"Behold the Man"*Simon compelled to carry His Cross*The great multitudes followed Christ to Golgotha**Weep not for Jesus*"Golgotha, a place of a skull"*They gave Him vinegar*They crucified Him and parted "My garments"*King on the Cross*Seven verses of Jesus from the Cross
Jesus faces the Sanhedrin
After His betrayal and arrest in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was brought to Caiphas, the high priest where the scribes and the elders were assembled. Fast testimony was sought against Jesus to put Him to death. When many false witnesses could not prove anything, two of them came forward and accused Him of having stated that He was able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.
When Jesus answered that He was the Christ, the high priest arose, torn his clothes and said that this evidence was enough. Before the Sanhedrin, Jesus could have defended Himself by stating that He meant only His body as the temple of God. But He chose to be silent.
These days, when we are arraigned before the court of law, we engage a battery of lawyers to give false evidence. Spouses are brought by their husbands/wives to the judgment seat by adducing of false evidence just to get a decree of divorce. Even many churches have gone to the court of law and given false evidences in civil cases. Do we follow Jesus Christ?
Then Jesus broke His silence when the high priest said to Him, "I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God". When the high priest of God wanted Jesus to adjure by the living God, Jesus was forced to speak the truth. From the word of truth as spoken by Jesus, the high priest picked up a piece of evidence to prove the charge of blasphemy. In many Muslim countries, the only weapon being used against Christians and Christian missionaries is the charge of blasphemy. Now they laid the charge of blasphemy against Jesus and justified the penalty of death to be imposed on Him.
Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, "Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?" ( Matt.26: 57-68). Prophecy is not meant to reveal the name of a person who harms a child of God. Nowadays, many children of God approach the self-appointed prophets or the servants of God gifted with the gift of prophecy, telling, "Prophesy unto me…. Whether I can marry X or Y? Or whether I can go abroad?" Let us not say, "Prophesy unto us" as the scribes and the chief priests did. God would send prophets to you with His message. You need not go in search of them. The true servants of God like John the Baptist are indeed in the wilderness. You can go in search of them, not to seek any words of prophecy but to minister to them so that the Lord may bless you abundantly. They will not come to you with begging bowls.
The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrines (John 18:19-24). During the interrogation, Jesus was cool and composed, answering His interrogators. He told them that He taught openly and not in secret. He told them, "Why askest thou Me/ ask them which heard Me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said".
According to the law of evidence, the jury should not decide a case on the basis of the statement given by an accused which is called "self-incriminating evidence". According to the law of Moses, every charge has to be proved through the mouth of two or three witnesses ( Duet.17: 6). His accusers should have collected evidence from those who had heard from Jesus. At this stage, Jesus showed His holy anger because the chief priests and the high priest who were supposed to uphold the law transgressed the same. When Jesus had said this, one of the officers who stood by struck Him with the palm of his hand, saying, "Answerest thou the high priest so?" Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou Me?"
The high priest of God could not find evidence of the evil supposed to have been spoken of by Jesus. The officer was not at all justified in beating a just Man in the absence of any prima facie evidence, just to please the unjust high priest. These days, there are many in our midst that do not question the people in authority or the church leaders who judge the innocent people based on presumptions and not based on evidence.
Dearly beloved in Christ Jesus, have you faced the Sanhedrin in your life? Has justice been denied to you either in the court of law or in your place of work/business? Facing the Sanhedrin in your life and denial of justice for you will in fact draw you very close to God. Every one of us should face the Sanhedrin in this world where the worldly law of jurisprudence fails to dispense justice to us. There are some sisters in the USA with whom I am fellowshipping. They have been forsaken by their husbands. They have been denied justices by their beloved husbands. Today, the Lord has picked them up and uses them for His glory. The One who has faced the Sanhedrin in His life once and for all is with us. He understands the agonies in our hearts as we undergo the same system of jurisprudence. Today He stands by your side as your Advocate and Jury because He Himself had undergone the same system of jurisprudence on our behalf. Ultimately, you will get justice, though delayed. According to the law makers of this world, delay in justice is denial of justice. But our Lord who is the Judge for us allows this worldly system of jurisprudence to mould us by patience and long suffering so that He gives us victory at the end of the tunnel.
