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Matthew 27:32-46 (Crucifixion)

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called “Lead Me to the Cross.” Together we have been following Jesus’ last days to the cross. Today we arrive at our destination. Today we arrive at the cross of Jesus Christ.

This is an especially sacred portion of Scripture, a Holy of Holies if you will. Jesus, the perfect Son of God, suffers and dies on the cross. This was his purpose in coming. Jesus was born to die, and his whole life was oriented to the cross. He lived his whole life in obedience to the Father, and when it was time to go to the cross, he did not turn back. He continued determined and resolute in his actions, “Father, lead me to the cross.” (Read Matthew 27:32-46 and pray.)

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No one suffered more than Jesus did at the cross. Other men had died; other men had been crucified; but no one suffered more than Jesus did at the cross. This is all the more striking because Jesus was an innocent man. He lived a perfect life. He never harmed anyone. He had done no wrong.

And when you look at Jesus’ suffering at the cross, you have to ask the question, “Why?” Why did Jesus have to suffer so much? Why did they do it to him, and why did he do it for us? Once you fully grasp the answer to those two questions, your life will never be the same.

This morning we are going to look at Jesus’ sufferings at the cross in four sections. Jesus bore the full pain of the cross. Jesus bore the full shame of the cross. Jesus bore the full insult of the cross. And then finally, Jesus bore the full penalty for sin at the cross.

I. Jesus bore the full pain of the cross (32-34)

So we begin with Jesus bore the full pain of the cross. And here we are talking about physical suffering, the physical pain Jesus experienced at the cross.

   A. He used up all his strength (32)

The first thing we learn from our text is that Jesus used up all his strength on his way to the cross. Look at verse 32:

As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. (Matthew 27:32)

At first you might read this verse and think just the opposite. You might think Jesus didn’t use up all his strength on the way to the cross because someone else carried the cross for him. But that’s not what’s happening here. The reason the soldiers forced Simon to carry the cross was because Jesus couldn’t carry it any further. He had used up all his strength.

Remember, Jesus has been up all night. He hasn’t slept. He was taken violently in the middle of the night, shuttled from court to court, and tried unjustly before both Caiaphas and Pilate. Jesus has been beaten, clubbed, scourged and had a crown of thorns pushed down into his head.

Not only that, Jesus has already carried his cross quite a distance. The Romans made the condemned person carry their own cross to the place of crucifixion. The upright section of the cross would already be in the ground waiting for you, but you would carry the crossbar section yourself through the city. Oh, and you did not take the direct route. They wanted to make a public example of you, so you took the long way as they led you around the city streets so as many people as possible could see you on the way to your own execution.

You were supposed to carry your cross all the way to the end, and there is only one reason these soldiers would have forced someone else to carry the cross for Jesus. Jesus had used up all his strength. I imagine he had stumbled several times going through the city, and each time they forced him to keep going. But Jesus finally reached a breaking point. No matter how much they yelled at him or whipped him or kicked him, he could not carry the cross a single inch further. He had used up every ounce of strength, so they forced Simon to carry the cross for him.

   B. He refused to dull the pain (33-34)

Not only did Jesus use up all his strength. He refused to dull the pain. Look at verses 33-34:

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. (Matthew 27:33-34)

The cross inflicted such excruciating pain that the condemned prisoner was often given a mixture of wine to drink to help deaden the pain. When they arrived at Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull, either because it resembled a skull or simply because it was a place of execution, they offered Jesus this mixture, but he refused to drink it. When you or I just get a headache, we take an aspirin to deaden the pain. Jesus went to the cross with all of his senses fully alert, with all of his nerve endings fully functional.

Jesus bore the full pain of the cross. He used up all his strength. He refused to dull the pain. And there at The Place of the Skull, they crucified him.

II. Jesus bore the full shame of the cross (35-38)

Jesus bore the full pain of the cross – that was physical suffering. Jesus also bore the full shame of the cross, that is, emotional suffering. We experience many negative emotions in life, but perhaps none is so devastating as the emotion of shame. Have you ever felt shame, real shame? Shame cuts right to the core of your identity and self-worth. It is a horrible, stifling, crippling feeling. If you have ever felt shame, take heart. Jesus knows all about shame. Jesus died to take away your shame. The cross was a shameful death, and Jesus bore the full shame of the cross.

   A. They took his clothing (35-36)

First of all, they took his clothing. Look at verses 35-36:

When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. (Matthew 27:35-36)

Private shame is bad enough, but public shame is the most crippling of all. Jesus’ death was a public, humiliating death. When took away his clothing, they took away his dignity. They exposed his nakedness for all to see. They divided up his clothes by casting lots, and then they sat down to keep watch over him on the cross.

   B. They mocked his true identity (37)

Secondly, they mocked his true identity. Look at verse 37:

Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. (Matthew 27:37)

This was the written charge, the reason why Jesus was condemned. The Romans would first hang this charge around the person’s neck while he carried his cross through the city streets. Then they would nail it to the cross above his head so that everyone could see why he was being crucified. This exposed his crime and served as a warning to others.

The charge against Jesus was a simple declaration: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. This served as a warning to any other would-be kings in the Roman Empire. Isn’t it interesting that Jesus was condemned because of who he was. The ironic thing about this is that he actually was the King of the Jews. He was the Messiah. He had come to save his people. The sign was a cruel mockery of his true identity.

