What
we read of the sufferings of Christ, in the foregoing chapter, was but the
prologue or introduction; here we have the completing of them. We left him
condemned by the chief priests; but they could only show their teeth, they
could not bite. Here we have him, I. Arraigned and accused before Pilate the
Roman governor, ver. 1-5. II. Cried out against by the common people, at the
instigation of the priests, ver. 6-14. III. Condemned to be crucified
immediately, ver. 15. IV. Bantered and abused, as a mock-king, by the Roman
soldiers, ver. 16-19. V. Led out to the place of execution with all possible
ignominy and disgrace, ver. 20-24. VI. Nailed to the cross between two
thieves, ver. 25-28. VII. Reviled and abused by all that passed by, ver.
29-32. VIII. Forsaken for a time by his father, ver. 33-36. IX. Dying, and
rending the veil, ver. 37, 38. X. Attested and witnessed to by the centurion
and others, ver. 39-41. XI. Buried in the sepulchre of Joseph of Arimathea,
ver. 42-47.
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Christ
Brought before Pilate.
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1 And straightway in the morning the chief
priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole
council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him
to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the
Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it. 3
And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered
nothing. 4 And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou
nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. 5 But
Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled. 6 Now at that
feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.
7 And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them
that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the
insurrection. 8 And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him
to do as he had ever done unto them. 9 But Pilate answered
them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.
11 But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release
Barabbas unto them. 12 And Pilate answered and said again unto
them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the
King of the Jews? 13 And they cried out again, Crucify
him. 14 Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done?
And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.
Here we have, I. A consultation held by the great Sanhedrim for the
effectual prosecution of our Lord Jesus. They met early in the morning
about it, and went into a grand committee, to find out ways and means
to get him put to death; they lost no time, but followed their blow in good
earnest, lest there should be an uproar among the people. The
unwearied industry of wicked people in doing that which is evil, should
shame us for our backwardness and slothfulness in that which is good. They
that war against Christ and thy soul, are up early; How long then
wilt thou sleep, O sluggard?
II. The delivering of him up a prisoner to Pilate; they bound him. He
was to be the great sacrifice, and sacrifices must be bound with cords, Ps.
cxviii. 27. Christ was bound, to make bonds easy to us, and enable us, as
Paul and Silas, to sing in bonds. It is good for us often to remember the
bonds of the Lord Jesus, as bound with him who was bound for us.
They led him through the streets of Jerusalem, to expose him to
contempt, who, while he taught in the temple, but a day or two before, was
had in veneration; and we may well imagine how miserably he looked after
such a night's usage as he had had; so buffeted, spit upon, and abused.
Their delivering him to the Roman power was a type of ruin of their church,
which hereby they merited, and brought upon themselves; it signified that
the promise, the covenant, and the oracles, of God, and the visible state
church, which were the glory of Israel, and had been so long in their
possession, should now be delivered up to the Gentiles. By delivering up the
king they do, in effect, deliver up the kingdom of God, which
is therefore, as it were, by their own consent, taken from them, and given
to another nation. If they had delivered up Christ, to gratify the desires
of the Romans, or to satisfy and jealousies of theirs concerning him, it had
been another matter; but they voluntarily betrayed him that was Israel's
crown, to them that were Israel's yoke.
III. The examining of him by Pilate upon interrogatories (v. 2);
"Art thou the king of the Jews? Dost thou pretend to be so, to
be that Messiah whom the Jews expect as a temporal
prince?"--"Yea," saith Christ, "it is as thou sayest,
I am that Messiah, but not such a one as they expect." He is the king
that rules and protects his Israel according to the spirit, who are Jews
inwardly by the circumcision of the spirit, and the king that will restrain
and punish the carnal Jews, who continue in unbelief.
IV. The articles of impeachment exhibited against him, and his silence under
the charge and accusation. The chief priests forgot the dignity of their
place, when they turned informers, and did in person accuse Christ of
many things (v. 3), and witness against him, v. 4. Many of
the Old-Testament prophets charge the priests of their times with great
wickedness, in which well did they prophesy of these priests; see
Ezek. xxii. 26; Hos. v. 1; vi. 9; Mic. iii. 11; Zeph. iii. 4; Mal. i. 6; ii.
8. The destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans is said to be for the iniquity
of the priests that shed the blood of the just, Lam. iv. 13. Note,
Wicked priests are generally the worst of men. The better any thing is, the
worse it is when it is corrupted. Lay persecutors have been generally found
more compassionate than ecclesiastics. These priests were very eager and
noisy in their accusation; but Christ answered nothing, v. 3.
When Pilate urged him to clear himself, and was desirous he should (v.
