I invite you to take your Bibles and turn to the Gospel of Matthew. Our text for this morning will be verses 32 to 44, and we are going to take our first look at the cross of Jesus Christ in our study of Matthew's Gospel this morning. Next week, Lord willing, we'll be picking up in verse 45 and taking a look at the death and burial of Christ. Today, we look at the details of the cross. And it's interesting as you take a look at the four gospels and you compare the accounts and we're going to do a little bit of that today as well as next week as we seek to harmonize these narratives. But one of the common objections to the inerrancy of scripture is the fact that you have four gospel accounts and it seems like the details don't always line up. Well, part of that is due to the fact that these are four different Gospels from four different perspectives with four different, ultimately, audiences in mind. Actually, the differences in content and even with regard to what is or isn't present in these narratives is, in fact, a testimony to the factuality and the reliability and truthfulness of the accounts. It isn't like the four guys sat down and made sure they all wrote exactly the same thing, exactly the same way. Also, when you consider the fact that both Matthew and John are eyewitnesses of the events, they're going to have a different perspective. Even if a couple of friends go to the same event, or a couple of friends go to the same class, or a couple of friends participate in the same activities, or indeed even play softball on the same team for the same season, The high points to them and the recollections for them may be different. Would you agree with that? Now, the difference is if the two of us play softball together, what we remember may or may not be exactly factual. I may remember my shot hitting the wall on one hop, and you might remember that it just barely got out of the infield, and somewhere between there might be the truth. But in the case of the scriptures, what we have is four inspired inerrant authoritative accounts. And what you see as you go through and you compare the accounts is that they do, in fact, harmonize. And Luke, for instance, tells us that he was not an eyewitness, but rather composed his gospel under the Holy Spirit as a result of interviewing eyewitnesses. Mark is written on the basis of a little bit of eyewitness testimony. He actually makes an appearance. I believe it is him. That's the young man that runs the night that Jesus is arrested. I think that's the only logical reason to understand why that statement would even be in there. But beyond that, he is writing on the basis of Peter's preaching. So that is based upon an eyewitness testimony. And both Matthew and John were there. So that is an eyewitness testimony, at least regard with regard to most of the events that happened because they were they participated in them. So there is no need for them to have sources for a great deal of what they wrote. And one of the chief explanations for the reasons that there are differences in these accounts is not just the differences in personal experiences and what they did or didn't see. I'm going to show you at least one of those this morning. But even beyond that, and I think more importantly, is to understand they had different audiences and they were written at different times with different purposes. You say, well, I thought they were all gospels. They were all a presentation, the good news about Jesus Christ and presenting him as the Savior. Well, than the simplest way that's true. But Matthew writes about 15 years after the events of the crucifixion, and he writes to a predominantly Jewish audience in order to present very clearly that Jesus is the Messiah. That's why he starts with a genealogy that proves he has a rightful claim to the throne of Israel. That's why he includes, in those first couple of chapters, citations from the Old Testament, proving both through the miraculous conception, as well as the birth in Bethlehem, and the flight to Egypt, etc., that all of those things pertaining to Jesus' entrance cannot be faked, and He Himself had no control over them, and they all fulfilled Old Testament passages. In the case of Matthew, since he's writing about 15, at most 20 years after the facts of the crucifixion, he's writing to a lot of people that were eyewitnesses and that were there. He's writing to a generation that either knew Jesus, saw Jesus, experienced or witnessed miracles by Jesus, or at least know people who were there and did see it. When you're talking about John's gospel, on the other hand, John writes in 90 to 95 A.D., that's 60 to 65 years after the crucifixion. By this point, Jerusalem hasn't existed for at least 20 years. In 70 A.D., the Romans came in and leveled the place because of their rebellion and wiped out not just Jerusalem and the temple, but Israel as a nation. A hundred thousand were crucified right there in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. when they came in and ran the place over. So when you're writing in 90 to 95 A.D. to people about the events in Jerusalem and Jerusalem doesn't exist anymore, it might behoove you, especially since you're talking to a generation of people that weren't there and don't know anybody that was. then it makes sense that you would actually point directly to Old Testament fulfillments in the crucifixion narrative and say what passage is being fulfilled, because they might not otherwise know it, especially when your audience isn't just Jewish people anymore. Your audience is to everybody. Does that make sense? So even in the context of... Have you ever had a conversation about a hobby, whether it's sports, whether it's crafting, whether it's your job. Have you ever had somebody that that doesn't really know what you're talking about and notice that you change the way you talk about it so that they can follow you at least a little bit in the conversation? I mean, honestly, don't you wives do this all day, every day with us when we get home? Yeah, you change the narrative so that we can have an understanding and identify a little bit with all the stuff that we missed and we have no idea what goes on all day. Does that make sense? And you change the way you talk about it? Okay. When we're looking at the Gospel of Matthew in comparison, for example, to the Gospel of John, this is why there are some details in one that may not be in the other. Because of the audience, the intended audience, first and foremost, primarily, of that Gospel. Also, the focus. John is seeking to present Jesus as God. