The Crucifixion From Man’s View
(The Crucifixion - Part 1)
#153 in Series: “The Life of Christ – in a Harmony of The Gospels”
Matthew 27:27-44, Mark 15:16-32, Luke 23:26-38, John 19:16-22
The crucifixion of Jesus was a crime against the Most High and Innocent of all! From man’s point of view, the death of Christ would accomplish just what the haters of God wanted – but in the end, we will see that God has a different perspective and purpose in all of this! This is why Jesus came - to “give His life a ransome for many!” (Matthew. 20:28).
We come today to the crucifixion of Jesus…
James Montgomery Boice said –
“The cross stands as the focal point of the
Christian faith. Without the cross the Bible is an enigma, and the Gospel of
salvation is an empty hope.
”1
For the next two weeks, we will seek to better understand the cross of Christ from two different perspectives: First, we will simply look at the cross from man’s viewpoint, and then next week, we will try to see this event from God’s point of view.
I want to encourage you to not miss next week. If we fail to come to understand God’s purpose in the cross, we will miss the entire purpose for Jesus’ coming to the world in the first place…
All four gospel writers have recorded details about Jesus’ crucifixion. We will not read them all, but will try to harmonize their reports together. We will only read a portion of the narrative today…
We begin today with Matthew’s report. with verse :27 –
Let’s turn to Matthew 27, and begin
Matthew 27:27-44
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and
gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him.
28 They stripped Him and put
a scarlet robe on Him.
29 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!” 30 They spat on Him,
and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head.
31 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.
1 James Montgomery Boice, Philippians, Zondervan, 1971, p. 144
132 As they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon,
whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.
33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a
Skull,
34 they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He
was unwilling to drink.
35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among
themselves by casting lots.
36 And sitting down, they began to keep watch
over Him there.
37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him
which read,
“THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
”
38 At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one
on the left.
39 And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their
heads 40 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.
” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and
elders, were mocking Him and saying,
42 “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.
43 HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF
HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said,
‘I am the Son of God.
’” 44 The robbers who
had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.
Pastor:
“This is the Word of the Lord”
Congregation:
“Thanks be to God”
Our primary approach today will be to consider this event from the perspective of the people – specifically those who … wanted this to occur. Keep in mind that people then … were convinced by their own sin, that what they were doing … was the “right thing to do” , in order to accomplish what they wanted to see accomplished!... What we are about to witness, is the truth of a proverb being lived out –
Proverbs 14:12
There is a way which seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.
We can’t begin to even think about crucifixion without understanding that this was a … cruel, and certain method devised by man to execute man…
2Crucifixion was a form of capital punishment usually reserved for those who rebelled against Rome, criminals, and slaves… It was usually not used against a Roman citizen unless they were found guilty of treason… And though history records that mostly men were subjected to this form of execution, women were not spared because of their sex…
For quite some time, the religious leaders of Judaism have been seeking the destruction of Jesus –
Matthew 12:14
But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.
They have finally maneuvered things to the point, that they were about to … get what they wanted.
The Roman officials have now relented to the political pressure, and have signed off on this plan to destroy Jesus!
Let’s think through our text, with this in mind… It all begins with –
1. The Public Acts Designed to Humiliate
Let’s first pay attention to … just who is involved –
Matthew 27:27
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him.
Notice that there are two groups of soldiers who are involved in this… The “soldiers of the governor” were non-typical soldiers… The N.T. scholar, R.T. France says these soldiers “were auxiliaries, not Roman legionaries, and would be recruited from non-Jewish inhabitants of the surrounding areas (e.g. Phoenicians, Syrians, perhaps Samaritans). ”2
The “Roman cohort” are those whose primary responsibility was to provide protection for the governor. They were like his “secret service” , or body guards who traveled with the governor from his primary residence in Caesarea to Jerusalem whenever he came there… Keep in mind that a “cohort” was made up of at least 480 soldiers… Though not all of them would be involved in carrying out these acts against Jesus, there is no small number of them witnessing it!
2 As quoted by David Gusik - https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/matthew-27/
3Let’s consider their acts. Matthew says –
Matthew 27:28-30
28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
29 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!” 30 They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head.
These actions … were designed to mock, humiliate, and even embarrass Jesus… Matthew specifically says “they stripped Him” ... This happened in the open public! Being stripped naked is for the purpose of humiliating and embarrassing the victim!
The “crown” made of twisted thorns, as we talked about last week, along with the “scarlet” , or “purple” (Mark 15:17) “robe” were designed to publicly mock Jesus as the “king” He claimed to be!... They continued this mocking with the pretense of “bowing before Him” and sarcastically saying; “Hail, King of the Jews!” ...
