Jesus Crucified Between Two Thieves at GolgothaBible World
27:36Matthew 27:36
And sitting down they watched him there;
At Calvary outside Jerusalem's gate, the place of execution for criminals, soldiers sat down beneath the cross and kept watch over Jesus as He hung crucified between two thieves under the cross prepared for Barabbas. He had been led there pale and fainting, then stretched upon the wood with nails through His hands and feet, crowned with thorns and met with derision and mockery through dreadful hours of agony. There He suffered as humanity's substitute, made a curse to redeem from the curse of the law, giving His own life as Redeemer that sinners might be saved. His disciples and followers saw Him bleeding and dying as a criminal, and with their hope of an earthly kingdom shattered they were plunged into bitter disappointment and anguish until their hopes revived at His resurrection. His giving of all demands undivided affection and entire consecration, putting all self-denial in the shade, rebuking complaint under trial, and calling believers to fasten their eyes on Him and press on without giving up to discouragement.
The Scene at Calvary
The sitting down to watch took place at Calvary, outside Jerusalem's gate, the place where felons and murderers were executed. Jesus was taken there bearing the cross that had been prepared for Barabbas, and two thieves were led there at the same time to die with Him. A large crowd followed Him from the judgment hall to Calvary, and people of every class gathered there, including disciples and other believers from Jerusalem and the nearby areas. Soldiers and onlookers gathered around the crosses, mourners looked on in grief and terror, and while He suffered under the power of the Jewish priests and rulers who had compelled even the Roman governor to do their will, the Pharisees mocked and taunted Him.
Those who crucified Him sat nearby and kept watch over Him, men sitting beneath the cross watching Him while He was crucified. As He suffered, the heavenly host also watched, yet God gave no command for the angels to rescue Him. He had been led away pale and weak and fainting, then stretched upon the wooden cross with nails driven through His tender hands and feet. Crowned with thorns, He was in the hands of a cruel mob and treated with derision and insult and mockery.
He hung there through those dreadful hours in agony, showing the great cost of the sacrifice. The sight was so horrid that angels veiled their faces from it, and the sun refused to behold it and hid its light.
What the Suffering Means
At Calvary Christ suffered as humanity's substitute and was made a curse in order to redeem people from the curse of the law. On Calvary's cross He is the Redeemer and the Lamb who gave His own life so that sinners might be saved, with nails driven through His hands and feet while the Pharisees mocked and derided Him and onlookers looked on. His suffering on Calvary was endured together with the wilderness of temptation and His soul agony in Gethsemane on account of fallen humanity, to show the way of overcoming and to bring the divine help that must be had or else perish. That agony upon the cross stands together with His conflict in the wilderness of temptation, His life of self-sacrificing love, His soul agony in Gethsemane, and the cruelty of the judgment hall.
The sitting down to watch Him there accompanied the casting of lots for His seamless garment, fulfilling the prophecy that His garments would be divided and lots cast for His clothing. His suffering under the power of the Jewish priests and rulers, who even compelled the Roman governor to do their will, presents an example of faith standing against human power when it is used to support evil. He hung on the cross through those hours of agony, and His suffering shows the great cost of His sacrifice. That cost puts any self-denial for His sake in perspective.
Witnesses and Present Call
Jesus' followers saw Him bleeding and wounded on the cross, in the hands of His persecutors, dying as a malefactor and a criminal, and they witnessed His death. They had expected Him to reign as an earthly king and hoped He would deliver Israel, so seeing Him die shattered their hopes and brought bitter disappointment, affliction of mind, and agony beyond measure. Terrible anguish followed when He was taken from the cross and laid in Joseph's new tomb as their lost Lord, crowned with thorns and treated with derision and insult and mockery by a cruel mob, but their hopes revived when He rose and appeared to them. The sight of the disciples seeing Jesus in the hands of His persecutors and dying on the cross would give them cause to mourn and fast. Their hopes of eternal life were centered in Him, and His death would test their faith, hope, and courage.
