Christ, and Him Crucified
By
Ronald Ramsey
Updated
March 2004
Offered
that Jesus Christ would be glorified and that as He is lifted up all
will be drawn to Him!
Christ,
and Him Crucified
By
Ronald Ramsey
When I first became a
Christian I was interested in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. I
looked for any information I could find, but there was very little
available. Once I went to a Christian Bookstore and asked for some
books about the crucifixion. The clerk gave me a look of disgust and
asked why I would want to study something like that.
The crucifixion of Jesus
Christ is the foundation on which Christians live their lives and
place their hope for the future. Yet in our times we often see it as
something disgusting, or horrible. Many find songs about the blood
of Jesus to be tasteless in our times.
The
Crucifixion of Jesus Christ is not a bloody spectacle to scare us,
but a sign of the depth of God’s love for us. Years ago, I was in
the Navy and shared my faith with some of the men at the Naval Air
Station in Millington, Tennessee. One of them came from a background
of alcohol and drug abuse. His wife, who was also using drugs, had
left with his son. For a long time he hadn’t heard from them and
was very worried. He came to our Navigator’s meetings so he could
talk to us and get us to pray for him. After a while, he accepted
Jesus Christ and started studying the Bible.
For
weeks we prayed very hard that the Lord would bring his son back to
him. One day he came and said his wife had called and that she would
come back to him. They went to a counselor and she started going to
church. The family was together again.
During
a study of the Gospel of John Chapter 3 he really had a hard time
understanding God’s love. We tried to help him, but I must admit
that it is an area I had struggled with myself. One night he came to
my room and told me excitedly that he understood. He said that
everyone knew how much he loved his son. How he would do anything to
protect him from any harm.
God’s
love, he said, was like him taking his son to the worst bar in town
filled with child molesters and perverts and leaving him there for
them to do whatever they wanted. He asked himself, “would I do
that for someone?” “Would I do that for anyone?” “NO”, he
said. “But God loved us that much!” “Not just enough to die
for us, but enough to give his Son to die for us!”
“and
through Him God was pleased to reconcile to Himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of
His cross.” (Colossians 1:20 NRSV)
Christ, and Him Crucified
By
Ronald Ramsey
LESSON
1 Old Testament
Prophecy
Scriptures:
Genesis 3:15 (The first prophecy of the crucifixion)
Isaiah
53 (The fullness of what Jesus Christ did)
Psalm
22 (A verbal picture of the Suffering Messiah)
Important
verses: Psalm 22:1, 69:21, and 31:5.
Isaiah
53
Verses
1-3 This section
deals with the person of Jesus Christ. He grew up before the Lord.
Wasn’t one that would draw attention by His looks. Many despised
Him, and He was rejected. People considered Him of little worth. He
was a Man of many sorrows and much grief in His life. People would
even hide their faces from Him. Does
this seem an unusual picture of Jesus?
_______
What
surprises you most about this?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Verses
4-6 This sections
lists all that Jesus has done for us.
A. Borne our grief’s.
B. Carried our sorrows.
C. Wounded for our
transgressions.
D. Bruised for our iniquities.
E. His chastisement made us
whole.
F. With His stripes we are
healed.
G. All our iniquity was laid
on Him.
Despite
this, we esteemed Him stricken of God. Smitten and afflicted. All
this was done even though we like sheep had left the flock to go our
own way.
Define
transgression -
LESSON
1 Old Testament
Prophecy - Page 2
Define
Iniquity -
Chastise -
Verses
7-9 Here we find a
list of what it cost Jesus Christ.
A. Oppressed, yet He didn’t
complain. Jesus was silent like a sheep before the shearers.
B. He was taken away (killed)
by oppression and judgment, and His generation was cut off from life.
He was stricken for others.
C. Though Jesus did no
violence, and had never lied, He was buried as a wicked man in
another man’s tomb.
Why
did Jesus do this?
____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Verses
10-12 The
fulfillment of His suffering.
