As Jesus made his way into Jerusalem on a donkey with crowds cheering him on and waving palm branches in the air, he knew what lied ahead would not a coronation but a cross. The victory would come, God’s love and power would eventually win the day, but the only way that was going to happen was through his death on the cross and Jesus knew this as he entered the city. Every event and detail that we have seen in the last 24 hours of Jesus’ life have been leading up to one thing, Jesus death on the cross and before we look at the actual details of his crucifixion, let’s remind ourselves why Jesus was so driven and so determined to make this happen.
Jesus made the decision to die on the cross because he knew that as the Messiah it would be his death that would bring forgiveness for our sin and restore us into a right relationship with God. Because of our sin, our relationship with God has been broken. It says in Romans 3:10-12 & 23… So we have all sinned and our sin has separated us from God and this separation results in death, Romans 6:23. So our turning away from God not only separates us from God here and now but it forever cuts us off from a relationship with God and the eternal life He offers. Our sin also keeps us from being able to restore ourselves into a relationship with God, we just can’t do it on our own, we need a savior - someone who can forgive us and reconcile us to God.
Jesus understood this need, so he came to bring about this very reconciliation, but the only way to achieve it was for someone to pay the price for our sin. In other words, someone needed to die in our place and so as the Messiah Jesus made the choice to do just that. Jesus was clear that he must die on a cross because he knew that it would be his death that would atone for our sin and bring forgiveness. Again in the book of Romans the Apostle Paul says that this one act of Jesus on the cross, his death, brings forgiveness and life for all people.
So on the cross, Jesus offers himself to God as a sacrifice for our sin. From the very beginning people offered sacrifices to God not just as an expression of love and gratitude but with the understanding that God would accept these offerings and then grant forgiveness. God accepted the blood of birds and bulls and goats and lambs instead of his people and each time these offerings were made it not only helped to relieve the people’s own sense of guilt but it helped restore them into a relationship with God.
Jesus understood that he was coming as the perfect lamb that willingly offered his blood for the sin of the people and we know Jesus saw himself as this sacrificial lamb because of what took place on Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday wasn’t just any day that Jesus chose to enter Jerusalem; it was 4 days before the Passover which meant that it was Lamb Selection day. This was the day the people chose the lambs they would sacrifice at the Passover. So Jesus entered the city on lamb selection day because he understood that he was coming to be the perfect Lamb of God who would once and for all take away the penalty for our sin. When we place our faith in the offering of Jesus on the cross we trust that God forgives us and begins the work of reconciliation in our hearts and lives. This is what it means to call Jesus our savior, we see his work on the cross as an offering for our sin and through the cross we believe that Jesus redeems us and restores us.
So Jesus is so determined to carry and die on the cross because he wants us to be reconciled to God. The love of God in Jesus is so strong that Jesus willingly suffers and dies in order for us to be forgiven and redeemed, and the love we see is very strong because the suffering we see is very great. Like flogging, crucifixions were excruciatingly painful and the pain could last for days, but it wasn’t just a painful way to die, it was also very public. In fact, most crucifixions took place along busy roads where people had no choice but to pass by and see those who were suffering. When the criminals finally died, many times their bodies would be left on the cross for the birds to devour or taken off the cross and simply tossed to the side for the wild animals. This very public and painful display helped make crucifixions one of the most effective means of crime deterrent, but for those convicted, it was just the most horrible way to die.
Most of us probably have an image of what the crucifixion of Jesus looked like. We picture three tall crosses far away on a hill with the bodies hanging up high far away from the people. We picture Jesus nailed a certain way maybe with nails through the palm of his hands and the center of his feet. Today I want to challenge those views a little because in 1968 a grave as found for a man who had been crucified and there was clear evidence of how his feet where nailed to the cross. Instead of one foot on top of the other with a nail driven through the top, the feet would have been pulled back to the sides of the cross with nails driven through the heel of the foot. Not only would this be more painful because of the position of the legs, but the nail driven through the heel would have been able to hold up better than a nail through the smaller bones of the foot. The body nailed this way would stay on the cross longer and prolong the suffering which was the whole point of crucifixion.
Many times the arms would be tied to the cross but it wasn’t the hands that were nailed it was the wrists. Again the bones in the hand would not have been able to support the full weight of the body, but the center of your wrist is stronger and the bones would have held up better. This part of the wrist also has many nerve endings so nails being driven in here would have been more painful which is something the Romans would have wanted. Again crucifixions were to maximize pain and suffering until death.
