Jesus on the Cross: WHY?

Crucifixion of Jesus

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Why does Paul refer to the cross as foolishness and a stumbling-block? The cross was a symbol of reproach, degradation, humiliation, and disgust. It was aesthetically repugnant. In a word, the cross was obscene. The cross was far more than an instrument of capital punishment. It was a public symbol of indecency and social indignity. Crucifixion was designed to do more than merely kill a man. Its purpose was to humiliate him as well.

The cross was intended not only to break a man's body, but also to crush and defame his spirit. There were certainly more efficient means of execution: Stephen in Acts 7 , decapitation cf. James in Acts 12 , etc. Crucifixion was used to humiliate as well as to harm. For example, crucifixion was always public. In fact, the most visibly prominent place was selected, usually at a crossroads, in the theatre, or elsewhere on high ground. The reason was to intensify the sense of social and personal humiliation.

Victims were usually crucified naked. Jewish sensitivities, however, demanded that the victim wear a loincloth. In the Bible physical nakedness was often a symbol of spiritual shame and ignominy. The first Adam, originally created in the righteousness of God, by his sin stripped us naked. The last Adam, suffering the shame of nakedness, by his obedience clothes us in the righteousness of God.

The ancient assessment of crucifixion is seen in the way it was dealt with in their literature. Historians once mistakenly assumed that the scarcity of references to crucifixion in cultured literary sources was proof that it was rarely employed. More recently it has been determined that the more refined literary artists omitted reference to crucifixion, not because it was unknown, but because they did not want to disgrace or defile their work by mentioning such a vile and obscene practice.

In other words, heroes could not on any account be allowed to suffer such a shameful death. The shame associated with crucifixion was so intense that it was expressly forbidden that a Roman citizen be executed in that manner.

But the executioner, the veiling of the head, and the very word 'cross' should be far removed not only from the person of a Roman citizen but from his thoughts, his eyes, and his ears. The presence of the Virgin Mary under the cross [Jn. And a number of Marian devotions also involve the presence of the Virgin Mary in Calvary, e. Betrayal of Christ , stained glass , Gotland , Sweden, Mateo Cerezo , Ecce Homo , Carrying the Cross fresco , Decani monastery , Serbia , 14th century.

Orthodox Crucifixion icon, Athens, Greece. Crucifixion of Christ , Michelangelo , Calvary by Paolo Veronese , 16th century.

Descent from the Cross , Raphael , Pietro Lorenzetti fresco, Assisi Basilica, — From a 14thth century Welsh Manuscript. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. For other uses, see Crucifixion disambiguation. Josephus on Jesus and Tacitus on Christ. Christ carrying the Cross and Via Dolorosa. Women at the crucifixion. Instrument of Jesus' crucifixion. Sayings of Jesus on the cross. Jesus in Christianity Virgin birth Crucifixion Resurrection. Atonement in Christianity and Salvation Christianity. Islamic view of Jesus' death. Crucifixion in the arts. The Christ of Mont'Iraz, Portugal. Unknown Iberian master, 13th century.

Christianity portal Death portal. The acts of Jesus: An Introduction and Survey by Craig L. Jesus and His Contemporaries: That he was crucified is as sure as anything historical can ever be, since both Josephus and Tacitus The twenty-first century confronts its gods: Introducing the New Testament. Jesus, Interrupted , HarperCollins, Comparative Studies by Craig A. Jesus Outside the New Testament: The Gospel of Luke: Ancient Rome by William E. An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence Wm. Westminster John Knox Press. Ignatius of Antioch to the Smyrnaeans Roberts-Donaldson translation ".

Chronology, Mission Strategy, Theology Wm. Eerdmans Publishing, , page Journal of Theological Studies. Archived from the original on The three more frequented exit gates are one on the west, another on the east, and a third on the north. As you enter the city from the northern side, the first of the holy places due to the condition of the directions of the streets is to the church which is called the Martyrium, which was by Constantine with great reverence not long ago built up.

Next, to the west one visits the connecting places Golgotha and the Anastasis; indeed the Anastasis is in the place of the resurrection, and Golgotha is in the middle between the Anastasis and the Martyrium, the place of the Lord's passion, in which still appears that rock which once endured the very cross on which the Lord was. These are however separated places outside of Mount Sion, where the failing rise of the place extended itself to the north.

Moses therefore pileth arms one upon another in the midst of the encounter, and standing on higher ground than any he stretched out his hands , and so Israel was again victorious" Epistle of Barnabas, The author suggests this possibly was designed to play down the suffering of Jesus and replace a cry of desperation with one of hope and confidence, in keeping with the message of the Gospel in which Jesus dies confident that he would be vindicated as God's righteous prophet.