The verse belongs to the history of professedly pious Jews told in Matthew 27 and 28 and is to be read together with Christ's commission to His disciples in Matthew 28. It shows Christ led away pale, weak, and fainting to His crucifixion, stretched upon the wooden cross with nails driven through His tender hands and feet, and hanging there those dreadful hours in agony until angels veiled their faces from the horrid scene and the sun refused to behold and hid its light. In this He gave up all, demanding undivided affection and entire consecration and separation from the world and from dead professors. Whatever self-denial the narrow, self-denying path requires is put in the shade, and the way is not too strait.
It is part of the hard, self-denying, self-sacrificing, humble path trod to save sinners, endured with the wilderness of temptation and Gethsemane on account of fallen humanity to show the way of overcoming and to bring the divine help that must be had or perish. It rebukes complaint of hardship and trial in the work of overcoming. It teaches youth who would win eternal life that they cannot follow their own inclinations, that the prize costs something, yes everything, requiring the choice of Jesus over the world. Since youth willingly bear privation, weariness, toil, and anxiety to serve themselves and gain an earthly object without complaint, they should not shrink from conflict, self-denial, or any sacrifice for eternal life.
The verse means believers should fasten their eyes on Him as Redeemer and the Lamb who gave His own life so that sinners might be saved, with nails driven through His hands and feet while the Pharisees mocked and derided Him and onlookers looked on. When reports, mockery, and discouragement come they should think of His sufferings and remember their own suffering is not greater than His. They should refuse to stop the work to listen to reports about themselves, and keep looking to Christ who upholds and sustains at every step toward winning heaven without giving up to discouragement. The moment in Christ's agony upon the cross teaches, together with His conflict in the wilderness, His life of self-sacrificing love, His soul agony in Gethsemane, and the cruelty of the judgment hall, self-sacrifice, patience under affliction, solemn consecration to God, and fitting preparation for His holy work. One called of God to sacred work must put all energies to its accomplishment, make every other consideration secondary to that great object, feel the solemn obligations resting upon him, and know he is honored by being united with the angels in ministering to souls and enlightening them with divine truth.
At Calvary outside Jerusalem's gate, the place of execution for criminals, soldiers sat down beneath the cross and kept watch over Jesus as He hung crucified between two thieves under the cross prepared for Barabbas. He had been led there pale and fainting, then stretched upon the wood with nails through His hands and feet, crowned with thorns and met with derision and mockery through dreadful hours of agony. There He suffered as humanity's substitute, made a curse to redeem from the curse of the law, giving His own life as Redeemer that sinners might be saved. His disciples and followers saw Him bleeding and dying as a criminal, and with their hope of an earthly kingdom shattered they were plunged into bitter disappointment and anguish until their hopes revived at His resurrection. His giving of all demands undivided affection and entire consecration, putting all self-denial in the shade, rebuking complaint under trial, and calling believers to fasten their eyes on Him and press on without giving up to discouragement.
The Scene at Calvary
The sitting down to watch took place at Calvary, outside Jerusalem's gate, the place where felons and murderers were executed. Jesus was taken there bearing the cross that had been prepared for Barabbas, and two thieves were led there at the same time to die with Him. A large crowd followed Him from the judgment hall to Calvary, and people of every class gathered there, including disciples and other believers from Jerusalem and the nearby areas. Soldiers and onlookers gathered around the crosses, mourners looked on in grief and terror, and while He suffered under the power of the Jewish priests and rulers who had compelled even the Roman governor to do their will, the Pharisees mocked and taunted Him.
Those who crucified Him sat nearby and kept watch over Him, men sitting beneath the cross watching Him while He was crucified. As He suffered, the heavenly host also watched, yet God gave no command for the angels to rescue Him. He had been led away pale and weak and fainting, then stretched upon the wooden cross with nails driven through His tender hands and feet. Crowned with thorns, He was in the hands of a cruel mob and treated with derision and insult and mockery.
He hung there through those dreadful hours in agony, showing the great cost of the sacrifice. The sight was so horrid that angels veiled their faces from it, and the sun refused to behold it and hid its light.
