The Crucifixion
TRANSLATION
(33) And when they came to the place called Golgotha (which means “The Place of a Skull”), (34) they offered him wine mixed with gall to drink. After he had tasted it, he would not drink it. (35) And when they crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. (36) Then they sat down and kept watch over him. (37) And above his head they placed the accusation against him: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” (38) Then they crucified along with him two robbers, one on his right and the other on his left. (39) And those who passed by jeered at him, and, wagging their heads, (40) they said, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” (41) In the same way the chief priests were also mocking him along with the teachers of the Law and elders: (42) “He saved others, but he cannot save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him. (43) He trusts in God. Let him deliver him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (44) And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him with similar scorn.
(45) From noon until three in the afternoon there was darkness over all the land. (46) At about three Jesus cried out with a loud voice (in Aramaic), “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (47) When they heard this, some of the bystanders said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” (48) And immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, soaked it in sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to him to drink. (49) And the rest said, “Wait, let’s see whether Elijah will come to save him.” (50) And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. (51) And behold, the veil of the temple was torn apart from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, (52) tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints that had died were raised (53) and, emerging from the tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. (54) Now when the centurion and those with him guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that happened, they were terrified and said, “Surely he was the Son of God.” (55) And there were many women there watching from a distance. These had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him. (56) Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
(57) And when evening came, a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also Jesus’ disciple, (58) approached Pilate and asked him for Jesus’ body. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. (59) Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, (60) and laid it in his own new tomb which had been cut out of the rock. He then had a large stone rolled across the entrance to the tomb and departed. (61) Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting across from the tomb. (62) Now the next day, the one after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate (63) and said, “Sir, we remember that this deceiver said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I rise again.’ (64) Therefore, give an order that the sepulcher be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell everyone, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” (65) Pilate told them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” (66) So they went and secured the tomb, sealing the stone and posting the guard.
OBSERVATIONS
The significance of Jesus’ death on the cross was certainly not understood by those who were present to witness the event. Outwardly, it seemed as though a Galilean prophet had been unjustly executed as a common criminal, his life abruptly ended by the Roman authorities bowing to the demands of the Jewish leaders. However, what took place on Golgotha in those few short hours changed the course of human history and has become for Christians the very basis of our restored relationship with God.
Many repetitions are found in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion: “crucified/cross” (vss. 35, 38, 42, & 44), titles for “Jesus” (used seven times in vss. 37, 46, 50, 54, 55, 57, & 58) including “the King of the Jews” (vs. 37), “the Son of God” (vss. 40, 43, & 54), and “the King of Israel” (vs. 42). “Wine” occurred twice (vss. 34 & 48), “robbers” twice (vss. 38 & 44), “save/saved” three times (vss. 40, 42, & 49), “Elijah” twice (vss. 47 & 49), “tomb(s)” seven times in six verses (vss. 52, 53, 60, 61, 64, & 65), “body” twice (vss. 58 & 59), “stone” twice (vss. 60 & 66), “rise/risen” twice (vss. 63 & 64), “guard” twice (vss. 65 & 66), and “secure” twice (vss. 65 & 66).
OUTLINE
I. Jesus was tortured and mocked while being crucified. (33-44)
II. Jesus experienced the agony of separation from his Father as he bore our sins before he died. (45-56)
III. Jesus was buried in Joseph’s tomb which was sealed and guarded against his resurrection. (57-66)
IDEA STATEMENT
In his crucifixion and death on the cross, the Son experienced the wrath of God in bearing our sins and gaining our redemption.
APPLICATION
Jesus’ cry from the cross which some misinterpreted as his calling out to Elijah provides for us insight into the significance of his death. He was quoting the opening verse of Psalm 22, a psalm in which David vividly portrayed the agonies of one dying on a cross: “…poured out like water…bones out of joint…heart like wax…strength dried up like a broken piece of pottery…pierced hands and my feet…garments divided among them…” (Ps. 22:14-18). By citing this psalm Jesus was essentially declaring, “This prophecy is now being fulfilled in my death and explains why I came to earth.”
As Peter would later write in his first epistle, at that moment “…he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Pet. 2:24). In those hours on the cross, the Son experienced an agonizing separation from his Father as God poured out his wrath on our sin-bearer. As Paul would later write, “For our sake he (God) made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). Over the centuries generations of believers have struggled to gain insight into this mystery, the only occasion in time or eternity when the perfect fellowship of the Triune God was broken for our sakes. As Charles Wesley wrote, “Amazing love! How can it be that thou, my God, should die for me?”