The difference between the accounts is cited by James Dunn as a reason to doubt their historicity. An Apology for the Bible: Cambridge University Press; 29 March Narrative Form and Function in Mark Continuum, page The Christian Literature Publishing Co. Those who were not aware that this had been predicted about Christ, no doubt thought it an eclipse.

You yourselves have the account of the world-portent still in your archives. Historical evidence and argument. University of Wisconsin Press. Lunar visibility and the crucifixion. Glare and celestial visibility. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, , Mack, A Myth of Innocence: Volume 3 Continuum, page An early first-century earthquake in the Dead Sea.

Sci Law ; Med News ; The passion of Christ from a medical point of view. Ariz Med ; Doctor at Calvary , New York: Catechism of the Catholic Church. Urbi Et Orbi Communications. True Faith in the True God: An Introduction to Luther's Life and Thought. Principles of Catholic Theology: Building Stones for a Fundamental Theology.

10 Powerful Facts About the Cross of Christ & His Crucifixion

Institutes of the Christian Religion. On the Royal Road of the Holy Cross".

There is no salvation of soul, nor hope of eternal life, save in the Cross. The Oxford dictionary of the Christian church. Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices. Encyclical of Pope Pius XI.

A Biblical and Historical Summary. The death of Jesus, reality or delusion A study of the death of Jesus in Tafsir literature ". For since he was an incorporeal power, and the Nous mind of the unborn father, he transfigured himself as he pleased, and thus ascended to him who had sent him, deriding them, inasmuch as he could not be laid hold of, and was invisible to all" Irenaeus, Against Heresies , book I, ch. Ignoring his own suffering, Jesus responds with mercy in His second word, living out his own Beatitude, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Just as the first word, this Biblical expression is found only in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus shows his Divinity by opening heaven for a repentant sinner - such generosity to a man that only asked to be remembered! This expression offers us hope for salvation, for if we turn our hearts and prayers to Him and accept his forgiveness, we will also be with Jesus Christ at the end of our lives.

Why Did Jesus Have to Die on the Cross?

Jesus and Mary are together again, at the beginning of his ministry in Cana and now at the end of his public ministry at the foot of the Cross. What sorrow must fill Mary's heart! How she must have felt meeting her Son as he carried the Cross on the Via Dolorosa. And then she had to watch him being nailed to the Cross. Once again, a sword pierces Mary's soul: The loved ones of Jesus are with Him.

THE SECOND WORD

There are four at the foot of the cross, Mary his Mother, John, the disciple whom he loved, his mother's sister Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. He addresses his third word to his mother Mary and John, the only eye-witness of the Gospel writers. Jesus again rises above the occasion as he cares for the ones that love him. The good son that He is, Jesus is concerned about looking after his mother. Joseph was noticeably absent. Joseph was not present at family occasions like the Wedding Feast of Cana and had probably died before the public ministry of Jesus, or else he would have been the one to take care of Mary following the Passion of Our Lord.

In fact, this passage indicates that Jesus was the only child of Mary, because if he did have natural brothers or sisters, they would have provided for her. But Jesus looks to John to care for her. Another striking phrase indicating Jesus of Nazareth was an only child is Mark 6: Now if James, Joses and Judas and Simon were also natural sons of Mary, Jesus would not have been called the "son of Mary," but rather "one of the sons of Mary. This was the only expression of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Both Gospels related that it was in the ninth hour, after 3 hours of darkness, that Jesus cried out this fourth word.

The ninth hour was three o'clock in Judea. After the fourth Word, Mark related with a horrible sense of finality, "And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed his last" Mark One is struck by the anguished tone of this expression in contrast to the first three words of Jesus. This cry is from the painful heart of the human Jesus who must feel deserted by His Father and the Holy Spirit, not to mention his earthly companions the Apostles.

The Pain and Shame of Crucifixion

As if to emphasize his loneliness, Mark even has his loved ones "looking from afar," not close to him as in the Gospel of John. Jesus feels separated from his Father. He is now all alone, and he must face death by himself. But is not this exactly what happens to all of us when we die? We too are all alone at the time of death! Jesus completely lives the human experience as we do, and by doing so, frees us from the clutches of sin. His fourth Word is the opening line of Psalm 22, and thus his cry from the Cross recalls the cry of Israel, and of all innocent persons who suffer.

Psalm 22 of David makes a striking prophecy of the crucifixion of the Messiah at a time when crucifixion was not known to exist: There can not be a more dreadful moment in the history of man as this moment. Jesus who came to save us is crucified, and He realizes the horror of what is happening and what He now is enduring. He is about to be engulfed in the raging sea of sin. Evil triumphs, as Jesus admits: But it is only for a moment. The burden of all the sins of humanity for a moment overwhelm the humanity of our Savior. But does this not have to happen?

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