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What keeps your independent self-life nailed to the cross?
The place of execution was called Golgotha in the Aramaic language, which means The Place of the Skull in the English language (217).
There on the hilltop, Jesus was offered a drink of wine mixed with a bitter substance, but he refused it. Then Jesus was laid on a large wooden cross. Nails were driven through his outstretched hands & feet to fasten him to the cross, and the cross was then stood upright in the ground.
Jesus prayed for those responsible for his execution: “Father, forgive them, because they do not really understand what they are doing.”
Four soldiers took his clothes and divided them equally. But Jesus’ robe was made of one piece of cloth, woven without any seams in it. So the soldiers said to one another, “Let’s not tear the robe; let’s throw dice to see who gets it.” (This happened to fulfill a prophetic verse in the inspired scriptures: “They divided my clothes among themselves & gambled for my robe.”)
After that, according to their normal execution procedure, the soldiers sat there and waited for Jesus, and the two thieves being crucified with him, to die.
Pilate wrote a notice in three languages (Hebrew, Latin & Greek) and had it put on the cross; “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,” is what he wrote. The place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city, so many people were passing by to see who was being executed. As they passed, they would read the notice Pilate had posted about Jesus.
The chief priests said to Pilate, “You shouldn’t have written that he was ‘The King of the Jews.’ You should have written, ‘This man claimed to be the king of the Jews.'” But Pilate answered, “What I have written stays written.”
Passers-by mocked Jesus, saying things like: “So you’re the one who was going to tear down the temple and build it back up in three days!” or “Save yourself if you are God’s son!” or “Let’s see you come down from that cross!”
The religious leaders (chief priests & teachers of the law & elders) mocked Jesus, too. “He saved others, but he cannot save himself!” or “Isn’t he the king of Israel? If he will come down off the cross, we will believe in him!” or “He trusts in God and claims to be God’s son. Let’s see if God wants to save him now!”
LORD, please help us to love other people, even when they do not love us.
What keeps your independent self-life nailed to the cross?
(217) Matthew 27:33-37 & 39-43, Mark 15:23-26 & 29-32a, Luke 23:32 & 35-38, John 19:19-24
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