A. It was the will (Sometimes
translated desire or pleasure.) of God to bruise Jesus, and make Him
an offering for sin. The will of the Lord will prosper in His hand
and He shall see offspring from His sacrifice. His days shall be
prolonged.
B. As Jesus has borne our
iniquity, He shall see the fruit of His sufferings and be satisfied.
By His righteousness many shall be declared righteous.
C. Jesus shall have a portion
with the great, and will divide the spoil with the strong. Because
He poured His soul out in death, and was numbered with transgressors.
Bore the sins of many, and interceded for the transgressors.
LESSON
1 Old Testament
Prophecy - Page 3
Define: Intercede -
Righteous -
What
do you think the “fruit of His sufferings” means?
__________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Christ, and Him Crucified
By Ronald Ramsey
LESSON
2 History of
Crucifixion
Crucifixion
was first known to be used as a punishment by the Egyptians and was
later used by the Persians. In its earliest form the victim was
either tied to a tree, or tied to or impaled on an upright post. The
Persians used crucifixion to keep the guilty persons feet from
touching the ground because they believed it defiled the earth, which
they considered holy.
The
Romans took crucifixion and perfected it. As a capital punishment it
was designed to produce a very slow death with a maximum of
suffering. Every attempt was made to make crucifixion as public as
possible. Shame was enlisted to increase the pain.
Crucifixion
was only used on non-Romans except in the case of a soldier who
deserted. Because of its severity it was only used on the worst
offenders who were to be a public example. It was used to show the
power of Rome.
The Practice of Crucifixion
There
were many variations that were limited only by the cruelty and
imagination of the Romans in charge. Please understand cruelty was
not just a prerogative of the Romans. Even in our times we have
heard of the cruelties of many peoples. Recently in Sudan,
Christians were crucified by Moslems if they would not convert.
From
church and movies we often see the cross as an enlarged small t. But
there were many different types of crosses used. Here is a list of
some of the different types used. (The first name is in Latin.)
Infelix
lignum a tree
Crux
simplex a post
Crux
humilis low cross
Crux
sublimis high cross
Crux
Commissa T (tau) shaped cross
Crux
Immissa Latin shaped cross-used in Churches
Crux
decussata X shaped cross
The
condemned person often was scourged before the crucifixion. They
would then carry the patibulum (the crossbar which weighed 75 to 125
pounds) from the scourging post to the upright wooden stipes set up
outside the city for constant use.
LESSON
2 History of
Crucifixion - Page
2
A
military guard headed by a Centurion would surround the condemned to
protect them from the crowd. One of the soldiers carried a titulus
(sign) which told the persons name and crime. The titulus would
later be attached to the top, or at the foot of the cross.
Reaching
the stipes, the person would be nailed to the patibulum by the use of
iron spikes. The spikes were usually 5 to 7 inches long with a
square shaft 3/8 inch across that were driven in the wrist between
the carpal and radius bones. If you take your wrist you can feel the
two bones on either side of the arm below the wrist. By driving the
spikes here they wouldn’t break any bones or destroy the arteries.
This would allow the person to live longer on the cross.
After
this the patibulum and victim were lifted to the stipes and they were
attached together. Then the victim’s knees were bent and the feet
were attached to the stipes. They could either be tied, or nailed to
the stipes by spikes. They were usually attached with the right foot
over the left. Then the titulus was attached to the top or placed at
the bottom.
After
all this was completed the taunting began. The person was completely
naked and the shame was especially intense for Jews because of their
modesty. The possessions of the person were to be divided by the
soldiers on duty. Items like the cloak of Jesus would lose their
value by being divided, so they were gambled over.
Sometimes
a drink of drugged wine was offered. This “act of mercy” took
away the edge of the pain and allowed the victim to live longer on
the cross and compounded the pain in the long run.
The
victim usually lasted from three hours to four days. Some were known
to have lasted for as much as 30 days. Most times the body was left
to be devoured by birds. But a family could obtain special
permission from the local Governor for the body to be buried. In the
case of the crucifixion of Jesus the bodies were removed because of
the Jewish Festival of Passover.
