The Life of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels
CHRIST CRUCIFIED

Golden Text: "Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." (Is. 53:4)

Lesson Plan:
1. The Combined Story of the Crucifixion
2. Scene I - On the Way to Calvary
3. Scene II - Jesus" Appeal to the Daughters of Jerusalem (Lk. 23:30, 31, 33; Mk. 15:32)
4. Scene III - The Crucifixion of Jesus (Matt.27:34, 39, 40, 54; Mk. 15:34; Lk. 23:33, 34, 36, 42, 43, 44, 46; Jn. 19:23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 30)

Lesson Setting
Time: Friday, April 7, A.D. 30, 9 A.M. to 3 P.M.
Place: Calvary, outside the north wall of Jerusalem.

Research and Discussion: Crucifixion. Calvary. The title over the cross. The conversion of the robber. The seven words from the cross. The mocking crowds. The friendly watchers. Jesus and His mother.

Introduction: As in our last lesson, the story of the crucifixion of Jesus is recorded in all four Gospels, rendering it difficult to realize from any one the complete picture as a whole. Yet to those who are accustomed to reading each Gospel account separately, it might hopefully bring a new realization, perhaps a fascinating and illuminating vision of the whole scene, to once again read the combined account. Like the preceding, the format of this lesson varies from other methods in this series.

1. The Combined Story of the Crucifixion

(Note: As in the previous lesson, the below text is based on and taken from verses located in the four Gospel accounts, providing the explanations and illustrations)

The Sorrowful Way:
They took Jesus therefore: and He went out, bearing the cross for Himself.

And as they came out, they laid hold upon one Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, who was passing by, coming from the country; him they compelled to go with them, and laid on him the cross, that he might bear it for Jesus.

And there followed Him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented Him.

But Jesus turning unto them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For behold, the days are coming, in which they shall say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the breasts that never gave suck.’

“Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry?”

And there were also two others, malefactors, led with Him to be put to death.

The Crucifixion:
And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, The place of a skull, they gave Him wine to drink mingled with gall: and when He had tasted it, He would not drink.

There they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left.

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do.”

And Pilate wrote a title also, and put it on the cross. And there was written: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

This title therefore read by many of the Jews, for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city; and it was written in Hebrew, and in Latin, and in Greek.

The chief priests of the Jews therefore said to Pilate, “Write not, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’”

Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

The soldiers therefore, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also the coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore one to another, “Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be”: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, “They parted My garments among them and upon My vesture did they cast lots.”

These things there the soldiers did: and they sat and watched Him there.

And the people stood beholding. The soldiers also mocked Him.

And they that passed by railed on Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself: if Thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

In like manner also, the chief priests mocking Him, with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe. He trusteth on God; let Him deliver Him now, if He desireth Him: for He said, I am the Son of God.”

And one of the malefactors that were hanged railed on Him, saying, “Art not Thou the Christ?” Save Thyself and us.”

But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Dost thou not even fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.”

And he said, “Jesus, remember me when thou comest in Thy kingdom.”

And he, Jesus, said unto him, “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.”

But there were standing by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple standing by whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, “Woman, behold thy son!”

Then saith He to the disciple, “Behold thy mother!”

And from that hour the disciple took her unto his own home.

And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

The Death of Jesus:
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is, being interpreted, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?”

And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, “Behold, He calleth Elijah.”

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things are now finished, that the scripture might be accomplished, saith, “I thirst.”

There was set there a vessel full of vinegar: so they put a sponge full of the vinegar upon hyssop, and brought it to His mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, “It is finished.”

And Jesus crying with a loud voice said, “Father, into thy hands I commend My spirit,” and having said this, He gave up the ghost.

And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake; and the rocks were rent; and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints that had fallen asleep were raised; and coming forth out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared unto many.

