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Over the years I have written several "book" or "booklets" and many, many, many newsletter and bulletin articles. Because the book market seeks writings to meet specific needs at specific times, my material has never been accepted. I have a tendency to write what is on my mind and so I am left with self publishing. So, with the encouragement from my wife and others, I am beginning this blog in order to put my "ramblings" "out there"! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer

Please note that while my intentions are to use good grammar, because of the way in which some of the material presented here is presented (orally) the grammar and syntax might not always be the best English. Also note that good theology is not always presented in the best English so there may be times when the proper grammar rules are purposely broken.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Skull (on the cross) - Lent Mid-week 6 - April 13, 2011 - Text: Matthew 27:32-44; Mark 15:21-32; Luke 23:26-43; John 19:17-27

Jesus is God. He was in heaven enjoying all the glory that was His as God. He gave up that glory, truly humbling Himself, in order to take on human flesh and blood, so that He might fulfill His promise in the Garden of Eden. In birth, in ministry, in life, the short life He lived on this earth, the cross was always before Him. If anyone truly knows what it means to have death ever before them, it is Jesus, because that was the very reason He was born, to live and ultimately to die, for us, for you and for me.

The place for capital punishment and in this instance for crucifixion was outside the city gate at the place of the skull called Golgotha. The convicted actually began their punishment by being sentenced to carry the 30 - 40 pound cross beam while being paraded through town so that everyone could see what would happen if they broke the law and committed the same crime as the one on display. I suggest, and I believe most anthropologist and archeologist would agree, that the person only carried the cross beam of wood. The main pole of the cross was probably anchored in the ground, solid rock ground so that it was not removed. Because of the rock and the difficulty of digging in the rock, the main beam was probably permanent and the cross beam is what was carried, and then after the convicted was attached, it was raised into place and secured.

In the case of crucifixion, not everyone who was crucified was nailed to the cross, some were simply affixed with rope. But in the case of Jesus, He was nailed to the cross. As for the nails, more than likely and x-rays of crucifixion victims have shown the nails penetrated through the two bones in the arm. The nails were through these bones because the bones and the skin in the hand would not have held the weight of the one being crucified. If the nails were in the hands, the weight of the person would pull down so that they would fall off the cross. Also, the nails were driven through the heel of the foot. This nailing through the heel was done in order to inflict as much pain as possible and to make it difficult for the victim to put pressure on his feet which was a part of the dying process.

As for the dying process, the convicted died of suffocation. The way we breath is that we breath out. We do not necessarily breath in, because, actually scientifically speaking, because of air pressure, the pressure of the air outside our bodies forces air into our lungs. We do use our diaphragm to exhale, to breath out, to push out the used air. And then the pressure forces air back into our lungs. The problem on the cross is that all the weight of the victim pulls down on their lower abdomen so that it is difficult to breath out, to exhale. And with the nails through the heels, it is painful to do so. Thus, over time, the person tires and is unable to exhale meaning he is unable to get fresh air and literally suffocates, slowly.

The convicted is subjected to suffering great physical pain. In the case of Jesus, He had already been beaten, mocked, whipped almost to the point of death, spit upon, had to carry His own cross of thirty to forty pounds through the winding streets of town, He had been nailed, hand and feet and now slowly suffocated. Indeed, Jesus suffered great physical pain.

More important to us, however, than the physical pain Jesus suffered was the fact that He suffered the eternal spiritual death which should have been ours to suffer. Eternal spiritual death is hell, total absence of God and His love. Certainly Jesus’ words from the cross enlighten us in His spiritual suffering. We have listed in the Gospel that Jesus spoke at least seven times. One of the times Jesus spoke He said, “My God, My God why have You forsaken me?” Jesus’ own disciples had abandoned Him. His friends were no where to be found. Earlier Jesus had given His disciple John to care for His mother, Mary. Now He is rejected by His own Father, thus He is left, alone, without mother or Father or friend, to suffer. And what is it that Jesus suffers? He suffers the punishment for the verdict handed down in the Garden of Eden, death, eternal spiritual death, hell in other words.

After suffering physical torment; after suffering eternal spiritual torment, again Jesus spoke from the cross, “It is finished.” The heart and the theology of the words Jesus spoke have eternal implications. He said, “It is finished.” The meaning of those words is that the debt, the cost, the price for sin, for all sin, for the sins of all people, of all places, of all times, has been paid. Jesus’ suffering was enough, was complete, and was eternal.

Finally, having restored our relationship and His own relationship with His Father, Jesus spoke, “Father into Your hands I commit my spirit.” Jesus was restored and brought back into a right relationship with God. What man broke in the Garden of Eden, what man could not restore, Jesus restored.

What does this mean? Jesus is truly God and yet, because of His love for us, because of His promise in the Garden, because He created us to love us, He gave up the glory that was His and took on human flesh and blood. What the whole nation of Israel, His covenant people, could not do, what we and all humanity cannot do, He did. He lived perfectly and He lived for us, in our place as our substitute. After living in perfection and after fulfilling all God’s promises and prophecies concerning the Messiah, He then took our sins upon Himself.

Jesus suffered. He suffered physical pain. He suffered mocking, torture, beating. He suffered as we sing, He was “stricken, smitten and afflicted.” Truly His suffering was beyond what we might ever think or imagine. He suffered for us, for each one of us, for you and for me.

Not only did Jesus suffer physically, more importantly and even most importantly, He suffered spiritually. He suffered the pangs of hell for us in our place. He suffered the eternal spiritual death penalty for us, in our place.

Certainly, Jesus died the most cruel of deaths, yet He did it willingly, He did it with us in mind. Yes, when Jesus was living He had you in mind. When Jesus was suffering, He had you in mind. When Jesus died He had you in mind. And when Jesus rose, He had you in mind.

Jesus did what He did because of and for us. He created us to love us and He lived, suffered and died because He loves us. He did what He did so that we might have forgiveness of sins. He did what He did in order to bring us back into a right relationship with Himself and His Father, who are one.

The good news, the greatest news is that Jesus did not stay dead, but rose. Death and the grave had and have no power over Him. He rose victorious. And we rejoice in His resurrection, because if He had not risen from the dead, then our faith would be in vain and as Paul says, we would be most to be pitied. But, Jesus did rise and because He rose we know that by faith in Him we too will rise again.

We, you and I, are different and we are hated by the rest of the world, by those who are followers of other religions, cults and sects. We are hated because we worship a God who is alive, a God who defeated death, a God who gives us the exclusive claim that it is by His grace, through faith in Him alone, who has given us such faith, and who has secured our salvation, that we alone are saved. Our God does it all and gives it all to us and He rejoices when one sinner repents and is given faith. And we rejoice in our own salvation and say, to Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

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