THE SIX HOURS JESUS SPENT ON THE CROSS

TEXT- MARK 15:22-41

INTRODUCTION

THIS MORNING I WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE WITH MY MESSAGE ON THE SUBJECT OF "THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS."

IN MY MESSAGE LAST WEEK WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED TO JESUS ON THE NIGHT BEFORE HE WAS CRUCIFIED, ?. THIS MORNING I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO LOOK AT THE EVENTS THAT OCCURRED ON THE DAY OF THE CRUCIFIXION.

SINCE THERE IS NOT ENOUGH TIME THIS MORNING TO LOOK AT EACH ONE OF THESE THINGS THAT TOOK PLACE ON THIS DAY IN DETAIL, I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO FOCUS OUR ATTENTION UPON THE CRUCIFIXION ITSELF AND THE SIX HOURS THAT JESUS SPENT UPON THE CROSS OF CALVARY.

BEFORE WE LOOK AT THE CRUCIFIXION THOUGH, I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO PICTURE IN OUR MINDS THE THINGS THAT TOOK PLACE ON THIS DAY AND PLACE THEM IN THEIR PROPER ORDER.

BEFORE JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED HE WENT THROUGH A TOTAL OF SIX DIFFERENT TRIALS (THREE JEWISH AND THREE ROMAN) IN THE COURSE OF ABOUT SIX HOURS, THEN HE SPENT SIX MORE HOURS ON THE CROSS.  THE LAST TWELVE HOURS OF JESUS’ LIFE CAN BE DIVIDED UP INTO THREE PARTS.  FIRST, THE TRIALS HE WENT THROUGH, SECOND THE CRUCIFIXION AND THIRD HIS RESURRECTION.

BEFORE JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED HE WAS SECRETLY ARRESTED AT NIGHT AND THEN KEPT UP ALL NIGHT LONG TO GO THROUGH VARIOUS TRIALS.

FIRST, HE WAS TAKEN TO A KEY LEADER OF THE JEWS NAMED ANNAS WHO QUICKLY SENT HIM TO THE HIGH PRIEST CALLED CAIAPHAS.

AFTER JESUS HAD BEEN JUDGED BY THE HIGH PRIEST NAMED CAIAPHAS AND SPENT THE LAST PART OF THE NIGHT AT THIS MAN'S HOUSE, WE ARE TOLD IN MATTHEW 27:1 THAT WHEN IT WAS MORNING THAT THE JEWISH SUPREME COURT CALLED THE SANHEDRIN COURT TOOK COUNSEL AGAINST JESUS AND SENTENCED HIM TO BE PUT TO DEATH.

IT IS HARD TO SAY EXACTLY WHAT TIME IN THE MORNING THIS TOOK PLACE BUT WE KNOW THAT IT HAD TO HAPPEN BEFORE 6:00 AM IN THE MORNING.

THE REASON WHY IT HAD TO HAPPEN BEFORE 6:00 AM IS BECAUSE JOHN TELLS US IN JOHN 19:14 THAT IT WAS ABOUT THE SIXTH HOUR WHICH IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN IS NOT NOON TIME BUT RATHER ROMAN TIME WHICH WOULD BE 6:00 AM IN THE MORNING.

AFTER JESUS HAD BEEN JUDGED BY THE SANHEDRIN COURT, HE WAS THEN TAKEN TO THE ROMAN PILATE OF JUDEA WHO WAS THE GOVERNOR OF JUDEA.

IT WAS AT ABOUT 6:00 AM THAT JESUS WAS BEFORE PILATE.

IN LUKE 23:7 WE ARE TOLD THAT WHEN PILATE BEGAN TO QUESTION JESUS, HE FOUND OUT THAT HE BELONGED UNDER HEROD'S JURISDICTION.

BECAUSE OF THIS PILATE THEN SENT JESUS TO HEROD WHO WAS IN JERUSALEM AT THIS TIME.

AFTER HEROD WAS DONE QUESTIONING JESUS AND AFTER HIS SOLDIERS HAD MOCKED HIM, TREATED HIM WITH CONTEMPT, AND HAD DRESSED HIM IN A BEAUTIFUL ROBE, HEROD THEN SENT JESUS BACK TO PlLATE.

IT WAS AT THIS TIME THAT PILATE EXAMINED JESUS AT GREAT LENGTH, AND FOUND NO GUILT WITHIN HIM.  BUT BECAUSE THE JEWS ACCUSED HIM OF SAYING THAT HE WAS THE SON OF GOD AND JESUS ADMITTED IT, HE WAS SENTENCED TO DIE IN THE PLACE OF A MURDERER NAMED BARABBAS.

IMMEDIATELY AFTER JESUS WAS SENTENCED TO BE CRUCIFIED THE ROMAN SOLDIERS TOOK JESUS AND PUT A PURPLE ROBE ON HIM, PLACED A CROWN OF THORNS UPON HIS HEAD, PUT A REED IN HIS HAND AND BEGAN TO MOCK HIM BY COMING UP TO HIM AND SAYING, "HAIL, KING OF THE JEWS."

IT WAS ALSO AT THIS TIME THAT THEY HIT HIM IN HIS FACE WITH THEIR FISTS, BEAT HIM UPON HIS HEAD WITH A STICK, WHIPPED HIM UPON HIS BACK WITH A WHIP THAT CONTAINED BONE FRAGMENTS AT THE END OF IT, AND ALSO SPIT UPON HIM.

AFTER THE SOLDIERS FINISHED MOCKING JESUS, THEY THEN LED HIM AWAY TO BE CRUCIFIED.

THEN THEY FINALLY REACHED THE PLACE WHERE JESUS WAS TO BE CRUCIFIED; THEY CRUCIFIED HIM AND THEN AFTER HE DIED THEY BURIED HIM.

ALL OF THESE THINGS TOOK PLACE ON THE DAY THAT JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED IN ABOUT A TWELVE HOUR SPAN OF TIME..

AND TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY AND ON THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS, YOU NEED TO COMPARE EACH ACCOUNT OF WHAT HAPPENED FROM ALL FOUR OF THE GOSPELS.

LET’S LOOK NOW AT THE CRUCIFIXTION ITSELF AND THE SIX HOURS THAT JESUS SPENT ON THE CROSS OF CALVARY.