Now the centurion, and they that were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

2. Scene I - On the Way to Calvary

“It is between 8 and 9 o’clock when from the Praetorium of Pilate the sad procession moves toward Calvary. A centurion with his guard leads the procession. Following them we see a soldier bearing a white wooden board on which is written the crime with which the prisoner was charged. Next to him comes a guard of four soldiers carrying a mallet and spikes, in the midst of whom we see Jesus, carrying, as usual in these cases, His own cross, or at least, as some think, the cross-piece to which His hands were to be nailed. The streets are steep, and Jesus’ pace is slow, because He is worn, weary and weak, having no sleep or food for many hours. Behind Jesus are two robbers, each bearing his cross and guarded by four soldiers. After these came the churchmen of Jerusalem, Caiaphas first, and the high priests with their fringed robes, purple pomegranates and golden bells; Sadducees, scribes and Pharisees with their phylacteries and frontlets upon their forearms and foreheads, and hanging about these, waiting for their promptings, the hoarse-throated city’s mob, in sombre garments, yelling insult, blasphemy and vileness after the Nazarene. In the wake of these, but more quietly, talking in awed whispers, and following half reluctantly as if their feet dragged them on in spite of themselves, there followed a dense crowd – wealthy townsmen, foreigners, pilgrims come up to the Passover, and Galileans, among whom must have been John, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Jesus’ own mother” (T.C. McClelland, ‘The Cross Builder’).

Simon of Cyrene: As the procession neared the northern wall, Jesus was seen to be unable to carry His cross any longer. Perhaps, as described in ‘Ben Hur,’ “he staggered as if He would fall,” or He may have fallen under the load. A man named Simon, a Jew as shown by his name, from Cyrene in Africa, doubtless coming to the Passover, met the procession, and, being an unknown foreigner, the centurion compelled him to take up the cross of Jesus and carry it behind Him as if he were a criminal himself. The representation in the gospels is that he carried the cross behind Jesus, relieving Him of the burden altogether. To have carried one end only, as Schaff and Grange infer from Luke’s words, would have brought little relief to Jesus. The sons of Simon, Alexander and Rufus, seem to be well-known members of the Lord’s church when Mark wrote this account 30 or 40 years later (see Rom. 16:13). It is quite probable that bearing the cross after Jesus may have been the means of making Simon a disciple. “Men of Cyrene” were among the founders of the church in Antioch (Acts 11:20). Forcing Simon to bear the cross may also have been a piece of rough horseplay. For him it was no joke at the time; yet it turned out in the long run to be a wonderful providence. “There may have been the same element of mischief in making Jesus the central figure between the two robbers; and certainly it was not absent from the inscription set up over His head. But, as the setting sun turns even the dirtiest pool into gold, so every smallest incident of the crucifixion shines now like a spike of glory round His head” (Stalker).

Scripture Reading: Luke 23:30, 31, 33; Mark 15:32

3. Scene II - Jesus’ Appeal to the Daughters of Jerusalem

Only Luke relates the touching story of the women of Jerusalem expressing their sympathy with Jesus. They “bewailed and lamented Him” on this weary walk. It was probably just outside of the city that Jesus turned and spoke to them. Forgetting His own sufferings He appealed to them to use their influence to avert the terrible doom of the city, which was to fall so heavily on the women and children.

In the 23^rd Chapter, Luke writes:

v 30 ... “Say to the mountains, Fall on us,” to save from the more terrible suffering at the destruction of Jerusalem.

v 31 ... “For if they do these things in a green tree,” i.e., in these comparatively quiet times, the early stages of their punishment while it is still possible for them to bear good fruit.

v 31 ... “What shall be done in the dry,” i.e., when the sins have grown ripe for judgment; when the tree is too far gone to bear good fruit, and is fitted only for burning.

Two Traditions: There are two interesting legends or traditions belonging to this journey. One is Veronica, a lady of Jerusalem, who, desiring to comfort Jesus, prepared a cordial to give Him as He passed her house. The tradition says that she forced her way through the mob and soldiers, offering her rich linen veil. She said, “Permit me to wipe the face of my Savior!” Jesus took it and applied it to His bleeding face, His blood staining the linen producing a perfect likeness of His features (from Tissot). This is, of course, just a legend, but it no doubt expresses the feelings of many believers of the time. “The Veronica likenesses found in the catacombs are simply face cloths from the graves of the first martyrs, on which the likeness of Christ had been painted by Roman artists” (Sir Wyke Bayliss, President, Royal Society of British Artists, ‘Rex Regum’). Another legend or tradition is the wandering Jew. This tradition says that as Jesus, with the cross, passed a Jewish man’s place of business, leaning for rest against his porch. The man struck Him and harshly bade him move on. Legend says that the Lord said to him, “Thou shalt go on and never stop till I come again!” The legend says that to this day the man wanders over the earth unable to find rest or die. In his ’Prince of India,’ Lew Wallace makes use of this legend and it has in the past played a somewhat prominent part in literature. But it is certainly not representative of Jesus Christ.

