THE ROAD TO THE CROSS August 26, 2012 Pleasant Valley Church of Christ

John 19: As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.” WHY?

Pilate’s efforts to release Him He told the Jews to handle the matter for themselves. (John 19:6&7) 6. So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.” He tried to get Herod to handle the matter for him. (Luke 23:6&7) When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time. He tried to get the Jews to accept Jesus as the prisoner released at the passover. (Matthew 27:15) Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the people any one prisoner whom they wanted. He washed his hands of the matter. (Matthew 27:24) When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” Finally, he scourged him in an effort to strike a compromise. (John 19:12-15)

John 19:1-11 Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; 3 and they began to come up to Him and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and to give Him slaps in the face. 4 Pilate came out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” 5 Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!” [Ecci Homo] 6 So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.” 8 Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; 9 and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” 11 Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

Matthew 27: Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him. 28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “ Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. 31 After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

What the soldiers did….. Wove and placed and crown (of thorns) on his head. Stripped him and placed a purple kaimous (shaw) on his shoulders. Put a reed in his hand as a scepture, took it and hit him on the head—some indication they also hit him with their fists. Insulted him (language of soldiers who do not have God in their hearts).

13 Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” 15 So they cried out, “ Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” 16 So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified.

Points for Discussion One limitation placed by Rome on peoples it conquered was that they could not carry out the death penalty—only Rome could do so. That was called the ius gladii— “the right of the sword.” (Most likely to prevent the inadvertent execution of a Roman citizen by a foreign people.) If they could have, Jesus would have been stoned: Leviticus 24:16– “He who blasphemes the name of the Lord, shall be put to death, all the congregation shall stone him.” The witness whose testimony convicted him must be the first to cast a stone: “The hand of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.” Deuteronomy 17:7 But, Jesus had prophesied “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself. This he said signifying by what death he should die.” John 12:32 & 33

Sentencing The judge says, “Ibis ad crucem” (You will go to the cross). He turns to a guard and says, “I, miles, expedi crucem” (Go, soldier, and prepare the cross). The longest route possible was taken through the streets to the place of death. Why?

On the way there… John says: “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.” (19:17) When and why does this change? Carrying the cross for him was Simon of Cyrene (Tripoli). “They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross.” (Mark 15:21) Only Mark tells us of his sons. Likely Mark’s gospel was written to people living in Rome. To mention these sons by name would single him out as a means of identifying just who he is. Note Romans 16:13– “Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.” [Paul was so close to his mother he all but thought of her as his own mother!] Some also identify Simon as the person of this name in Acts 13:1 who was involved in sending Paul out on his first missionary journey. This connection is less certain, though definitely a possibility.

Luke 23:27-31: “27 And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him. 28 But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘ Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” What does this mean?

And when they arrive… He is nailed to the cross. (A process you do not want me to describe!) The placard is placed on the top of the cross. But maybe most tellingly, Matthew 27:26– “And sitting down, they watched him there.”