What's a crucifixion like? A Jewish writer, Klausner, describes it as being the most cruel and terrible death that has ever been devised for taking vengeance by men against men. Cicero called it the most terrible and most cruel torture. Crucifixion started in a cult religion in Persia. The earth was considered sacred to the god Ormuzd. A criminal was to be lifted off the earth so as not to defile the property — the god's earth. The practice spread from Persia to Carthage in North Africa where the Romans learned about it. This form of punishment was saved for rebels, run-away slaves and the vilest criminals. But it was illegal to crucify a Roman citizen. Klausner further describes the crucifixion process. The criminal, a bleeding mass from the scourging, was fastened to the cross. Nails were driven through the hands or wrists and the feet were bound. There he hung to die from hunger, thirst and exposure. The criminal couldn't even defend himself from the flies and ants which came to eat the flesh and drink the blood. This isn't a pretty picture is it, but it's what Jesus Christ suffered, willingly, for us.

In order to deaden the pain, wealthy women of Jerusalem prepared a cup of wine with a grain of frankincense in it, and offered it to prisoners to help deaden pain. Jesus refused the morphine-like cocktail, instead choosing to experience the deepest, grimmest pain.

The four soldiers now sat at the foot of the cross with Jesus' sandals, girdle, turban, inner garment and outer robe. The man on the cross was left clothed only with a loincloth. There were five pieces of clothing for four soldiers. So they cast lots for the most valuable piece of cloth, the outer robe. Then they waited for the inevitable death.

And so the picture is painted for us. On Golgotha, there are three crosses. In the middle is the Son of God. On either side are criminals. Truly, Jesus was with sinners even unto death. Jewish authorities, criminals and passers-by all throw insults. "Come down from the cross and then we'll believe you." And the fact that he could have come down but wouldn't, is why we should believe him. For the Jews wanted a show of God's power, when in fact they missed the real meaning behind the crucifixion, which is that God is sacrificial love, and Jesus showed this to be true. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13).

Never let go of your faith in God. Even if you might feel you've been beaten to the very depths of despair, keep your faith in God. For that's what Jesus did.

Matthew 27:54 – When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and exclaimed, "Surely he was the son of God."

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you really are the Son of God, and your life paid the price of all our sins. Thank you for your love for us that kept you there on the cross. Help us to grasp the true significance of what the cross meant for you. In your name. Amen.

Mark 15:12-15 – "What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them. "Crucify him!" they shouted. "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

Scourging, or flogging, always preceded crucifixion. Under Pilate's order, Jesus was stripped naked, his hands tied behind his back. Then he was tied to a post and his back was doubled over. This exposed his flesh to the whip used for scourging, a long leather strip, embedded with pieces of bone and lead pellets. It reduced naked bodies to strips of raw flesh, inflamed and bleeding welts. Men who were scourged, either went mad, died, or passed out from the pain.

Mark 15:16-20a – The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him.

The military headquarters, Speira, had 600 men who were stationed there to protect the Roman Governor, Pilate. They didn't know who Jesus was, for they were from the coast, not Jerusalem. So, out of ignorance, they indulged in rough horseplay, unlike the Jews, who acted out of malice. Perhaps this part of the crucifixion process would be the easiest part for Jesus to bear, because the soldiers made Jesus a sham king, but there was no hate in their eyes. To them, he was just another deluded Galilean going to the cross. So they prepared to lead Jesus to his crucifixion.

Mark 15:20b-21 – Then they led him out to crucify him. A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.

When a condemned criminal was led away to crucifixion, four soldiers formed a hollow square with the criminal carrying the cross piece in the centre. The upright post was already waiting at the place of execution. The charge of which the criminal was found guilty was hung around the neck and later was nailed to the cross. The criminal was taken to the execution site by the longest route possible, so that all would take a warning from the grisly sight. Jesus was exhausted from being up all night during his trial and from scourging and abuse, so he staggered and fell under the weight of the cross piece. Roman soldiers had the right to make a Jew do any menial task they wanted, since Palestine was under Roman military occupation. The cold steel of the Roman spear touched the shoulder of Simon, from the town of Cyrene in North Africa. "Carry the cross, Jew!" Shame and humiliation welled over Simon as he stooped to obey the Roman soldier and pick up the cross piece for Jesus. And on that terrible day Jesus laid claim to Simon and turned Simon's shame and humility into a day of glory.

