The King on a Cross
(Matt. 27:32–44; Luke 23:26–43; John 19:17–27 )
Mark 15:21-26 NKJV – Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross. 22 And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take [it]. 24 And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them [to determine] what every man should take. 25 Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. 26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
V21 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.
Jews were in Jerusalem remembering the Passover. Cyrene was a Roman major city in what is now Libya. It was close to the Mediterranean Sea Coast, being about 10 miles inland.
Comments:
(Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary) “a city on the north coast of Africa founded by Dorian Greeks about 630 B.C. Cyrene was later the capital of the Roman province of Cyrenaica (ancient and modern Libya). Midway between Carthage and Alexandria—about 160 kilometers (100 miles) northeast of modern Benghazi—the city was built on a beautiful tableland nearly 610 meters (2,000 feet) above sea level.
“Once a very populous city, Cyrene declined for several reasons. In a Jewish revolt in A.D. 115–116, over 200,000 inhabitants of the city were killed in the rioting. A disastrous earthquake in A.D. 365 contributed to its further decline. With the Arab invasion of A.D. 642, the city came to an end. The site is now a wasteland occupied by Bedouins.”
Alexander and Rufus, Simon’s sons, were known to the church in the first century. Possibly these references are to the same people (Acts 19:33 and Romans 16:13).
V22 And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.
With Jesus beside him, the Romans compelled Simon to walk to Golgotha. Jesus was too exhausted by lack of sleep, food, and water, and weakness from physical and verbal abuse. The Place of the Skull refers to its local name due to its rocky formation resembling a skull.
V23 Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.
What is wine mingled with myrrh?
A quote from Constable: “”According to an old tradition, respected women of Jerusalem provided a narcotic drink to those condemned to death in order to decrease their sensitivity to the excruciating pain (TB [Babylonian Talmud] Sanhedrin 43a).” [Note #775: Lane, p. 564.]”
Found online: “Since ancient times, the fragrant plant secretion known as myrrh has been used in incense, perfume, and even as a painkiller. Now, a team of chemists and pharmacologists at the University of Florence in Italy report that two compounds of myrrh do indeed have pain-relieving properties. The researchers initially observed that mice injected with a myrrh solution were slower than a control group in reacting to the heat of a metal plate. They tested three main compounds of myrrh and found that two of them—furanoeudesma-1,3-diene and curzarene—had pronounced analgesic effects. Additional tests suggested that these compounds interact with the opioid receptors in the mice’s brains to decrease the sensation of pain.
Myrrh has been used medicinally for centuries, for treating conditions ranging from battle wounds to skin inflammations. The Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed it for sores, and the Romans used it to treat worm infestations, coughs, and certain infections. According to the New Testament, Jesus was offered wine with myrrh before his crucifixion. Piero Dolara, one of the researchers, says that more effective painkillers such as morphine, developed in the nineteenth century, replaced myrrh as an analgesic. It is commonly used today in mouthwash and toothpaste.”
© 1996 by the Archaeological Institute of America
(archive.archaeology.org/9605/newsbriefs/myrrh.html)
Why didn’t Jesus drink it? Most likely because He didn’t want to nullify bearing God’s wrath for our sins.
V24 And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.
Jesus experienced pain from the nails and cross, humility from near nakedness, and seeing His clothes distributed by lot. There was purpose in Jesus’s suffering. Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
V25 Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.
The third hour is 9:00 a.m.
Comment:
(Holman Commentary) “Mark says that Jesus was crucified the third hour or about 9:00 a.m. This differs from John’s account (19:14), which says that Christ was crucified about the sixth hour or 12:00 noon. The difference between the two accounts can be attributed to different ways of calculating time. John was probably using the Roman time system that counted the hours from midnight to midnight. The sixth hour would then be 6:00 a.m. Mark was probably following the Jewish custom of counting hours from daybreak or 6:00 a.m. The third hour would then be 9:00 a.m., according to Mark.
“Looking at the text closely, it appears that Jesus’ trial concluded about 6:00 a.m. (John) and that Jesus was crucified at 9:00 a.m. (Mark). During the intervening time, Jesus was taken from the court of Pilate, mocked by the Roman soldiers, led to Golgotha, and prepared for crucifixion (Lane, Mark, p. 567).”
V26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
The sign was Pilate’s idea to show authority over the Jewish leaders and to just make them angry, but unknowingly it is true. There is also a mockery of Jesus. The Romans would include a sign showing the charge of why this person is being crucified.
We learn:
- Even in His stress and weakness, He remained true to the Father’s will.
- The pure hate many had for our Lord Jesus.
Questions:
- Are we willing to follow and obey God’s will?
- Would we have helped Jesus by carrying His cross?