The Site of Calvary: “Golgotha” (Mk. 15:22) in the text is the Hebrew for “skull,” and “Calvary” (Lk. 23:33) is the translation into Latin. Some think the place may be located at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, N.W. of Jerusalem. But others think it was the hill north of the Damascus Gate near the Grotto of Jeremiah. This knoll satisfies all the conditions mentioned in the Gospels, “outside the city walls,” “near the city,” “near one of the great highways,” and “a garden close by.” This hill is a natural landmark. Two hundred yards outside the Damascus gate of Jerusalem there is an isolated white limestone knoll, in contour like the crown of the head and about sixty feet high. It contains in its perpendicular face the most remarkable resemblance to a skill. The two eyeless sockets, the overhanging forehead, the lines of the nose, the mouth, and chin will be plainly seen. It is also concave, and the same color as a skull. “On the summit of Golgotha there is a great pit heaped over with stones. This pit is filled with the skeletons and bones of criminals who, from time immemorial, have been crucified and stoned” (W.B. Ridges, ‘Biblical World’).

Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:34, 39, 40, 54; Mark 15:34; Luke 23:33, 34, 36, 42, 43, 44, 46; John 19:23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 30

4. Scene III - The Crucifixion of Jesus

When They Reached the Place of Crucifixion “they gave Him wine to drink mingled with gall” (Matt. 27:34), in the form of myrrh (Mark), which was said to have stupefying or deadening effects, and as such was prepared by benevolent Jerusalem ladies and conveyed to people about to be crucified, with a view to dull their sensibilities to pain. Jesus recognized this beautiful act of kindness by tasting it, but He was heroically true to His mission and His work of redemption by refusing to drink it. He would drink the cup of suffering for the sins of the world, “desiring to suffer with a clean mind.”

“There they crucified Him” (Lk. 23:33). Jesus was nailed to the cross while it was laying on the ground, then it was slowly raised. The feet of the sufferer were only a foot or two above the ground, and not as presented in most pictures and in movies. “Death by crucifixion seems to include all that pain and death can have of the horrible and ghastly – dizziness, cramp, thirst, starvation, sleeplessness, publicity of shame, long continuance of torment, horror of anticipation, mortification of untended wounds – all intensified just up to the point at which they can be endured at all, but all stopping just short of the point which would give to the sufferer the relief of unconsciousness” (Farrar). “To all the physical torture we must in this case add the result of these upon a soul sensitive and capable of suffering beyond all human comparison; the effect of ingratitude, of loneliness, of taunts from those who represented His own chosen people; and above all, His state of soul, as He consciously bore the sins of men” (Schaff). The heroism of Jesus was not merely in enduring the suffering without complaint, but chiefly that He bore it from love to man, when He could at any time have summoned twelve legions of angels to deliver Him from His enemies.

First Words On the Cross: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34). Probably spoken at the height of the agony, when the cross was dropped suddenly into the ground. This expressed Christ’s feeling of love toward His enemies, who were committing a crime that stands alone in history. Thus Jesus illustrated His own teaching – “Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you and despitefully use you.” In his ‘Phaedo,’ Plato describes how “Socrates in the hour of death had a kindly word for his jailer, but he drank his hemlock with contempt for his Athenian judges.”

The Title Over the Cross: Just before the cross holding Jesus was raised, the white board inscribed with the accusation against Him was nailed to the top. He was accused of treason against the Roman Empire. Pilate put the accusation in such a form that it was a mockery and a taunt to the Jews, yet possibly also in honor of the Jews. The title varies slightly in wording as given in the Gospels, as was perfectly natural since it was written in three different languages.

The inscriptions were as follows: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (John in Hebrew); “The King of the Jews” (Mark in Greek); “This is the King of the Jews” (Matthew and Luke in Latin). It is very suggestive that the title was written in the three principal languages of the then known world. In Greek for the foreigners and visitors, Greek being the learned language of all nations; in Latin for the Romans; in Hebrew for the Jews. “Thus to power (Latin), to culture (Greek), and to piety (Hebrew), was the sovereignty of Jesus declared, and it is still declared by means of such language. Power, culture, and piety, in their noblest forms, pay homage at the feet of Jesus” (Dr. J.R. Vincent). Thus in the chief tongues of men was proclaimed in jest what became a living truth – that Jesus is King – the King to whom all nations and peoples should yield allegiance. This unconscious prophecy is being fulfilled, and He has become King through the crucifixion.