Hanging on a cross with the full weight of your body pulling down would have made it difficult to breathe and so many doctors believe that the cause of death in crucifixion wasn’t from blood loss from the nails but asphyxiation – the person simply couldn’t breathe anymore. Just the process of trying to get a breath would have been excruciating. If a person tried to lift themselves up in order to breathe, the pain from the wrists and heels would have been tremendous, but that wasn’t all, most of these criminals like Jesus had been flogged, so the skin on their backs would have been torn away and here they are pushing up against a rough wooden pole. Every act and every moment on the cross would have brought pain.
No matter how you look at it, crucifixion was painful and it is difficult for us to think about Jesus experiencing this which is maybe one reason why we picture Jesus hanging high up on a cross, but the truth is that the cross was probably only a few feet off the ground and it wasn’t high up on a hill away from the people, it would have been along the side of the road. So think of it this way, Jesus would have been just a few feet away from people. Think how much more painful it must have been for those who loved Jesus to be this close him, to see him suffer and not be able to help. I think we like to picture the cross far away to keep ourselves from thinking about all that Jesus suffered, but we can’t keep it far away, we need to bring it close up. We need to confront for ourselves and accept for ourselves what Jesus has done for us on the cross. Jesus suffered and died because he wants us to experience forgiveness. He wants us to trust in what he did for us on the cross so we can be restored into a right and strong relationship with God - forever.
Thinking about Jesus being this close to the people also makes sense when we remember that his last words were recorded. If Jesus had been high up and far away, his weakened voice would not have been heard. Jesus would not have been able to get enough air into his lungs to talk loud enough for those on the ground to hear him, but if he was this close, his last words even whispered would have been heard – and they were. The last words of Jesus teach us the kind of change Jesus wanted his life to bring. In many ways Jesus last words are his vision of what he wants for his people.
From the cross Jesus looked down and said to the disciple whom he loved, here is your mother. Jesus is talking about Mary who was also standing right there and then he says to Mary, behold your son. What Jesus does in this moment is create new and stronger relationships among his followers. Jesus is asking his friend John to take care of Mary when he is gone and this is what God wants for all of his people. One of the changes that Jesus wants to bring to the world isn’t just a change in our relationship with God but with one another as well. God wants us to care for one another and love one another and be committed to one another with bonds as strong as family. Jesus calls us to change from living just for ourselves and begin to intentionally care for and support and really love others.
Another change that Jesus calls for in his final words is for us to forgive and then to see the power that comes in forgiveness. From the cross Jesus looks out at all those who have accused him, beaten him and now are insulting him and he says, Father forgive them, for the don’t know what they are doing. Even in his final moments Jesus shows us that life and freedom aren’t found in seeking revenge but in offering forgiveness and that is a change we need to live out in our lives. Real freedom isn’t found when we finally get revenge but when we are willing to offer forgiveness, so we need to learn what it means to offer this kind of forgiveness. Forgiveness isn’t allowing evil and injustice to continue, but it’s also not seeking to harm those who have harmed us. God is the one who can teach us what true forgiveness and freedom look like in each and every situation.
Another change that Jesus wants for us is to make sure we are living our lives fully in the hands of God. Jesus final words are these, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit, which means that God has not forsaken Jesus in these moments but that He is right there with him. Sometimes we feel alone and even abandoned by God, but the change Jesus wants for us is to know that in every moment of life, even the most painful ones, we can experience the power of God’s hand. Even in death we can experience the powerful presence of God and the promise of eternal life when we are willing to turn to and trust in Jesus.
Creating healthy and strong relationships, showing us the power and freedom that comes with forgiveness and living our lives fully and forever in the Father’s hand are some of the changes Jesus wants to see in our world and so he takes his final breath to tell us that, but you know his last 24 hours on earth began that way as well.
In the last supper, Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples who were the new family Jesus created and supported in love, and in the Passover meal Jesus talked about the power of forgiveness that would come through his body and blood, and in the Passover meal Jesus shows that he was living his life fully in the hand of God as he surrendered himself to God’s will. As we reflect on the offering of Jesus on the cross and as we share in this meal today, I hope we will commit our lives to God and that our prayer today will reflect the last words of Jesus final 24 Hours…
Father into your hand we commit our lives.
Next Steps
24 Hours that Changed the World ~ The Crucifixion
1. Read and reflect on the story of Jesus Crucifixion.
• Matthew 27:32-61
• Mark 15:21-47
• Luke 23:26-56
• John 19:16-42
What similarities do you see?
What differences does each gospel writer highlight?
What have you never noticed before?
2. Join us at 7:00 PM this Thursday and Friday for times of worship and reflection that will continue to help us consider the gift of Jesus on the cross
3. Accept the offering of Jesus on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for your sin. Ask Jesus to be your Savior and begin (continue) to live a life of serving him as your Lord by committing your life into the hands of a loving God.
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