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. John's gospel starts in Genesis 1. Matthew's gospel starts with Abraham. Matthew's gospel is seeking to prove to a predominantly Jewish audience that Jesus fulfills the Old Testament and has a rightful claim to the throne of David and is the promised Messiah. Now, the other interesting thing about Matthew's gospel is, by the time you get to Matthew chapter 27, he's expecting you to connect a lot of the dots on your own, that the other gospels will actually point you specifically back to the Old Testament passage, and they'll say, this fulfills this, this fulfills that, this fulfills this other passage. Matthew is expecting by the time you get to Matthew chapter 27, you can do those connections on your own. All right. So when I point you back to the Old Testament, I'm just going to make passing references this morning as we go through Matthew's gospel, because that's the way he's written it. But I'll also, to an extent, show you that does fulfill the Old Testament. But by this point, Matthew's primary intention, remember, he's writing to the generation that was there. His primary intention at this point is to show you he's already shown you that Jesus came and fulfilled the Old Testament through the virgin conception. through the birth in Bethlehem, the flight to Egypt, etc. Now his main focus is on showing you when he went to the cross, that fulfilled what he promised would happen. And just to show you this by way of introduction, if you take a look at Matthew chapter 12, and I'm just going to do a really quick review. Matthew chapter 12, starting in verse 38. Some of the scribes and Pharisees came up to Jesus, saying, Teacher, we want to see a sign from you. But he answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign, but no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Now, do you think they understood he's talking about his death, burial, and resurrection on the third day at this point? No. But after the fact, you can look back and see that's exactly what he was talking about all the way back here in Matthew 12, right? If you jump ahead to Matthew chapter 16 and verse 21. This is following the confession of Peter, thou are who do you say that I am? You are the Christ, the son of the living God. Listen, you didn't figure this out on your own, Peter. My Father has revealed this to you. Verse 21, from that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things from the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed and be what? Raised on the third day. This happens all the way back. at immediately following the context of Peter's great confession. Jesus is saying, OK, you recognize who I am. Well, now let me tell you guys what what how this is going to play out. You'll also remember that Peter's not real happy with that. Peter, Peter stands up and says, God forbid it, Lord, this is never going to happen. And Jesus says, get behind me, Satan. See, Jesus has been calling his shot. This is what's going to happen going all the way back to Matthew 16, laying it out in detail and even referencing it and pointing to it all the way back in Matthew 12. Jesus has been saying the whole time this is what's going to happen. Matthew chapter 17. starting at verse 9 as they're coming down the mountain from the transfiguration. Remember the transfiguration. Jesus is revealed in his full glory for who he is. And the father says, this is my beloved son. Listen to him. On the way down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, Matthew 17, verse 9, saying, tell the vision to no one until the son of man has what risen from the dead. Now you got a you got a glimpse of what the kingdom is going to be like. And you got a glimpse of my full glory and my full kingdom glory that you got to see. But don't tell anybody about it until after I've risen from the dead. Jesus is from the beginning saying when he gets to Jerusalem, this is what's going to happen. Remember, Matthew is writing to people basically in that generation, a decade and a half, maybe two decades after it happens. And essentially his point is he's been calling his shot. So when we start to look through the details of the crucifixion, this is Matthew's whole point. Everything Jesus said was going to happen is what happened. So when you see all these events and you see all these details that also fulfill the Old Testament, listen, Jesus is not just a good teacher. Jesus is not somebody with good intentions that God was with for a while and then he just blew it. Jesus is the Messiah, and it played out the way it did because that was God's plan from the beginning. And Jesus told us that really throughout the whole of his ministry. What happened happened. Not because Jesus couldn't prevent it or control it or things just got out of hand or Judas betrayed him. And oh, my goodness, it all happened the way it happened, because this has been God's plan from the beginning. This is the way God is going to provide for our salvation. The Messiah is going to come and he's going to die in our place, in fact, in John 17, excuse me, Matthew 17 and verse 22. while they were gathering together in Galilee. Jesus said to them, This is when they're all getting together, getting ready to head to Jerusalem. He said, The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him and He will be raised on the third day. Matthew chapter 20, verse 17. As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, This is right before the triumphal entry. When everybody goes, Hosanna, Hosanna, everybody's happy and celebrating. Jesus calls his shot in advance. And it says in verse 17 of Matthew chapter 20, Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem and he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves and on the way he said to them, We are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death. They will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify him. And on the third day, he will be raised up. You know something? Jesus said this is how the gospel is going to play out. This is how the divine plan is going to play out before it even happens. So when you're reading Matthew 27, This is what's supposed to be in your mind. You're supposed to be someone with Old Testament knowledge to be able to connect those dots and say, oh, this is what the Old Testament said was going to happen, too. But you're most particularly supposed to see this is what Jesus said and this is what he just did. And they match. Does that make sense? OK, now, with that backdrop, I would like to take you through two ways that Jesus fulfilled the scriptures in Matthew 27 verses 32 to 44. He fulfilled the scriptures, both the Old Testament as well as his own prophetic declarations and promises. Through the pain he endured at the cross and the shame he endured at the cross. And while they're not both P's or S's, hopefully they sound enough alike to satisfy Chuck's homiletics. Is that OK, Chuck? Are we good enough? No. All right. Well, we're going to go