It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. (Luke 23.44 – 46, ESV)
We call it “Good Friday,” but it wouldn’t have felt “good” to his followers.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures… (1 Corinthians 15.3, ESV)
Jesus is about to die, but he takes care of one last item of business:
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. (John 19.25 – 27, NIV)
How Jesus could continue to think of others, even in a time of unimaginable pain and distress, is worth contemplating. Some in Christian ministry have “given their lives” for the cause but abandoned their families in doing so.
But Jesus had cultivated a relationship with John so much so that John considered himself the disciple whom Jesus loved. (I wrote about this recently.) This relationship made it possible for Jesus to make this request. My friend and Navigator mentor Skip Gray said something like, “Sometimes carrying your cross is costly to other people. This wasn’t John’s cross. It was Jesus’ cross, but John picked up the responsibility to care for Mary, a widow.”
Anyone who neglects to care for family members in need repudiates the faith. That’s worse than refusing to believe in the first place. (1 Timothy 5.8, MSG)
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 923, ESV)
I wrote last year about the movie Once We Were Slaves by Dallas Jenkins, director of The Chosen. It’s about the two thieves, and it’s worth the 26 minutes. Dallas sets it up beautifully. The two thieves are brothers: one is irreligious, given to crime. The other is studying to be a rabbi. When the Romans assault his fiancé, he lashes out at them, and they both end up on death row. Guess which one “will be with Me in Paradise.” The standard title above includes “the good thief.” Watch the movie, and you might not be sure that’s true…
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23.39 – 43, NIV)
Grace. No baptism. No knowledge of “the plan of salvation” or any other theology. No works. Nothing. Alistair Begg captures it beautifully in this 4-minute clip that you have to watch only two and a half minutes of. The angel at the gate of heaven says, “How did you get here?” The answer?
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (Luke 23.33, 34, NIV)
Again, the text is brief: “they crucified him there…” It’s too brutal to write about. You can look it up if you like, but it’s just that kind of horrible sin for which Jesus died a horrible death. Isaiah(!) captures some of it:
Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53.1 – 6, ESV)
Jesus’ response? “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Amazing.
Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18.21 – 22, NKJV)
I’ve never taught nor meditated on Jesus’ words to the women of Jerusalem. I don’t even remember hearing a sermon on this event, which is recorded only in Luke’s gospel:
And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 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!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (Luke 23.27 – 31, ESV)
Let’s spread out Jesus’ words: But turning to them Jesus said,
Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me but weep for yourselves and for your children.
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!’
Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’
For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?
First, and this is right before Jesus is nailed to the cross, Jesus expresses concern, not for himself, but for them.
And then he predicts tough times:
“Blessed are the barren…” sounds like what he said to the disciples on the Mount of Olives just a few days before. Jerusalem will be destroyed by the Romans (happened in 70 A.D.), and things will be nasty:
When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21.20 – 24, NIV, emphasis mine)
“They will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us…'” sounds like Hosea 10.7, 8, a prediction of the Northern Kingdom’s destruction by Assyria.
Samaria’s king will be destroyed, swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters. The high places of wickedness will be destroyed— it is the sin of Israel. Thorns and thistles will grow up and cover their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!” (Hosea 10.7, 8, NIV)
Jesus seems sad because what his own people are doing to him (remember, it was the Jewish leaders that ordered the crucifixion) is going to result in severe hardship, not only for the perpetrators but also for ordinary women – believers.
He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. (John 1.10, 11, ESV)
[Jesus lamented, ] “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” (Matthew 23.37, NIV)
It’s Palm Sunday, and I’ll mention it because I’m supposed to.
But it’s hard to get excited about it because I think it’s quite likely that some of the crowds of the Triumphal Entry…
And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matthew 21.9 – 11, ESV)
…were among this crowd:
Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” And he said, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” (Matthew 27.20 – 23, ESV)
For sure, many, if not most, in the Palm Sunday crowd were erroneously expecting Jesus to lead a charge to overthrow the Romans. The disciples were still expecting that in Acts 1!
