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22 LED TO SKULL HILL- At
9.00 a.m. after the ridicule, Jesus' own garments were put upon Him and the
soldiers took Him out to be crucified. In order to signify that life was
already over and to break the will to live, a tablet detailing the crime was
often placed around the criminal's neck ready to be then fastened to the
cross. It was customary for the condemned criminal to carry the cross-bar,
but after a while Jesus was too exhausted physically because of the whipping,
to continue to bear the bar across His shoulders. He had been flogged until
the blood flowed. This was not just done out of cruelty but was designed to
hasten death and lessen the terrible ordeal.
The soldiers stopped a man called
Simon, from Africa, and ordered Him to carry the cross-bar. The cross beam
for crucifixion often weighed between thirty to forty pounds. Cyrene was the
home of Simon who was compelled to carry Jesus' cross-beam to the place of
crucifixion. It was the capital city of the Roman district in the northern
African area. It was an important city with a large Jewish Religious
population. Simon was in Jerusalem to celebrate the Annual Passover.
The local
people and annual Festival visitors who had previously greeted Jesus as their
Messiah on His entrance into Jerusalem, were now awakened and trailed along
behind, shocked and stricken with grief. Who would believe that God would
choose to save the world from destruction and damnation through a humble and
obedient servant who was rejected by all those around Him. How could God's
Christ be hung on a tree and fall under the curse of the law when He did not
deserve it.
By
Religious Law, the High Priest laid his hand upon 'the scapegoat' once a year
to symbolically atone for the sins of Israel, but God commissioned that the
error of mankind was to be laid upon His Son, in reality. Everyone thought
that Jesus was to bear the weight of His own sin, never thinking that His
burden was theirs and for others.
It was a
tragedy for those to be 'cut down in their prime' without children to carry
on the family line. It was prophesied that The Messiah would die without
heirs. The Messiah was to bear the sins of mankind, to make all acceptable to
God, to be made righteous before him, to save them, for all else led to
spiritual death.
As Jesus
went throughout the streets to the crucifixion site outside the City, a large
crowd of people followed Him and they wept at the sight they saw, but He
thought of them, not of Himself, of their repentance and the doom coming upon
the City and its inhabitants. Two other men, both criminals were also led out
to be executed. These events were the fulfilled prophecies of Psalm 35:19,
Isaiah 50:6, 52:15, 53:2-8. The destruction of Jerusalem was in 70 A.D. less
than 40 years later.
Jewish Leaders were separated in
their opinions from the common people who supported Jesus all along. Jesus as
the Royal Messiah, faced His destiny in complete control of the situation. He
had predicted His coming crucifixion as many as six times. Several aspects of
Jesus' death are predicted; 1) it would occur by divine
necessity; 2) both Jews who delivered Jesus and Romans who
would kill Him were to be guilty; 3) Jesus would be vindicated
by being raised from the dead; 4) the death itself entailed
glory which implied His exaltation.
The Roman guards brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, a place known
for many crucifixions, it was also acknowledged as Skull Hill. The site on a
hill and the size of the cross, seven to nine feet high (up to three metres),
showed the desire for a public display of a criminal.
Because mankind did not understand
the immensity of His commission, He was left rejected by all those around Him
except a few faithful women disciples who were Jesus’ mother, His mother’s
sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas and Mary of Magdala.
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