Prayer: Lord, any shame we might suffer for you is nothing in comparison to your sacrifice for us. Lay claim to our hearts in your love that we might ever serve you out of gratitude for all that you have done for us. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Paul could have overwhelmed the ordinary listener with his intellectual powers but he chose not to. Instead he spoke simply of Jesus Christ by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide his thoughts. I was travelling with a Presbyterian pastor for a couple of days last week. This person does inner city work to help the elderly pass their final days in love and joy. This pastor speaks like Paul, devoid of intellectual oratory, but full of the Holy Spirit. The pastor speaks with the authority of God in a simple and effective way.

The pastor was asked on several occasions by the elderly, "We want to die quickly. Can you speed up the process for us?" The pastor was shocked and prayed for an answer to the terrible questions. He decided to change the conditions under which the elderly lived and placed an ad in the newspaper: "Wanted: a good used piano for singsongs in the old folks home."

A long term resident saw the ad and not only donated a new piano but also a pulpit. The singsong ministry has continued for ten years in seven institutions and plans are afoot to expand the singsong program to all government-run nursing homes in Ontario.

A singsong lifts people's spirits and opens the doors to preaching the word of God to many. It's not an intellectual ministry with great oratory. It's a simple act of love by eighty volunteers who co-ordinate singsong ministries. Many ministers have asked, "How did you come up with the idea?" And the answer always is the same "It's an act of love – It's not a new idea!" "I came to you in weakness – timid and trembling. And my preaching was very plain, not with a lot of oratory and human wisdom, but the Holy Spirit's wisdom was in my words, proving to those who heard them that the message was from God. I did this because I wanted your faith to stand firmly upon God, not on people's great ideas."

Prayer: Let us come before you, God, in humility, timid and trembling. For, in our self-inflicted wisdom, we have overlooked the needs of others. We think we are wise but realize, in the simple acts of others, that we are silly indeed. Let us be filled with your Holy Spirit, your wisdom, and your truth. Let us look back on all our decisions and see how many people we have hurt with our pomposity. Now let us redress these grievous acts and ask the Holy Spirit to give power to our words once again – and use these words only in love as Jesus taught. The rest is dross indeed. Amen.

Richard C. Raines: A child wrote a letter to God. "Dear God, what is death like? No one will tell me. I just want to know what it's like. I don't want to do it."

Robert Fine: To all of us, death is an offer we can't refuse.

Dwight L. Moody: If I can get a person to think seriously about death for five minutes I can save them.

E. Stanley Jones: God is stripping me of everything so He can give me Everything.

Carl Henry: Only one person has ever returned from death to tell us authoritatively what lies beyond and that was Jesus Christ. No one else can tell us what lies beyond except Christ, for he did it!

John 20:11-16: Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she … turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out, "Teacher!"

Don't let tears and death block the vision which your heart is searching for. The risen Christ is standing right beside you all the time. We may weep for ourselves, but we shouldn't weep for those who love God who go to be with their Lord. For the glory of God lies beyond the veil of life's tears.

Never fasten your eyes on the image of the grave or you will lose the image of the heavens. At most funerals few are Christians. Most come to stare at the casket and get little more out of the service. The funeral is a form, something to do in a church. Their eyes are fixed on the grave. They are looking in the wrong direction. Without commitment, and with lots of tears, I fear they will miss the glory of God when their time comes. For do they say "Until we meet again," or is it "Goodbye" as they leave the service?

Look in the right direction. Turn around and see the Friend standing there. Our loved ones who believe in Christ are no longer in the tombs. They are in the arms of God. Face to face they stand in fellowship with the risen Christ, in a heavenly place, in the glory of God.

Prayer: O Lord, may our belief in the resurrected Jesus Christ, fostered by the Holy Spirit through the Word and Sacraments, break the seal on our tombs and enable us to live and to call others to do the same. Today may I serve you, Lord, by loving and sharing what's music for our souls. Alleluia! Amen.

The sky darkened as Jesus died. It was as though the sun itself could not bear to look down upon the deed people had done. This very same darkness awaits all who dismiss Christ from their lives.

The temple veil was severed from top to bottom. This veil hid the Holy of Holies from sight. It was the place where God dwelled, the place where no one could enter except the high priest and he, only once a year, on the great day of atonement.

Now the very soul of God thundered out from behind the veil. The appearance of God, which until this time had been hidden, was thrown open for the whole world to see, and God's almighty heart was laid open in compassion. For the birth, life and death of Jesus tore away the religious camouflage which tried to conceal God from people.