Crucifixion
was cruel in how it killed. The Romans called it “the dance of
death”. The person would hang from ropes and spikes in the wrist
causing intense pressure on the chest muscles making it impossible to
breathe. To be able to breathe the victim would have to stand on the
spike in their feet to take the pressure off their lungs. The pain
in their feet, or weariness would overcome them and they would sag on
the spikes in their wrists again. The victim “performed” this up
and down “dance of death” until either exhaustion set in, or the
legs were broken. Then the victim would die from lack of oxygen.
This makes the sayings of Jesus from the cross so important, since
they cost Him so much to make them.
LESSON
2 History of
Crucifixion - Page
3
Questions
for thought:
Why
did Jesus die?
Why
die in such a humiliating way?
What
would have happened if Jesus hadn’t died on the cross?
Christ, and Him Crucified
By Ronald Ramsey
LESSON
3 Seven saying of
Jesus Christ while on the cross
The
seven saying of Jesus Christ on the cross were spoken in a 6 hour
period from about 9 AM to 3 PM. Remember from Lesson 2 that it is a
great torment for someone to speak while being crucified. Each
saying is a gem mined from intense pain. The listing below is the
order most believe the sayings came in. There is no single account
where all seven are listed together. Please notice not only the
order, but also how these sayings divide into three different
sections.
1. Then
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what
they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his clothing.
(Luke 23:34 NRSV)
2. He
replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in
Paradise."
(Luke 23:43 NRSV)
3. When
Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside
her, he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son."
Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And
from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
(John 19:26-27 NRSV)
* * *
4. At
three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi,
lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have
you forsaken me?"
(Mark 15:34 NRSV) [Psalm 22:1]
5. After
this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to
fulfill the scripture), "I am thirsty."
(John 19:28 NRSV) [Psalm 69:21]
6. When
Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished."
Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
(John 19:30 NRSV) [John 17:4]
* * *
7. Then
Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands
I commend my spirit." Having said this, he breathed his last.
(Luke 23:46 NRSV) [Psalm 31:5]
LESSON
3 Seven saying of
Jesus Christ while on the cross -
Page 2
The
three sections shown above show the three completion’s that Jesus
accomplished upon the cross.
Section
1 Sayings 1-3 The completion of the ministry and earthly life of
Jesus.
Section
2 Sayings 4-6 The completion of the true suffering of Jesus.
Section
3 Saying 7 The completion of the sacrifice of Jesus.
Express
in your own words what you believe Jesus meant by each saying.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Which
one means the most to you and why? (Use
another sheet.)
Christ, and Him Crucified
By Ronald Ramsey
LESSON
4 Gethsemane to the
Court of Pilate
Gethsemane
means oil press.
This
garden is believed to have been located East of Jerusalem, across the
brook Kidron at the foot of Mount Olivet. Many came there to cool
off in the shade of the trees. The Grotto
of the Agony is
located on this site.
In
Luke 22:39-54 we see the agony of Jesus in this garden of beauty.
A. Jesus’ prayer
B. Sleeping apostles
C. Betrayal
D. Love of Jesus
E. Hour of darkness
Note
of interest: The brook of Kidron was where the blood from all the
sacrifices at the temple was drained. On this night the Kidron would
have run red from the blood flow.
Would you have chosen to go
to the cross?
After
being betrayed, Jesus was arrested and charged with blasphemy against
God by the Jews, and treason against Rome. To be sure of His death,
both religious and secular charges were made. The Jewish leaders
could sentence a person to death, but the sentence would only be
carried out if approved by the local Roman government. That is why
they included the secular charge about treason.