A dear friend of mine, a close brother in Christ, who hails from Florida, USA was divorced by his wife unceremoniously and the judge who tried this divorce case favoured this woman with the result that justice was denied to this precious brother who has been blessed with two children. He is daily shedding tears and shares his heart with me. But, a day will dawn in his life when the Judge will give him justice in His way.
Praise God for the Sanhedrin in your life today as we meditate on the Passion of Christ during this season.
"Behold the Man" - Judgement at Gabatha
“Behold the Man!” He was judged by Pilate on your behalf so that you can get justice in this world. “Behold the Man!” He was scourged by Pilate on your behalf so that you may not be scourged for your trespasses in this world. “Behold the Man!” A crown of thorns was plaited and was put on His head on your behalf so that you may wear a crown of glory and success. “Behold the Man!” He was mocked and was smitten with the hands of the mighty on your behalf so that you may be praised and adorned with the hands of the mighty. “Behold the Man!” He was stripped of His garments on your behalf so that you may be clothed with the garments of salvation and of righteousness and also with material prosperity.
Are you like Pilate, abdicating your judgment seat and delivering judgment based on the statement of the accusers? Are you like Pilate, in the churches when you are required to judge between the believers? Have you judged any believer in your church and thrown him/her out of your church, solely based on the statement of the accusers?
Dearly beloved in Christ Jesus, Behold the Man! He was judged and condemned to death on your behalf so that you are not judged and condemned through this worldly system of jurisprudence. Behold the Man! Do not look at any worldly institution or any human being for getting the justice for you. He is there to help you. He is standing for you in the court of law. Behold the Man! He is your Beloved! His love is more and greater than the love of any man or woman in this world. His etneral love for you cannot be measured in mere terms of any language of this world.
"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it; if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned", (Song of Songs 8:7)
Dear bride of Christ, Behold the Man! You may face problems or afflictions like many waters. The floods may come your way. Floods mean divine judgment being executed as a measure of chastisement by the just God. It can be bereavement or a big loss in business or any other great problem, which upsets your whole life. In the midst of such many waters or floods, you would feel the presence of Christ, the Man ( Is.43:2) As you open the Bible, He will comfort you by His Word. As you kneel down for prayer, you will hear His small voice. The people of God will speak words of comfort or of prophecy as led by the Holy Spirit when you are in the furnace of afflictions. Many waters cannot quench His love.
The love cannot be equated with or measured in terms of worldly things. You may express your love to someone by gifting some costly thing. The most precious thing of this world cannot substitute love. Even if you start giving away one after another of all worldly possessions to some one whom you love, you would still be found on the negative side only; both the sides cannot be equal. We cannot equate the love of God through Christ Jesus with the glory of the whole world. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. But in return for such love of God, you cannot compensate Him by offering any thing of this world or the whole world. God loved not only a particular nation or a particular race or a particular religious sect called 'Christians' but the whole world so that He gave Christ for all the peoples of this world including Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, etc. The love of God towards the human beings is so pervasive over the whole system of the universe or the cosmos that all the celestial bodies are made to function for the benefit of the human race on the face of the earth. The love of the omnipresent God holds and secures the earth in the universe.
Dearly beloved in Christ Jesus, Behold the Man! As you meditate on the passion of Christ during this season, why cannot you present this Man to the lost world? Why cannot you go as a missionary to some continent or a nation which is engulged in the dark? Do you find fault with your local church or the Christian leaders in your town for not doing their job? What have you done for this Man who gave His life for you?
The world needs this Man who was rejected by His own people. Do you also reject Him by not obeying His command to preach the gospel to the lost?
Behold the Man! He is just standing by your side as you read this message. Maranatha!
The great multitudes that followed Christ to Golgotha
Luke writes that a great company of people, and of women, followed Jesus who was carrying His Cross and they also bewailed and lamented Him (Luke 23:27).