with it anyways. The pain of the cross and the shame of the cross. We start in verse 32, and I just want to expose you a little bit. And I really I'm going to go through some details here. But what's really fascinating, if you start to study, especially the crucifixion narratives of the four gospels, you know, you'll find It's it's it's not like Hollywood. It's it's not like the the the fiction books or even a lot of times the historical books that we would write or that we read. This is this is not. This is not focused on the graphic nature of crucifixion. It doesn't go through in any kind of real detail with regard to the actual horrors and the actual terrors and afflictions and sufferings that are brought upon someone that is crucified. And I think there's two reasons for that. One, I'm convinced that Matthew doesn't have to to a generation of people that are very familiar with crucifixion I Forgot to write it down But if I recall during the three years of Jesus's ministry the people in and around Jerusalem would have seen more than a thousand crucifixions it generally in and around that context and Crucifixion was a purposeful form of execution that the Romans used in order to make a statement. We'll talk a little bit about that in the future. And so, since people had seen it and were familiar with it, and it was a very public spectacle kind of a form of execution, there was no need for Matthew to get overly into the details to present the horrors of it. Everybody was familiar with it. The emphasis in all four Gospels is not so much on the physical horrors and the afflictions themselves, but on Jesus's willingness to endure it for us. We're really not supposed to walk away from the crucifixion narratives overwhelmed at just the horrors of the cross. We're really supposed to walk away from the crucifixion narratives blown away that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ would be willing to offer himself up for us on the cross. In fact, one of the things that the when you put the gospel accounts together, that's really clear. And we'll talk about this next week in the death of Christ. The the real suffering of the cross ultimately isn't even just the physical afflictions It's the wrath of God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. The real horror of the cross isn't even the scourging, the nails, the hanging, the mocking. The real horror of the cross is taking the penalty for our sins in his body on that tree and enduring the wrath of God in our place. That's that's the real point. Now, if you take a look here at Matthew 27 and verse 32, we kind of pick up right where we left off last week. Jesus has now been condemned Pilate has tried, even though he knows he's innocent, rather than releasing him and getting the Jews upset and getting into political trouble, he compromises his integrity and the justice system, and he provides the people an opportunity to choose between a terrorist and a miracle worker. And the people choose Barabbas. And so at this point, He has placed himself into an impossible situation and is forced to release Barabbas and condemn Jesus to be crucified. So he is led away, we're told, after they had mocked him. Verse 31, they took the scarlet robe off of him, put his own garments back on him, and they led him away to crucify him. Verse 32, as they were coming out, that is, as they're coming out of the praetorium, We are now on our way from the praetorium to the place of crucifixion, the place of the execution. And we're told that the events played out like this. When they came, excuse me, as they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear his cross. Now, it's interesting As you take a look at John 19 in this case, look at John 19, and I would encourage you to have a mark in John 19, a mark in Luke 23, and then a mark here in Matthew 27. We're going to bounce between the three a couple of times. But in Mark 19, if you look at the parallel account, we're told in verse 16, so then Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified. And they took Jesus, therefore, and he went out bearing his own cross to the place called the place of the skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha. And they crucify and there they crucified him, him with two other men, one on either side and Jesus in between. Now, you look at those two accounts and some people say, well, in in John, it tells us Jesus carried his own cross. But here in Matthew, it tells us that they pressed someone called Simon from Cyrene into doing that. So it seems like there's an inconsistency. So which way was it? Well, if you'll look with me at Luke chapter 23. In the in the parallel text that Luke records. He will tell you, starting in Luke 23, verse 26, when they led Jesus away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and they placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus. And following behind him was a crowd of people and of women who were mourning and lamenting, and Jesus turned and said to them, etc. Notice that there are more details in Luke's account than either Matthew's or John's. Notice also that Luke indicates that when they led him away, they seized a man who was coming in from the country. This is somebody that lives outside the city that is coming into the city for the Passover. So they've moved from the praetorium partway to the city, perhaps to the city gate right as they're getting ready to go outside. It's at this point that Jesus can no longer carry a cross for himself. And frankly, is it any wonder? What did we learn about what Jesus went through? on the night in which he was betrayed. First of all, he's been up all day and then up all night in prayer. He has endured not only the arrest and the trial and the afflictions and the beatings and the punches in the face, etc. by the high priest. He's also endured all the mocking and the beatings and the humiliations before the Sanhedrin and then ultimately even scourging and then the ill treatment by the soldiers after that. And now he is carrying his cross from the praetorium all the way out to the place of execution. It simply is a matter of him not being able to make it all the way so that they caught somebody that's making his way into the city and pressed him into service from that point forward. And from that point forward, you have Jesus walking in front and Simon dragging the cross behind. There's an easy way to reconcile all of these accounts. Now, why is it that John doesn't make any reference to it? I would suggest to you, first and foremost, the easiest answer is that John disappears at this point in order to go get Mary and the other women that show up at the cross. So John saw Jesus dragging his cross from the praetorium on the way. And then he leaves to go get his mother Mary and the other