The Crucifixion

• Crucifixion


  1. Roman method of execution by which men were fixed to a cross 2. The execution and death of Jesus on Good Friday
• Jesus' crucifixion


  1. Sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate

  2. Crucified in a similar way to others

  3. Waited for death, usually by asphyxiation

  4. Happened in public
• Even though Christians believe that Jesus was the Son of God, it does not mean that he was in some way spared the pain and horror of his crucifixion
• Jesus forgave the guards who crucified him because they did not realise the significance of what was going on
• Jesus had conversations with the two men who were crucified with him, promising one of them that soon he would join God in paradise
• Jesus: 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. When he had said this, he breathed his last.'
• A Roman centurion in charge of the crucifixion praised God and acknowledged that Jesus had been a righteous man who had done nothing to deserve being crucified
• Roman centurion: 'Surely this man was the Son of God!'
• Crucifixion impacts on the lives of Christians today

  • Gives them confidence that if they accept Jesus' sacrifice, sin can no longer destroy their lives because God forgives those who faithfully ask for forgiveness
  • Suffering is a part of life, just as it was a part of Jesus' life and that, having also experienced it, God understands what the sufferer is going through
• Joseph from Arimathea asked for the body of Jesus so he could bury it
• Joseph laid the body of Jesus in a cave-like tomb and rolled a large stone to block the entrance
• Sanhedrin


  The Jewish Elders
• The Sanhedrin considered Jesus' claims to be the son of God as blasphemy and found him guilty of this charge
• Pontius Pilate


  The Roman Governor
• Jesus' trials


  1. Taken to the Sanhedrin

  2. Taken to Pontius Pilate
• Pilate did not think that Jesus was guilty
• Pilate gave the crowd a choice: release Jesus or Barabbas


  The crowd chose Barabbas
• Barabbas was a 'notorious prisoner', so he was probably a murderer
• The crowd shouted "Crucify him!"
• Pilate washed his hands and said "I am not responsible for the death of this man!"
• The whole crowd answered "Let the responsibility for his death fall on us and on our children!"
• Pilate set Barabbas free and handed Jesus over to be crucified
• Crucifixion


  • Gruesome spectacle: the most painful and humiliating death imaginable
  • Used to punish slaves, pirates, and enemies of the state
  • Slow and painful death
  • Intended to be embarrassing and a public spectacle to deter others
• Jesus' crime when presented to Pilate was claiming to be the King of the Jews
• The mocking of Jesus

  1. Stripped of his clothes

  2. Given a scarlet robe

  3. Crown of thorns placed on his head

  4. Given a stick in his right hand

  5. Knelt before and mocked

  6. Spat on and hit over the head with the stick

  7. Given his cross to carry to Golgotha
• Even though Christians believe that Jesus was the Son of God, it does not mean that he was in some way spared the pain and horror of his crucifixion
• Asphyxiation


  The method of death in crucifixion, where the outstretched arms put great strain on the ribcage causing the prisoner to die slowly
• Jesus forgave the guards who crucified him because they did not realise the significance of what was going on
• Jesus had conversations with the two men who were crucified with him, promising one of them that soon he would join God in paradise
• At noon the whole country was covered with darkness, which lasted for three hours
• At about three o'clock Jesus cried out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
• The people thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah and waited to see if he would rescue Jesus
• Jesus then gave a loud cry and breathed his last
• At that moment the curtain hanging in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom
• The earth shook, the rocks split apart, the graves broke open, and many of God's people who had died were raised to life
• The soldiers said "He really was the Son of God!"
• The Nicene Creed states the death of Jesus was an historical event
• Roman historians Pliny and Tacitus also wrote about Jesus Christ
• Longinus


  The Roman soldier who pierced Jesus in his side with a lance, during the Crucifixion
• Longinus is believed to have converted to Christianity after the Crucifixion, and he is traditionally venerated as a saint in several Christian communions