The Soldiers Dividing the Garments of Jesus: “The soldiers therefore” (Jn. 19:23) “who had charge of the crucifixion of Jesus. The clothes of executed criminals were the perquisites of the soldiers on duty” (Cambridge Bible).

“Took His garments” (Jn. 19:23). “His sandals, girdle, outer robe, head-dress, etc.” (Schaff).

“These they divided among themselves. Also His coat: now the coat was without seam” (Jn. 19:23). More exactly, the ‘tunic’ or ‘under garment.’ It reached from the neck to the feet.

“Let us not rend” (Jn. 19:24). For that would make the garment useless.

“But cast lots” (Jn. 19:24). “Gambling was a favorite pastime of the Roman soldiers.” The soldiers gambled for His small outward possessions, carelessly, in the presence of the greatest event in history. The legacy of Jesus in worldly things was very small, a few paltry garments, but “He bequeathed a spiritual legacy ample enough to enrich the whole world.”

The Watchers around the Cross: “The people stood beholding” (Matt. 27:39). Calvary was near the public highway, and great multitudes were at Jerusalem attending the Passover festival. Many of all classes of people gathered within sight of the crucified Jesus, together with officers, soldiers, priests and rulers.

The Crowd: “railed on Him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the Temple, and buildest it in three days, save Thyself: if Thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross.” (Matt. 27:40).

“The soldiers also mocked Him ... offering Him vinegar” (Lk. 23:36), i.e., sour wine, posca, a cheap and common drink. “The soldiers pretend to treat Jesus as a king, to whom the festive cup is presented” (Godet). The chief priests, scribes, and elders, mocked Jesus, derided, and scoffed at Him, echoing the false witness at His trial. They did not see that if He had saved Himself He could not have saved others. They ridiculed a sublime, eternal, divine truth. He did not save Himself from the cross because He was the Christ, the true Messiah. They ridiculed His profession of trust in God (Matt. 27:43), not seeing that He remained on the cross because He trusted in God, and that to have come down would have proved His lack of perfect faith. They condemned Him on what they called facts – facts without a soul. Every one of these things which they ridiculed became luminous, radiant, a light for the ages. Like the cross itself, they were transfigured, like black smoke radiating rainbow glories in the light of the sun. Every random word then spoken now shines on Him like a star. Jesus was not completely deserted in this sad hour. The women were last at the cross and first at the grave. The three Marys were there – Mary, the mother of Jesus; Mary, the wife of Cleopas; and Mary Magdalene; and His mother’s sister, perhaps Salome, the mother of John; and many other women from Galilee. John was there; and the other disciples were probably not far away. What power of purifying love must have flowed into their souls watching His long agony for them. In the groups around the cross we see three predominate states of mind, (a) in the soldiers (indifference, apathy); (b) in the rulers (antagonism, hatred); (c) in the women and disciples (sympathy) – “Apathy, antipathy, sympathy.”

The Robbers Crucified With Jesus: One of the malefactors crucified with Christ, taking a hint from the mocking crowd, railed on Him, in the same mocking but appealing tone. The other thief rebuked him, acknowledging his sin and the justice of his punishment, and then with a great example of out-reaching expression of hope and belief said, “Jesus, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom” (Lk. 23:42). He must have known something about Jesus, His teaching, His miracles, His friendly help to publicans and sinners. He trusted Jesus, no doubt would have been His follower and friend. Then Jesus spoke for the second time. He spoke these touching and most welcomed words, “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise” (Lk. 23:43).

Jesus and His Mother: John 19:25-27 alone reports this incident, reporting it from personal knowledge. Jesus sees His mother near the cross; she was probably a widow at this time, and may have been in trouble or poverty from her relation to Jesus. She needed a comforter and a home. Near her stood John, the beloved disciple, more courageous in his love and natural boldness than Peter. Jesus committed His mother to John in a most beautiful and graceful manner. The third words of Jesus were to his mother and John, “Woman, behold thy son!” “Behold thy mother!” (Jn. 19:26, 27) The Lord’s mother was to be comforted in her bereavement by having the most loving heart among the disciples as her adopted son. John was to care for her as his own mother. What a joy to have her at home.