Their sarcastic mockery turned to outright … cruelty!... I don’t think anyone has to be told what it means to have someone purposefully spit on you… This is some of the most degrading behavior one can endure… Jesus was subjected to this, along with the beatings … all before even being nailed to the cross!
So far, our examination of this text is simply … thinking out loud about what is reported… But, we should always stop to ponder how God’s Word may be applied to our lives within the context of what we are studying… What should we possibly take away from a passage like this? How can reading of what happened to Jesus, at “the hands of sinful” , “godless” “wicked man” , (Luke 24:27, Acts 2:23), draw any parallel to our lives today?... We can see ourselves in this very scene as well! It is a sad reality, that we have the capacity to … mock Jesus in the very way we live!... In his sermon on our passage, Spurgeon raises a series of questions that we should all ask of ourselves –
C.H. Spurgeon –
“You have mocked him by a feigned worship, and thus you have put the purple robe upon him. For that purple robe meant that they made him a nominal king, a king who was not in truth a king, but a mere show.
4Your Sunday religion, which has been forgotten in the week, has been a scepter of reed, a powerless ensign, a mere sham. You have mocked and insulted him even in your hymns and prayers, for your religion is a pretense, with no heart in it; you brought him an adoration that was no adoration, a confession that was no confession, and a prayer that was no prayer. Is it not so?”3
May the Lord, in His convicting grace, so change our hearts that we never want to participate in such mockery again!...
What comes next is –
2. A Public Parade Designed to Intimidate
Matthew 27:31
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.
Look at the last statement again – they “led Him away to crucify Him” ... This “leading” was no simple detail in the narrative!... This was a … process!
If you were to go to Jerusalem today, you can take a “tour” along the Via Dolorosa… It is a 14-station route through the Old City of Jerusalem depicting the path Jesus took to His crucifixion… This “traditional path” , is known as “The Way of Sorrows” , and many go there every year during Passion Week to commemorate the events Jesus experienced along the way…
As one commentator explains it –
“The criminal was led to the scene of crucifixion by as long a route as possible, so that as many as possible might see him and take warning from the grim sight.
” (William Barclay)
The Romans knew that the severe treatment of a criminal would serve as a strong deterrent to others, to not commit such crimes!... Their purpose was to administer judgement against the condemned!… The irony in this narrative is … the treatment inflicted on the Lord by these Romans only added to the severity of the justice administered by the Lord when they would face Him in Divine Judgement against their sin!
There is another detail about this “leading away to be crucified” that we need to know in order to grasp just what is happening… And that is – the condemned were required to “carry their own cross” along the way!
I have read that a typical Roman cross would weigh somewhere around 300 pounds – in its entirety … so the condemned only carried the “crossbar” which weighed anywhere from 75 to 125 pounds… One commentator says that the vertical beam of a cross was “usually permanently fixed in a visible place outside of the city walls, beside a major road. It is likely that on many occasions, Jesus passed by the very upright He would hang upon” (David Guzik).
There is an application point we should all consider at this point… Do you remember how Jesus used the image of a cross to describe what it will mean for one to become a follower of His?... Jesus used this word-picture on several occasions (Matthew 10:38, 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 14:27)... Let’s read one of them –
Luke 9:23
And He was saying to them all,
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
What Jesus is now experiencing on His way to Calvary, is exactly the scene He had in mind when He issued this call!... We are to understand that the cross represents … death! As one person put it; “Taking up your cross wasn’t a journey; it was a one-way trip. There was no return ticketing; it was never a round trip” (David Guzik).
There is an interesting … twist in what happens during this … parade… Let’s read it before talking about it. It is found in verse :32 –
Matthew 27:32
As they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.
Cyrene is in Northern Africa, about 800 miles from Jerusalem! We can surmise that Simon was a nature-born, or proselyte Jew who came to Jerusalem for Passover… And he … happens to be “in the right place at the right time” to get … drafted!
In Mark’s report, we learn a little more about Simon of Cyrene –
Mark 15:21
They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross.
– We learn that he is a father – the father of two sons; named Alexander and Rufus!...
An interesting detail is mentioned by Luke in his report –
Luke 23:26
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.
So, we now see Jesus continuing toward Calvary … probably very much weakened by all the treatment He has endured to this point. And behind Him is Simon of Cyrene … carrying Jesus’ cross for Him…
Again… there is an irony here – an irony we will get into more next week, but I can help but acknowledge right here!... Here it is… Simon is carrying a cross for Jesus – and Jesus is going to die on that cross for men like Simon!...