So let’s get right back to the Stations of the Cross:
Station 8: Jesus is Helped by Simon of Cyrene to Carry the Cross
And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. (Mark 15.21, ESV)
Simon of Cyrene is mentioned also in Matthew and Luke, but this is all we know. His name doesn’t come up again. BUT, Rufus does:
Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. (Romans 16.13, ESV)
It seems likely that Simon became a believer, else how would the gospel writers know his name? And Mark and Paul both mention Rufus, his son. What a story! Here’s Simon, in town, no doubt, for the Passover celebration, gets an up-front participatory seat for the true Passover lamb (more about this after Easter).
At this point in his journey, Jesus, the all-powerful son of God, needs help, and the Romans pull in the first guy they see. In the movie, Ben-Hur, to whom Jesus had shown kindness earlier, is in Jerusalem and tries to help Jesus, but he can’t get close enough because of the crowds. Apparently, none of his disciples are close enough either and most may not even be in the area. So Jesus is helped by a stranger, forced to do it, rather than a friend.
Certainly, Simon and his sons would never have a problem understanding Jesus’ words, recorded later by the gospel writers:
And [Jesus] said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9.23, ESV)
And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. (Matthew 27.31, ESV)
John gives more detail:
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.” So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. (John 19.15 – 17, ESV)
“bearing his own cross…”
How difficult would it be to walk to the place of your own execution? Especially in Jesus’ case where he had already been beaten to a pulp. “I’m not walking there. Just kill me now.” But no. Jesus is told to carry the cross so he carries the cross (until he can’t – more on that tomorrow).
Gary Jansen’s meditation on this station includes this application:
Whatever you’re going through is probably not fair. There is no retreat from life or the chaos that ensues from the sometimes terrible and demeaning actions of others. And while we are asked to surrender to God’s will, there is no surrender in this world until our final moment. – Gary Jansen, Station to Station
“There is no surrender in this world until our final moment” reminds me of something C.S. Lewis wrote in the lesser-known essay “The Sermon and the Lunch.” “There is nowhere this side of heaven where one can safely lay the reins on the horse’s neck.” I may write more about that when it comes up again.
Jesus endures. He perseveres.
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. (Hebrews 5.7 – 9, ESV)
Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. (John 19.1 – 3, ESV)
I identify with John here: he gives the flogging one sentence with another sentence for the crown of thorns. I’m not good at making this longer than the Gospels do. I don’t know how many minutes The Passion of the Christ devotes to this scene, and I don’t intend to watch it again to find out.
So I encourage you to do your own meditation…
I will share something from Station to Station by Gary Jansen that helped me.
Terrorism, mass shootings, child abuse, war—all of these evils stem from brokenness, which then leads to an unbroken cycle of pain…Jesus, the bread of life, is broken here. Yet there is no eye for an eye. He will not seek vengeance. Instead, he acts like a sponge, absorbing all the violence and hatred. In turn he will convert all that negative energy, all that waste, into something positive.
The senseless beating of Jesus was, well, senseless, just like most of the violence we’re seeing today. Jesus’ taking that beating was part of his sin-bearing.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. (Matthew 27.27 – 30, ESV)
If you’re Jesus, it’s got to be tough to be judged by Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. By all accounts, not much of a guy. And besides, as Jesus told him:
You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above… (John 19.11, ESV)
Nevertheless, the charade continues, and Jesus is mostly silent:
And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed…And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. (Mark 15.1 – 5, 12 – 15, ESV)
I say charade because the conclusion was predetermined both by the Jewish leaders and by God himself:
[The early church] lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’—for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” (Acts 4.24 – 28, ESV)
We saw over and over in our Old Testament readings so far (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Moses) that these men were far from perfect. In fact, flawed might be a better word. And the men Jesus chose were flawed, too.
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26.69 – 75, ESV)
Luke adds this sentence after the third denial: “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.” (Luke 22.61, NIV)
Looked at him how? “See, I told you so!” or “You are such a loser!” or “I still love you, Peter.” We know that Peter tried to run from the whole affair, but Jesus reinstated him (see John 21.1 – 19). In short, Jesus accepts us: flaws, shortcomings, and all.
As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103.13 – 14, ESV)