The great multitudes that saw miracles and received blessings through the hands of our Lord followed Him when He was carrying His Cross on the way to Golgotha. They did not go away due to fear on seeing the Roman soldiers. They were truly weeping for the One Who had blessed them. These multitudes were going from place to place searching for Jesus Christ to receive His blessings. They showed their love to Him by bewailing and lamenting. They were emotional. But, in the Upper Room where the disciples of Jesus Christ were assembled for prayer after the ascension of Christ into the heaven, there were only 120 persons. The thousands who saw miracles and followed Him when He was performing miracles still followed Him when He was carrying His Cross. But ultimately only 120 persons were His disciples who were in the Upper Room.
Jesus had preached the Sermon on the Mount to the multitude (Matt.5:1). The great multitudes followed Jesus to receive healings and miracles (Matt.8:18). The great multitudes were gathered together unto Him so that He went into a ship and sat and the whole multitude stood on the shore (Matt.13:1). When Jesus entered Jerusalem seated on the donkey, a very great multitude spread their garments in the way, and followed Him, crying, "Hosanna to the son of David....Hosanna in the highest". Even the chief priests and Pharisees could not lay their hands on Him because they "feared the multitude" who were with Jesus (Matt.21:46). However, we find in Math.27:20 that when Jesus was arraigned before the judgment seat of Pilate, the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas to be released in place of Jesus. We find that the great multitudes that praised Jesus when He entered Jerusalem did not present themselves before Gabatha, the judgment seat of Pilate, to raise their voice against the voices of the multitude that were with the chief priests and elders. Where were "the great multitudes" when Pilate delivered his judgment pronouncing death penalty to Jesus and freedom to Barabbas, a condemned convict?
To our great surprise, we now find the great multitudes follow Jesus Christ when He was on the way to Golgotha. At Gabatha, they were absent but were present with Jesus when He was on the way to Golgotha. They only wept and lamented Him. After shedding tears over the crucifixion of their Master, they returned home. They had the vision of Crucified Christ but did not follow Him as His disciples after His crucifixion. Only a small group of 120 disciples were in the upper room praying for the promise of the Father for sending the Holy Spirit.
The same thing happens today. Millions attend healing and miracle crusades where our Lord performs miracles and healings. Similarly, the great multitudes praise and adore Jesus Christ in their churches on Sundays. But only a few people become His disciples and serve Him in His vineyard. Many popular evangelists covet popularity by publishing photographs of great multitudes who have attended their crusades and by putting up wall-posters in this regard. What matters is not the great multitude who receives miracles and healings but the small group of people who dedicate their lives to Jesus Christ and become His disciples.
If Jesus were to carry His Cross today, all of us would definitely follow Him weeping and lamenting. But after seeing Him off at Golgotha, we will return to our homes and will lead the same old lives.
Let us go to Golgotha and be crucified with Him. Let us join Paul in saying, "I am crucified with Christ Jesus; nevertheless I live: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me....." (Gal.2:20). Let us not go to Golgotha to see off our Lord.
As we meditate on the passion of Christ these days, let us examine our lives and fall at His Cross, confess our past failures and crucify our own desires and lusts on His Cross. Let us take up our crosses, deny ourselves and follow Him in His Vineyard.
The message of the Cross is not to weep for Jesus Christ, or to show our emotional love for Jesus Christ but to weep for the Body of Christ, the Church, which is undergoing tremendous persecution in diverse places of this world. There are many believers and pastors languishing in Communist prisons and in the prisons of Islamic nations for the sake of the gospel. Have we ever wept for them? We always speak about our love for Jesus Christ. We always worship Him. But have we ever wept for the daughters of Jerusalem who are undergoing great tribulations in nations which are closing their doors to the gospel, and in nations which have already closed their doors to the gospel?
Jesus knew that the great company that followed Him would undergo great tribulations during the reigns of Nero and other Roman rulers.
