John 19:16b-18 16Then they took Jesus, 17and bearing his own cross, he went out to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus in the middle.
Pilate had given Jesus over to them. The antecedent to this word is unclear, but the assumption is that this word refers to the soldiers guarding Jesus. The Jews did not have the power to crucify anyone, but they were clearly the cause of Jesus’ death. The soldiers were only carrying out Pilate’s capitulation to the demands of the chief priests and other Jews gathered in the praetorian. The scene shifts once again, now to the Place of the Skull also called Golgotha, a transliteration from the Aramaic word for “skull. The Latin form of this word is “Calvary.” The exact location of this spot has been debated. There are some caves that look like a skull that have been suggested over the centuries (known as Gordon’s Calvary), but this location is also disputed. Skulls have represented death in many cultures over the centuries.
Jesus was forced to carry his own cross beam. This beam would have been quite heavy. The condemned was nailed to this beam, which was then fastened to a post. Anyone who has carried wood knows how heavy even a small beam can be. Part of the punishment was walking to the site of execution. The Romans had crucifixion down to a science. There are many descriptions of it in ancient literature. The Gospel accounts give a vivid picture of the agony Jesus went through as he carried his cross and later hung from it. John leaves out Roman soldiers’ conscription of Simon of Cyrene to carry Jesus’ cross when he could no longer do it likely because of the flogging he experienced (Mark 15:21).
John’s description of Jesus’ actual crucifixion is brief, just like the Synoptic Gospels. Crucifixion was not an instant event but an agonizing experience that could last many hours. The actual hanging of the condemned could be done in a relatively short time, but the victim would hang on a cross for many days, waiting for death to come. Like the Synoptic Gospels, John mentions that Jesus was crucified with two others. The Romans likely made it a regular calendar even to crucify the condemned. With the busy week full of pilgrims to Jerusalem, it was a prime time to give a warning about their power. John gives no details about the criminals, but Matthew 27:38 and Mark 15:27 mention that they were insurrectionists or guerilla fighters. Luke 23:40-43 adds that one of them turned to Jesus in repentance.
The words they crucified him (auton estaurōsan) have echoed throughout time. God’s plan for the salvation of the world is contained in this short sentence. Jesus’ location in the middle may have been intentional by the Romans, perhaps another form of mockery, but it is also symbolic of how Jesus died for all, as one with humanity, right in the middle of sin, to offer eternal life to all who look to him in faith.
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