Jesus' death on the cross

Jesus' death on the cross

 

Mark 15:33-37 『And when the sixth hour came, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calledeth Elias. And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.』

The Jews thought that Jesus was their Christ and welcomed him into Jerusalem with great enthusiasm. But Jesus exceeded their expectations. The "Christ they were waiting for", they thought, should be their king who would save Israel, not a defendant on trial before Pilate. When the Jews' expectations were not met, their welcome turned into betrayal. If they did not listen to the advice of the Jewish leaders, they did not know what kind of disaster they would face later. This is because it has already been decided that among the Jews, those who follow Jesus will go out. The crowd mentality instantly became one. “He must be crucified, he must be crucified!” Shouts were heard from all over. He took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” Then he released Barabbas to them and handed Jesus over to them to be flogged and crucified.

Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified as a way to appease public sentiment and to satisfy the crowd. Pilate gave up his conscience to maintain his current position. When he asked Jesus' accusers, "Shall I crucify your king?" the chief priests cried out, "We have no king but Caesar." Hearing these words, he was concerned that if he released Jesus, he would be framed to recognize a king other than Caesar. If he does so, he will be stripped of his current position as governor and will be tried as a traitor to the Roman Emperor Caesar. Pilate then hurriedly said, “He handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.”

For prisoners on death row, the punishment was whipping before execution. The whip of the Roman soldiers had a short handle with several leather straps and a bone piece made of a small piece of lead attached to the front, so when struck with this whip, the spine was exposed and in some cases, flesh was exposed. will be. And, the death row inmate must bear the cross that he must bear and climb up to his execution site. After the cruel whippings of the Roman soldiers were mercilessly inflicted on him, Jesus now had to carry the frame of the cross and climb up the hill of suffering to Golgotha.

When Pilate's death sentence was confirmed, Jesus was harassed by many people. The soldiers of the governor who brought Jesus into Pilate's pavilion were like the protagonists of a carnival who had lost their senses and ran wild. Jesus, who was dragged into the pavilion, was subjected to unspeakable harassment by a group of ruthless people.

First, what they did to the Lord was to strip him of his clothes and clothe him in scarlet robe. Hongpo is the clothing worn by kings. They were dressing Jesus up as a king. The governor's soldiers placed a reed in Jesus' hand to make him look more like a king. This reed represents the scepter held in the king's hand. And they knelt before the king dressed like this and mocked him. They said to Jesus, “Greetings, King of the Jews!” Then they spit in his face, took the reed and struck the king on the head with it.

He was a Diaspora Jew named Simon from Africa. Suddenly he was caught by soldiers and made to bear a cross. The soldiers gave Jesus the cheap sour wine they were drinking (Psalm 69:21) and taunted him, saying, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” In Psalm 69:21, “They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. 』And the soldiers divided Jesus' clothes, etc., among them by casting lots. In Psalm 22:18, “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.”

Two thieves appeared next to the cross of Jesus. The two thieves are sinners representing humanity. Romans 5:12 says, “All humans are sinners without exception.” In the case of the two thieves, the Bible tells us that “the wages of sin is death.” If these two thieves speak of the sins of mankind, the Bible shows that there can never be a righteous person among us humans. These two thieves are telling us that salvation through Jesus Christ is divided into two paths.

We do not know who was standing on the left or right of these two thieves. However, for convenience, the saved thief is said to be on the right, and the destroyed thief is said to be on the left. The thief on the left shows those who are condemned by the law and will be judged by God. The law cannot condemn those who are in Christ, but those who are not in Christ will be judged by the law.

The postal robber initially cursed and criticized Jesus, but he repented and was saved. Although we are like thieves who will be condemned forever, we can be saved by God when we repent like this and are crucified with Jesus. The two robbers committed the same crime. And the same thing happened when he was sentenced to death by crucifixion. It was also the same when they first slandered Jesus on the cross. But at the last moment of fate, these two thieves' paths diverged. The thief on the left did not repent of his sin until the very end. This thief continued to slander and mock Jesus until his death. “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” This thief was given a great opportunity to believe in Jesus Christ, but he rejected it and chose the path of destruction. . There are so many people in this world who, like this thief, are walking down the path of death by rejecting the opportunity to believe in Jesus.

The thief on the right repented that he was a sinner and entrusted his life to Christ. This thief was the same as the thief and had mocked Jesus along with him, but after a while he heard words of salvation from Jesus. He looked at his sin and repented by saying to the thief on the left, “Do you not fear God, even though you are under the same condemnation? We are receiving a due reward for our deeds.”

The thief on the right came to fear God. Repentance begins with the fear of God. And he must realize why he is in this world, repent like the parable of the prodigal son, and return to the kingdom of God. The postal robber said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus said to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Faith does not require a long period of time.

Jesus' suffering was becoming more severe as he was crucified on a cross erected on the hill of Golgotha. However, even in the midst of such suffering, Jesus looked at the people who had harmed him and offered a prayer of mercy to God the Father. Suddenly the world became dark. People were so shocked that they didn't know what to do. But when the time came for the darkness to be lifted, Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It was the cry of pain of Jesus being abandoned by God. Has there ever been such a heartbreaking cry of pain throughout human history? This cry of pain is still echoing and spreading throughout the world. People must hear the Lord's cry of suffering from the cross, repent, and return to the Lord. Repentance is a life of self-denial. To be crucified with Jesus.