4), yet still he stood mute (v. 5), he answered nothing, which
Pilate thought very strange. He gave Pilate a direct answer (v. 2),
but would not answer the prosecutors and witnesses, because the things they
alleged, were notoriously false, and he knew Pilate himself was convinced
they were so. Note, As Christ spoke to admiration, so he kept
silence to admiration.
V. The proposal Pilate made to the people, to have Jesus released to them,
since it was the custom of the feast to grace the solemnity with the release
of one prisoner. The people expected and demanded that he should do as he
had ever done to them (v. 8); it was not an ill usage, but they
would have it kept up. Now Pilate perceived that the chief priests delivered
up Jesus for envy, because he had got such a reputation among the
people as eclipsed theirs, v. 10. It was easy to see, comparing the
eagerness of the prosecutors with the slenderness of the proofs, that it was
not his guilt, but his goodness, not any thing mischievous
or scandalous, but something meritorious and glorious,
that they were provoked at. And therefore, hearing how much he was the
darling of the crowd, he thought that he might safely appeal from the
priests to the people, and that they would be proud of rescuing him out of
the priests' hands; and he proposed an expedient for their doing it without
danger of an uproar; let them demand him to be released, and
Pilate will be ready to do it, and stop the mouths of the priests with
this--that the people insisted upon his release. There was indeed another
prisoner, one Barabbas, that had an interest, and would have some
votes; but he questioned not but Jesus would out-poll him.
VI. The unanimous outrageous clamours of the people have Christ put to
death, and particularly to have him crucified. It was a great
surprise to Pilate, when he found the people so much under the influence of
the priests, that they all agreed to desire that Barabbas might be released,
v. 11. Pilate opposed it all he could; "What will ye that I
shall do to him whom ye call the King of the Jews? Would not ye then
have him released too?" v. 12. No, say they, Crucify him.
The priests having put that in their mouths, the insist upon it; when Pilate
objected, Why, what evil has he done? (a very material question in
such a case), they did not pretend to answer it, but cried out more
exceedingly, as they were more and more instigated and irritated by the
priests, Crucify him, crucify him. Now the priests, who were very
busy dispersing themselves and their creatures among the mob, to keep up the
cry, promised themselves that it would influence Pilate two ways to condemn
him. 1. It might incline him to believe Christ guilty, when there was
so general an out-cry against him. "Surely," might Pilate think,
"he must needs be a bad man, whom all the world is weary of." He
would now conclude that he had been misinformed, when he was told
what an interest he had in the people, and that the matter was not so. But
the priest had hurried on the prosecution with so much expedition, that we
may suppose that they who were Christ's friends, and would have opposed this
cry, were at the other end of the town, and knew nothing of the matter.
Note, It has been the common artifice of Satan, to put Christ and his
religion into an ill name, and so to run them down. When once this sect, as
they called it, comes to be every where spoken against, though without
cause, then that is looked upon as cause enough to condemn it.
But let us judge of persons and things by their merits, and the
standard of God's word, and not prejudge by common fame and the cry of the
country. 2. It might induce him to condemn Christ, to please the
people, and indeed for fear of displeasing them. Though he was not so
weak as to be governed by their opinion, to believe him guilty, yet
he was so wicked as to be swayed by their outrage, to condemn him,
though he believed him innocent; induced thereunto by reasons of state, and
the wisdom of the world. Our Lord Jesus dying as a sacrifice for the sins
of many, he fell a sacrifice to the rage of many.
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Christ
Insulted and Condemned.
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15 And so Pilate, willing to content
the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had
scourged him, to be crucified. 16 And the soldiers led
him away into the hall, called Prætorium; and they call together the whole
band. 17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown
of thorns, and put it about his head, 18 And began to
salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! 19 And they smote him on the
head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees
worshipped him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off
the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to
crucify him. 21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed
by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear
his cross.
Here, I. Pilate, to gratify the Jews' malice, delivers Christ to be crucified,
v. 15. Willing to content the people, to do enough for
them (so the word is), and make them easy, that he might keep them quiet, he
released Barabbas unto them, who was the scandal and plague of their
nation, and delivered Jesus to be crucified, who was the glory
and blessing of their nation. Though he had scourged him before,
hoping that would content them, and then not designing to crucify
him, yet he went on to that; for no wonder that he who could persuade
himself to chastise one that was innocent (Luke xxiii. 16), could by
degrees persuade himself to crucify him.
Christ was crucified, for that was, 1. A bloody death, and without
blood no remission, Heb. ix. 22. The blood is the life (Gen. ix.
