Segments of the Cross

Despite acknowledging three times, “I find no fault in Him” (Jn. 18:38; 19:4, 6), Pilate delivered Jesus to “them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away. And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center” (Jn. 19:16-18, NKJ). What do we think about Christ’s crucifixion? Let us examine and learn from four segments of the crucifixion scene.

The Sign

The sign that Pilate wrote that was attached to the cross read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (Jn. 19:19). This sign was written in the three common languages of first century Palestine: Hebrew was the religious language of the Jews; Greek was the common language of the masses; Latin was the language of legal documentation. The Jewish leaders did not like the wording of the sign, so they said to Pilate, “Do not write, The King of the Jews, but, He said, I am the King of the Jews,” but Pilate responded, “What I have written, I have written” (Jn. 19:20-22). This sign teaches us that some know the truth about Jesus but refuse to accept it as the rule for their lives. Pilate certainly knew that Jesus was innocent of the charges but would not do what was right. The Jews who objected to its wording were given plenty of evidence that Jesus was the Christ (Jn. 5:19-47), but they refused to accept it. What are we doing with the abundant evidence that proves Jesus is the Christ? Are we, like Pilate, too cowardly to act upon it, or like the rebellious Jews, not accepting it because we have our own “agenda”? Let’s allow the truth to be our guide!

The Soldiers

In the next segment of the cross, “the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said therefore among themselves, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,’ that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: ‘They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.’ Therefore the soldiers did these things” (Jn. 19:23-24). These soldiers teach us that some are oblivious to the significance of the cross. Soldiers assigned the duty of crucifying criminals were allowed to keep the remaining possessions of the condemned. Usually, they would divide the property evenly among themselves, but when they came to Jesus’ seamless garment, they did not want to tear it, so they cast lots for it. Note the irony: they clearly saw the value of a seamless garment, but missed the priceless value of the Lamb of God slain! There are people today who just simply go about their day to day activities totally ignorant of the fact that Jesus died for them (Heb. 2:9). While this incidentally reflects the urgent need the church should feel to evangelize, it also shows that people can get so caught up in the things of this world that they miss that which is of eternal importance. May we never lose our focus on the cross! 

The Son

This next segment shows the dying Son of God tenderly introducing His mother to her new son. “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home” (Jn. 19:25-27). “His mother’s sister” was likely Salome (Mk. 15:40), who was also the wife of Zebedee and mother of James and John (Mt. 27:56). By this time Joseph may have been deceased, and Jesus’ half-brothers in the flesh did not believe at this point (Jn. 7:5). This segment teaches us that truly understanding the cross will align our priorities to what is really important. Undoubtedly, many thoughts raced through Jesus’ mind as He hung on that cross, but He still remembered to see that His mother would be properly cared for after His departure. Our first priority should be “the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Mt. 6:33). Jesus never had anything less than that as His first priority! However, notice that Jesus also cared for His family. Do we have our priorities in line: God first, family second? When we properly serve God, we will also fulfill our Biblical roles to properly influence our family for an eternity with God! 

The Sayings

This final segment of the cross consists of two further sayings spoken by the Savior as He breathed His last on this side of the grave. The first saying concerned the physical. “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst!’ Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth” (Jn. 19:28-29). Earlier, Jesus refused “vinegar mixed with gall” (KJV), which would have served to dull the pain (Mt. 27:34), but here, the “sour wine” would serve to clear His throat and strengthen Him for the loud cry that was to follow (cf. Ps. 69:21). This second saying concerned the spiritual. “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (Jn. 19:30). With His last breath, Jesus declared that the reason why He came to this earth was now complete—to be the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29). This segment proves the cross was deliberately planned and executed by God (cf. Acts 2:23-24). The cross and all its attending blessings of forgiveness, fellowship, and an eternal home with the Lamb is what God intended for all humanity (cf. Tit. 2:11). However, the only way to these blessings is to appropriate Christ’s blood to ourselves by obedience to His Gospel. How do we relate to these four segments of the cross? May God help us to know and act upon the significance of the cross!