Jesus Crucified at Golgotha

At about 3 pm, on Friday, the famous teacher Jesus died, on the cross. He was 33.

Hung between two thieves, he was crucified, at a place called Golgotha (which means, 'place of the skull'), Mount Calvary, just outside the walls of the city of Jerusalem.

Nailed to the cross, by the Roman soldiers, he was alive with pain and exhaustion on it, for about six hours.

He uttered seven phrases while on the cross (see below for the words).

Though exhausted from severe lashes on his back, and a crown of thorns on his head, he was made to carry his own cross on his shoulder, to the place of crucifixion.

The soldiers then drove nails into the hands and feet of his already bloodied body, on to the wooden cross, and then lifted the cross and dropped it into a hole in the ground.

Physical exhaustion from lack of sleep, walking between the trials, and severe beatings, and mental pain of mockery, must have hastened his death.

Strange Forgiveness

From the time of his arrest late Thursday night to the Friday morning trials, flogging and sentencing - as we reported in yesterday's issue - it is possible that Jesus faced an enormous amount of  pain and suffering.

Yet, many people around the cross -  Jews, Roman soldiers, and Jesus' followers -  heard his first words: "Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."

While hanging on the side, one of the two thieves who was also crucified, said to Jesus, “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

But the other thief rebuked the first thief and said: “Don’t you fear God? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 

The second thief then turned to Jesus and said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. ”

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Death Confirmed

As the Sabbath of the Jews starts with sunset on Friday night, and as they would not do any work on the day of rest (Saturday), all the people wanted the bodies to be taken off the cross before the sun set.

If the ones on the cross were still alive, it was the normal Roman custom, during crucifixions, to break the criminals' legs, to hasten death.

When a soldier went to break the legs of Jesus, he found him already dead.

A spear was thrust into Jesus' side and blood and water came out, but no response from the body.

Strange Phenomena Observed

At about noon, when Jesus was on the cross, strange darkness was observed over the whole land until three on Friday afternoon. 

On Jesus' death, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 

The earth shook, the rocks split and some tombs broke open. 

Bodies of many holy people who had died were, allegedly, raised to life.. Some people in Jerusalem claimed they saw some dead people, alive. 

'King of the Jews' Signboard Controversy

One controversy during crucifixion was the sign-board that was nailed to the top of Jesus' cross.

"Jesus, King of the Jews"
Signboard, on the Cross,
in Aramaic, Greek, and Latin,
 ordered by
Roman Governor Pontius Pilate

It said, 'Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews', in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.

The soldiers nailed this signboard to Jesus' cross, on orders from the Roman Governor Pilate. But the chief priests of the Jews protested strongly.

They said to Pilate, that the signboard is not true.

They asked Pilate to change the words, at least to "He claimed he was the King of the Jews".

But Pilate said to them, "What I have written, I have written".