The Three Hours’ Darkness from Noon: “the sixth hour [till about three o’clock], the ninth hour, over the whole land” (Lk. 23:44), i.e., the country round about Jerusalem. The cause of the darkness could not be an eclipse, since it was the time of the full moon. “Farrar suggests as its cause a storm of hot wind from the southeast, such as sometimes comes in the last weeks of spring. ‘The heavens are overcast with a deep gray; the sun loses its brightness, and at last disappears. Over the darkened land rages the storm, so that the country, in the morning like a flower carpet, in the evening appears a waste ... On the saddest day in human history swept such a storm at noon over Jerusalem, adding to the terrors of the crucifixion” (Expositors Greek Testament). This darkness was typical (a) of the powers of darkness which seemed to be prevailing; (b) of the great sufferings of the atonement for sin; (c) of the darkness brooding over Jesus’ heart; (d) of the dark hour of sin and depravity that could crucify God’s beloved Son; (e) of the darkness of sin over all the earth, which was to be dispelled by the cross of Jesus, and His resurrection from the dead.

The Seven Words from the Cross (in two groups): Three words had been spoken from the cross during the first three hours, i.e., the Word of the depth of sin, the Word of salvation for the thief, the Word of love and comfort in bereavement. These were spoken between nine o’clock and noon. The remaining four clustered around the death of Jesus, each with its message concerning the atoning Savior. These were all spoken about three o’clock in the afternoon. Toward the close of the darkness, as it grew denser, darkness spread over the heart of Christ, darkness so deep and utter that for one awful moment it seemed as if the Hope of the World despaired. Then there burst forth from Jesus a cry of mingled faith and despair.

Fourth Words of Jesus: “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Mk. 15:34) This cry was the expression of a human experience in many an hour of darkness and despair, without which Jesus would not have been “in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” It was a feeling, not a fact. The experience has brought light to multitudes in their hours of darkness, a key of promise that opens the dungeon of Giant Despair. The first words of the exclamation were a proof of His faith, “My God,” spoken twice. Dr. Stalker calls it “a cry of victory. No one is forsaken who can pray, ‘My God.’” It was a cry of victory, also, because it liberated Him from His depression. The words were spoken in the familiar language of His childhood and from a familiar Psalm. Some unacquainted with that language thought He was calling on Elijah for help, from the similarity of the sounds.

The end was at hand. Jesus knew “that all things are now finished” (Jn. 19:28). The work appointed Him by God was completed. He had passed through all the necessary suffering, and could ask relief; so now He expressed His need.

Fifth Words of Jesus: “I thirst” (Jn. 19:28). A sponge was dipped in the common sour wine, and brought to the mouth of Jesus on a stalk of hyssop. Still all through humanity without the water of life goes up the cry, “I thirst,” and we can satisfy Christ’s thirst in giving them to drink. Jesus still thirsts for love, prayer, service, and we can give Him to drink.

Sixth Words of Jesus: Immediately after the alleviation of His thirst, Jesus spoke – “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30). This is but one word in the Greek and it has been called “the greatest single word ever uttered.” “Love” is greater, but this is the greatest expression of Love in all the world – now completed. What was finished? Not only the suffering, but the work of Jesus’ life of which He spoke when only twelve years old, “Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?” In spite of all obstacles, i.e., the brief years of labor, the opposition of those who opposed Him, He had completed the earthly work He was sent from heaven to finish. He had lived the life which all men ought to live. He had taught God’s truth. He had manifested God’s love. He had made atonement for sin. He had prepared the way for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Everything was now ready for the new dispensation, and the building up of the kingdom of heaven.

Seventh Words of Jesus: “Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice said, Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit” (Lk. 23:46). And Jesus “having said this gave up the ghost” at the time of the Evening Sacrifice in the Temple.

