A Few Thoughts About the Crosses

of Golgotha

John 19:16-18 NRSV Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; 17 and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them.

From what we read in Scriptures:

B1 Three men were crucified that day.

B2 Three men were crucified at The Place of the Skull (Golgotha).

B3 Two were sinners. One was sinless.

B4 Two deserved to die.

B5 One was declared by a governor, a king, and others as not worthy of death.

B6 Two men, who deserved death, mocked the middle man who did not deserve death.

B7 Two men, who deserved death, with one man who repented and called on the name of the Lord and one who rejected.

B8 One man died by giving up His life. Two men died after the Romans smashed their feet with a hammer.

B9 Two men are in heaven.

B10 One man is in Hades awaiting final judgment (Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20:11-15).

The non-repentant criminal/bandit

B1 He was a sinner.

B2 We sin by thoughts, desires, words, and deeds

C1 Thoughts and desires: Genesis 27:41 NRSV Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob."

C2 Words: Psalms 78:36 NRSV But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues.

C3 Deeds: Jeremiah 22:17 NRSV But your eyes and heart are only on your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.

B3 Opportunity to repent but refused: Revelation 9:20-21 NRSV The rest of humankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands or give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their fornication or their thefts.

B4 Why don’t people repent and call on the name of the Lord?

C1 Pride: 2 Timothy 3:4 NLT They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.

C2 Love of sin: Psalm 52:3 NLT You love evil more than good and lies more than truth.

The repentant criminal/bandit

B1 Same as above but did repent and call of the name of the Lord.

C1 His attitude at first: Matthew 27:44 NRSV The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.

C2 His attitude at salvation: Luke 23:39-41 NRSV One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong."

C3 Calling on the name of the Lord: Luke 23:42 NRSV Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

C4 Salvation promised: Luke 23:43 NRSV He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.

B2 Why did he believe and the other didn’t? Why didn’t is answered above.

C1 Humbled himself: James 4:6 NRSV But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

C2 Wanted salvation, thus a desire to have forgiveness and fellowship with God: Psalms 42:2 NRSV My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?

The sinless one

B1 Without sin: Hebrews 4:15 NRSV For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.

B2 Voluntary substitute: Romans 5:6 NRSV For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

B3 Suffered for our sins: Hebrews 13:12 NRSV Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood.

B4 Paid penalty for our sins: 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 NRSV For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him.

B5 Laid down His life (the crucifixion did not kill Him, He willed death after finishing His ministry): 1 John 3:16 NRSV We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.

B6 Buried: 1 Corinthians 15:4 NRSV and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,

B7 Rose for our justification: 1 Thessalonians 4:14 NRSV For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.

B8 Ascended into heaven for His heavenly ministry for the believers:

C1 Ephesians 4:8 NRSV Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.

C2 Hebrews 7:25 NRSV Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

B9 Will return: Acts 1:10-11 NRSV While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11 They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.

B10 Will set up His kingdom: Daniel 2:44 NRSV And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall this kingdom be left to another people. It shall crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever.

B11 Will reign in Jerusalem, then forever:

C1 Psalms 146:10 NRSV The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD!

C2 Revelation 11:15 NRSV Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever.

All humans (except Messiah)

B1 Deserve death

B2 Deserve Hades

B3 Deserve the Lake of Fire

B4 Deserve eternal torment

B5 Deserve this judgment, sentencing, and punishment because we have sinned in thoughts, desires, words, and deeds.

We can follow the actions of two men

B1 One in acceptance

B2 One in rejection

Which will we be the one who believes or the one who does not believe?

2 Corinthians 6:2 NIV For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.