4); it is the vehicle of the animal spirits, which connect
the soul and body, so that the exhausting of the blood is the exhausting of
the life. Christ was to lay down his life for us, and therefore shed
his blood. Blood made atonement for the soul (Lev. xvii. 11), and
therefore in every sacrifice of propitiation special order was given for the
pouring out of the blood, and the sprinkling of that before
the Lord. Now, that Christ might answer all these types, he shed his
blood. 2. It was a painful death; the pains were exquisite and
acute, for death made its assaults upon the vitals by the exterior parts,
which are quickest of sense. Christ died, so as that he might feel
himself die, because he was to be both the priest and the sacrifice; so
that he might be active in dying; because he was to make his soul
an offering for sin. Tully calls crucifixion, Teterrimum supplicium--A
most tremendous punishment: Christ would meet death in its greatest
terror, and so conquer it. 3. It was a shameful death, the death of
slaves, and the vilest malefactors; so it was accounted among the Romans.
The cross and the shame are put together. God having been
injured in his honour by the sin of man, it is in his honour that
Christ makes him satisfaction, not only by denying himself in, and
divesting himself of, the honours due to his divine nature, for a time, but
by submitting the greatest reproach and ignominy the human nature was
capable of being loaded with. Yet this was not the worst. 4. It was a cursed
death; thus it was branded by the Jewish law (Deut. xxi. 23); He that is
hanged, is accursed of God, is under a particular mark of God's
displeasure. It was the death that Saul's sons were put to, when the guilt
of their father' bloody house was to be expiated, 2 Sam. xxi. 6. Haman and
his sons were hanged, Esth. vii. 10; ix. 13. We do not read any of
the prophets of the Old Testament that were hanged; but now that
Christ has submitted to be hanged upon a tree, the reproach and curse
of that kind of death are quite rolled away, so that it ought to be any
hindrance to the comfort of those who die either innocently or penitently,
nor any diminution from, but rather an addition to, the glory of those who
die martyrs for Christ, to be as he was, hanged upon a tree.
II. Pilate, to gratify the gay humour of the Roman soldiers, delivered him
to them, to be abused and spitefully treated, while they were preparing for
the execution. They called together the whole regiment that was then
in waiting, and they went into an inner hall, where they ignominiously
abused our Lord Jesus, as a king, just as in the high priest's hall his
servants had ignominiously abused him as a Prophet and Saviour. 1. Do kings
wear robes of purple or scarlet? They clothed him with purple. This
abuse done to Christ in his apparel should be an intimation to Christians,
not to make the putting on of apparel their adorning, 1 Pet. iii. 4.
Shall a purple or scarlet robe be matter of pride to a Christian, which was
matter of reproach and shame to Christ. 2. Do kings wear crowns? They
platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head. A crown of
straw, or rushes, would have been banter enough; but this was pain also. He
wore the crown of thorns which we had deserved, that we might wear the crown
of glory which he merited. Let us be taught by these thorns,
as Gideon taught the men of Succoth, to hate sin, and be uneasy under it,
and to be in love with Jesus Christ, who is here a lily among thorns. If we
be at any time afflicted with a thorn in the flesh, let it be our
comfort, that our high priest is touched with the feelings of our
infirmities, having himself known what thorns in the flesh meant. 3.
Are kings attended with the acclamations of their subjects, O king, live
for ever? That also is mimicked; they saluted him with "Hail,
King of the Jews; such a prince, and such a people, even good enough for
one another." 4. Kings have sceptres put into their hand, marks
of dominion, as the crown is of dignity; to imitate this, they put a reed
in his right hand. Those that despise the authority of Jesus Christ, as
not to be observed and obeyed, who regard not either the precepts of his
word, or the threatenings of his wrath, do, in effect, put a reed in his
hand; nay, and, as these here, smite him on the head with it,
such is the indignity they do him. 5. Subjects, when they swear allegiance,
were wont to kiss their sovereign; and this they offered to do, but,
instead of that, spit upon him. 6. Kings used to be addressed upon
the knee; and this also they brought into the jest, they bowed the
knee, and worshipped him; this they did in scorn, to make themselves and
one another laugh. We were by sin become liable to everlasting shame and
contempt, to deliver us from which, our Lord Jesus submitted to this
shame and contempt for us. He was thus mocked, not in his own clothes,
but in another's, to signify that he suffered not for his own sin; the crime
was ours, the shame his. Those who pretend subjection to Christ, but at the
same time give themselves up to the service of the world and the flesh, do,
in effect, the same that they did, who bowed the knee to him in mockery, and
abused him with, Hail, king of the Jews, when they said, We have
no king but Cæsar. Those that bow the knee to Christ, but do not bow
the soul, that draw nigh to him with their mouths, and honour him
with their lips, but their hearts are far from him, put the same
affront upon him that these here did.
