Tag Archives: calvary

Which are looking for?

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Roman crucifixion was common during Jesus’ day. Thousands of people were killed in this way. It was one of the worst ways a person could die. The Romans perfected it.

In fact, the word excruciating literally means ‘out of the cross’. So next time you step on a Lego, you begin to understand how excruciating pain can be.

It seems, though, that only three men were crucified on, what we now call, Good Friday.

Two common criminals. Thieves, malefactors, deserters, traders; really, the worst of the human race. One hanging on each side of Jesus.

Three crosses that stood on a hill | Easter | Pinterest | Tatuagem jesus na cruz, Tatuagem de santo, Jesus na cruz

An inspection of the words spoken by these two men can reveal many things. Here is Luke’s version:

From Luke 23:

39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

40But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 

41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. d ”

43Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

The first one insulted Jesus. Matthew and Mark both record more of the conversation while John does not have any recorded words about these two rebels. But whatever gospel you read, the words are negative and hurtful. For what ever reason, this criminal was yelling at Jesus.

He was looking for the acceptance of the crowd.

And he was not alone. There were comments made by others. It would easy to imagine a small crowd gathering to watch the events unfold. Hecklers are always present in a crowd.

This first criminal was just one of the crowd. He probably got some nods of agreement with his words. But eternity tells a different story.

Enter the second criminal. This accused man was mark by an attitude far different from the first one.

He looks past Jesus and rebukes the first criminal. He realized that they were doomed. Yes, physically, but even more importantly, spiritually.

He then turns to the Savior and asks to be remembered into the Kingdom of heaven.

Jesus replies, as only a Savior could, that it will happen.

The second malefactor was looking for the acceptance of the Christ.

You and I are hanging on a cross today. We have lived our lives and now we are condemned. But we have a choice.

Regardless of what we have done or where we have done it, we can make the right choice.

Even if we don’t really know or understand all the specifics about faith, we can call on the name of Jesus.

Today can be the day of our salvation.

But it will never happen if we are looking for the acceptance of the crowd.

You can rest assured, however, that it will happen if we are looking for the acceptance of the Christ.

Chronicles, the 2nd

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If you recall, the first post in Chronicles of Calvary, is about Simon.

Simon was ordered to carry the cross of Jesus. You can read about him here.

Surveying the Cross” Simon of Cyrene – Daily Encouragement

Let’s move on to the second person in these Chronicles.

The centurion at the cross would have been the soldier in charge of the executions. It was his duty to make sure that all was in order and finally, that the prisoners would perish.

In Mark 15, the centurion at the crucifixion plays a prominent roll. Here are a few verses:

37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, c he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

40Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, d and Salome. 

41In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

42It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 

43Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 

44Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 

45When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 

The Long Good Friday: The Story of Longinus the Centurion | The Inglorius Padre Steve's World

I bolded (is that the right word?) the verses that reference the centurion.

In 39, he made a proclamation. He was fortunate enough to be present at the most important moment in the history of the world. I think that he knew who that man was, hanging there on the cross.

Verse 45 tells us that he made a pronouncement. Pilate, the Roman ruler, wanted to know for sure, that Jesus had died. The centurion was responsible for that knowledge.

Isn’t it cool that we can learn from the centurion?

We can proclaim that Jesus is God’s son. He was divine and human while he lived on earth. That is information that we can confidently shout from the tallest mountain. Proclaim it today!

We can also pronounce that Jesus died…and is risen! Our faith is for nothing if Jesus never died. Because only in death, can he be risen. And that, is what Easter is all about.

Tomorrow’s post will compare the two thieves that were crucified with Jesus. God bless!

Chronicles of Calvary

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Springtime is upon us! Along with spring, the Easter seasoned has arrived.

What does Easter mean to you? Eggs? Ham? Going to church? Victory over sin?

Maybe all of these things. Easter, in general, is the celebration of Jesus being crucified and his resurrection from the dead.

As a bible-believing christian, Easter marks the central focus of my faith.

The Bible talks about the crucifixion of Jesus. There are some details but the entire picture is left for us to fill in.

This series will highlight various aspects surrounding the cross.

Chronicles of Calvary.

Locating Golgotha – TaborBlog

This is probably the hill where Jesus was crucified. It lies just outside of Jerusalem.

The hill is called Calvary.

The death of Jesus is the culmination of a series of events.

Think of a tapestry woven together with multiple threads. On there own, they may not be significant.

But when seeing all of these paths come together in sweet harmony, you can now begin to appreciate the importance of Calvary.

Here is an example. Enter Simon, the man who carried the cross.

Matthew 27:32, “As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.” NIV

Mark 15:21, “A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.” NIV

Luke 23:26, “As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.” NIV

Who was this Simon? He was the man who helped carry the cross of Jesus.

And that is our first Chronicle of Calvary.

My guess is that Simon did not know who Jesus was. Perhaps he had heard of him. We will probably never know.

But Simon was in the right pace at the right time. God needed Simon to carry that cross.

I think that Simon and his very short biblical appearance points to us.

  • God has a plan
  • We are part of this plan
  • God sees the whole plan
  • We only see a tiny portion of the plan
  • God has our part designed for us in this plan
  • We can do our part

And that is enough.

God will take care of the rest.

I hope you enjoyed this first Chronicles of Calvary post.

Stay tuned this week.

The Chronicles will continue.