The life & Death of Jesus Christ

from the Gospel of Matthew

(Matthew 27:32-36)

The Passion of Christ

Questions to be answered in this study

1. Who carried the cross of Jesus?
2. What is the Via Dolorosa, and what does it mean?
3. When was Jerusalem destroyed after the crucifixion and by whom?
4. What was Jesus’ advice to the paid women mourners who followed Him to the cross?
5. What example does Simon’s walking with Jesus to the cross present to believers today?
6. What are we who believe in Jesus to expect when we walk closely with Him?
7. What hours of the day did the crucifixion take place?
8. What was the purpose of giving vinegar to victims being crucified?
9. Why did Jesus reject the vinegar?
10. How do we know that the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the crucifixion were not staged?

Introduction

In today’s study, we go further into Mathew’s record of the death of Jesus on the cross. At this time, Jesus was convicted by Pilate in the Antonian Fortress and sentenced to death by crucifixion. Jesus will be taken to Golgotha and nailed to the cross with a criminal crucified on either side of Him. Mathew only gives us a glimpse of the events leading up to the death of Jesus, so we will also be looking at the other gospels, which fill in the gaps.

           Our focus today will be on what Jesus went through for us, the reasons for those events, and the timeline according to the Bible, which may differ from some of the things reported by tradition. Now we start at v.32:

Matthew 27:32. “And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.”

It is now after Pilate condemns Jesus. Though it is not explicitly mentioned in v.32, we know that Jesus falls after He picks up His cross and begins to walk because the scourging weakened him. A man from Cyrene, a place in northern Africa, whose name was Simon, who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover, is compelled to carry the cross to a small hill outside the city’s walls about a quarter of a mile from the Antonian Fortress.        

I have had the privilege of visiting the location that is believed to be the very spot where Jesus was crucified. There is no sure designated path today that Jesus took to that location because of previous destructions of the city of Jerusalem. Still, there is a memorial path called the Via Dolorosa, which means “way of suffering” in Latin. This path may not be very accurate because it remains inside the walls of old Jerusalem, which, by the way, are not the original walls. We know the crucifixion occurred outside the actual walls, which enclosed a smaller area. During the time of King Agrippa, the walls were extended, which may have taken in the site where Jesus was buried, but that is not certain. 

In 70 A.D., Titus, the Roman general, and his army destroyed Jerusalem, including the walls and the temple. The walls were not rebuilt until the 1500s by the Ottomans, which while being smaller than the walls built by Agrippa, still may have included the site where Jesus was buried. The places of interest in Jerusalem are in three categories, one through three, with three less likely being the actual historical location. So, there is some doubt that some designated areas are accurate historically.

When we visited Jerusalem, two designated locations were the likely burial location of Jesus, one was inside a beautiful church that Constantine built in the fourth century, and the other site was outside the city in a cave hued out in the side of a Clift. I think the cave is the more likely location since it is well outside the walls, even the extended walls of the city.

There is a misconception among some that Jesus carried His cross, but other than for a short distance, He walked to His death carrying nothing. He could barely walk because of His physical condition. Simon was conscripted to carry the cross and probably unwillingly became a part of the horrors of the crucifixion and some of the abuse by an angry crowd jeering, throwing objects, and spiting, even though not directed toward included him.

At one time or the other, we all have experienced rejection, sometimes by a friend and even by our family; when this happens to you, remember that Jesus was rejected by His siblings as the Messiah until after His resurrection. Judas, a disciple of Jesus, denied Jesus and betrayed Him. Jesus’ people, the Jews, rejected Him as their Messiah. The crowd at the trial and crucifixion rejected Jesus and abused Him, spitting on Him, throwing objects at Him, and calling Him names.

John and Luke add another detail that Matthew does not mention. Women following Jesus were wailing and mourning, but they probably did not know Jesus; they were paid, mourners. It was part of the Jewish culture to provide mourners because it was considered dishonorable for a person who dies to go without a proper expression of grief; this was particularly true if a family did not have adequate family or friends to mourn over them.

According to Luke, Jesus turns to these women and offers some advice: “And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. 28But Jesus turning unto them, said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and your children. 29For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. 30Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us,” Luke 23:27-30.

Jesus warns of a coming judgment on Israel, which occurred not many years after His death in AD 70 when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. Jesus tells them to be concerned about and weep for their children. This judgment was part of the payback for Israel’s rejection and death of Jesus.

Though the Bible does not give details, I imagine Simon had a firsthand experience of how Jesus responded to the crowd who were abusing Him as He walked to His death. It would have been customary for a convicted criminal to be cursing the crowd, but Jesus was speaking kindly to the women, warning them of things to come. No doubt Jesus must have made a deep impression on Simon because of His attitude of accepting all the abuse without a complaint or profane words.

Simon’s walking with Jesus gives believers an idea of what to expect when we walk with Him. We can expect some abuse. The closer we walk with our Lord, the more we suffer; according to what Jesus said: “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you,” John 15:18-19.

If you believe in Jesus, don’t expect the world to be your friend. The world may hate you as it hates God and anything that represents God. When we accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, we became enemies of the world. The more dedicated we become to Jesus and His commission to carry the gospel to the world, the more the world will hate us. The more we stand for the principles taught in the Bible, the more we are hated by the world. The Bible has no mention or occasion for same-sex marriage, but when you mention your opposition to it, be prepared to be criticized by those of the world. The same goes for opposing abortion or sin in general. I watched a video of some of the pastors of mega churches being questioned about same sex marriage and was amazed how they hedged and were reluctant to condemn it even though the Bible is very clear concerning it.