women, including John's own mother, and tell them what's happening to Jesus. And that's why John is the one disciple who's there. So John didn't actually see that somebody else carried the cross the rest of the way. That's why he doesn't record it. Now it makes perfect sense that you have honest eyewitness accounts in all of these, right? In any case, We go back to Matthew chapter 27 in verse 32 and we see that this is a man by the name of Simon who is from Cyrene. Now Cyrene is a city in northern Africa. There were many Jews and proselytes who lived there. Simon was one of them. There's a little debate in the commentaries about whether he is traveled into town for the Passover or whether he actually because he's coming in from the countryside on Friday, the day of the Passover for the Jews that are there in Judea. He comes into town. Maybe he actually is a resident just outside of town. Frankly, you can't resolve that. But he is coming in from the country. Which does suggest he may be living here as opposed to staying in the immediate surrounding context. And as he's coming into town, he gets pressed into service. The fact that he is pressed into service, essentially all this is, is the Roman soldiers had the right to commandeer people and make them go as far as a mile for them and do essentially the task of a beast of burden. This is what Jesus is talking about in the Sermon on the Mount when he says, if someone forces you to go one mile, what are you to do? Go two instead? Do twice as much as you're required by law to do? That's what God would expect you to do. Well, this is them just seeing Simon coming in. He looks like he's a strong enough guy. They grab him and put him to work carrying the cross the rest of the way place of execution for Jesus because he can't make it and they're not going to wait on him. Now there is at least one song that's been written about this that maybe you know that has suggested that Simon was a guy that had two sons which by the way Mark does tell us. Mark tells us that Simon had two sons. One was Alexander and the other was Rufus Matthew doesn't make anything about this other than to just name the guy that carried the cross. There's at least one song that talks about these being two young boys and they were leading the lamb in for the sacrifice for Passover that day. And as they were coming in, Jesus and the executioners were on their way out and they grabbed their father and forced him to to carry Jesus's cross and he goes all the way to Golgotha and he watches the crucifixion all the events of the day and After Jesus dies, then the kids show up and they say sorry dad We lost the lamb and he says behold the lamb. It's a really neat story really cool song I like it the fact of the matter is though it's probably untrue because even if those two boys were with him on that day and People didn't typically bring their own lambs to be sacrificed. What did they have to do? They had to buy the pre-certified lambs at the temple. So good story. Real tearjerker and a heart puller. And it does convey the idea of the cross. So if you want to listen to it, enjoy it, go for it. But that's really beyond what the text says. And it's interesting. Other than stating the fact that somebody else had to carry the cross for Jesus, Matthew makes nothing else about it. Mark tells us that he had two sons, Alexander and Rufus. Now, why do you think Mark includes that information? Well, it's interesting. Mark is written to saints in Rome. And if you take your Bibles just as a quick side trip here and turn to Romans chapter 16, I believe it's verse thirteen I lost a place in my notes. Romans chapter sixteen and verse yeah it is verse thirteen. When Paul goes through the process here of greeting a bunch of people in Rome. You know like he normally does it at the end of a lot of epistles in in Romans sixteen of verse thirteen he says greet Rufus a choice man in the Lord also his mother and mine. that the saints in Rome know a guy by the name of Rufus and church history tells us this Rufus was actually Simon of Cyrene son and it is very possible in fact church history suggests to us that Simon got saved as a result of being pressed into service and watching the death of Christ and seeing the effects and the testimony from God and those around to what happened on that day. And it wound up also resulting in his son's getting saved. Now we could get into all of that and the other gospels do hint toward those types of things. And like I said it's Mark who mentions not just Simon who's pressed into service but also his son's by name. But I think the reasonable explanation for why that additional historical notice provided by Mark is because He's writing to saints in Rome and the saints in Rome would know who Rufus is. So they could ask him, is this true? It was your dad that carried the cross. Yes. You see how the content of each gospel makes sense when you understand the author and the audience and the time and frame in which it was written a little bit better and how it makes sense why there are sometimes details recorded and other times details are not recorded. You see that? Now, I could do this with a lot of them, but I just do a few of them like this just so that you can see. And the cross reference, by the way, in Mark is Mark 15, verse 21. We won't turn there because I think we've covered it. They find a man of Cyrene named Simon, and they press him into service to bear his cross. This is no more than like if a police officer today would commandeer our vehicle and say, I need to use your car to catch a bad guy. And he's on his way now carrying his cross on his way to be crucified. Now, I want to take a moment here and just talk about crucifixion. We've done this in the past when we've gone through both John's gospel and Luke's gospel. But I I think it is important enough to go through these details. And I'm not going to go overly into the gory details, but just so that we're we're all reminded precisely what is involved in the process of crucifixion. So we can appreciate something of of what everybody in those days would have been fully visually and experientially aware of. First, all the Gospels record very little with regard to the graphic nature of the crucifixion. Part of this is no doubt due to the fact that it was a common enough practice in those days they had no need of the description. However, it is also worth noting that the lack of graphic details also forces us to focus more on the one who was crucified for us than to consider these gory details related to the execution practice itself. There are basically five styles of crosses. And they could take the shape either of a capital T, so it would look like this, just draw a capital T on the page, that is a post with a cross beam across the top, kind of