The Crucifixion (19:17-27)

The Crucifixion (19:17-27)

Pilate delivered Jesus to the chief priests, and the chief priests led Jesus away to crucifixion, with the help of the Roman soldiers. “It was the most shameful and cruel of all punishments,” said the Roman statesman-philosopher Cicero. Furthermore, he added, “Let it never come near the body of a Roman citizen; nay, not even near his thoughts or eyes or ears.”

Crucifixion probably originated among Persians and Phoenicians. But it was the Romans who made special use of it. Roman citizens could not be crucified, but there were exceptions. This form of capital punishment was reserved for the lowest type of criminals. Today we consider the cross to be a symbol of glory and victory, but in Pilate’s day, the cross was a symbol of the vilest form of rejection, shame, and suffering. It was Jesus that made the difference.

The criminal carried his cross, or at least the cross-beam, from the hall of judgment to the place of execution. It was the custom. Jesus began the mile-long walk carrying His cross, but Roman soldiers “drafted” Simon of Cyrene to take over the job and give Him a break. We do not know why Jesus was relieved of this burden; the Scriptures are silent. Was He too faint to bear the burden of the scourgings? Was it weakness that made the procession stop when the Jews were eager to get it done so they could enjoy their Passover Sabbath? One thing is certain: the bearing of the cross was a mark of guilt, and Jesus was not guilty (see Mark 15:20-21; Rom. 16:13).

The criminal was also required to wear a placard stating his crime. The only announcement recorded in the Gospels is the one Pilate wrote: “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” The chief priests objected to the wording, but Pilate would not change it. This was his last shot at the Jewish religious establishment. He knew that the priests and elders were envious of Jesus and that they sought to kill Him (Matt. 27:18). A cunning politician such as Pilate knew well the ways of the Jewish religious establishment. He knew his placard would insult and humiliate them, and that was just what he wanted.

The importance of this title is that it was written in Hebrew (Aramaic), Greek, and Latin. For one thing, it shows that our Lord was crucified in a cosmopolitan place, a place where many peoples and nations met. Hebrew was the language of religion, Greek of philosophy, and Latin of law, and all three conspired to crucify the Son of God. But what He did on the cross, He did for the whole world! In this gospel John stresses the universal scope of Christ’s work. When he prepared this title, Pilate unconsciously wrote a "gospel tract" for one of the thieves who found out that Jesus was king and asked for entrance into His kingdom.

Jesus was crucified outside the city (Heb. 13:11–13) between two other victims, possibly associates of Barabbas. We don’t know where our Savior’s cross was. Since the destruction of the city by Titus and the Romans in AD 70, the topography of Jerusalem has undergone so many changes that it is impossible to determine with accuracy either the route of our Lord to the cross or the place where the cross stood. Pilgrims to the Holy Land today are shown both the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and “Gordon’s Calvary” near the garden tomb.

The Hebrew word Golgotha means "cranium, skull"; Calvary is the Latin equivalent. We are not told the reason for its odd name. Certainly Jews would not permit unclean skulls to be left at a public place of execution. By the way, the bodies were usually buried (if the victims had friends) or thrown on the public dump, heads and all. It is true that “Gordon’s Calvary” does look like a skull, but did the terrain look like this two thousand years ago?

The shame was only increased by the fact that Jesus was crucified with two notorious thieves. But it was also to fulfill Isaiah 53:12, “He was numbered with the transgressors.” He got the treatment of an ordinary criminal!

Modern executions are usually conducted in near-clinical secrecy, but Jesus was nailed to a cross and left on display for all to see. It was the Passover season, and the city was swarming with thousands of visitors. The place of execution was away from the city where many people would pass. Jesus was a well-liked man, and His arrest and condemnation would be the talk of the town. It was natural for people to come and watch the grim scene.

Of course the soldiers had to be there; that was their job. In most Roman executions a centurion was given four soldiers to help him. Jesus was a well-known teacher with many followers, so perhaps Pilate had put extra guards on duty at Golgotha. The soldiers had the privilege of dividing up whatever personal belongings the victims had, so they divided up all that Jesus owned—His personal clothing. He would have worn a turban, a pair of sandals, an undergarment (the seamless robe), an outer garment, and a girdle. Each of the four men took a piece of clothing, and then they gambled for the seamless robe. And so they fulfilled Psalm 22:18.

John does not record it, but the other gospel writers tell us that some of the people passing by reviled Jesus, no doubt at the instigation of the chief priests and scribes (Mark 15:29-32). In Psalm 22, you can see how David used the image of animals to describe the people who persecuted our Lord: bulls (Ps. 22:12), lions (Ps. 22:13, 21), and dogs (Ps. 22:16, 20). When men refuse their Lord, they turn into beasts.

There was a group of women standing near the cross and the apostle John. Later they would travel on further to join other friends of Jesus [Matt. 27:55–56; Mark 15:40–41]. John mentions four women: Mary, the mother of Jesus; His mother’s sister, Salome, the mother of James and John; Mary, the wife of Clopas (Cleophas); and Mary Magdalene. It took courage to be there amid so much hatred and ridicule, but their presence must have cheered our Lord.

The first time we meet Mary in the gospel of John, she is at a wedding (John 2:1–11), and now she is preparing for a burial. The hour had come! She was going through "the sword," which was foretold years ago (Luke 2:35). Her silence is significant, for if anyone could have saved Jesus, it was His mother. She only had to say that His claims were false— But she said nothing! What a testimony to the Godhead of Christ.

Jesus assured her of His love and gave her His choice disciple, who rested on His bosom, to be her adopted son and to care for her. We do not know if John carried Mary off the scene and took her home at that moment. What we do know is that he loved her, and she was among the group of believers in the Upper Room as they awaited Pentecost (Acts 1:14). Even through the profound work of redemption, Jesus was faithful to his responsibilities as a son. And how he must have felt, taking the place of his Lord in Mary’s life!

Don’t confuse Mary Magdalene with the “sinful woman” in Luke 7:36ff. Jesus had delivered Mary Magdalene from demons (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2), and she had used her resources to assist Jesus in His ministry. Salome had asked Jesus for thrones for her two sons (Matt. 20:20–29), and He had refused her request. You wonder what she was thinking as she stood there and watched Jesus die on the cross. The scene must have rebuked her selfishness.