The first documented case of imperially-supervised persecution of the Christians in the Roman Empire begins with Nero (37-68). In 64 A.D., a great fire broke out in Rome which destroyed vast portions of the city and economically devastated the Roman population. Nero, whose sanity had long been in question, was widely suspected of having intentionally set the fire himself. To get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on Christians. By implicating the Christians for this massive act of arson, Nero successfully capitalized on the already-existing public suspicion of this religious sect and, it could be argued, exacerbated the hostilities held toward them throughout the Roman Empire. Forms of execution used by the Romans included systematic murder, crucifixion, and the feeding of Christians to lions and other wild beasts. A vast multitude, were convicted, not so much of the crime of incendiarism as of hatred of the human race. And in their deaths they were made the subjects of sport; for they were wrapped in the hides of wild beasts and torn to pieces by dogs, or nailed to crosses, or set on fire, and when day declined, were burned to serve for nocturnal lights."
Further persecution of Christians by Roman rulers followed in the 2nd century also. The world history is full of records of persecutions of the Christians by the powers that be.
Jesus asked the daughters of Jerusalem to weep for themselves and for their children. It is a prophetic message of Jesus Christ for the Church, the daughters of Jerusalem. We, in our comforts, forget our brethren and sisters in nations which are hostile to the gospel of Christ. But we show our emotional love to Christ during our worship services. On good Friday, we may meditate on His sufferings. It is good. Do we ever meditate on the sufferings of His Body? Do we feel the agonies of our Christian brethren and sisters in the Body of Christ? If you are a member of the Body of Christ, you will feel their agonies. If you do not feel their agonies, there is something wrong with your salvation experience. You still do not know the One Who has redeemed you from the sin. You may claim to have experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But you do not feel agonies of the other members of the same Body of Christ who have all been baptized into the one Body through the same Spirit? If you do not feel their agonies, there is something wrong with your spiritual experience of baptism of the Holy Spirit.
When persecution knocks at your very door, you will then feel the agonies of the other members of the same Body in other nations. Then you will begin to say to the mountains, "Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us….." At that time, the mountains and the hills cannot give you protection. You will have to undergo the rod of judgment by God through alien powers. I exhort my brethren and sisters in the Christian nations to weep for their brethren and sisters in non-Christian nations lest they should face the same ordeal. The days are not far off when you will be arrested from your houses for preaching the gospel. Daughters of Jerusalem, weep for yourselves and for your children. Many children in Christian families, especially, in the Christian nations are turning immoral day by day by living with boy and girl friends without the sanction of marriage and their parents look the other way. "Dating" is common in these nations. Weep for your children today lest they should be a castaway tomorrow!
“Golgotha, a place of a skull”
“And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull.”(Matt.27:33)
Jesus carrying His Cross, followed by the great multitudes that wept and lamented, reached Golgotha, called a place of a skull. Golgotha is called a place of a skull? Golgotha where our Savior was crucified for our salvation is nothing but a place of a skull because the condemned convicts used to be publicly executed. This place was outside what was then the wall of Jerusalem. This spot was probably near a frequented road, thus permitting the passers-by to revile the supposed criminals.
We stand saved looking at Golgotha, the place of a skull which was dreaded by the Jews.
Skull is symbolical of death by punishment. Today, many people claim to have been saved after experiencing miracles or healings in their bodies by saying a simple prayer of “sinners”. I do not find fault with such prayers at all. I only exhort the people who have received miracles or healings in their bodies to go to Golgotha to behold their Savior and to identify them with Him on the Cross. I exhort them to go to Golgotha for salvation which is accompanied by miracles and healings. These days, the Devil has blinded the eyes of the people so that they are not able to behold their Savior at Golgotha. The evangelists present another Jesus Christ who blesses the people with all the goodies of this life. They do not take the people outside the wall of Jerusalem to Golgotha. There was no salvation within the walls of Jerusalem. Jesus had to carry His Cross outside the walls of Jerusalem, all the way to Golgotha. The great multitudes saw many miracles performed by Jesus within the walls of Jerusalem but did not believe Him for salvation. They were awaiting another Messiah! Today the people of this world, even Christians covet miracles and healings but not Golgotha. They do not want to go with their Master to Golgotha. If a person goes to Golgotha, he or she will be a person completely transformed.