like a telephone pole. There was a capital Y shape, so you've got your cross beam, and then at an angle would come the two jutting arms, so to speak, and then the arms would be tied or nailed to that, and then you'd have the center beam below. There is what is often referred to as St. Andrew's cross and that is in the shape of an X. And so then you would be tied or nailed across the top right and the top left for your hands and your feet and the bottom right and the bottom left. So you're kind of spread out. There's also the simple straight stake. I think this is traditionally the most common form. In fact, many times there were before crucifixion really became like the mastered way that Romans used to execute criminals to make a statement was a stake in the ground. And many times you were just impaled upon it or you were executed and then impaled upon it. That straight up and down stake, you could be tied to it, nailed to it, etc. And then the traditional T shape, so a little T. So that's with the cross, with the piece above the cross. So just think of a capital T with the jut going above the head. And according to what the Bible tells us, as it relates to the sign that was written out with the charges against Jesus and how it was hung above his head, that is almost certain then that the style of cross that Jesus was crucified on was the common traditional cross that you think of and remember. And that's where the testimony of the scripture that says, what is it, verse 37? No, verse 37. Above his head they put up the charge against him which read, this is Jesus, the king of the Jews. So there was a sign with the charges written and it's hung above his head. You don't do that on a T shaped cross or a Y shaped cross. Does that make sense? So the form, the style or the shape of the cross that Jesus was crucified on is the traditional shape. Now, tradition is mixed. with regard to whether Jesus carried the entire cross or just the cross beam. Frankly, it doesn't make any difference one way or the other. I have always, and maybe this is because as a kid I watched all those, you know, Charlton Heston movies and whatnot when I was five, six, and seven years old, and I just always saw that and I've always visualized it that way, but I see nothing in Scripture to tell me it couldn't have been that way, and there were times in history when they did drag the whole cross, which would be the cross the beam as well as the cross piece and it would already be fixed together as a cross and he would drag the whole thing. And I I still prefer this and think this is what I believe the way it was. And if that's the case that cross would have weighed something in excess of about 200 pounds most likely. So again is it any wonder that Jesus couldn't make it all the way to the place of execution. Secondly, if it's the cross beam, then it's just that cross piece. And when they got to the place of execution, they would affix it to him to it and then elevate him and put him. And that makes it more of a larger construction that's there at the place of execution. And so I just think it's more likely the entire T shape that he had to drag. And even if it was just the cross beam, it's going to weigh upwards of 100 pounds or more. And so it makes perfect sense that he's having difficulty making it all the way there. Crucifixion itself is deliberately meant to be the most painful, lasting and humiliating form of execution possible. It was intended not only to be the means of execution for one who has committed a capital offense, but also to be a statement against anyone else who considered following in the same lines. The Romans learned this form of execution from the Carthaginians who learned it from probably the Phoenicians, although there's a little bit of muddiness in the history of who actually invented it. Sinful man invented it. The Romans mastered it to the point that historically they are most often associated with this form of execution because when they saw how effective it was as a deterrent to rebellion and to crime, they implemented it and graduated the torture of it and the fearfulness of it way beyond anything anybody else had done. Roman law declared that to be illegal for a Roman citizen to be crucified, which demonstrates even Rome's aversion to the thought of having to suffer the horrors of crucifixion. This punishment. By Roman law was reserved for capital offenses that were committed by slaves, foreigners and rebels in general. The process was as follows. The victim was typically whipped, sometimes flogged or scourged, which is what Jesus endured. And then they were forced to carry their cross, sometimes only the cross bar. When they got to the place of execution, they were stripped naked. It is there's a big argument in the commentaries as to whether Jesus was stripped fully naked or whether in deference to Jewish sensibilities. He was allowed to keep a loin covering of some type. Regardless, you were stripped down and you were hung up there in the sight of everyone as you died. And then the victim was tied and or nailed Typically both, which explains how, you know, a lot of writers get into this whole discussion about the nails being able to hold you on, etc. Well, in most cases, they tied you across your upper arm to the cross beam, and then they either tied your wrist or nailed your hand or wrist. So the nail would either go in the palm or right here in the wrist. And that's what affixed you to the cross beam. Then with regard to the feet, now there's a there's a half a dozen different styles. Sometimes it was a nail through the heel along the outside edge of the cross. Sometimes it would be, there would be a little kind of a foot plate that was purposely put there, a small little area that you could just squeeze your feet onto. And then both feet were nailed one over top of the other with a single nail going through the fleshy part of your foot. Or the feet would be turned sideways with a nail going through both heels. right, not not breaking a bone, but going between the bones so that you were held there. Now, the reason for this was not just to nail you to it, but to make it particularly painful since the way in which people died from crucifixion. Is. Suffocation. The way you die, this is sometimes it took two, three or more days to die from the accumulating effects of starvation, dehydration, blood loss, terror, fear, affliction and just raw distress. And then ultimately you would get to the place where you couldn't hold your body up anymore and you would slump down and ultimately suffocate. That's the way people died from crucifixion. It was meant to be a long, painful, horrific process. It was meant to be a terrifying form of execution. And again, it's key to note that the writers do not focus on all the physical suffering, hardly