There are many who have suggested that Simon indeed became a follower of Jesus, as did his sons. In fact, this was a “tradition” picked up rather early in Christian history… There is a Rufus mentioned in Romans 16:13 as being a faithful follower, along with his mother – but this is only speculation, as to whether this is the same Rufus as Simon’s son…
It is at this point that Luke tells us something the other gospel writers don’t…
Luke 23:27-31
27 And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him.
28 But Jesus turning to them said,
“Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
29 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.
’ 30 Then they will begin TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS,
‘FALL ON US,
’
AND TO THE HILLS,
‘COVER US.
’ 31 For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
It was certainly understandable that there were certain women following along with the multitude that were … mourning!... Jesus’ words to them are a 7sermon unto themselves, in fact, these are among His final words before His death…
Jesus points them to consider the days that are coming for those who … have rejected HIM!... Jesus may be describing what will be happening to Jerusalem in a matter of just a few decades – the fall of Jerusalem!... But He is certainly describing what is to come as the world “progresses” in her march toward destruction before Jesus comes again…
C.H. Spurgeon –
“Ye need not weep because Christ died one-tenth so much as because your sins rendered it necessary that he should die. You need not weep over the crucifixion, but weep over your transgression, for your sins nailed the Redeemer to the accursed tree. To weep over a dying Savior is to lament the remedy; it were wiser to bewail the disease.
”4
And finally, we come to –
3. The Public Execution Designed to Eliminate
Now, this is the heart of the matter!... From man’s point of view, the Chief Priests, Scribes, Pharisees, Sanhedrin, … and the demanding public they all stirred up … are finally going to see what they have been longing for, for some time!... Let’s begin with verse :33 –
Matthew 27:33
And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull,
Let’s stop there for a moment… Golgotha is an Arimaic word, and the NT is given to us primarily in Koine Greek. That is why we are being given the translation that it means “Place of a Skull” ... This may raise a question for some; so where does Calvary come in?... Calvary is simply the Latin word for Golgotha, which is the translation that came out in the 4th to early 5th century… The Latin Vulgate was leaned upon with the translation of the King James Version, so that’s how the word Calvary entered our vocabulary.
4 Charles Haddon Spurgeon, October 22, 1876, Luke 23:27-32, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol. 22
8The point is, Golgotha was a specific place located outside the walls of Jerusalem that served as the place of execution. There is a specific hill you can see today that is known as
“Gordon
’s Calvary
” that is believed by many to be the actual site where these crucifixions were carried out – and it looks very much like a skull…
Matthew goes on to tell us, that once they got to Calvary –
Matthew 27:34
they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.
It can be argued that there are two … acts of “mercy” in this scene. The first was getting Simon the Cyrene to carry Jesus’ cross, and the second is right here… The Romans would often give the condemned this “mixed drink” which was designed to “numb the pain” for the one about to be crucified!... Death on a cross was brutal, and painful, so this act could be seen as some measure of … mercy. But, it could also be argued that this “pain numbing” mixture was given so the victim would be able to … endure a bit longer, and thus have a prolonged experience in their execution! If that is the case, then this wouldn’t be an act of mercy…
In either case, Jesus refused to drink it! Why?... As we will see more clearly next time, I think the simplest explanation is that Jesus was determined to “drink the cup” assigned to Him from the Father – the full extent of the suffering He was to endure – without having His … senses dulled!
Matthew goes on to say –
Matthew 27:35a
And when they had crucified Him,...
Stop there for a moment… Let’s think about the specifics involved in crucifixion…
David Guzik says that –
“We have yet to see an accurate, full depiction of crucifixion in modern media. If it were ever made, it would be limited to adult audiences, because of its intense horror and brutality.
”5
5 https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/matthew-27/
9The gospel writers didn’t need to go into detail about the act of crucifixion. The early Christians were well aware of what it was all about… The point was – man was doing to Jesus, all that they could to bring about His … elimination!
But, I don’t think we can really appreciate the significance of what Jesus endured … physically, unless we have an accurate understanding of what crucifixion entails… Some may find this description too … offensive, and I’m sorry for that – but the problem is, 2,000 years have “sanitized” the cross in our minds and memories, and … we are realists, who ought to understand the realities Jesus suffered at the hands of man!
What follows is not in your notes, so please listen carefully… I want to read from an article that was written by Dr. William Edwards in 1986… This article appeared in “the prestigious” Journal of the American Medical Association and it was titled “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ.
”
You can find what I am reading in David Guzik’s commentary on Enduringword.com…
Dr. Edwards, along with his associates, give us a … medical view of the crucifixion…
“Although the Romans did not invent crucifixion, they perfected it as a form of torture and capital punishment that was designed to produce a slow death with maximum pain and suffering.