III. The soldiers, at the hour appointed, led him away from Pilate's
judgment-hall to the place of execution (v. 20), as a sheep to the
slaughter; he was led forth with the workers of iniquity, though he
did no sin. But lest his death, under the load of his cross, which he was to
carry, should prevent the further cruelties they intended, they compelled
one Simon of Cyrene to carry his cross for him. He passed by, coming out
of the country or out of the fields, not thinking of any such
matter. Note, We must not think it strange, if crosses come upon us
suddenly, and we be surprised by them. The cross was a very troublesome
unwieldy load: but he that carried it a few minutes, had the honour to have
his name upon the record in the book of God, though otherwise an obscure
person; so that, wherever this gospel is preached; so that, wherever this
gospel is preached, there shall this be told for a memorial to him: in like
manner, though no affliction, no cross, for the present, be
joyous, but grievous, yet afterward it yields a crown of glory to them
that are exercised thereby.
22 And they bring him unto the place
Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. 23
And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it
not. 24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his
garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. 25
And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. 26 And the
superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE
JEWS. 27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his
right hand, and the other on his left. 28 And the scripture was
fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.
29 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying,
Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three
days, 30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross.
31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the
scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. 32 Let Christ
the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.
And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
We have here the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus.
I. The place where he was crucified; it was called Golgotha--the
place of a scull: some think, because of the heads of malefactors that
were there cut off: it was the common place of execution, as Tyburn, for he
was in all respects numbered with the transgressors. I know not how to give
any credit to it, but divers of the ancients mention it as a current
tradition, that in this place our first father Adam was buried, and they
think it highly congruous that there Christ should be crucified; for as in
Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive. Tertullian, Origen,
Chrysostom, and Epiphanius (great names), take notice of it; nay, Cyprian
adds, Creditur à piis--Many good people believe that the blood of
Christ crucified did trickle down upon the scull of Adam, who was buried in
the same place. Something more credible is the tradition, that this mount
Calvary was that mountain in the land of Moriah (and in the land of
Moriah it certainly was, for so the country about Jerusalem was called), on
which Isaac was to be offered; and the ram was offered instead of him; and
then Abraham had an eye to this day of Christ, when he called the
place Jehovah-jireh--The Lord will provide, expecting that so it
would be seen in the mount of the Lord.
II. The time when he was crucified; it was the third hour, v.
25. He was brought before Pilate about the sixth hour (John xix. 14),
according to the Roman way of reckoning, which John uses, with which ours at
this day agrees, that is at six o'clock in the morning; and then, at the third
hour, according to the Jews' way of reckoning, that is, about nine of
the clock in the morning, or soon after, they nailed him to the cross. Dr.
Lightfoot thinks the third hour is here mentioned, to intimate an
aggravation of the wickedness of the priests, they were here prosecuting
Christ to the death, though it was after the third hour, when they
ought to have been attending the service of the temple, and offering the
peace-offerings; it being the first day of the feast of unleavened bread,
when there was to be a holy convocation. At that very time, when they
should have been, according to the duty of their place, presiding in the
public devotions, were they here venting their malice against the Lord
Jesus; yet these were the men that seemed so zealous for the temple, and
condemned Christ for speaking against it. Note, There are many who pretend
to be for the church, who yet care not how seldom they go to
church.
III. The indignities that were done him, when he was nailed to the cross; as
if that had not been ignominious enough, they added several things to the
ignominy of it.
1. It being the custom to give wine to persons that were to be put
to death, they mingled his with myrrh, which was bitter,
and made it nauseous; he tasted it, but would not drink it;
was willing to admit the bitterness of it, but not the benefit of it.
2. The garments of those that were crucified, being, as with us, the
executioners' fee, the soldiers cast lots upon his garments (v.
24), threw dice (as our soldiers do upon a drum-head), for them: so making
themselves merry with his misery, and sitting at their sport while he was
hanging in pain.
3. They set up a superscription over his head, by which they intended to
reproach him, but really did him both justice and honour, The king of the
Jews, v. 26. Here was no crime alleged, but his sovereignty
owned. Perhaps Pilate meant to cast disgrace upon Christ as a baffled king,
or upon the Jews, who by their importunity had forced him, against his
conscience, to condemn Christ, as a people that deserved no better a king
than he seemed to be: however, God intended it to be the proclaiming even of
Christ upon the cross, the king of Israel; though Pilate know not
what he wrote, any more than Caiaphas what he said, John xi. 51. Christ
crucified is king of his church, his spiritual Israel; and even then when he
hung on the cross, he was like a king, conquering his and his
people's enemies, and triumphing over them, Col. ii. 15. Now he was
writing his laws in his own blood, and preparing his favours for his
subjects. Whenever we look unto Christ crucified, we must remember the
inscription over his head, that he is a king, and we must give up ourselves
to be his subjects, as Israelites indeed.
4. They crucified two thieves with him, one on his right hand, the
other on his left, and him in the midst as the worst of the three (v.
