Conclusion Of Handed Over And Led Away

Fearing for his political position and reputation, Pilate finally caves in under the Jew's relentless demands. He hands Jesus over. The soldiers strip Jesus of the purple cloak and clothe him with his outer garments. As Jesus is led off to be impaled, his is made to bear his own torture stake.

By now it is mid-morning on Friday, Nisan 14; perhaps it is approaching noon. Jesus has been up since early Thursday morning, and he has suffered one agonizing experience after another. Understandably, his strength soon gives out under the weight of the stake. So a passerby, a certain Simon of Cyrene in Africa, is impressed into service to carry it for him. As they proceed along, many people, including women, follow, beating themselves in grief and bewailing Jesus.

Turning to the women, Jesus says: "Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for me. On the contrary, weep for yourselves and for your children; because, look! days are coming in which people will say, 'Happy are the barren women, and the wombs that did not give birth and the breasts that did not nurse! . . .Because if they do these things when the tree is moist what will occur when it is withered?"

Jesus is referring to the tree of the Jewish nation, which still has some moisture of life in it because of Jesus' presence and the existence of a remnant that believe in him. But when these are taken out from the nation, only a spiritually dead tree will remain, yes, a withered national organization. Oh, what cause for weeping there will be when the Roman armies serving as God's executioners, devastate the Jewish nation! John 19:6-17; 18:31; Luke 23:24-31; Matthew 27:31, 32; Mark 15:20, 21.

Next time: Agony On The Stake

The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived, 1991