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Death at Golgotha
And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called
the Place of a Skull
Prophecy: Yeshua Christ’s crucifixion
Location of Prophecy in Bible: Isaiah 53:5, 6, 10
Prophecy Fulfilled in Bible: Luke 23:33; John
19:16
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was
bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our
peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every
one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the
iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was
afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as
a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her
shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was
taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall
declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the
land of the living: for the transgression of my people
was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death; because he had done no
violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it
pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to
grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for
sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days,
and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand."
(Isaiah 53:5-10)
"And when they were come to the place, which is called
Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors,
one on the right hand, and the other on the left. "
(Luke 23:33)
"Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be
crucified. And they took Yeshua, and led him away. "
(John 19:16)
And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one
Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and
on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after
Yeshua
(Luke 23:26)
What day is it?
Is it Friday? The last day of suffering before the
Sabbath rest, the last day of life before the eternal
Sabbath?
(Friday morning from nine o'clock till noon.)
(a) Mt 27:35-44 (b) Mr 15:24-32 (c) Lu 23:33-43 (d) Joh
19:18-27.
Death in the shape nails and sharp thorns, driven
through his tendons and into the wood, and he was
crucified on the four-branched pain as if he was on hot
beach looking at the sun. Death didn't hurt just his
hands and feet crushed by the iron nails; death pinched
him between the thighs because there, wrapped in cheap
cloth, was the wooden wedge supporting his body. This
fifth emissary of death was also the most unbearable;
comic and insulting, it didn't belong seriously to
dying, except that it humiliated him and transformed the
torso of the condemned man into a huge, stabbing
blister.
The place of execution sizzled in the sunlight at the
place of the scull (Golgotha). Death was well
illuminated, quite clear through the haze in which the
three crosses quivered like three spits.
He listened to those crude men from the west quarreling
over his clothes. He knew they weren't grabbing them
because of the value of those stained and bloody rags,
but because, like the lock of a dead man's hair or piece
of tooth, they brought luck, especially if the executed
man was important. It really gave him pleasure that they
thought him important and that his relics, hung about
the neck as amulets, could ward off illnesses, the evil
eye and the whims of destiny.
"O G-D, forgive them for they know what they do!"
The cross brings us face to face with Yeshua' suffering.
He was alone -- all his disciples had deserted him
except for his mother and three women along with John,
the beloved disciple. And his death was agonizing and
humiliating. Normally a crucified man could last for
several days on a cross. Yeshua' had already been
scourged, beaten with rods, and a crown of thorns
pressed into his skull. It is no wonder that he died
mid-afternoon. Pilate publicly heralded Yeshua "The King
of the Jews" as he died upon the cross, no doubt to
irritate and annoy the chief priests and Pharisees. We
can find no greater proof of G-D's love for us than the
willing sacrifice of his Son on the cross. Yeshua' last
words, It is finished, express triumph rather than
defeat. Yeshua bowed his head and gave up his spirit
knowing that the strife was now over and the battle was
won. Even on the cross Yeshua knew the joy of victory.
What the Father sent him into the world to do has now
been accomplished. Christ offered himself without
blemish to G-D and he put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself (see - Hebrews 9:24-26).
The significance of the women who stood at the cross of
Yeshua: "As they were looking on, so we too gaze on his
wounds as he hangs. We see his blood as he dies. We see
the price offered by the redeemer, touch the scars of
his resurrection. He bows his head, as if to kiss you.
His heart is made bare open, as it were, in love to you.
His arms are extended that he may embrace you. His whole
body is displayed for your redemption. Ponder how great
these things are. Let all this be rightly weighed in
your mind: as he was once fixed to the cross in every
part of his body for you, so he may now be fixed in
every part of your soul."
In the cross of Christ we see the triumph of Yeshua over
his enemies -- sin, Satan, and death. Christian writers
down through the centuries have sung the praises of the
Cross of Christ. Paul the Apostle exclaimed, "But far be
it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord
Yeshua Christ" (Galatians 6:14). "A few drops of blood
renew the whole world!" Hear what Gregory Nazianzen, a
6th century church father, has to say: "Many indeed are
the wondrous happenings of that time: G-D hanging from a
cross, the sun made dark and again flaming out; for it
was fitting that creation should mourn with its creator.