27); so great a degree of dishonour did they hereby intend him. And, no
doubt, it gave him disturbance too. Some that have been imprisoned in
the common gaols, for the testimony of Jesus, have complained of the company
of cursing, swearing prisoners, more than any other of the grievances of
their prison. Now, in the midst of such our Lord Jesus was crucified;
while he lived he had, and there was occasion, associated with
sinners, to do them good; and now when he died, he was for the same purpose
joined with them, for he came into the world, and went out of it, to save
sinners, even the chief. But this evangelist takes particular notice of
the fulfilling of the scriptures in it, v. 28. In that famous
prediction of Christ's sufferings (Isa. liii. 12), it was foretold that he
should be numbered with the transgressors, because he was made sin
for us.
5. The spectators, that is, the generality of them, instead of condoling
with him in his misery, added to it by insulting over him. Surely never was
such an instance of barbarous inhumanity toward the vilest malefactor: but
thus the devil showed the utmost rage against him, and thus he submitted to
the greatest dishonours that could be done him.
(1.) Even they that passed by, that were no way concerned, railed
on him, v. 29. If their hearts were so hardened, that their
compassions were not moved with such a spectacle, yet they should have
thought it enough to have their curiosity gratified; but that will not
serve: as if they were not only divested of all humanity, but were devils in
human shape, they taunted him, and expressed themselves with the utmost
detestation of him, and indignation at him, and shot thick at him their
arrows, even bitter words. The chief priests, no doubt, put these
sarcasms into their mouths, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest
it in three days, now, if thou canst, save thyself, and come
down from the cross. They triumph as if now that they had got him to the
cross, there were no danger of his destroying the temple; whereas the
temple of which he spoke, he was now destroying, and
did within three days build it up; and the temple of which they
spoke, he did by men, that were his sword and his hand,
destroy not many years after. When secure sinners think the danger is over,
it is then most ready to seize them: the day of the Lord comes as a thief
upon those that deny his coming, and say, Where is the promise of it?
much more upon those that defy his coming, and say, Let him make
speed, and hasten his work.
(2.) Even the chief priests, who, being taken from among men and
ordained for men, should have compassion even on those that are out of the
way, should be tender of those that are suffering and dying (Heb. v. 1, 2),
yet they poured vinegar instead of oil into his wounds, they talked to
the grief of him whom God had smitten (Ps. lxix. 26), they mocked
him, they said, He saved others, healed and helped them, but now
it appears that it was not by his own power, for himself he cannot save.
They challenged him to come down from the cross, if he could, v.
32. Let them but see that, and they would believe; whereas
they would not believe, when he gave them a more convincing sign than that,
when he came up from the grave. These chief priests, one would think, might
now have found themselves other work to do: if they would not go to
do their duty in the temple, yet they might have been employed in an
office not foreign to their profession; though they would not offer any
counsel or comfort to the Lord Jesus, yet they might have given some help to
the thieves in their dying moments (the monks and priests in Popish
countries are very officious about criminals broken upon the wheel, a death
much like that of the cross); but they do not think that their business.
(3.) Even they that were crucified with him, reviled him (v. 32); one
of them did, so wretchedly was his heart hardened even in the depth of
misery, and at the door of eternity.
33 And when the sixth hour was come, there
was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at
the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama
sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? 35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it,
said, Behold, he calleth Elias. 36 And one ran and filled a
sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink,
saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him
down. 37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the
ghost. 38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the
top to the bottom. 39 And when the centurion, which stood over
against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly
this man was the Son of God. 40 There were also women looking on
afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the
less and of Joses, and Salome; 41 (Who also, when he was in
Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which
came up with him unto Jerusalem.
Here we have an account of Christ's dying, how his enemies abused him, and
God honoured him at his death.
I. There was a thick darkness over the whole land (some think
over the whole earth), for three hours, from noon till three of the clock.
Now the scripture was fulfilled (Amos viii. 9), I will cause the sun to
go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day;
and Jer. xv. 9, Her sun is gone down while it is yet day. The Jews
have often demanded of Christ a sign from heaven; and now they had
one, but such a one as signified the blinding of their eyes. It was a sign
of the darkness that was come, and coming, upon the Jewish church and
nation. They were doing their utmost to extinguish the Sun of righteousness,
which was now setting, and the rising again of which they would never own;
and what then might be expected among them but a worse than Egyptian
darkness? This intimated to them, that the things which belonged to their
peace, were now hid from their eyes, and that the day of the Lord was
at hand, which should be to them a day of darkness and gloominess,
Joel ii. 1, 2. It was the power of darkness that they were now under, the
works of darkness that they were now doing; and such as this should their
doom justly be, who loved darkness rather than light.
II. Toward the close of this darkness, our Lord Jesus, in the agony of his
soul, cried out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? v.