There are some evangelists in India who take the people of God to the holy land for “blessings”. Golgotha, the place of a skull in its physical form must have definitely undergone metamorphic changes over the long period of 2000 years. Let us not go to the physical Jerusalem to have the vision of Golgotha or to believe in the historical evidence which has since been tampered with.
Let us exhort the people of God to go to Golgotha daily for sanctification of their lives by the Blood of Jesus Christ. It is not a one-day experience but a daily experience. Golgotha lies outside the boundaries of church-denominations or the boundaries of political nations.
"Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate.
Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach...." (Heb.13:12-13).
Many people come to Jesus in the city of Jerusalem but do not go to Golgotha where death takes place. Go to Golgotha to die so that you may receive eternal life. Golgotha is the place of a skull where you die to your flesh, your reputation, and your own will.
They gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when He had tasted thereof, He would not drink” (Matt.27:33-34).
When Jesus was brought to Golgotha, the soldiers gave Him vinegar mingled with gall. He tasted it but did not drink. The soldiers gave Him this drink just to assuage the pain of crucifixion. The soldiers that tortured and mocked Him now offer Him a drink which would relieve Him of a great pain. Jesus accepted it because it was offered to Him. Jesus accepted everything except sin in His entire life. Simon, a leper, invited Him to His house for food. He accepted it. A Samaritan woman offered Him a drink. He accepted it. A Pharisee invited Him to his house and Jesus went to his house. Peter, His disciple invited Him to his house for healing his mother-in-law. Jesus went to his house. Since the drink at Golgotha was offered by His enemies, He could have simply refused it but He accepted it. When any person who is not liked by us offers something, will we accept it? Jesus our Master has set an example for us and we have to follow Him.
Jesus accepted the drink and tasted it. But He did not drink it. Jesus must have known that it was vinegar mixed with gall meant for assuaging the pain in His body. He did taste it because He did not want to insult the people who gave Him this drink. He could have told them, “Thanks” and refused to drink it. Jesus by doing so fulfilled His duty to the people who had offered Him this drink and also to His Father Who had ordained Him to undergo this excruciating pain of crucifixion.
Nowadays, the preachers would not go to a place or a town where the people of God cannot afford to arrange any meetings for them. They would not like to go to villages where there are no churches to organize any healing crusades for them. They do not accept any offer from a church which has no resource. They would like to go to places where they have tasted the resources used by the organizers. After tasting the same, they would not refuse it. This is what happens in the Christian world. Preachers from India prefer to go abroad, especially, to nations like Malaysia and Singapore because they have tasted the resources being made available to them by the churches in these nations. But they do not like to go to villages or to North Indian states because they know that there are no resources available with the churches in these villages and towns.
A true servant of God goes to a place where the people cannot afford to make any arrangements for him. He is prepared to undergo sufferings in a place where no resources are made available for him to preach the gospel.
We want to drink the vinegar mingled with gall when offered to us so that we may not undergo sufferings and persecutions for the sake of the gospel.
They crucified Him and parted "My garments"
When they came to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left (Luke 23:33).
They crucified Him, and parted His garments, casting lots that it mighty be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, “They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture did they cast lots” (Math.27:35).
Christ, the Holy and righteous One, was crucified along with the two malefactors, who were condemned criminals. There is a dividing line between the Cross and Jesus Christ and the crosses of these two malefactors. The Law of Moses condemned these malefactors to death by crucifixion whereas God the Father gave His only begotten Son for condemnation to death by crucifixion. It is not Pilate or the Sanhedrin that condemned Christ to death. Of course, they were ordained of God the Father to accomplish His salvation plan for us or to fulfill the Scriptures.
We cannot find fault with the perpetrators of the crucifixion of Christ. Nor do we find fault with the perpetrators of the crucifixion of the condemned malefactors because the Law of Moses had to be fulfilled.