The six trials of Jesus
1. Before
Annas John 18:13
2. Before
Caiaphas John 18:19
3. Sent
to Pilate John 18:28
4. Sent
to Herod Luke 23:6
5. Back
before Pilate John 19:1-16
Jesus
scourged
6. Returned
to Pilate John 19:1-16
LESSON
4 Gethsemane to the
Court of Pilate -
Page 2
One
would imagine that anyone who had six trials would get at least one
honest person who would set them free if they were innocent. In John
19:4 we are told that Jesus was innocent. Why wasn’t He set free?
Here are several reasons why these trials were so ineffective at
justice.
A. All the trials were held
illegally.
B. No two witnesses could
agree. Jesus was finally convicted by His
own
statement (Luke 22:66-71).
C. The trials were held at
forbidden hours.
D. The Sanhedrin wasn’t
fully assembled so the conviction was illegal.
E. Jesus
was in the end judged more by the crowd than by Pilate.
In
all of these trials we see the total collapse of both the Jewish and
Roman Justice systems. This is made even more amazing since both
systems were considered the best and most fair of the time. Both
were systems based on being innocent until proven guilty. In most
systems of that time to be charged meant that you were guilty and had
to attempt to prove your innocence. Often the very person who made
the charge was the judge you had to face. Both the Romans and Jews
took great pride in their Justice systems of that time.
What was Jesus finally
convicted of?
Why
was Jesus scourged?
What
was the evidence Jesus gave that helped convict Him? (Luke 22:66-71)
Christ, and Him Crucified
By Ronald Ramsey
LESSON
5 The Fulfillment
of Old Testament sacrifice
Offering
for sin in Leviticus 16 (Hebrews 9:7-25)
1. Priest must get a bull for
a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
(Vs
3) (See Leviticus 4:3-12)
2. Then the priest must
cleanse and dress properly for the ceremony. (Vs 4)
3. From the congregation
receive two kids (from goats) for a sin offering and
a
ram for burnt offering. (Vs 5)
4. The priest must offer his
own sin offering. (Vs 6)
5. Two goats are then brought
forward and the priest casts lots over them. One is for the Lord and
the other is a scapegoat. The Lord’s goat is offered for a sin
offering, while the other will be saved for later. (Vs 7-10)
(Romans 3:25, and II Corinthians 5:21)
6. The priest offers the sin
offering for himself. (Vs 11)
7. A censer full of burning
coals and sweet incense are taken within the veil by the priest.
When within the veil, the priest places the incense on the coals to
make a cloud of incense over the mercy seat so that he won’t die.
(Vs 12-13) (Exodus 25:21, Exodus 30:34, and I Timothy 6:16)
8. The priest must sprinkle
blood from the bull before the mercy seat seven times. (Vs14)
9. The priest will then kill
the goat of sin offering for the people and do as he did with the
bull. (Vs 15) (Hebrews 2:17)
10. The priest will make an
atonement of the holy place because of the sins of Israel then for
himself, his household, all the congregation of Israel, and the
altar. (Vs 16-19)
11. Then the priest will take
the live goat and lay hands on him and confess the iniquities and
sins of the people over the goat and send the goat (scapegoat) into
the wilderness where the goat will bear the iniquities of the people
into an uninhabited land. (Vs 20-22) (I Peter 2:24)
12. The priest shall put off
the linen garments and cleanse himself. He will offer a burnt
offering for himself and the people. Then he will burn the fat of
the sin offering upon the altar. (Vs 23-25)
13. The one that let the
scapegoat go shall wash himself and his clothes and then he may come
into the camp. (Vs 26)
14. The bull and goat remains
are taken outside the camp and burnt. The one who burns them must
also wash himself and his clothes before coming into the camp. (Vs
27-28) (Hebrews 13:11-12)
LESSON
5 The Fulfillment
of Old Testament sacrifice -
Page 2
15. This should all be done on
the tenth day of the seventh month of each year. (Vs 29-34)
Jesus, and Him crucified
seen in this ceremony
1. In
the overall idea of cleansing. We are cleansed of our sins through
Jesus’
death on the cross.
2. The
one offering the sacrifice had to be pure. But Jesus didn’t need a
ritual cleansing. He was already pure and holy!