   C. They crucified him between two thieves (38)

Not only that, but they crucified him between two thieves. Look at verse 38:

Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. (Matthew 27:38)

This is the shame of false accusation and association. Have you ever been falsely accused or had your reputation smeared? Guilty by association, and you want so much to clear your name. “I’m not like that. I didn’t do that. I’m not like … them.” Jesus was an innocent man. He had done no wrong. He did not deserve to die. And yet they crucified him between two thieves as though he were a common criminal himself.

Jesus bore the full shame of the cross. They took his clothing. They mocked his true identity. They crucified him between two thieves.

III. Jesus bore the full insult of the cross (39-44)

Jesus bore the full pain of the cross, that’s physical suffering. He bore the full shame of the cross, that’s emotional suffering. And thirdly, he bore the full insult of the cross, that’s relational suffering. Physical and emotional sufferings are bad enough. But when you are completely abandoned by your friends, when you are cut off from all comfort or support and subjected to the taunts of your enemies, the wounds only cut that much deeper. Matthew tells us there were three groups of people who insulted Jesus at the cross.

   A. Those who passed by hurled insults at him (39-40)

First, those who passed by insulted him. Look at verse 39-40:

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!” (Matthew 27:39-40)

Remember, Jesus’ death was a public execution, and so the people came out to watch him die. The charge about destroying the temple came up at Jesus’ trial, and apparently word had leaked out. It was a bogus charge then, and it was a bogus charge now. Jesus never said he was going to destroy the temple. He had been speaking of his body which would be broken on the cross, that which was in fact happening right now.

The people cried out, “Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God.” He was the Son of God, and he could have come down from the cross if he chose to. Wouldn’t that have caused a stir!

Satan used the same line of attack when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” (Matthew 4:4) “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from the temple.” (Matthew 4:6)

It didn’t work then, and it didn’t work now. Jesus was the Son of God. He could have turned the stones to bread. He could have jumped from the temple and been protected. And he could have come down from the cross if he so chose.

   B. The religious leaders mocked him (41-43)

The religious leaders also mocked him. Look at verses 41-43:

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.’ ” (Matthew 27:41-43)

“He saved others, but he cannot save himself.” The words were meant as an insult, but they were actually a testimony to Jesus’ saving love. Jesus had indeed come to save others, but he could only save others by not saving himself.

“He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.” Once again, the words were spoken as an insult, but they contained truth. Jesus was the King of Israel. And yes, they probably would have believed in him if he came down from the cross. But then Jesus could not have saved them.

“He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” Jesus is attacked at the point of his Sonship once again. Yes, God the Father wanted the Son. Yes, God could have rescued him at any point. But God the Father and God the Son together chose the cross so that we could be saved.

   C. Even the thieves heaped insults on him (44)

And while we’re talking about Jesus’ relational suffering at the cross, notice that even the thieves insulted him! Look at verse 44:

In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him. (Matthew 27:44)

You would think if anyone would have sympathy for Jesus on the cross, it would be the two thieves who were crucified with him. Misery loves company, and there is solidarity in suffering. But even the thieves insulted him.

Jesus bore the full insult of the cross. Those who passed by hurled insults at him. The religious leaders mocked him. Even the thieves heaped insults on him.

IV. Jesus bore the full penalty for sin at the cross (45-46)

Jesus bore the full pain of the cross, that’s physical suffering. Jesus bore the full shame of the cross, that’s emotional suffering. Jesus bore the full insult of the cross, that’s relational suffering. And finally, Jesus bore the full penalty for sin at the cross. That is spiritual suffering.

   A. He was forsaken by God (45-46)

As bad as all his other sufferings were at the cross, this was the deepest suffering of all. Jesus was forsaken by God. Look at verses 45-46:

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, lama sabachthani?” – which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:45-46)

The sixth hour until the ninth hour was twelve noon to three o’clock, the brightest part of the day. And for threes three hours darkness came over all the land. The darkness was a visible sign of God’s judgment and wrath against sin being poured out on Jesus at the cross. All the other sufferings were merely preliminary. Jesus’ real suffering began now in earnest. For three hours Jesus suffered the wrath of God for the sins of man. In just three hours Jesus suffered an eternity of punishment for our sins. The depth of Jesus’ spiritual suffering is reflected in his cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

This was the suffering Jesus foretold to his disciples. This was the suffering Jesus dreaded in the Garden of Gethsemane. But this was the suffering for which Jesus came. And this was why Jesus stayed on the cross even when his enemies taunted him to come down.

   B. He paid the full price for all our sins (Isaiah 53:4-6)

The Bible tells us that Jesus paid the full price for all our sins. Look at Isaiah 53:

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:4-6)

Jesus paid the full price for all our sins when he suffered and died at the cross. Jesus is the infinite God-man, and his sacrifice was more than sufficient to cover every sin of every man and woman who ever lived. Jesus bore the full penalty for sin at the cross.

CONCLUSION: And of course this is the answer to the question with which we began today: Why did Jesus have to suffer so much? The answer is clear. The greatest suffering occurred at the cross because the greatest price was paid at the cross. Jesus paid for all our sin.

Jesus’ suffering at the cross shows you how much God loves you. It shows you the great love of God the Father who sent his Son to suffer and die in your place. It shows you the great love of Jesus the Son who came to suffer and die in your place.

It was your sins and my sins that put Jesus on the cross. And so Jesus’ suffering demands a response of repentance and faith from all who hear about the amazing sacrifice he made for you and for me.

He paid a debt he did not owe
I owed a debt I could not pay
I needed someone to wash my sins away.
And now I sing a brand new song – Amazing Grace!
Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay.

Let us pray.

© Ray Fowler

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