It was the sin of this world that justified the crucifixion of Christ Jesus whereas it was the personal sins of the malefactors who broke the Law of Moses that justified their crucifixion. The malefactors represent the sin of this world whereas Christ represents the righteousness of God the Father. God placed His Son on the same pedestal with the sinners at Golgotha. If the malefactors were not there, then the sin of this world would not have been exposed. Ultimately one of the malefactors accepted Christ and the other malefactor rejected Him. Both of them had the vision of the Crucified Christ. But one of them was saved and the other was condemned to hell. Today we find many Christians who have the great privilege of seeing the Crucified Christ through the Bible but they miss the goal because they do not repent like the malefactor who repented. They sing songs and worship Him but are not saved because they have not repented. They are nearer the Christ of the gospel but are not saved.
It is the sin that we commit today, that we had committed yesterday or before, and that we will commit in future that justified the death of Christ on the Cross 2000 years ago. “They crucified Him” is the prophetic word. Who crucified Him? Today if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us (I John 1:8-10). Let us rush to the Calvary daily and confess our sins to Him so that we may not crucify the Son of God afresh. All unrighteousness is sin. If we cease to pray for others, it is also a sin. Sin is not only an act of commission but also an act of omission.
“They parted My garments among them”. Jesus did not own anything in His life while doing His ministry. He had no place to lay His hands when the foxes had holes to live in. His only asset was His garments. He did not wear costly garments because He was the son of a carpenter. His garments might have been soiled because He was going from village to village along with His disciples, taking rest under the trees. At Golgotha, He lost finally His garments to the soldiers who had tortured and mocked Him.
Christ had claimed only His garments as His. “They parted My garments”. He had not claimed anything as “Mine”. Today we own anything in this world in His Name. I was told that are some evangelists in USA who own jets for preaching the gospel in many nations. I thank and praise God for their ministries.
In India, there are many poor saints in our mission fields proclaiming the gospel in places which are not yet reached by the gospel. Most of them do not own any property except their precious children or their old parents. They just lead a life of hand to mouth existence, serving God in places which are not even connected by roads with the rest of the nation, not to talk of traveling in cars in these places. They go on their bicycles from village to village, in the midst of severe persecution, and reach the tribes who have not heard the gospel even once in their entire life time.
These poor saints need the minimum comforts of life which their evangelical organizations are not able to meet. Jesus had His garments on his body. The garments of Jesus are for His Church, the mystical body of Christ.
In Rishikesh, the place of pilgrimage, a saint of God lived there as a witness of Christ in the midst of Hindu priests. His name is Sadhu Kandiah Anand. He was not popular in the Christian world because he lived in an obscure corner of India where there were no evangelists, pastors, churches but only the multitudes of the Hinduism who visited such holy places of pilgrimage seeking divine peace and salvation. He lived as a Sadhu (a hermit of the priestly order of the Hinduism). Sadhus use to live in places of Hindu pilgrimages). He was called the "Christian Sadhu" like the Sadhu Sundar Singh of India. Sadhu is a person who renounces life and everything that goes with it (religion, caste, family, etc.) and essentially becomes a wandering hermit seeking salvation.
He would have been popular if he had worked amongst the people who had already heard the gospel. He would have been popular if he had sought the pulpits of churches. He would have been popular if he had published a book or a magazine. He would have been popular if he had associated himself with a popular evangelist or a pastor who had a big congregation. His love for Christ and His Body, the Church was so burning in his heart that he yearned after fellowship with those evangelists who were used of God mightily in the towns and cities. Once he knocked at the door of a very popular evangelist in Chennai just to meet him. But he was turned away by them who guarded the bungalow of this evangelist, apparently, because he wore the soiled dress of a Sadhu. The establishment of this dear evangelist did not allow an apostle of Christ who was of the same Body of Christ to meet the former. This servant of God had possessed only His garments in his entire life. But when he turned up to meet this beloved evangelist, he was not allowed to meet the latter because His garments were soiled and were typical of a Sadhu.
The soldiers parted the garments of Jesus which exclusively belonged to Him. The poor saints in His body need “My garments”. The garments of Jesus, prophetically meaning, are not clothes stitched by tailors. They are the minimum comforts for His body, the Church. If we deny them “My garments”, this is tantamount to our parting of “My garments” amongst ourselves. “My garments” which belong to the poor saints in His body should not be parted amongst ourselves. God has blessed many of us with more than what we need. Do we share our blessings with the poor saints who are engaged in His vineyard?
NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many Jews read this title because the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city. It was written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin. Then the chief priests of the News said to Pilate, “Write not, The King of the Jews; but that He said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered “What I have written I have written” (John 19:19-21).
The King of the Jews was crucified on the Cross. Since the place of crucifixion was near the city, many people were able to witness the crucifixion and to read the title. The Christ of the gospels whom we worship as the King of Kings is the very Jesus Who was crucified as the King of the Jews. We are the spiritual children of Abraham. He is our King. The Jews in the city of Jerusalem only witnessed the crucifixion but did not believe Him as their Messiah. Similarly, we behold Him crucified on the Cross remaining in the spiritual city of Jerusalem. The Jews in the city did not accept the One Who was on the Cross. They witnessed but did not believe Him for salvation. Similarly, many of us who take His Name and worship Him on Sunday see the crucified King on the Cross but do not follow Him. We do not follow His commandments. We worship Him but do not worship Him in truth. We mourn His death on every Good Friday but do not obey Him. Are we different from the Jews of the city who beheld their King on the Cross but rejected Him?
The title “JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS” was written in three languages. It was in Hebrew, Greek and Latin. The Jews, the Greeks and the Romans read this title in their own languages. Today we have the wonderful gospels in our own languages. We worship and adore Him in our own languages. It is the language that communicates the great truth to us. But we hear the same story every Good Friday in our own language but do not communicate it to the people who have not heard this story in their own languages. Christ was not crucified only for the Jews. If He had been crucified only for the Jews, then this title would have been written only in Hebrew but was in written in the languages of Greeks and Romans.
Behold, your King is on the Cross! Have you ever preached the truth of your King on the Cross to the perishing world?
Behold, your King is on the Cross! How many times in your life you have broken His commandments and have thus put Him to shame and ridicule as the Jews did?
Behold, your King is on the Cross! Do not separate your King from the Cross! These days, many preachers present another King who is different from the One Who was crucified by Jews on the Cross. They have made another King who condones the sin of adultery being committed by them. They have made another King who overlooks the sin in their lives. The Law reveals our sins whereas the Cross reveals the love of God for forgiving our sins if we confess and forsake our sins. The Cross will never allow us to live in sin. If we continue to live in sin, there remains no sacrifice for us. The same Cross will judge us. The King of Kings will be our Judge one day.
The Seven Verses of Jesus from the Cross
On every Good Friday, in most of the churches, the people of God would meditate on the seven verses spoken by Jesus hanging from the Cross. It is good that many preachers other than the laity or the ordained ministers would also get an opportunity to give sermons on these verses.
Ist verse: Jesus said, “Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do.” And they parted His raiments, and cast lots (Luke 23:34).
The chief priests, the elders of the people, the scribes, the high priest, the Roman rulers, etc. did not know that what they did to the Son of God. Their eyes were blinded to the truth because of their self-righteousness and pride. Had they known the truth, they would not have crucified Christ. However, it is not the case with the present generation or the Jews in Israel who have not accepted Christ, after hearing the glorious gospel.
The Roman soldiers parted His garments and cast lots because the Scriptures in Ps.22: 17 might be fulfilled (Matt.27: 35). The Roman soldiers who had to carry out the orders of their rulers did not know what they did. They did not know the Scriptures also whereas the high priest, the chief priests, etc. were supposed to know the prophecies in the Scriptures. The soldiers of a nation are not to blame for the wrong decisions taken by their kings/rulers because they are supposed to carry out the orders of their rulers or kings.
Jesus sought forgiveness of the sins of His enemies because they did not know what they were doing. As born-again Christians, we cannot claim forgiveness through the Blood of Jesus Christ if we continue to sin wilfully. We have to confess and to forsake our sins.