What the Suffering Means
At Calvary Christ suffered as humanity's substitute and was made a curse in order to redeem people from the curse of the law. On Calvary's cross He is the Redeemer and the Lamb who gave His own life so that sinners might be saved, with nails driven through His hands and feet while the Pharisees mocked and derided Him and onlookers looked on. His suffering on Calvary was endured together with the wilderness of temptation and His soul agony in Gethsemane on account of fallen humanity, to show the way of overcoming and to bring the divine help that must be had or else perish. That agony upon the cross stands together with His conflict in the wilderness of temptation, His life of self-sacrificing love, His soul agony in Gethsemane, and the cruelty of the judgment hall.
The sitting down to watch Him there accompanied the casting of lots for His seamless garment, fulfilling the prophecy that His garments would be divided and lots cast for His clothing. His suffering under the power of the Jewish priests and rulers, who even compelled the Roman governor to do their will, presents an example of faith standing against human power when it is used to support evil. He hung on the cross through those hours of agony, and His suffering shows the great cost of His sacrifice. That cost puts any self-denial for His sake in perspective.
Witnesses and Present Call
Jesus' followers saw Him bleeding and wounded on the cross, in the hands of His persecutors, dying as a malefactor and a criminal, and they witnessed His death. They had expected Him to reign as an earthly king and hoped He would deliver Israel, so seeing Him die shattered their hopes and brought bitter disappointment, affliction of mind, and agony beyond measure. Terrible anguish followed when He was taken from the cross and laid in Joseph's new tomb as their lost Lord, crowned with thorns and treated with derision and insult and mockery by a cruel mob, but their hopes revived when He rose and appeared to them. The sight of the disciples seeing Jesus in the hands of His persecutors and dying on the cross would give them cause to mourn and fast. Their hopes of eternal life were centered in Him, and His death would test their faith, hope, and courage.
The verse belongs to the history of professedly pious Jews told in Matthew 27 and 28 and is to be read together with Christ's commission to His disciples in Matthew 28. It shows Christ led away pale, weak, and fainting to His crucifixion, stretched upon the wooden cross with nails driven through His tender hands and feet, and hanging there those dreadful hours in agony until angels veiled their faces from the horrid scene and the sun refused to behold and hid its light. In this He gave up all, demanding undivided affection and entire consecration and separation from the world and from dead professors. Whatever self-denial the narrow, self-denying path requires is put in the shade, and the way is not too strait.
It is part of the hard, self-denying, self-sacrificing, humble path trod to save sinners, endured with the wilderness of temptation and Gethsemane on account of fallen humanity to show the way of overcoming and to bring the divine help that must be had or perish. It rebukes complaint of hardship and trial in the work of overcoming. It teaches youth who would win eternal life that they cannot follow their own inclinations, that the prize costs something, yes everything, requiring the choice of Jesus over the world. Since youth willingly bear privation, weariness, toil, and anxiety to serve themselves and gain an earthly object without complaint, they should not shrink from conflict, self-denial, or any sacrifice for eternal life.
The verse means believers should fasten their eyes on Him as Redeemer and the Lamb who gave His own life so that sinners might be saved, with nails driven through His hands and feet while the Pharisees mocked and derided Him and onlookers looked on. When reports, mockery, and discouragement come they should think of His sufferings and remember their own suffering is not greater than His. They should refuse to stop the work to listen to reports about themselves, and keep looking to Christ who upholds and sustains at every step toward winning heaven without giving up to discouragement. The moment in Christ's agony upon the cross teaches, together with His conflict in the wilderness, His life of self-sacrificing love, His soul agony in Gethsemane, and the cruelty of the judgment hall, self-sacrifice, patience under affliction, solemn consecration to God, and fitting preparation for His holy work. One called of God to sacred work must put all energies to its accomplishment, make every other consideration secondary to that great object, feel the solemn obligations resting upon him, and know he is honored by being united with the angels in ministering to souls and enlightening them with divine truth.