Stage 7. They crucified Him
Let us close our eyes and attempt to imagine some small portion of the pain, torture, and torment that our Savior experienced for us. ur hearts should wail in praise, admiration, and appreciation for His sacrifice. How can any man, woman, or child come to a complete understanding of what He did for us without falling on our face before Him in humble submission and the deepest heartfelt gratitude? How can we not love Him, obey Him and live for Him because of His sacrifice? As I meditate upon what Jesus did for me on the Cross at Calvary, my heart wails.
Cry out in thanks o heart of mine
Cry out in praise and Hymn
For Jesus suffered for the sinful things that I did
He bore my sins so grim.
O wondrous and matchless Son of God
You died that I might be set free.
I Thank you, dear Savior, dear Son of God
For You hung on that cross for me!
What exactly is crucifixion? According to Dake’s Annotated Bible, crucifixion is one of the cruelest and shameful deaths ever devised. It was a Roman practice inflicted only upon slaves and the worst criminals. And yet, our Lord and Savior who knew no sin, neither was their guile found in His mouth, was subjected to this torture.
1 Peter 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
An African-American spiritual that we sang as children during Easter has a stanza that says:
They crucified my Savior and nailed Him to a tree
They crucified my Savior and nailed Him to a tree
They crucified my Savior and nailed Him to a tree
And the Lord shall bear my spirit home.
As we review the details of the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior for our salvation, the details are tough to relate. However, lest we forget what He experienced for us, we must periodically re-visit His excruciating experience.
Life in the Spirit Study Bible explains the details of Christ’s crucifixion in this manner:
When Jesus arrived at Golgotha’s hill the cross beam of the cross was laid on the ground and Jesus was placed on it. His arms were stretched along the beam and a heavy, square wrought-iron nail was driven through His hands (or wrists), first into the right, then into the left hand, and deep into the wood. Next, Jesus was lifted up by means of ropes or ladders, the crossbeam was bound or nailed to the upright beam and a support for the body was fastened on it. Lastly, his feet were extended and a larger piece of iron was driven through them. Pg. 1473
Matthew 27:33-37 describe his crucifixion:
33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
35 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.
36 And sitting down they watched him there;
37 And set up over his head his accusation written, This Is Jesus The King Of The Jews.
Verse 35 of the 27th chapter of Matthew tells us that the Roman soldiers attempted to give Christ vinegar and gall to drink. This prophecy was spoken in Ps. 69:21 and Pr. 31:6:
21They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
Dake’s Annotated Bible relates that vinegar with gall is a stupefying potion intended to intoxicate the victim and alleviate suffering. Jesus, however, “refused the drink so as to suffer the full penalty for sin, sober and in His right mind.” Note e pg. 56
Stage 8. They Reviled Him
After being covered with bloody wounds, exhausted, ridiculed, and exposed to the people, Jesus hung pathetically on the cross with pain in every inch of His body. Every effort to breathe was laborious. Fluid began to accumulate around His heart, and He began to experience severe muscle cramps and intense thirst.
John 19:28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
He was ridiculed by people passing by. Matthew 27:39-43 records these events:
39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
Verse 42 represented Satan’s last attempt to avert the death of Jesus on the Cross. If Jesus had come down, He would not have been able to complete His mission, which was to save the souls of you and me. However, He was steadfast in His mission. He stayed the course.
While Jesus hung on the cross in this terrible state, two malefactors were reportedly hung on either side of Him. Initially, it was said that both thieves reviled him.
Matt. 27:44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
One of the thieves even joined the Chief Priests, scribes, and elders who reviled Jesus and spoke negatively to him in Luke 23:39.
Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, [a]“If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”
However, the other thief came to himself and rebuked the first thief. He then spoke words of repentance, received Jesus for who He was, and received salvation on that day.
40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said [b]to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.
When the repentant thief humbled himself and cried out to Jesus with a sincere desire for salvation, Jesus temporarily stopped dying and ministered to him. His response to this man was to save him and assure him that he would be with Him in Paradise. Luke 23:43:
And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
This glorious act lets us know that it is never too late to be saved as long as life is in the body. If any man would call upon the name of the Lord, Jesus assures us that He will save him.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
What a crying shame it is that the unrepentant thief allowed unbelief and pride to prevent him from the greatest blessing that he could ever have received. Could it be that even today, he is crying in Hell with words such as these?
Why, oh why didn’t I cry out to Jesus?
Why didn’t I ask Him to save me too?
I was right there hanging beside Him
The most incredible opportunity of my sordid life I blew.
The other thief cried out to Jesus
He asked for salvation, and he was saved
But unlike him, I was defeated by pride
And now forever, I’m in Hell enslaved.
Dearly beloved, why don’t you take this opportunity to be saved? If you are reading this post or listening to this message by podcast, stop now and realize that Jesus is never too busy to save you. If he stopped dying on the Cross of Calvary to save a soul, He will save you now. Why don’t you now call upon the name of the Lord and ask Him to save, sanctify and fill you with the Holy Ghost? He will give you eternal life.
In the final post of the series, Part 5, you will find Stages 9. Why hast Thou forsaken me? and Stage 10. Christ cried again.