The temple veil rent, blood and water flowing from his
side: the one as from a man, the other as from what was
above man; the earth shaken, the rocks shattered because
of the rock; the dead risen to bear witness to the final
and universal resurrection of the dead. The happenings
at the sepulcher and after the sepulcher, who can
fittingly recount them? Yet no one of them can be
compared to the miracle of my salvation. A few drops of
blood renew the whole world, and do for all men what the
rennet does for the milk: joining us and binding us
together.
"I suffered and died on the cross
and each time you pick up your cross
you are uniting yourself to Me."
Yeshua' fate did not end with his crucifixion, but
beyond the cross it included his resurrection by God.
What was the significance of the cross prior to Yeshua'
crucifixion?
Matthew 16:24 Take up Your Cross and Follow Yeshua
Yeshua said "If any will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
People knew what crucifixion was, but not in the
application that Yeshua was presenting.
What was the significance of the cross prior to Yeshua'
crucifixion? What would "take up his cross" mean to the
disciples before Yeshua had taken up His own? Is that
applicable to us today?
Yes, it is applicable to us today. The cross that Yeshua
was talking about was OUR death - that He died in our
place. When Yeshua said we are to take up our cross and
follow Him, Yeshua was talking about taking up our own
death on the cross when Yeshua died. When Yeshua died,
we died. Paul said in Galatians 2:20 , "I was crucified
with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ
lives in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh,
I live by the faith of the Son of God, who love me, and
gave Himself for me." Paul said in Colossians 3:2-3 ,
"Set you affection on things above, not on things on the
earth. 3) for you are dead, and your life has been
hidden with Christ in God."
It didn't mean anything to them at the time Yeshua spoke
these words. Nothing that Yeshua said about what was
going to happen meant anything to them. It took the Holy
Spirit to cause them to understand what Yeshua meant.
Yeshua said in John 13:7 "...what I do you do not know
now, but you will know after this." Yeshua said the Holy
Spirit was going to bring all things to their
remembrance that Yeshua spoke to them - John 14:26
The in-depth study of the believer carrying his death on
Yeshua' cross is found in Romans 6:5-23
For if we have been united with him in a death like his,
we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection
like his. We know that our old self was crucified with
him in order that the body of sin might be brought to
nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if
we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also
live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from
the dead, will never die again; death no longer has
dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin,
once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So
you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive
to God in Christ Yeshua.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make
you obey its passions. Do not present your members to
sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present
yourselves to God as those who have been brought from
death to life, and your members to God as instruments
for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over
you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Slaves to Righteousness
What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law
but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if
you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you
are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin,
which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to
righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were
once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart
to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,
and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves
of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because
of your natural limitations. For just as you once
presented your members as slaves to impurity and to
lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present
your members as slaves to righteousness leading to
sanctification.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard
to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at
that time from the things of which you are now ashamed?
For the end of those things is death. But now that you
have been set free from sin and have become slaves of
God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its
end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but
the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Yeshua
our Lord.
The Significance of the number 3
Peter denied Christ 3 times, Christ asked Peter 3 times
if he loved Him, 3 crosses on Golgotha, The Lord Yeshua
is resurrected on the 3rd day.
3 is the number of personal completeness. It is the
number of the G-D’, it stands for the triune. It is
formed by 1+1+1. but if the 1's are multiplied, the
result is still 1. So that G-D is 3 in 1 and 1 in 3. In
geometry 2 lines do not make a cube. Hence 2 is an
incomplete number while 3is the complete number. It
therefore represents G-D. A complete man is formed with
spirit, soul and body.
As we read the Bible's description of G-D, we find the
number 3 coming up repeatedly. For example, G-D is the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. G-D is omniscient,
omnipotent and omnipresent.
