Jesus Carries His Cross

Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).  John 19:17

I used to think that carrying the cross was part of Jesus' own special punishment.  In fact, it was the way crucifixions were typically carried out.  The paragraph below is from an article entitled, "Facts of Crucifixion" from catholiceducation.org:

After the flogging, the victim would carry his own cross bar (called a patibulum) from the flogging area inside the city to the crucifixion area outside of the city walls. The crucifixion area was always outside the city, because the process was horrible and disturbing to citizens.

The upright part of the cross (the stipe) was permanently mounted in the crucifixion area. The part that the victim carried was the cross bar, weighing in at 75 to 125 pounds. The cross bar would be balanced on the victim’s shoulders, and their arms would be tied to the crossbar. In this position, if the victim tripped or fell, they could not use their arms to break their fall, and they would likely fall face first into the ground.

Imagine the pain, the horror of this.  Falling on your face, holding approximately 100 pounds.  After being beaten to near death.  After being exhausted and dehydrated.   After being questioned and humiliated.

Golgotha - the place of the skull.  This description is mentioned in each of the four gospels.  Traditionally, there are two sites thought to be this place.  Constantine, the Roman emperor, built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre around the site in the early 300s.  The other site, to this day, has rock face that resembles eyes/skulls, and that is why it is thought to be the site of the crucifixion.  (Go to wikipedia.com - search for Golgotha - for more information.)

No matter where it is, at the time, it was a place of death and horror.  And Jesus' earthly life came to an end there. 

I almost can't talk about.  I don't have the right words for this moment.

So I turn to the gospels.  To me, it's interesting how matter of fact John's portrayal of these moments is.  He, of all four gospel writers, was the only eyewitness.  He was one of Jesus' three closest friends.  I would expect an eyewitness account of a friend's death to be passionate, excited, intense.  But John doesn't do that.  If you ever take the time to read this gospel, to study it closely, notice that John tells the reader right from the start that his purpose in writing this account is to prove to the reader that Jesus is the Son of God.  And he says he is going to prove it by using 6 signs, or miracles - beginning with turning the water into wine, and ending with resurrection.

I think that John wrote about Jesus' death so stoically so that no one would accuse him of embellishing the truth.  It was what it was.  It was horrible, and he didn't need to embellish!

The other gospels give us a bit more information, including how Simon of Cyrene had to help carry the cross when Jesus could not go on.  Luke's gospel goes even further, and shares this information:

A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.  Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’  Then“‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”  and to the hills, “Cover us!”’

For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”   Luke 23:27-28

Even in His hour of extreme distress, He is not thinking of Himself.  He tells the women around Him, to cry for themselves, to feel the sorrow for their own sins.   Matthew Henry said:

Therefore weep not for him, but let us weep for our own sins, and the sins of our children, which caused his death; and weep for fear of the miseries we shall bring upon ourselves, if we slight his love, and reject his grace. If God delivered him up to such sufferings as these, because he was made a sacrifice for sin, what will he do with sinners themselves, who make themselves a dry tree, a corrupt and wicked generation, and good for nothing!

(I know I'm using a lot of passages from others today, but it is because I just don't have the right words.  People with amazing gifts and insights have written amazing commentaries and given us amazing information, and it is there for us to utilize and ponder.)

By Friday, we will be talking about Jesus' dying.  And because we are using John as our main source, it's all pretty cut and dried, matter of fact.  But that's ok because you know what?  Jesus' death WAS cut and dry.  It WAS matter of fact.  It happened.  End of story.  It's not a metaphor, or an allegory, and a fairy tale gone bad.  It's truth. 

This truth speaks volumes in the lives of believers.  I hope it is speaking to you this month.  I know it's doing wonders in my soul.  I pray for anyone reading this, those I know and those I don't.  I pray for myself and my family, that we will be continually changed by this truth.

He didn't die a simple, quick death for my sins.  He suffered.  He agonized.  Physically.  Emotionally.  Spiritually.  He suffered in every way possible.

For me.  For you. 

That should change us.