Accompanying Signs: The signs that followed the death of Christ were indications to the people that Christ’s death was not an ordinary man; and the God of nature and grace had put His mark upon it to call the attention of men (especially the disciples) to the greatness of the event. The great veil of the Temple between the Holy Place and the Most Holy was rent in twain, typifying that by the death of Jesus the way was opened not only into the outer court but through the inner sacred courts into the Most Holy Place where we all with unveiled face, reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory (see 2 Cor. 3:14-18). At the moment of Jesus’ departure there was an earthquake so powerful that it rent the rocks and opened the tombs; showing how nature, the handiwork of the Son of God, sympathized with the mighty struggle that was going on. The earthquake rent the stone tombs, and after the resurrection of Jesus, many of the saints were raised to life with their resurrection bodies, appearing to many. It was fitting that the victorious risen Christ should be attended by those who were raised from the dead by Him, and that He who was the resurrection and the life should show His victory over death by some specimens and examples, by which the early Christians could realize the great truth of the resurrection and the immortal life. The Roman centurion, who had been with Jesus all the time of the crucifixion and perhaps during the trial, feared exceedingly saying, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Matt. 27:54).

Conclusion: Lessons From the Cross – The cross, as representing the whole career of Jesus, including His resurrection, is the central event in the history of the world, the most definite and marked epoch in history, dividing it into two great eras or dispensations. “Waterloo,” says Victor Hugo, “is the change of front of the universe.” It did change the face of Europe. But the cross changed the front and movement of the world’s history. The greatest problem confronting the human race in all ages has been and is, How to save men from sin and its consequences, making them holy and happy. The solution of this problem: “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ...” (Mk. 16:15, 16). The characteristic thing about Calvary is pain because of sin, and regarding salvation, pain on our behalf – pain with a moral purpose in it. Jesus was determined to destroy sin that appeared to be destroying Him. By His death, He immediately proved stronger than sin. How so? Because He set up in men’s hearts a conquering hatred of sin. When we see what Christ suffered because of sin, we see how hateful a thing it is; we see sin in its true colors. In His death on the cross, Jesus sets before us the vision of sin in all its horror as something to be shunned, and the vision of holiness in all its beauty as what the soul eternally must seek.

The Most Powerful Motive Force in the Universe of God: Every power and every motive that can touch the heart of man, lifting him out of sin into the kingdom of heaven, radiates from the cross, as the completion of the sacrifice of Christ. (a) It shows the evil of sin, since redemption demanded such a cost. (b) It reveals the loving heart of God. (c) It shows we enter heaven only by being cleansed from sin. (d) It teaches the value of salvation is great beyond our conception. (e) It shows the value of our souls, of character, of a right life. (f) It offers an example of doing right at any cost, even of our lives. (g) It urges acceptance of Christ as Savior. (h) It touches hearts, kindles love and admiration for, and devotion to, a loving and caring Savior and Leader. As a matter of fact, the crucified Christ has done more for the uplifting of man from sin than any other power. It is the crucified Christ who has convinced sinful men of their sin and in the same instant has convinced them of a love in God which is stronger than sin, which lays hold of them through it, and which saves them from it.

The Voluntary Sacrifice of Jesus: The cross declares God’s love for man. Christ was God Himself, expressing God’s own heart. God did not put punishment upon an innocent person. The atonement on the cross was a voluntary sacrifice.

Illustration: When the Greeks were besieging Troy, meeting with ill success, the priest Calchas told them that the only way to appease the offended goddess, and gain the victory, was to sacrifice the beautiful daughter of King Agamemnon to Diana, Iphigenia. These brave men of old are said to have taken her by strategy and force, bringing this innocent girl to the altar to slay her in their stead. This sacrifice (though she was rescued) was unworthy of them, was mean and unjust beyond words. So, too, Tennyson’s “The Victim” represents the priests of Thor and Odin, as demanding of the king a human life to assuage the anger of their Gods against the land expressed in famine, plague, fires and foes, like the troubles that came upon Job. But this has no resemblance to the sacrifice of God’s Son, who gave Himself for us freely, from the beginning of His life to the end on the cross.

Illustration: The Shadow of His Wings – “He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart” (David, Ps. 91:4). An article in National Geographic a few years ago provided a penetrating picture of God’s wings. After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother’s wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree, gathering them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown to safety but refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze arrived and the heat singed her small body, the mother remained steadfast. Because she was willing to die, those under the cover of her wings lived. Because Jesus was willing to die for us, all who dwell “under the shadow of His wings” will also live – forever!

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