34. The darkness signified the present cloud which the human soul of Christ
was under, when he was making it an offering for sin. Mr. Fox, in his
Acts and Monuments (vol. 3, p. 160), tells of one Dr. Hunter, a
martyr in queen Mary's time, who, being fastened to the stake, to be burnt,
put up this short prayer, Son of God, shine upon me; and immediately
the sun in the firmament shone out of the dark cloud, so full in his face,
that he was forced to look another way, which was very comfortable to him.
But our Lord Jesus, on the contrary, was denied the light of the sun, when
he was in his sufferings, to signifying the withdrawing of the light of
God's countenance. And this he complained of more than any thing; he did not
complain of his disciples' forsaking him, but of his Father's, 1. Because
this wounded his spirit; and that is a thing hard to bear
(Prov. xviii. 14); brought the waters into his soul, Ps. lxix. 1-3. 2.
Because in this especially he was made sin for us; our iniquities had
deserved indignation and wrath upon the soul (Rom. ii. 8), and
therefore, Christ, being made a sacrifice, underwent as much of it as
he was capable of; and it could not but bear hard indeed upon him who had
lain in the bosom of the Father from eternity, and was always his
light. These symptoms of divine wrath, which Christ was under in his
sufferings, were like that fire from heaven which had been sent sometimes,
in extraordinary cases, to consume the sacrifices (as Lev. ix. 24; 2 Chron.
vii. 1; 1 Kings xviii. 38); and it was always a token of God's acceptance.
The fire that should have fallen upon the sinner, if God had not been
pacified, fell upon the sacrifice, as a token that he was so;
therefore it now fell upon Christ, and extorted him from this loud
and bitter cry. When Paul was to be offered as a sacrifice for
the service of saints, he could joy and rejoice (Phil.
ii. 17); but it is another thing to be offered as a sacrifice for the sin
of sinners. Now, at the sixth hour, and so to the ninth,
the sun was darkened by an extraordinary eclipse; and if it be
true, as some astronomers compute, that in the evening of this day on which
Christ died there was an eclipse of the moon, that was natural and expected,
in which seven digits of the moon were darkened, and it continued from five
o'clock till seven, it is remarkable, and yet further significant of the
darkness of the time that then was. When the sun shall be darkened,
the moon also shall not give her light.
III. Christ's prayer was bantered by them that stood by (v. 35, 36);
because he cried, Eli, Eli, or (as Mark has it, according to the
Syriac dialect) Eloi, Eloi, they said, He calls for Elias,
though they knew very well what he said, and what it signified, My God,
My God. Thus did they represent him as praying to saints, either
because he had abandoned God, or God had abandoned him; and hereby they
would make him more and more odious to the people. One of them filled a
sponge with vinegar, and reached it up to him upon a reed; "Let him
cool his mouth with that, it is a drink good enough for him," v.
36. This was intended for a further affront and abuse to him; and whoever it
was that checked him who did it, did but add to the reproach; "Let
him alone; he has called for Elias: let us see whether Elias will
come take him down; and if not, we may conclude that he also hath
abandoned him."
IV. Christ did again cry with a loud voice, and so gave up the
ghost, v. 37. He was now commending his soul into his Father's
hand; and though God is not moved with any bodily exercise, yet this
loud voice signified the great strength and ardency of affection wherewith
he did it; to teach us, in every thing wherein we have to do with God, to
put forth our utmost vigour, and to perform all the duties of religion,
particularly that of self-resignation, with our whole heart and whole
soul; and then, though speech fails, that we cannot cry with a loud
voice, as Christ did, yet if God be the strength of the heart,
that will not fail. Christ was really and truly dead, for he gave
up the ghost; his human soul departed to the world of spirits, and left
his body a breathless clod of clay.
V. Just at that instant that Christ died upon mount Calvary, the veil
of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, v.
38. This bespoke a great deal, 1. Of the terror of the unbelieving Jews; for
it was a presage of the utter destruction of their church and nation, which
followed not long after; it was like the cutting asunder of the staff of
beauty (for this veil was exceedingly splendid and glorious, Exod. xxvi.
31), and that was done at the same time when they gave for his price thirty
pieces of silver (Zech. xi. 10, 12), to break the covenant which he
had made with that people. Now it was time to cry, Ichabod, The glory
is departed from Israel. Some think that the story which Josephus
relates, of the temple door opening of its own accord, with that voice, Let
us depart hence, some years before the destruction of Jerusalem, is the
same with this; but that is not probable: however, this had the same
signification, according to that (Hos. v. 14), I will tear, and go away.
