Tuesday 8th April
Read Mark 15:21-24
“A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means ‘the place of the skull’). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.” (NIVUK)
The ‘place of the skull’ was less about the ‘eye sockets’ and frontal view of a skull we traditionally picture but more about a domed and bare hilltop. Elevated and desolate but visible to many. The crucifixion was public and exposed.
The ‘wine mixed with myrrh’ was traditionally offered by the Jewish women to the condemned prisoners as an anaesthetic, to dull the horrors and suffering. It was a small mercy. That Jesus did not take it tells us that He chose not to lessen the suffering in any way – it was to be full and complete.
The simple observation that they divided up His clothes tactfully hides the fact that Jesus was crucified naked. Completely exposed. Together these three details tell us much about the cross and why Jesus sought another way in the garden. Jesus died as an innocent man, in our place, publicly displayed but fully aware of all that was happening, physically and mentally. Abandoned by God and man. For us.
