since the Gospel of Luke is told in the order of occurrence, not events, so we continue reading the Gospel of Luke and talk about how Jesus was sentenced to be crucified! We talked about last time, “Pilate said to Him, … “…But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?””(John 18:38-39) “But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!” (He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted. And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.”(Luke 23:18-25)
Here, we see that Pilate’s original intention was to release Jesus because he could not find anything that Jesus had committed that deserved death. But because their voice prevailed, their will was allowed to be done. What happened is described in more detail below. Let’s first look at the incident of Jesus being teased. The Gospel of Matthew records it in more detail, “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.”(Matthew 27:27-31)
Here it is mentioned that although the soldiers did not believe Him and made fun of Him, they actually knelt before Him. This reminds me of what James says, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”(James 1:22) What we really should look at is what a person does. We can’t just listen to what he says. We must see whether that person sets an example. Here we also see, “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.”(Isaiah 53:4-5) In fact, He did this not only on the cross, but also in daily life. For example, “Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”” (Matthew 8:20) So “He (God) made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”(2 Corinthians 5:21)
We talked about it before that John saw what happened, so the Gospel of John records it in more detail. The Gospel of John says this, “But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?” So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber. Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; and they began to come up to Him and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and to give Him slaps in the face. Pilate came out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!” So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.””(John 18:39 – 19:7)
We see that Pilate was very consistent with the Jewish custom of not entering the Praetorium on the Sabbath. Later we will see in the scriptures that he went in and out of the Praetorium many times, and even sat outside the Praetorium. We need to emphasize here again that according to Roman law, Jesus did not commit anything worthy of death, so Pilate knew very clearly that he could not legally crucify Jesus. In the end, Pilate illegally crucified Jesus on the cross.
Let’s look at the Gospel of John again and it goes on to say, “Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.” Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified.”(John 19:8-16)
Although from a human perspective, Pilate had the authority to crucify Jesus illegally, the ultimate authority rests with God, because Jesus said clearly, “…You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; …”(John 19:11) We also see Pilate compromise due to political reasons.
Matthew 27:15-26 basically says the same thing, but says also, “For he knew that because of envy they had handed Him over.”(Matthew 27:18) And it is said clearly, “When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.”(Matthew 27:24-26)
Here we see that in the end, Pilate illegally nailed Jesus to the cross. Do you think he could really wash away his sins by washing his hands? Of course not. Although Jesus will die as scheduled, looking at what will happen to the Jews in the future, it is really the blood of Jesus that has been imputed to their descendants! We also see that Mark 15:6-15 basically talks about the same thing, so this important thing is recorded in all four gospels. We have talked about the fact that the Gospel of John was written after the other three gospels. We believe that John told details that were not mentioned in those three gospels. We should be able to see this from the record of this incident.
2. Simon of Cyrene carried the cross of Jesus
At first, it was obviously following the rules of the Romans. When Jesus began, the cross was His back since the Gospel of John says, “They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.”(John 19:17)
We know, “Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.””(Matthew 8:20) The Gospels also say that He often prayed all night long. From a human point of view, “So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?””(John 8:57) Jesus was only in His thirties at that time, and His appearance was indeed aging in human terms quite a few. From these scriptures, it seems that Jesus’ physical strength was not very good at that time. Before He had carried His cross and reached his destination, it was recorded as follows: “When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.” (Luke 23:26) If Jesus could, they would not have forced anyone to help Him carry the cross, so Simon helped Him carry the cross in the second half.
Regarding Simon of Cyrene, it is also recorded in Matthew 27:32 and Mark 15:21. The latter says who he is, “They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross.”(Mark 15:21)
3. Women wept for Jesus
On the way to the cross, “And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?””(Luke 23:27-31)
Some, if not all, women certainly came to the cross, for the scripture says, “…But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”(John 19:25) Of course they were suffering because of Jesus’ crucifixion, but Jesus was saying that they should weep for Jerusalem. We also saw that there were still trees in Jerusalem that still had sap, but there were also dry trees. God’s judgment is comprehensive, but we see a difference because the scripture says, “For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”(Luke 23:31) So He predicted the destruction of Jerusalem again.
4. The Crucifixion of Jesus
Luke’s Gospel continues, “Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him. When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.” The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” Now there was also an inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.””(Luke 23:32-38)
So even at this time, Jesus prayed for his enemies. Didn’t Stephen pray similarly when he was being stoned? “Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep. ” (Acts 7:60)
Mark 15:22-27 basically records the same thing with the time given, “It was the third hour when they crucified Him.”(Mark 15:25) Matthew 27:33-38 also records this event more briefly.
The Gospel of John records the details, “There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”; this was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.””(John 19:18-24)
Pilate obviously wanted everyone to see what he wrote, because it was written in three languages, and he refused to change it. We also saw how the soldiers distributed His clothes very reasonably, which fulfilled a prophecy.
At this time, “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”(John 19:28-30)
5. A prisoner ascended to paradise without being baptized
“One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.””(Luke 23:39-43)
Matthew 27:38 and Mark 15:27 both indicate that these two criminals were robbers. We see that one of the thieves had heard of Jesus before and knew that He had never done a bad thing. We have discussed these verses before, in “7. True faith before death is absolutely valid, but you should be baptized when you have the opportunity” of “1063 Introduction to the Christian Faith,” knowing that the robber who ascended to paradise had an act of faith. Those who are interested should go there to see the detailed discussion. This is on the website “https://a-christian-voice.com/“, click “Understanding of Spiritual Life”.
Let’s look at another robber again. “And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.”(Matthew 27:39-44)
Here, we see that both robbers mocked Him at first. But one robber repented, and another robber in contrast is unrepentant. We also see that even though the people passing by, the chief priests and scribes and elders, and the robbers mocked Him for not being able to come down from the cross, He indeed did not come down from the cross, because if He came down, how could He be in the aforementioned John 19: 30 about saying “It is finished!”? How can we receive forgiveness of sins? This is how salvation is meant to be accomplished.
He is indeed the Son of God because He was born that way. He cannot lose His identity as God just because He became flesh. It is just like a prince who had to flee for special reasons, such as someone’s rebellion, and therefore lived a life of beggar. He still has the status of a prince by birth, he is still a prince. But when we look at the Bible as our absolute standard of discernment, we see from the scriptures that He “…emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”(Philippians 2:7) Therefore, when He became flesh, He was fully God and fully human. How can a full man have the ability to come down from the cross? If there is a thought that tells you that He has the power to come down from the cross, it must be because of Satan’s messengers pretending to be angels of light, because the Bible clearly tells us that God is faithful and will not lie to us that Jesus is a full person but He has the power to come down from the cross.
We look at it from another perspective. God has heard Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, “…My Father, …yet not as I will, but as You will.”(Matthew 26:39) Jesus is willing to use flesh and blood to save the descendants of Abraham like his brothers, so He completes salvation as a full man, which is what Philippians says : “but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”(Philippians 2:7-8) Since God accepted His prayer and God is faithful, how could God let Him come down from the cross? Regarding the fact that He was a full man, we can also see from this passage that He needed to ask the Father: When He was arrested, He said, “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”(Matthew 26:53) How could He have the power to come down from the cross on His own?
(Verses refer to those in NASB unless otherwise specified.)
(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)
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