2. It bespeaks a great deal of comfort to all believing Christians, for it
signifies the consecrating and laying open to us of a new and living way
into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
VI. The centurion who commanded the detachment which had the oversight of
the execution was convinced, and confessed that this Jesus was the Son of
God, v. 39. One thing that satisfied him, was, that he so
cried out, and gave up the ghost: that one who was ready to give up the
ghost, should be able to cry out so, was very surprising. Of all the sad
spectacles of this kind he never observed the like; and that one who had
strength to cry so loud, should yet immediately give up the ghost, this also
made him wonder; and he said, to the honour of Christ, and the shame of
those that abused him, Truly this man was the Son of God. But what
reason had he to say so? I answer, 1. He had reason to say that he suffered unjustly,
and had a great deal of wrong done him. Note, He suffered for saying that he
was the Son of God; and it was true, he did say so, so that if he
suffered unjustly, as it was plain by all the circumstances of his suffering
that he did, then what he said was true, and he was indeed the Son of
God. 2. He had reason to say that he was a favourite of heaven,
and one for whom the almighty power was particularly engaged, seeing how
Heaven did him honour at his death, and frowned upon his persecutors.
"Surely," thinks he, "this must be some divine person, highly
beloved of God." This he expresses by such words as denote his eternal
generation as God, and his special designation to the office of Mediator,
though he meant not so. Our Lord Jesus, even in the depth of his sufferings
and humiliation, was the Son of God, and was declared to be so with
power.
VII. There were some of his friends, the good women especially, that
attended him (v. 40, 41); There were women looking on afar off:
the men durst not be seen at all, the mob was so very outrageous; Currenti
cede furori--Give way to the raging torrent, they thought, was good
counsel now. The women durst not come near, but stood at a distance,
overwhelmed with grief. Some of these women are here named. Mary
Magdalene was one; she had been his patient, and owed all her comfort to
his power and goodness, which rescued her out of the possession of seven
devils, in gratitude for which she thought she could never do enough for
him. Mary also was there, the mother of James the little, Jacobus
parvus, so the word is; probably, he was so called because he was, like
Zaccheus, little of stature. This Mary was the wife of Cleophas or Alpheus,
sister to the virgin Mary. These women had followed Christ from Galilee,
though they were not required to attend the feast, as the males were; but it
is probably that they came, in expectation that his temporal kingdom would
now shortly be set up, and big with hopes of preferment for themselves, and
their relations under him. It is plain that the mother of Zebedee's children
was so (Matt. xx. 21); and now to see him upon a cross, whom they
thought to have seen upon a throne, could not but be a great disappointment
to them. Note, Those that follow Christ, in expectation of great things in
this world by him, and by the profession of his religion, may probably live
to see themselves sadly disappointed.
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The
Burial of Christ; The Women at the Sepulchre.
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42 And now when the even was come, because it
was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, 43
Joseph of Arimathæa, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the
kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of
Jesus. 44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and
calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any
while dead. 45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he
gave the body to Joseph. 46 And he bought fine linen, and took
him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which
was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the
sepulchre. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of
Joses beheld where he was laid.
We are here attending the funeral of our Lord Jesus, a solemn, mournful
funeral. O that we may by grace be planted in the likeness of it! Observe,
I. How the body of Christ was begged. It was, as the dead bodies of
malefactors are, at the disposal of the government. Those that hurried him
to the cross, designed that he should make his grave with the wicked;
but God designed he should make it with the rich (Isa. liii. 9), and
so he did. We are here told,
1. When the body of Christ was begged, in order to its being buried, and why
such haste was made with the funeral; The even was come, and it was the
preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, v. 42.
The Jews were more strict in the observation of the sabbath than of any
other feast; and therefore, though this day was itself a feast-day,
yet they observed it more religiously as the eve of the sabbath;
when they prepared their houses and tables for the splendid and joyful
solemnizing of the sabbath day. Note, The day before the sabbath should be a
day of preparation for the sabbath, not of our houses and tables, but of our
hearts, which, as much as possible, should be freed from the cares
and business of the world, and fixed, and put in frame for the
service and enjoyment of God. Such work is to be done, and such advantages
are to be gained on the sabbath day, that it is requisite we should get
ready for it a day before; nay, the whole week should be divided between the
improvement of the foregoing sabbath and the preparation for the following
sabbath.
2. Who was it that begged the body, and took care for the decent interment
of it; it was Joseph of Arimathea, who is here called an honourable
counsellor (v. 43), a person of character and distinction, and in
an office of public trust; some think in the state, and that he was
one of Pilate's privy council; his post rather seems to have been in the
church, he was one of the great Sanhedrim of the Jews, or one of
the high priest's council. He was euschmwn
bouleuthV--a counsellor that conducted himself
in his place as did become him. Those are truly honourable, and those
only, in place of power and trust, who make conscience of their duty, and
whose deportment is agreeable to their preferment. But here is a more
shining character put upon him; he was one that waited for the kingdom of
God, the kingdom of grace on earth, and of glory in heaven, the kingdom
of the Messiah. Note, Those who wait for the kingdom of God, and hope
for an interest in the privileges of it, must show it by their forwardness
to own Christ's cause and interest, even then when it seems to be crushed
and run down. Observe, Even among the honourable counsellors there
were some, there was one at least, that waited for the kingdom of
God, whose faith will condemn the unbelief of all the rest. This man God
raised up for this necessary service, when none of Christ's disciples could,
or durst, undertake it, having neither purse, nor interest, nor courage, for
it. Joseph went in boldly to Pilate; though he knew how much it would
affront the chief priests, who had loaded him with so much reproach, to see
any honour done him, yet he put on courage; perhaps at first he was a
little afraid, but tolmhsaV--taking
heart on it, he determined to show this respect to the remains of the
Lord Jesus, let the worst come to the worst.