Before this, Jesus had said, "He who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9) On the cross, as never before and never again, people saw the love of God.

Then Jesus called out with a loud voice. John 19:30 tells us Jesus died saying "It is finished!" But Jesus did not die with a whisper like one who is on his knees admitting defeat, begging mercy from an enemy. Instead he shouted, It is finished, like a champion who had won the final battle with the enemy. It is finished! is the cry of our crucified conquering Lord!

Then he died with a prayer on his lips, from Psalm 31:5, "Into your hands I commit my spirit."

Remember the child's prayer:

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

As night descends over Jewish homes the mother teaches this child's prayer: "Into thy hands I commit my spirit." Jesus, as his life extinguished, prayed like a child going to sleep in his father's arms: "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit."

The Roman centurion and the crowd were deeply moved as Jesus died. His death did what his life could not do… it broke the hardened hearts of people. As these hearts softened, Jesus' saying came true: "I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." (John 12:32) The magnet of the cross had begun its work, even as he breathed his last breath. Later, St. Paul would say, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Galatians 6:14)

Prayer: Thank you God for sending your Son to us. Thank you for telling us your story of unending love. Bring us to the cross of Christ so that we too may serve the King. And let us use our hearts and hands to reach out and touch others with Christ's undying love. Heavenly God, Give us time to do your will. For it is your nature so to do. We pray through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord, who lives now and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

The authorities in Jerusalem deliberately crucified Jesus between two criminals. They staged the crucifixion as a theatrical event to maximize the humiliation of Jesus in front of the crowds by placing him between two robbers.

Three crosses on the hill at Calvary: they are the crosses of Condescension, Compromise and Compassion.

The crowds in Jerusalem surge forward to watch the grisly show as authorities stand watching from a safe distance. The crowds eagerly listen as robbers on either side of Jesus speak.

First to speak is the robber on the Cross of Condescension:
Luke 23:39 – One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"

CBC news: This week 450 defenceless people were killed in the African country of Burundi. The situation is tense as Red Cross and Oxfam officials try to calm the situation and try to get governments authorities to enforce a total arms embargo on Burundi. The same thing happened last year in Ruanda. The human carnage which exists today is direct result of British Colonial rule when the Tutsi and Hutu people were forcibly isolated from each other in order to provide a cheap labour force. Today it appears that a huge crowd of refugees are running for their lives in what might become the biggest surge of refugees in human history. The robber in condescension called out "Save yourself," and the authorities stand watching from a safe distance.

Luke's Gospel describes the second robber who grieves on the Cross of Compromise.
Luke 23:42 – Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Legend describes the man on the second cross by name, Demus. One Judean legend tells of his exploits. Demus was a Robin Hood who roamed the hills of Judea stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Another legend tells how the holy family were attacked by robbers as they fled with baby Jesus from Bethlehem to Egypt. The baby was so lovely that one young thief could not bear to lay hands on him but instead set him free, saying, "O most blessed of children, if ever there comes a time for having mercy on me, then remember me and forget not this hour." The youthful robber who once had saved Jesus as a baby now met him again on Calvary; this time Jesus saved him.

Luke 23:43 – Jesus answered him, "Today you will be with me in paradise."

Paradise is a Persian word meaning a walled garden. When a Persian king wanted to do a very special honour for one of his subjects he would make him a companion of the garden and then he would be allowed to walk with the king in the garden. It was more than immortality which Jesus offered to Demus, the repentant thief. Jesus promised Demus the honoured place of a companion of the garden in the courts of heaven. "You are coming with me to paradise this very day, Demus." Always be ready to accept the invitation to walk with the King in paradise!

It's never too late to turn to Christ and become a companion of the garden. Paradise waits for you who read this today. Do you feel the chance for that walk has somehow passed? I'm too old. I'm set in my ways. But you can't say that about turning to Jesus Christ. So long as your heart beats, the invitation of Christ stands.

A poet once wrote about a man who was thrown from a galloping horse and was killed.

Between the stirrup and the ground,
Mercy I asked, mercy I found.

The invitation stands!

From the Cross of Compassion comes the eternal message: "While there is breath, there is hope and you can come with me to Paradise."

Prayer: Thank you, God, for sending your Son to us. Bring us to the cross of Christ so that we may walk with Him as a companion in the garden. Help us stand firm and be ready for Paradise. As we walk to the garden let us fill the world with your love. Let us carry the cross of Christ with us. We pray through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord, who lives now and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.