All Simon did was to help Jesus bear the burden of the cross, but doing so put him in line to receive the same abuse as was given unto Jesus. Like Simon, when we walk closely with Jesus, we will likely receive the same hatred and abuse directed at Jesus, hate is directed toward God, and we receive collateral damage. 

To lessen the abuse, Simon would have had to put some distance between himself and Jesus. That applies to us also; when we distance ourselves from Jesus by being no different than those of the world, we lessen the abuse and become a believer in name only. We do that at great expense; we lose the peace and joy from a closer walk with Jesus.

We can’t enjoy our relationship with Jesus and try to be accepted by the world simultaneously. If we want the joy of a close relationship with Jesus, we must be willing to accept the negative consequences. That is why Jesus commanded His disciples, which include all believers, to take up their cross and follow Him. We must choose to be friends with Jesus or the world. Which will it be for you? The Bible is evident: “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God,” James 4:4.

There were two Simons associated with Jesus at the end of His life. Simon did not know Jesus but was there to help Him in his time of need, and the other, formerly called Simon, Jesus’ chief disciple, also called the rock, was nowhere to be found. That Simon was cowardly hiding to avoid the same treatment that Jesus received. Just how much today are we failing to walk with Jesus for whatever reason. The loss is not that of Jesus, who will find someone else in our place; it is our loss of joy and peace. Being close to Jesus in this life is nothing short of amazing, and you are missing out if you are following Jesus at a distance. Even though we may bear the cross of Jesus in this life, we will never be required to pay the price for our sins; Jesus did that for us. Simon was free to walk away, but Jesus stayed to suffer and die in his place.

Now Jesus comes to the end of His journey with Simon following and carrying His cross:

Matthew 27:33, “And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,”

We were taken to the place believed to be Golgotha; I can’t say it resembles a skull that much, but that is expected since erosion over hundreds of years could have changed the appearance. This location is only a few meters outside of what was the original walls of Jerusalem. It was at this place called Golgotha that the crucifixion began. The condemned person was required to lay on the cross with outstretched arms, and heavy iron nails were driven through the wrist area, the part of the hand that would support the body once erected. John, in his gospel, said the nails were driven through the hands of Jesus, which in those days, the hands included the wrists. The feet were also nailed to the lower cross incurring excruciating pain; this would have been a harrowing ordeal since the nails severed ligaments and nerves. The cross would then be lifted with ropes and dropped in a hole prepared for it. The arms would hold the body up, which would probably dislocate the shoulders, inflicting additional pain. Once erected, the body’s position would cut off the diaphragm; therefore, to breathe, the victim must push the body upward against the nails in the feet. It is difficult to imagine the pain that would have been caused. This up and down body movement to breathe would continue for hours until the victim died.

According to Mark, the crucifixion took place at the third hour of the day according to Roman time; that would have been 9:00 AM, our clock time; this was the first of the three divisions of time I mentioned above that ran from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM. Jesus suffered unimaginable pain for these hours to pay the price of sin, not His but ours; this was in addition to all the suffering Jesus endured up until the cross. Crucifixion could last for days, altogether, Jesus spent six hours on the cross before He gave up the spirit and died at 3:00 PM. Death came from asphyxiation or shock to the body from exposure.

Matthew 27:34, “They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.”

The drink offered to Jesus sounds like a wrong gesture, but it has a good side. It had a slight anesthetic value, which reduced the pain to some degree. Jesus refused the drink because He was not trying to avoid the pain. Jesus’ purpose was to pay the price of sin in full for everyone who would trust in Him, which required His suffering and death on the cross. His suffering was all for our sake.

Those who crucified Jesus fulfill a prophecy given hundreds of years before:

Matthew 27:35-36, “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. 36And sitting down, they watched him there;”

Part of the pay Roman soldiers received came from the spoil of war or the belongings of prisoners that they took. The robe of Jesus was a one-piece garment, according to John, a valued piece of clothes that probably was given to Jesus, so the soldiers cast lots to see who would get it along with the rest of Jesus’ clothes. The garments worn in those days included a head covering, outer garment, inner garment, sandals, and a heavy outer coat for colder weather.

The things that took place on that day were the fulfillment of prophecy, not by the friends of Jesus but by His enemies, proving that the events were not staged. King David gave us a prophecy concerning the crucifixion of Jesus: 

Psalm 22:11-18, “Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help. 12Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. 13They [a]gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion. 14I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted [b]within Me. 15My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. 16For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They [c] pierced My hands and My feet; 17I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.”

David’s description of the crucifixion was given by inspiration from God long before the crucifixion became the mode of execution by the Persian empire. Crucifixion was not known at the time, so David knew nothing about what it was or what it would be like until it was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit through the inspiration of God.

Verse 11 tells us that there was no help available. The disciples hid, leaving only John and a few women who stayed close to Jesus. Verse 12 says there were many bulls of Bashan surrounding Jesus; these were the Roman soldiers. According to Scripture, these bulls of Bashan are the most powerful soldiers and enemies; in verse 13, Jesus said they gape at me with their mouths; they hurl mean words at Jesus. They are like roaring lions, ready to devour Jesus.

In verses 14 and 15, Jesus describes the awfulness of His suffering, and in verse 16, He says His enemies are like dogs depicting the lowest, wickedest class of humans in that day. Finally, Jesus describes the crucifixion as they drove nails in His hands and feet and cast lots for His garments. Through it, not a bone was broken, fulfilling Scripture. It makes quite an impact when we realize that all Jesus experienced in His suffering and dying was because of His love for us. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that those whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” John 3:16.