31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

32  As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.

33  They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).

34  There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.

35  When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.[2]

36  And sitting down, they kept watch over him there.

37  Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

38  Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

39  Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads

40  and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"

41  In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.

42  "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.

43  He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, `I am the Son of God.'"

44  In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

45  From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.

46  About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi,[3] lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"[4]

47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."

48  Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.

49  The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."

50  And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

========================================================================

After enduring the clamor of the trial and the jeers of the crowd, Jesus reached the summit of the hill where he would be crucified.  The Roman guards assigned to execution duty that day stretched Jesus out on the ground, pinning his arms roughly against a wooden crossbeam.  Then on of the guards found the soft spot on Jesus' wrist and placed the point of the spike against his flesh.  The sound of the hammer rang out over the din of the crowd.  He repeated the process on the other arm.  Two guards then lifted Jesus up and secured the crossbeam on the upright pole.  Grabbing one of Jesus' feet and placing it over the other, the powerful Roman drove another spike through booth feet, securing them to the base of the cross.  Jesus, the sinless one, God's own son, hung there in the burning Palistinian sun.  There he also felt the heat of the crowd's scorn and mocking.

While nailed to the cross, Jesus had to lift himself on the spike in his feet in order to breath.  When the pain in his feet became unbearable, he would slump and hang by his wrists.  As his head hung heavy, his windpipe was cut off, making breathing impossible.  That's why death by crucifixion was so horrible--it was a slow, desperate kind of death, with the urge to breath battling constantly against the white-hot pain presented by the spikes embedded in the victim's flesh.  The Lord spoke only seventimes during the hours he hung on the cross---three times before the darkness, once during it, and three times after.

"Father. forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23   ;34).  Jesus was resolute in the face of his death, knowing that his purpose on earth would now be fulfilled.  He asked God to forgive the crowd---the very ones who condemned him unjustly, who had spat on, mocked and jeered at him; even the ones who had nailed him to the cross and now gambled for his clothes.  He asked the Father to forgive those who did not deserve it---a true picture of his work on the cross for all of us.

"I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23  ;43).  Originally both thieves mocked Jesus, Matthew 27:39 --44).  But one changed his mind and asked Jesus to remember him when he entered his heavenly kingdom.  From hi pathetic position on the cross, that lawless man received the unexpected, free gift of eternal life.  Had he done anything to earn such a gift?  Of course not.  He simply changed his mind about Jesus and placed his faith in him.

"Dear woman, here is your son . . . Here is your mother" (John 19  ;26-27).  Upon seeing his mother and one of his disciples (probably John) standing close to the cross, Jesus fulfilled his role as Mary's oldest son and made provisions for her future care.  She was now to consider John her son, and John was to treat Mary as his own mother.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27  ;46    0.  When darkness covered the land, Jesus cried out in a loud voice.  The blackness signified Jesus' separation from God.  In these hours he took the punishment for sin that was meant for all of us.  He carried the guilt of our own sins, even though he was perfect.  That's what was happening here---nothing short of the most awesome and most significant event in all of human history.

"I am thirsty" (John 19:28). Moments before the end of his earthly life, Jesus was aware of his swollen and parched tongue.  As the craving for water demanded a response, he uttered this statement.  In doing so, Jesus fulfilled a prophecy made hundreds of years earlier by King David (Psalm 69:21).

"It is finished" (John 19:30).  With these words, Jesus declared victory.  In the original language, this phrase was a legal term.  Common practice dictated that when a man was convicted of a crime, his punishment was written on a scroll.  The scroll was then rolled up and nailed over his jail cell.  When he had served his sentence, the scroll was taken down and had the phrase "It is finished" written across it.   Never again would that man be punished for that crime; complete restitution had been made.

In Jesus' person, a scroll carrying the crimes of all mankind had been nailed to the cross (see Colossians 2:13-15).  When he had paid in full for the sins of the world, Jesus cried out, "It is finished!"  Never again would humans have to suffer eternal condemnation for their sins.  Jesus had paid our debt to our creator in full, and offers us the gift of his payment in place of ours if we will but choose to accept it.

"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46).  With these words Jesus handed his life over to his father.  Neither the Jewish religious rulers, nor Pilate, nor the crowds, nor even the guards themselves took away Jesus' life; he willingly gave it up.

Jesus' crucifixion was the greatest act of love in human history.  Reflect on the seven sentences he uttered from the cross.  Which of the statements leaves the greatest impression?  Take a moment and thank God for giving his Son as the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  Then thank Jesus himself for paying the ultimate price and for dying in your place.