”The victim’s back was first torn open by the scourging, then opened again as the congealing, clotting blood came off with the clothing that was removed at the place of crucifixion. When thrown on the ground to nail the hands to the crossbeam, the wounds were again opened, deepened, and contaminated with dirt. While attached to the upright cross, each breath would cause the painful wounds on the back to scrape against the rough wood of the upright beam and were further aggravated.
10Driving the nail through the wrist severed the large median nerve. This stimulated nerve caused bolts of fiery pain in both arms, and often resulted in a claw-like grip in the victim’s hands.
Beyond the severe pain, the major effect of crucifixion inhibited normal breathing. The weight of the body, pulling down on the arms and shoulders, tended to lock the respiratory muscles in an inhalation state, thus hindering exhalation. The lack of adequate respiration resulted in severe muscle cramps, which hindered breathing even further. To get a good breath, one had to push against the feet and flex the elbows, pulling from the shoulders. Putting the weight of the body on the feet produced more pain, and flexing the elbows twisted the hands hanging on the nails. Lifting the body for a breath also painfully scraped the back against the rough wooden post. Each effort to get a proper breath was agonizing, exhausting, and led to a sooner death.
“Not uncommonly, insects would light upon or burrow into the open wounds or the eyes, ears, and nose of the dying and helpless victim, and birds of prey would tear at these sites. Moreover, it was customary to leave the corpse on the cross to be devoured by predatory animals.
”Death from crucifixion could come from many sources: acute shock from blood loss; being too exhausted to breathe any longer; dehydration; stress-induced heart attack; or congestive heart failure leading to a cardiac rupture. If the victim did not die quickly enough, the legs were broken, and the victim was soon unable to breathe.
… (I’m going to skip part of this, because I think we get the picture…)
How bad was crucifixion? We get our English word excruciating from the Roman word – meaning; “
out of the cross
”
...
The commentator, Adam Clarke said –
“Consider how heinous sin must be in the sight of God, when it requires such a sacrifice!”6
6 As quoted by David Guzik, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/matthew-27/
11We will get into this more next week, but … at this point, we should be reminded that Jesus … was no mere “victim of circumstances” ... HE was in full control!... We need to be reminded what He said earlier in John 10 –
John 10:17-18
17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.
18 No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.
”
For our purposes today, in thinking about the cross from “man’s perspective” , we need to continue just a little further…
Let’s pick back up again with verse :35 –
Matthew 27:35
And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots.
It is a … humiliating scene to think that Jesus actually had His clothes taken, and gambled away at the foot of the cross. Guzik says –
“He was nailed to the cross as a naked, humiliated man.
”
It was at this point that Luke tells us of the first of seven statements that Jesus makes from the cross… These first words are filled with … mercy towards those who are committing this grievous sin against Him!
Luke 23:34
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.
Matthew goes on and says –
Matthew 27:36-37
36 And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there.
37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read,
“THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
”
I understand that the practice of the soldiers “sitting down” and “keep watch” … to prevent anyone from trying to “rescue” the condemned!...
The charges against the condemned were written on a sign and nailed to the top of their cross!... It is interesting that Jesus’ sign … tells the truth!: “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
”
John tells us that –
John 19:20-22
20 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.
21 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.
’” 22 Pilate answered,
“What I have written I have written.
”
It was a double insult to the Jews for this sign to remain!... They protested, because they didn’t believe that Jesus was “the King of the Jews” , and they certainly didn’t like the idea that Rome could so … humiliate the Jews by showing them, even “their king” would be subject to Rome’s power!...
We are also told of the two robbers who were also being crucified that day –
Matthew 27:38-44
38 At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left.
39 And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads 40 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.
” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying,
42 “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.
43 HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said,
‘I am the Son of God.
’” 44 The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.
Jesus is crucified right in the middle … and among “sinful humanity”!... The depravity of sinful hearts is on full display here! Jesus is being mocked right up to the very end!... He is currently experiencing … the complete rejection of mankind!...
13It is interesting to note that people were mocking Jesus … for exactly Who He Is!... They mocked Him as a Savior and King! They mocked Jesus’ “trust in God” , and for His claim of being “the Son of God”!...
Listen… Today we have been thinking about the crucifixion of Jesus from the human point of view… And there is a specific application we need to make even of this…
Christian, you are not above your Lord! As we will see next week, He endured what He endured for … you!... Are you willing to endure … all the rejection of this world … for Him?!
Questions to Consider in Community Group
- What stands out to you most in Matthew’s account of the crucifixion (27:27–44)?
- Where do you see the progression from humiliation to intimidation to elimination?
- How do Spurgeon’s reflections challenge the way we think about “mocking” Christ with nominal worship?
- What does “taking up your cross daily” practically look like in light of Jesus’ walk to Golgotha?
- How does the medical description of crucifixion deepen your understanding of the cost of our redemption?