at all. They simply state the fact of crucifixion. What's more, it's not until you get to the resurrection narratives where we're told that Jesus' hands and feet were nailed. Now, whether he had whether the nail went through the top of his foot or through the through the heel, whether it was nailed to the side of the cross or on a little platform, we're not told. But you would push against if we just do the traditional, right? He's nailed to the cross and tied to the cross, and then his legs are bent a little bit and his feet are over top of each other. And one nail goes through the top of both of them and holds him fast to that little foot ledge that they built there for him. And then every time he starts to slump, it starts to become tougher and tougher to breathe. Try this at home. Just put your hands up and see how hard it is to breathe. And then think about the strain of hanging. So in order to get the weight off your shoulders and to be able to take a breath, you have to push down with your feet, which are nailed to that little footplate. It's just, it's just painful no matter what. Have you ever awakened in the middle of the night with a muscle spasm? Isn't that just terrible? No matter how you move, you can't get in. Finally, you get that one spot where it doesn't hurt. You ever had back spasms? Chuck, you played hockey. You know what I'm talking about, right? And you come and you start stretching your hamstrings. Those back spasms are painful. I mean, can you imagine if you're nailed to a cross and you start having those? Well, that's that's tip that was just typical. What would happen? You would hear the cries of this whole process of execution was meant to cause this kind of affliction, this kind of pain and this kind of distress. This is the point of crucifixion. I. I read, where do I have it here? Oh, here it is, I read an account from an ancient source this week. that gave the Roman view with regard to crucifixion as a marvelous penalty for violent crimes and rebellion by slaves, foreigners, and other lesser peoples, not Roman citizens, because it has a better deterrent effect than any other form of capital punishment. Listen to this. He writes, and I quote, whenever we crucify the guilty, the most crowded roads are chosen where the most people can see and be moved by this fear because penalties relate not so much to retribution as to their exemplary effect. In other words, it's not just that we're trying to punish the person that did wrong. What we want to do really by crucifying people is to teach everybody that isn't condemned to not ever want to be condemned. Follow me. Now, that's what Jesus went through for us. For us. That's the physical suffering and and what's most amazing here, look at verses thirty three and thirty four when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means the place of a skull. They gave him wine to drink mixed with gall and after tasting it, he was unwilling to drink it. What's really cool here is a couple of points I'll bring here, but what's really cool here is the word gall. You may think gall is something special, but gall is just the word that literally means bitter. It's Mark that tells us that it was myrrh. And if you take myrrh and you add it into wine, it's going to give a really bitter taste to it. And myrrh, by the way, is essentially poisonous to an extent. And the reason they mixed them and that they would give it to somebody about to be executed is to numb your senses a little bit, to take some of the edge, maybe just a show of mercy. When Jesus tasted it and realizes what they're giving him, you know what he does? He refuses it. Do you know why? He intends to maintain all of his mental faculties when he yields up his spirit for us. Even when he dies, they don't take his life from him. He gives his life up for us. When he hangs there on the cross and is enduring all this pain and shame, what's the first thing that you remember the Bible says that he said? Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. Think about the conversation Jesus has with the thief on the cross. Think about the conversation Jesus has with John and with his mother. Jesus is mentally alert and is committed to maintaining mental alertness and endure all of this. You know, I had a kidney stone. And I did find out for those of you wanting to know how to get good service at the AV hospital and the emergency room. All you have to do is if you've got like severe pain, just collapse in the parking lot so that you fall face down and your wife can't pick you up and haul you in and they will run out. They will get you and they will take you in. It's cool. And immediately they will start a morphine drip. Which is also cool, although it's not like I didn't feel the pain anymore. There was just something in me. I didn't care. I'm like, man, that's a really, really nasty pain. That's cool. But. You know, Jesus didn't take any that when Jesus went through all of this pain and all of this affliction. He endured all of this without complaint. And without anything to to to temper what he endured. For us. This is what Matthew wants you to get. Jesus knew all the while and told us repeatedly all the while. He knows this is what's going to happen when he gets there. And he freely, willfully, on his own authority and by his own desire and free will and accord, he goes and offers himself up for us. Was any of what he went through, was it just? Was any of what he went through right? No. And we've seen that in vivid detail. He endured the pain of the cross for us in fulfillment of not only the Old Testament predictions, but his own as well. And he also endured the shame of the cross. This is verse 35 to 44. And we're going to pop through these really quick. Actually, there was one other thing I needed to point out. When it says they came to a place called Golgotha, which means the place of a skull, Those sound like pretty cool words, right? So the place of a skull is a translation of the Greek word cranium. You might know that from our English word cranium. You want to know what the Latin word is? Calvary. So when you talk about the cross of Calvary, the cross on the place called the skull, when you talk about Golgotha, that's just the Aramaic word for skull. We talk about Ukrainian that's the Greek word for skull and usually in our Bibles. That's the one that gets translated into English All three of those terms are just the the terms from the three common languages that were spoken Latin by the Romans Aramaic by the Jews and Greek by everybody This is a place called the skull One of the questions that comes up is, where is this place? We talked about it this summer when we got back from Israel. There are two typical traditional sites. Well, there's a traditional site, and then there's Gordon's