3. The
priest does for all what they cannot do for themselves. Jesus saves
us from our sins, which we were helpless to do for ourselves.
4. Jesus
is the fulfillment of the two goats. He is the sin offering for us.
Killed, His blood was offered to cleanse us from our sin. He is the
scapegoat because He took our sins upon Him and was cast out for our
sins. Cast out of town, and cast out by the Father for our sins.
Jesus
fulfilled this ceremony for us. Indeed, the ceremony was a preview
of
what Jesus would do for us. He would be the final sacrifice, once
for all time.
Because
of Jesus we can come into the holy of holies at any time. He has
opened the veil of the Temple (Mark 15:38) for all to go into the
presence of God. By Jesus cleansing us, and taking our sins upon
Himself, we can enter into God’s presence boldly! Not because we
are righteous, but because we can claim His righteousness. This is
possible because He has cleansed us from the sin that separated us
from God. As it says,
Indeed,
under the law almost everything is purified with blood,
and
without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
(Hebrews 9:22 NRSV)
How could the blood of
animals cleanse our sins?
Define
Atonement -
Sacrifice
-
Holy
-
Christ, and Him Crucified
By Ronald Ramsey
LESSON
6 The hope of the
resurrection. The center of our faith
The
words resurrection and hope are synonymous. “If
for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most
to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:19 NRSV) With the promise of
eternal life we can more fully live our earthly life.
Evidence for the
resurrection
1. The
eyewitness accounts of the disciples.
2. The empty tomb.
3. The transformation of the
disciples.
4. That the resurrection was
taught in the Church from the beginning.
5. The Jewish leaders were
never able to disprove the resurrection.
6. The growth of the Church
with the message of the resurrection.
7. The change to Sunday as the
primary day of worship for Christians.
8. James (I Corinthians 15:7)
and Paul (Acts 9:1-9), both skeptics, later proclaimed the
resurrection.
9. That Jesus predicted the
resurrection before His death. (Matthew 17:22-23)
10. The Bible only leaves room
for a spiritual answer because of the: size of the stone, the Roman
seal, and that the guards stationed.
(1-9
are from “Verdict On The Shroud” by Kenneth Stevenson and Gary
Habermas. Page 196-199)
The
idea that the Roman Guards fell asleep is beyond belief. To become a
Roman soldier one had to defend a square of ground against all
opponents for two days. The penalty for sleeping on watch was
instant death. There didn’t even need to be a trial. The odds
that an entire squad of soldiers fell asleep is beyond belief.
Was Jesus Dead?
Some
historians have stated that there was no resurrection because Jesus
never died. Called the “swoon theory”, it states that Jesus was
still alive in the tomb and later recovered. He got out of the tomb
and that is why the disciples and so many others saw Him later.
John
19:32-42 is perfect evidence for the death of Jesus for a modern day
physician. “Clearly, the weight of historical and medical evidence
indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to His side was
inflicted and supports the traditional view that the spear, thrust
between His right ribs, perforated not only
LESSON
6 The hope of the
resurrection. The center of our faith -
Page 2
the
right lung but also the pericardium and heart and thereby ensured His
death.” From the Journal of American Medical Association, March
21, 1986 (Page 1463) This evidence is seen in scripture.
“Then
Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your
hands
I commend my spirit." Having said this, he breathed his last.”
(Luke
23:46 NRSV)
In
the end it is all about spending forever in the presence of God and
about being healed from our sins totally so that we can be in God’s
presence. About the eternal change that takes place in our lives
when we accept Jesus and is finally fulfilled as we in heaven.
“Then
the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as
crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the
middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the
tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each
month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God
and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him;
they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And
there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for
the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and
ever. And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true,
for the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his
angel to show his servants what must soon take place." "See,
I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the
prophecy of this book."” (Revelation 22:1-7 NRSV)
Why
is it important that Jesus died? (Romans 5:10)
What
is the importance of the resurrection? (I Corinthians 15:12-19)
What does eternity mean to
you?
