THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS

Matt. 27:35-37

Morning Meditation 9/5/2012

Verse 35-37 says, "And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched him there; And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS."

First lets look at,

WHEN IT OCCURRED

The word "when" suggest time. Does time make a difference? I want to suggest that it makes a big difference. God always has a reason and a time for all things. Paul says in Galatians 4:4, "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law." The word "fulness" translates "pleroma" and means, "that which is (has been) filled." This word speaks of filling something so that it is completely full and no room left. The word "time" translates "chronos" and refers to time as we know it. Here it is like a person with a plane ticket where he is scheduled to leave on a trip. The ticket may be issued two months in advance and during that time he will anticipate the trip. But when the date arrives, the time has been "fulfilled" (pleroma) and he will use the ticket. The words "was come" translate, "erchomai" and means, "to come into being, arise, come forth." This is an aorist active indicative verb. The aorist tense takes us back to the point of time in which God the Son became Jesus the man, i.e., His incarnation. God had promised in Genesis 3:15 that the seed of the woman (Jesus) would bruise the head of the serpent (defeat him completely). This is the first promise of man's redemption from sin and Satan. The time of the crucifixion suggests that God is working out a plan. The redemption of man is not a haphazard thing. God has been working according to a plan and will bring each phase of it to completion until all His foes have been put down and we dwell in the eternal unthreatened environment called heaven. God sent forth His Son when the fulness of time was come.

The next thing concerning the time is that it happened at the time of the Passover. John 19:14-16 says, "And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away." The passover was a memorial of the deliverance of the Nation of Israel from Egyptian bondage. It was where the lamb was slain, its blood applied, and the feast celebrating the deliverance before it happened. Faith speaks of what it wants in the past tense. God taught Israel to celebrate the victory before it happened. That's faith.

I believe Jesus death on the cross happened at the same time the pascal lamb was being slain at the altar before the Temple. He was the fulfillment of this picture. Jesus was right on schedule. Next lets look at,

HOW IT IS DESCRIBED

I will limit my comments to just a few things. First of all, He submitted to the mockery of the crowd. The humiliation of submitting to the shame of public ridicule and nakedness as He hung on the cross is amazing. Grace is truly amazing. I am sure of one thing. The Father would put the Son through nothing that His justice did not require for the payment of our sins. So His humiliation from the throne of glory to the humiliation of a criminal's cross was necessary.

Not only did He submit to the mockery of the crowds, He allowed Himself to be accused and crucified without any defense. Who would do a thing like that? If we are falsely accused we will spend hours trying to clear our name. If we are justly accused, we will spend hours defending ourselves and trying to solicit sympathy for why we did it. Peter tell us in 1 Peter 2:23, "Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." To suffer this kind of pain and shame adds to the price that He paid for our sins.

Then we have the words "E'-li, E'-li, la'-ma sa-bach'-than-ni? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" In these moments Jesus suffered the hell of eternal loneliness. We will never know that suffering. Only the unsaved will know that. They will have to endure eternal separation from God. Jesus did that for us. This is how it is described. God wants us to know that He did not require less of His only begotten Son than the payment of our sins required.

Then we have the words in Matthew 27:50, "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost." The words "yielded up" translate "aphiemi" and means, "to send away." It is aorist tense and means, "at that moment." Most of the time those being crucified were days in dying. They gradually died in torments as a punishment for their crimes and cause others to think seriously before they break Roman law. Jesus did not die the normal way at least on this point. He said in John 10:17-18, "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father." No man took the life of Jesus. He gave it. When the Father had said that He had suffered enough, we are told, "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost" (Luke 23:46).

Then we have a very interesting statement in Matthew 27:51: "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent." The veil separated the holy place from the holy of holies in the Temple. Only the high priest once a year entered through this veil. To enter any other time under any other circumstances would mean certain death. Remember, Jesus is dying at the same time the paschal lamb is being offered at the altar in front of the Temple. The blood of that lamb is taken and sprinkled before and on the mercy seat in the holy of holies. Can you picture in your mind the high priest who has offered the lamb at the altar and has gone through the required procedure and is standing before the veil ready to enter with the blood of the lamb? Suddenly when Jesus dies the veil before which the high priest is standing is rent from top to bottom. There he stands startled and awed as he looks at the mercy seat and anticipates his next move. I don't have the slightest idea what he did. I do know that Hebrews 10:19-20 says, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh." Now we do not have to wait to enter the holiest. We can enter daily. He has made a way. There is no veil. It has been taken way through His death. Have you been within the veil today? Next let us notice,

WHAT THE CRUCIFIXION ACCOMPLISHED

First, it took the kingdoms of this world out of the hands of Satan for those who would believe in Christ as a personal Saviour. John 12:31-32 says, "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." The verb "is" translates "esti" and is a present indicative. This means that Jesus is saying that the time of Satan's defeat has come. The words "be cast out" translate "ekballo"and means, "cast out with the notion of violence." Jesus fought a battle with Satan and overcame him. There was never a question of the outcome. But it had to take place in time for man to have the opportunity to be saved. Someone might ask, "If Satan has been defeated, why does it seem that he is still in control of this world order?" That is a good question. He is a defeated foe for those who take the victory that Jesus obtained for them at the cross. His kingdom has not been brought to a close yet even though he is defeated.

2 Peter 3: 9 speaks of the delay: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Men who are under the domain of Satan choose to be there. Jesus has given a way out. And it is the only way out.

Jesus on the cross accomplished eternal redemption for the believer. Hebrews 9:12 says, "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." The words "having obtained" are an aorist middle participle. The aorist tense is a point of time divorced from time and perpetuated forever. The point of time is the cross. The middle voice is where the subject (Jesus) participates in the result of the action. Let me give you an explanation in the form of a paraphrase. Jesus at a point of time (the cross), that point of time divorced from time and is perpetuated forever, and by this OBTAINED ETERNAL REDEMPTION FOR US and secured for Himself a bride. This is a once for all redemption that will never need to be repeated.

Those of us who are saved celebrate an accomplished salvation. We do not have to add a thing to what He has already done. Heaven is certain for the Christian because of the cross. Amen! It is available to the unsaved. It requires repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. At the point of faith one's name is entered into the Lambs Book of Life. Jesus said this is something to rejoice about (Luke 10:20)Amen!

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White