November 9, 2030

Bearing More Than A Cross

(Some information may be too graphic for small children)

“They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.” John 19:17 (NASB)

            Imagine, being beaten within an inch of your life, and then being forced to carry the instrument of your execution. I can’t. Imagine the determination of Jesus carrying the patibulum after His back and leg tissue and raw muscle are visible. It must have been a gory scene as He dripped blood along the road. It touched those who watched Jesus walk by. I wonder if Jesus looked at each person as He walked to death. I also wonder if He thought of each soul He passed, one day to see and remember them. And knowing who and who would not accept His gift…

            “They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross…” “As the soldiers led Him away, Jesus bore His own cross, which was standard Roman procedure for the condemned. The condemned prisoner was forced to carry the crosspiece on his shoulders as he was led through the streets to the execution site. The sight of a beaten, bloodied, terrified prisoner carrying part of the instrument of his own execution illustrated that crime does not pay. Since the time of the church fathers, interpreters have seen in Christ’s bearing His cross an allusion to Isaac, who like Jesus, carried on his back the wood that would have been used in his sacrifice (Gen. 22:6).”[1] The section Jesus carried upon his back was called the patibulum. “This section of the cross (the horizontal section) weighed between 75-125 pounds.”[2] The patibulum was strapped to Jesus' shoulders to carry the cross through the streets to the place of execution. Until this time, Jesus’s back was raw from the beatings by Roman soldiers. This rough piece of timber would have re-opened the wounds from the previous scourging and rubbing against the reopened wounds and further piercing damaged tissue. Each end of the patibulum is where Jesus’s wrists would be pierced with nails up to 7 inches long. During His journey to the cross, there were also two other criminals who “were being led away to be put to death with Him.” (Luke 23:32). “The procession of the condemned Christ, two thieves, and the execution detail of Roman soldiers headed by a centurion began its slow journey along the route which we know today as the Via Dolorosa. In spite of Jesus' efforts to walk erect, the weight of the heavy wooden beam, together with the shock produced by copious loss of blood, was too much. He stumbled and fell. The rough wood of the beam gouged into the lacerated skin and muscles of the shoulders. He tried to rise, but human muscles had been pushed beyond their endurance. The centurion, anxious to proceed with the crucifixion, selected a stalwart North African onlooker, Simon of Cyrene, to carry the cross. Jesus followed, still bleeding and sweating the cold, clammy sweat of shock. The 650-yard journey from the Fortress Antonia to Golgotha was finally completed.”[3] The word Golgotha is a Hebrew term but written in Greek. The word Golgotha means ‘skull’ as Mark 15:22 clearly articulates: ‘Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull’ (cf. John 19:17). Golgotha, the localized name for this rock hillside, looked like a skull.[4]

            He walked to death in our place. He gave His best for us by giving His life for us…         

[1] (John MacArthur, 2006). 348.

[2] https://www.douglasjacoby.com/a-more-accurate-medical-account-of-the-crucifixion/.

[3] https://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/crucifix.htm.

[4] https://bffbible.org/new-testament/view/golgotha-calvary_jesus-crucified.