3. What a surprise it was to Pilate, to hear that he was dead
(Pilate, perhaps, expecting that he would have saved himself, and come down
from the cross), especially that he was already dead, that one who
seemed to have more than ordinary vigour, should so soon yield to death.
Every circumstance of Christ's dying was marvellous; for from first to last
his name was called Wonderful. Pilate doubted (so some understand it)
whether he was yet dead or no, fearing lest he should be imposed upon, and
the body should be taken down alive, and recovered, whereas the
sentence was, as with us, to hang till the body be dead. He therefore
called the centurion, his own officer, and asked him whether he had been
any while dead (v. 44), whether it was so long since they
perceived any sign of life in him, any breath or motion, that they might
conclude he was dead past recall. The centurion could assure him of this,
for he had particularly observed how he gave up the ghost, v.
39. There was a special providence in it, that Pilate should be so strict in
examining this, that there might be no pretence to say that he was buried
alive, and so to take away the truth of his resurrection; and so fully was
this determined, that the objection was never started. Thus the truth of
Christ gains confirmation, sometimes, even from its enemies.
II. How the body of Christ was buried. Pilate gave Joseph leave to
take down the body, and do what he pleased with it. It was a wonder the
chief priests were not too quick for him, and had not first begged the body
of Pilate, to expose it and drag it about the streets, but that remainder of
their wrath did God restrain, and gave that invaluable prize to Joseph, who
knew how to value it; and the hearts of the priests were so influenced, that
they did not oppose it. Sit divus, modo non sit vivus--We care not for
his being adored, provided he be not revived.
1. Joseph bought fine linen to wrap the body in, though in such a
case old linen that had been worn might have been thought sufficient. In
paying respects to Christ it becomes us to be generous, and to serve
him with the best that can be got, not with that which can be got at
the best hand.
2. He took down the body, mangled and macerated as it was, and wrapt
it in the linen as a treasure of great worth. Our Lord Jesus hath
commanded himself to be delivered to us sacramentally in the ordinance of
the Lord's supper, which we should receive in such a manner as may best
express our love to him who loved us and died for us.
3. He laid it in a sepulchre of his own, in a private place. We
sometimes find it spoken of in the story of the kings of Judah, as a slur
upon the memory of the wicked kings, that they were not buried in the sepulchres
of the kings; our Lord Jesus, though he did no evil but much good, and
to him was given the throne of his father David, yet was buried in the
graves of the common people, for it was not in this world, but in the other,
that his rest was glorious. The sepulchre belonged to Joseph. Abraham
when he had no other possession in the land of Canaan, yet had a
burying-place, but Christ had not so much as that. This sepulchre was hewn
out of a rock, for Christ died to make the grave a refuge and
shelter to the saints, and being hewn out of a rock, it is a strong
refuge. O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave! Christ himself is
a hiding place to his people, that is, as the shadow of a great
rock.
4. He rolled a stone to the door of the sepulchre, for so the manner
of the Jews was to bury. When Daniel was put into the lion's den, a stone
was laid to the mouth of it to keep him in, as here to the door of Christ's
sepulchre, but neither of them could keep off the angels' visits to the
prisoners.
5. Some of the good women attended the funeral, and beheld where he was
laid, that they might come after the sabbath to anoint the dead body,
because they had not time to do it now. When Moses, the mediator and
lawgiver of the Jewish church, was buried, care was taken that no man should
know of his sepulchre (Deut. xxxiv. 6), because the respect of the
people towards his person were to die with him; but when our great Mediator
and Lawgiver was buried, special notice was taken of his sepulchre, because
he was to rise again: and the care taken of his body, bespeaks the
care which he himself will take concerning his body the church. Even when it
seems to be a dead body, and as a valley full of dry bones, it shall be
preserved in order to a resurrection; as shall also the dead bodies of the
saints, with whose dust there is a covenant in force which shall not be
forgotten. Our mediations on Christ's burial should lead us to think of our
own, and should help to make the grave familiar to us, and so to render that
bed easy which we must shortly make in the darkness. Frequent thoughts of it
would not only take off the dread and terror of it, but quicken us, since
the graves are always ready for us, to get ready for the graves, Job
xvii. 1.