Calvary. Having been there now, I am convinced it's the traditional site where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre has been built. However, since there is a church built on top of the site now, it is impossible to see whether it ever looked like a skull. It's quite possible that it looked like a skull. And incidentally, Gordon's Calvary, when they were in there excavating and doing some archeology a couple of centuries ago, it's when they go, hey, this place, that kind of looks like a skull. And look, there's graves here and it's outside of town. Maybe it was over here. But if you go there now, it doesn't look so much like a skull anymore. So when you do all the math and you walk all the streets and everything, I'm convinced it's the traditional site. And the only primary objection to the traditional site is it doesn't look like a skull. Well, constructing a church on a site tends to change the topography a little bit. In any case, in both cases, they're right outside of town. There's a garden tomb right there with it because they're both in a place where there was a quarry. That is, they would dig it all out, and when they stopped getting good clay, etc., then they would turn it into essentially a graveyard. And that's what they did at this place called The Skull. Now we get to the shame of the cross and it's fourfold. The humiliations of the cross, the shame that Jesus endured, include the fact that he was executed as a criminal. When they had crucified him, verse 35, they divided up his garments among themselves by casting lots. Interestingly enough, John, in John 19, 23, tells us, actually 23 and 24, tells us not only why they had the cast lots, because you take his garments off of him and you have the four soldiers that are assigned to each prisoner that is going to be crucified, and then you have the centurion that's over the whole detachment. Each soldier got a share, sandals, belt, etc. And Jesus had one garment that was a seamless garment. So if they tear it so they get four equal shares, then everybody has stuff that's worth nothing. So you know what they did? They cast lots for it so that one of them got the thing in its entirety. John deliberately points out this is a fulfillment of Psalm 22. And he cites Psalm 22 and says it. Matthew doesn't bother to tell us why. Because by this point, He's expecting his biblically literate audience to be able to make these connections on their own. Listen to Psalm 22 as I read for a moment here. This is Psalm 22, verses 16 to 18. David writes prophetically here, dogs have surrounded me, a band of evildoers encompasses me. They've pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look and they stare at me. They divide my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots. David writes this centuries before the crucifixion. John is very deliberate in pointing out what happened here at the cross as a fulfillment. Matthew expects you to know Psalm 22 and be thinking that even as you're reading it. This is why Jesus said from the beginning this is what's going to happen when he gets there. In verse 36, sitting down, they began to keep watch over him. The soldiers, the four of them that were on station, were now forced, once they had nailed him and hung him up on the cross, they were forced to stick around until the execution was finished and until Jesus had died. They were here to keep the crowds back, most particularly to prevent a rescue and ultimately to certify the execution after the fact. And this is a detail, by the way, here in Matthew 27 and verse 36, that is only present in Matthew's account. You know why? Because as close to the fact as it was, he makes it very clear that when the execution took place, the disciples did not have access to Jesus to come and rescue him off the cross. When Jesus died, professionals did it and certified it. Verse 37, above his head they put up the charge against him, which read, This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. You look at the other Gospels, John 19 in particular, and you can see that, yes, the accounts in the various Gospels record this a little bit differently in each case. But when you put all four accounts together, you know what you see? You have a composite account that says, This is Jesus of Nazareth. the king of the Jews. And in John 19 and verse 20, we're told that it was written in three languages, Latin, Greek and Aramaic. Why? Because this is this is a place of execution right by one of the main gates into the city so that everybody can see it. And remember, the Romans, when they execute somebody with crucifixion, they want to make it public. They want you not to do like he's doing. And they put up his his crime above his head in all three languages so that whether you are Roman, whether you are Jewish or whether you are Gentile, you can read for yourself exactly what he was condemned for. And what was Jesus condemned for by the Romans? Being the Messiah, what was Jesus condemned for by the Jews and turned it over, turned over to the Romans. For being the son of God. Jesus's only crime was being God incarnate in human flesh, the king of the Jews. That's the testimony from scripture. He is the sinless son of God. And at that time, two robbers lay stasis, the Greek word. It's the same word that Mark uses. Excuse me, it's the same word that John uses in John 18 and verse 40 to describe Barabbas. It's a term that can can be either referring to a robber or a rebel. It's somebody who uses violence in committing either a crime against the state or a crime against people. A robber, a highwayman, an insurrectionist, a terrorist, etc. So, as most commentators will affirm, these two were likely buddies with Barabbas. And the reason that Barabbas was picked was he was the leader of this insurrection and had three guys on hand. They were ready to execute for insurrection and they were going to wait until after the Passover in deference to the Jews. But when the Jewish leaders pushed to crucify Jesus, they just did all three of them at the same time. One on the right and one on the left. I won't take the time this morning to show you this, but if you look at Isaiah 53 and verse 12, which we had read read earlier, this is a fulfillment of that. And again, Matthew doesn't point you to this because he expects you to be biblically literate in the Old Testament and to be noticing these things for yourself. In addition to being is suffering the humiliation of being executed as a common criminal with common criminals or rather uncommon notorious criminals. He is also mocked. He is mocked number one by the people, verse 39 and 40. And those passing by were hurling abuse at him, wagging their heads and saying, you who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, you need to save yourself. If