We find the number 3 representing G-D as if it was His
trademark. The curious thing about this trademark is
that it shows up in various places, starting with his
creation... The earth came of the water on the 3rd day.
It took G-D six days to create everything. He could have
done it much sooner but He chose six (3 x 2) days. He
made the atom with 3 parts (electron, neutron, proton)
and used it to create a world with 3 parts (land, sea,
air), all within a universe with 3 parts (matter, time,
space).
He created time with 3 divisions (past, present, future)
and gave space its 3 dimensions (up/down, left/right/
forward/backward). He created matter with its normal,
you guessed it, 3 states (solid, liquid, gas). When He
created life on earth, this trademark was not far
behind. Animals were created to live in 3 areas (in
land, in water, in air).
He made their survival to depend on 3 essentials (food,
water, air), the food providing energy in 3 forms
(protein, carbohydrates, fat), the water made up of 3
parts (two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen) and the air
primarily consisting of 3 parts (78% nitrogen, 21%
oxygen, .93% argon.). His greatest creation, man, was
made in 3 parts also (body, soul, spirit): "...I pray
G-D your whole Spirit and Soul and Body be preserved..."
1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now one would think G-D would get
tired of using the number 3, but He also stamps his
trademark throughout His Word the Bible... 66 (3 x 22)
Books in the bible [39 (3 x 13) in the Old Testament- 27
(3 x 9) in the New Testament] 31,173 (3 x 10,391) Verses
in the Bible [23,214 (3 x 7738) in the O.T.- 7959 (3 x
2653) in the N.T.]
Within the Bible itself we find many appearances of the
number 3. There were 333 prophecies concerning the
coming of Yeshua Christ into the world. Yeshua Christ
was crucified at the age of 33, after a ministry that
lasted 3 years. He spent nine (3 x 3) hours on the
cross, with 3 of those hours in darkness. He was buried
for 3 days and 3 nights, and resurrected on the 3rd day.
In fact, the word three is mentioned in the Bible 543 (3
x 181) times! Yes, the universe and the Bible have their
Creator's trademark stamped all over them. G-D wants us
to recognize both as His handiwork.
“The Three Wooden Crosses”
Yeshua hung on the middle cross, vicariously dying for
the sins of all mankind. Two criminals, typical of the
human race, hung on crosses on each side of Him. These
three crosses represent:
The cross of rejection. One criminal represents the
masses that to the very end rebel against God and reject
His plan of redemption. But rarely is such sneering so
openly expressed, and this by a dying man as he hurled
insults at Christ. This criminal is merely expressing
the viewpoint of so many that reject God’s only remedy
for our sin problem; they die in their sins.
The cross of repentance. The other criminal represents
those who repent of their sins and place their faith in
God. This criminal came to realize that he and the other
lawbreaker deserved the death penalty and spoke rather
frankly: “We are punished justly, for we are getting
what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing
wrong” (Luke 23:41). His faith is humbly expressed in
these words: “Yeshua, remember me when you come into
your kingdom.” Our Lord’s dying words brought eternal
hope to the repentant criminal as well as spiritual hope
to millions through the centuries, “I tell you the
truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The cross of redemption. On the middle cross Christ dies
once for all time for all people. “In Him we have
redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians
1:7). “For God was pleased to have all His fullness
dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself
all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross”
(Colossians 1:19,20). Peter, a witness to these things,
stated, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the just
for the unjust” (1 Peter 3:18a).
Father, thank You for the word in Scripture that makes
us more than just curious bystanders during the
crucifixion of Your precious Son. Yeshua’ recorded
conversation with the repentant criminal helps us to see
just how immediate redemption for all mankind was being
provided through His death on the cross. Though
reflecting on this day brings about grief and sadness as
we recall the rejection, pain, and suffering Christ
underwent and the darkness that fell upon the earth at
His final breath. But I’m so glad we don’t have to wait
for the rest of the story to unfold. We know the final
outcome and the way of salvation Christ made possible
for us. Thank you, Father, that You loved the world so
much that You gave Your one and only Son, that whoever
calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. |