At that time, when the “darkness that lasted from the sixth hour to the ninth hour” was about to pass, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eli Eli, lama sabachthani.” “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” God abandoned his Son. So why did God abandon His Son who suffered on the cross? This is because God did not see the Son hanging on the cross as a son, but rather saw Jesus as a sinner. Jesus suffered God's wrath on the cross as a sinner. In this way, the saints were judged together with Jesus in Christ.

“The reason God was able to abandon even his own Son” is his love for those who repent and return. God does not give love to just anyone. He gives love only to those who repent and die with Jesus. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Jews still thought of Jesus as one of the prophets. It was the third hour when Jesus was crucified. This time refers to 9:00 AM today's time. And three hours later, at the sixth o'clock (referring to 12 o'clock), darkness came to this world. And this darkness continued for three hours. It was lifted at 9 o'clock (around 3 o'clock), and at that time the Lord died.

This darkness points to the wrath of God. God was terribly angry toward his son. This wrath of God is God's righteous judgment on sinners. God considered Jesus, who hung on the cross of Golgotha, a sinner, and poured out His wrath on Him. He was now suffering this wrath, not as the Son of God, but as the representative of the sins of all mankind, who had rejuvenated themselves for the sins of all sinners. God did the work of saving sinners by pouring out this judgment of wrath on His Son. God saves those who repent and die on the cross with Jesus.

Along with Jesus' death, "the veil of the sanctuary was torn from top to bottom" shows that it is a truly amazing fact. “The tearing of the temple curtain” is God’s declaration that Old Testament sacrifices are no longer needed. The tearing of the temple curtain was not the only incident that occurred immediately after Jesus' death. In Matthew 27:45-54, there was an earthquake that shook the earth and caused rocks to burst, and tombs were opened and many sleeping bodies of saints were lifted up. It is surprising that the tombs were opened and many bodies of sleeping saints were recovered. Jesus is the first fruit of resurrection, and those who are resurrected next mean those who are born from heaven through water and the Holy Spirit. Those who are united with Jesus on the cross become those who are resurrected with Jesus.

There were people who went away beating their chests. When darkness fell for three hours, many people left, pounding their hearts. It was midday when darkness fell on the world. This darkness covered not only Golgotha Hill, but also all the hills and valleys. The whole world became dark. The mouths of the crowd who were mocking the Lord were shut. The hands of the Roman soldiers who were casting lots were lowered. The crowd who were shaking their heads and insulting the Lord were also dumbfounded. They became frightened by this sudden turn of events, and it made them reflect on their irrational behavior. Later, the centurion and his subordinate Roman soldiers also withdrew. When the centurion saw for himself all that had happened, he glorified God and said, “Surely this man was a righteous man.” He stood guard until the end, and then withdrew from Golgotha with his men.

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Joses, Salome, and other women were present at the tomb of the Lord until the end. The sun set to the west and dusk began to set. However, the Lord's body is still hanging on the cross and standing on the hill of Golgotha. There were people who could not leave this body alone.

After Jesus died, many things happened around his tomb. A man named Joseph appears and is shown burying the body of the Lord, while a group of high priests and Pharisees who crucified the Lord go to Pilate and receive permission to guard the tomb of Jesus, sealing the stone blocking the tomb and placing a watchman there. This appears to firmly protect the tomb.

Along with the death of Jesus, one cannot help but think of the person named Joseph of Arimathea. He said he was a disciple of Jesus. He said he was a public member. Council member means “a member of the Sanhyedrin Council, the highest judicial body and religious decision-making body in Israel.” After being sentenced to death here, Jesus stood before Pilate's judgment seat. This institution was a place where the most noble people of Israel, the high priests, scribes, and elders of the people gathered to deal with the important issues facing the Jews, so its members deserved to be called the nobles of Israel.

He said that he did not participate in their decision to kill Jesus (Luke 23:50-51). When they arrested Jesus and tried him at the council, they decided by majority vote according to custom. However, they could never reach a unanimous resolution. Because this man named Joseph clearly threw the buoy. (Matthew 10:32-33).

In Mark 15:43, Joseph is said to be a man who waits for the kingdom of God. Joseph was said to be a good and righteous man (Luke 23:50). The Pharisees and members of the council were full of envy, hypocrites, and skilled in false testimony. When they tried Jesus, what they found were false witnesses, and they tried to condemn Jesus with miscellaneous false evidence. But the Bible said that this Joseph was a good and righteous man. He was a public member who was leading a good and righteous fruitful life. Therefore, he could never join them in killing Jesus.

This Joseph went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. In a bloody atmosphere where Jesus' disciples could not even tell where they were hiding for fear of being caught by the rulers, Joseph fearlessly went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. This incident speaks of his desperate determination. Peter pledged and swore that he would die for the Lord, but he denied three times that he knew when danger came to him. However, Joseph did not usually show himself as a disciple, but during the most difficult time of burying Jesus' body, when no one could do anything, he showed up often and showed his boldness.

Jesus died on the cross and his body went into the tomb.

The witnesses were the soldiers, Joseph, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Joses. Jose's mother was the wife of Alphaeus and her name was Mary. Among the sons born to Alphaeus were James the Younger (one of the twelve disciples) and Joses. There were four people called brothers of Jesus, including James (not a member of the twelve disciples) and Joseph. Their mother's name was also Mary, and she was Joseph's wife. Jesus' mother, Mary, has the same name, but is a different person. Among the twelve disciples are James the Elder, the older brother of John, the son of Zebedee, and James the younger, the son of Alphaeus. James the Elder was the first of the twelve disciples to become a martyr. There were three James: there was a son of Alphaeus (James the younger), a son of Zebedee (James the elder: John's older brother), and James the son of Joseph. Joseph's son James was not a disciple of Jesus.