you are the son of God, come down from the cross. You hear the taunts. You hear the mocking. You'll notice even in the English, those who are passing by were hurling. This is this is an ongoing thing. From the time they hung him up and as people are passing by on their way into the city, this is this is a recurrent experience that Jesus endured. And listen to the challenge. You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, you need to save yourself. If you really are the Son of God, like you claim, you need to come down from the cross and prove it. And by the way, it wasn't just the people who mocked Him. His enemies The leaders mock him as well. Look at verses 41 to 43 in the same way in exact. Likewise, the chief priests also, along with the scribes and the elders, the very members of the Sanhedrin who condemned him, they were mocking him and saying he saved others, but he cannot save himself. Think of all the miracles that he did. And now look where he is. He's the king of Israel. Let him come down now from the cross and we'll believe in him, which, by the way, isn't true. They've seen him perform resurrections, they've seen him multiply the loaves, they've seen him heal the lame and cast out. They've seen so many miracles. Even if he came down now, they wouldn't believe it. And here's the real dig. And this is a place that is taken right from Psalm 22. Again, this is verses six to eight. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he delights in him, because he said, I am the son of God. All right. He you said, God, you said you place your trust in God and you're the son of God. If God really. Really views you as his son and is pleased with you. Then let's see God save you. And that'll prove it. Do you know what's so amazing about this? It isn't like Jesus couldn't do it, right? I mean, Jesus demonstrated absolute power over creation itself. He's asleep in the boat. The storms on the outside, the disciples panic. They wake him up and he rebukes the wind and the waves and creation obeys him. Hanging there on the cross, could he not have just said that's enough and spoken the universe out of existence and called everybody to judgment? Yeah. He restored withered limbs. He gave sight to blind eyes that were born blind. Do you think He doesn't have the power to just do away with the cross? Do you think He doesn't have the power to come down off the cross? Think about all the miracles. Think about His command over creation. Think about His I Am statement when He's arrested. Remember when about 800 soldiers, 600 to 800 soldiers come to arrest Him and He says, Whom do you seek? Jesus of Nazareth. and they all fall down. Do you really think that someone who has that kind of power can't get himself off the cross? Think about the words he spoke to Peter that very night when Peter pulls his little sword out and tries to take on the soldiers. He says, Peter, don't you think if I asked the Father he'd send legions of angels? I'm submitting to this of my own free will and accord. This is the Father's plan. You want to know what held Jesus to the cross in spite of the pain and in spite of the shame? It was love. Love for God and love for you and me. That's the message you need to get from the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus endured all the pain and he endured all the shame for you. When he says, Come unto me, you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest, he means it and he proved it. And he proved it not just by going to the cross, but by staying on it. You know, the capstone on this whole thing is verse 44. The robbers, and notice if you if you mark, if you underline keywords in your in your Bible, underline that little s at the end of robbers. Just underline the s. You know why? Because look at the verse. The robbers, plural, who had been crucified with him were also insulting him with the same words. You say, wait, wait, wait, wait. I thought Luke 23 verses 39 to 43 tells us that, well, one of the robbers became a believer. Yeah, but it wasn't at the beginning. It was as a result of seeing the way Jesus behaved, even as he offered himself up for us. That's the impact that looking at the crucifixion, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is supposed to have on you and on me. Now, you really begin to appreciate that he endured the pain and the shame of the cross. And died in your place so you could be reconciled to God. Some people think God isn't fair. Some people think God isn't just. Some people think that God isn't love or that if he really was a God of love, then he would prove it. He wouldn't have all these horrible things happen. He wouldn't just leave all these things to play out. He wouldn't have had my life work out the way it is. Do you know what? God did prove his love. And it's right here at the cross of Jesus Christ. All the pain, all the evil, all the suffering, that's our responsibility individually and collectively. Do you know what the cross attests to? Jesus's love for the Father and his love for you and me. That's what we're supposed to walk away from this text seeing. And if you've read Matthew from chapter one all the way through to chapter 27, like what we've just gone through, Jesus has been saying this from the middle of the book, has he not? In fact, as we close in Matthew, chapter one, I want you to notice something. In Matthew chapter 1, Joseph finds out that Mary is pregnant. He has no idea it's by the Holy Spirit and so he's going to divorce her. But an angel of the Lord, Matthew 1 verse 20, appears to Joseph in a dream and says, Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife because the child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you will call his name Jesus. because he will save his people from their sins. Jesus came into this world in order to go to the cross. Jesus endured all of that and ultimately more when he endured the wrath of God so that he could pay for your sins and my sins. Now, tell me something. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, how should that impact your life? You should really appreciate what he did for you. and be very purposeful in living the rest of this life as a believer for him. And if you aren't one of his, how should that impact you? You will never see a clearer indication of God's love and God's wrath and righteousness at work. at the same time than the cross of Jesus Christ. You need to pay attention to what you're seeing because it is your one escape from suffering the wrath of God for your own sins. Let's pray. Father, thank you for Jesus Christ. Lord, thank you for dying for us and for drawing us to yourself and opening our eyes to the truth. Spirit help us to live for you and to glorify Christ our Lord and Savior in Jesus name We pray and all God's people said Amen