2nd verse: One of the malefactors said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom”. Jesus said to him, “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43)
Some people believe that they can be saved in the eleventh hour like this malefactor. If a person, who had not heard about Christ earlier, accepts Christ on his deathbed, he will definitely be in paradise. However, it is not with a person on the deathbed who had heard the gospel umpteen times but had not accepted Christ. When a sinner humbles himself/herself before God and calls on Him in Jesus’ Name, he gets salvation and an assurance of entering paradise after death. Though Jesus was Himself undergoing unbearable physical pain, He preached the message of salvation to a sinner who was condemned to die. According to the law of the land, the malefactor deserved to die. But God forgave him when He accepted Christ as his Lord. We should preach the gospel at all times, irrespective of whether we undergo physical sufferings or not. Physical sufferings should not deter us from preaching the gospel or from engaging in His ministry.
The essence of the glorious gospel is forgiveness. Jesus forgave His enemies hanging from His Cross. He could have forgiven them after His resurrection from the dead. He forgave them from the very Cross made by them for Him. If we are the disciples of Christ Jesus, we have to follow His footsteps. We should forgive our enemies when we suffer persecution through their very hands. Christian nations should have the mind of Christ in forgiving their enemies. The Name of Christ should be glorified by these nations because it is Christ Who had blessed and exalted these nations in the world. The founding fathers of these nations were God-fearing people. Alas! Now the present rulers of these nations have not heeded Him. They have trampled His Word.
3rd verse: When Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple standing by, whom He loved, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold thy son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold thy mother!” And from that hour, that disciple took her unto his own home (John 19:27).
Here, we see the relationship between the members of His Body. You have to accept and minister to a widow or an orphan who are of the household of God. It is not merely a spiritual relationship between the members of His body but also a close fellowship of love between the members of His body irrespective of their denominational or national barriers. A dear mother in Christ who lives in another nation becomes my mother and I become her son in Christ. The disciples during the New Testament period pooled all their material things together and ministered to one another that were needy. None did say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common (Acts 4:32).
4th verse: After talking to His mother and the disciple, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst”.
Many may interpret that Jesus was spiritually thirsty, as He wanted souls to be saved. However, the simple meaning of this verse is that Jesus was physically thirsty because He was 100% human.
5th verse: When Jesus had received the vinegar, He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus finished His work on the Cross in fulfillment of the Scriptures. We have to believe in His finished work at Calvary for our salvation and for our healing. We are also crucified with Him (Gal.2:20). It is finished. Jesus will not again go to the Cross for giving us salvation or for healing our diseases.
6th verse: About the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama Sabachthani? That is to say, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Mat.27:46).
Many preachers use to preach that since the sin of the whole world was cast on the Body of Jesus, the presence of His Father was withdrawn from Him, and He cried like this. The Lamb of God was slain from the foundation of the world (Rev.13:8). He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities (Is.53:5). This shows that Christ Jesus had borne our sins and iniquities from the foundation of the world. It is not that at that particular point of time, the sin of the world was cast on the Body of Jesus and that He lost the presence of His Father. Jesus cried, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” because the prophecy, in Ps.22:1, had to be fulfilled. This also shows that Jesus, the Son of Man was like any one of us, as we cry in bitterness of agony, “Why God, why God?”. God did smite Jesus physically for our sins. He could not bear the physical and mental pain and cried in agony, “Why God, why God….” Every one of us at one point of time or the other in our life would have cried or would cry in agony like this.
7th verse: About the sixth hour, there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, “Father into Thy hands I commend My Spirit” (Luke 23:45-46). The children of God on their deathbed have to commit their spirits into the hands of God after finishing their races in this world.
The veil of the temple in Jerusalem was rent in the midst. The Levitical priesthood was done away with, and in place of the physical temple, a glorious temple i.e. the Church, the Body of Christ was subsequently born on the day of Pentecost. We find today that many Christian ministers perform the Levitical priesthood and do not involve others in their ministries. They just want to be popular and want to do all the work themselves. They want to preach from the pulpits on all Sundays. The pulpit ministry was done away with when the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. All the children of God redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb of God have become kings and priests unto God. Paul was doing a team ministry involving others.
- Job Anbalagan
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