There They Crucified Him (Luke 23:33)

With perfect understanding Luke takes only four words to describe the most meaningful event in all of history. The extraordinary economy of words available to Luke the physician and he sums everything up with just four words “There they crucified Him.” The other three Gospel writers leave out the particulars, allowing the imagination to put the pieces together as to what took place that dark day. The appalling business of crucifixion was all too familiar to those living under Roman rule, so Luke leaves the details to the historians. Luke takes less than half a dozen words to describe the Savior hanging from the tree.

There

“There they crucified Him.”

The very first word is THERE. Where? Calvary. This is the only place in all of scripture where the name Calvary is found. Matthew, Mark and John have the original word in Greek translated as Golgotha, the place of the skull. Luke’s gospel had it translated as Calvary. Some historians say the small hill was shaped as a skull. Other historians say it was littered with the skulls of men who had already played out the horrible sentence of death. Either way it was a place of death.

Abraham knew about Calvary. Mt. Moriah was his Calvary. There he led Isaac up the mountain and tied him to an earthen altar. His only promised son, Isaac, would be sacrificed unto his God. But as Abraham lifted up that sharp dagger, the Lord spoke from the heavens. There was a ram caught in the thickets, the Lord had provided Himself a sacrifice in place of Abraham’s son (Gen. 22:1-19).

At Calvary the Lord had provided Himself as the Lamb. The Lamb led to the slaughter, silent and willing. The Lamb of God, which would take away the sins of the world. The Lamb, the spotless lamb.

Calvary was pictured in the outer courts of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. The brazen altar, ablaze with the fire that that would burn the flesh of the sacrifice. The priests would take the lamb and cut it’s throat, lay it upon the altar and begin to offer it up as a sweet savor unto the Lord. It smelled like burning flesh, but to God it was the sweet savor of atonement. Sins forgiven and pushed ahead another year. But it was only a picture of a place where sins would be forever dealt with. No longer the blood of bulls and goats and sheep. The precious blood of Jesus would take the place of sinners (Ex. 27:1-9).

Without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission of sins (Heb. 9:22). The wages of sins is death, and there, at Calvary, death would be taken care of once and for all (Rom. 6:23).

At Calvary, the place of the skull, much blood had been shed. But no blood before that day was spilled for the sins of humanity. At Calvary the blood that Jesus shed would purchase salvation for every sinner. Every sin of lying, stealing, fornication, murder, pride, vanity, jealousy, envy, bitterness, un-forgiveness, hatred, racism, doubt would be forever forgiven and washed away by that blood AT CALVARY.

They

“There they crucified Him.”

Luke’s treatment of the event not only lists the place, but the people that were present at that moment. The Hebrews, Greeks, and the Romans were there at that moment. The worlds of religion, culture and power united to endorse the death of the Son of God. It was the Passover so hundreds of thousands of Jews were gathered in that city of Jerusalem.

The Centurion was there to hang Jesus to the Cross made of wood. He was there with his law and his legion of soldiers. The sign above Christ’s cross was written in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin: This is the King of the Jews (Matt. 27:37).

The mother of Jesus was present along with the women who loved Him. John the Beloved was present to hear Jesus “behold thy mother.” Simon Peter denied him and ran away cursing but another Simon was there who was compelled to carry the heavy Cross of Jesus.

Who can forget the High Priests and the Jewish council? They stood by mocking, and jeering. They reviled Him, the Son of Man who they pierced. The man Christ Jesus wounded in the house of His friends (Zech. 13:6). Caiaphas was there, who had prophesied as the High Priest that this man would have to die for the sins of the people. How soon he had forgotten his own prophecy.

Two criminals were crucified that day along with Jesus. One to his left and one to his right. Thieves who were sentenced to this horrible death, but in between them hanged the vindicator of their sins. One rejected him, the other cried for Jesus to take him to Paradise. Little did he know, that one day that One lifted up beside him would draw all unto Him.

But there were others there that day. You and I were there. Romans and Jews weren’t the only ones who were guilty of killing the Son of God. Yes, you and me killed him. “He who knew no sin, became sin, that we may become the righteousness of God.” Our sins were present.

Simon Peter on the day of Pentecost stood and declared, “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” (Acts 2:23,36).

We killed Jesus. Your sins and my sins murdered the Precious Son of God. Each of us took a turn with the hammer and nailed His hands to the rugged cross. Each of us took a load of the weight of His sovereign body on the cross and shoved it into the hole to allow Him to hang.

We cannot stand from a distance and watch as the authorities inject a prisoner sentenced to death. You and I are guilty. We killed Him. Your sins and my sins. Little sins and big sins. He became sin for us.

Crucified

“There they crucified Him.”

The Jews had tried to kill Jesus many times before this awful day. They tried to throw Him off a mountain. They tried to stone Him. But it could not be any of these ways.

Crucifixion was an awful death. Roman government found a way to put fear into the people they governed and ruled over. Stoning or cutting one’s head off was not sufficient. They instead tortured their victims to scare others from trying to rebel against them.

It was prophesied that the Messiah would have to suffer. But surly not like this.

Crucifixion was a cruel way to die. Death by hanging was not frightening enough to the Romans. They manufactured their own cross. All it took was a wooden upright post, and a crosspiece with arms outstretched. Then they nailed the screaming victim to that accursed cross and hung Him up to die. Every form of agony assailed the sufferer. Open wounds, exposure to the weather, cramps, thirst, starvation, fever, flies, infection. Each breath was intolerable. There was no comfort the victim. Jesus would also have a crown of thorns put upon Him. Pressing the twisted pieces of thorns to cut and lacerate His sovereign head.

The open wounds from His scourging would not be sufficient enough for the atonement. The wages of sin is death, the Lamb was not only to be punished, it would have to die.

As if the hanging was not enough, people mocked him. Some gambled for his clothes. Others cried for Him to call for Elijah. “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself.”

As death closed in, the darkness began to descend. The Earth began to moan for it’s Creator. Angels waited at a distance for Him to call for them. The disciples prayed for Him to come off that cross, but instead He cried “It is Finished” and He gave up the ghost.

Him

“There they crucified Him.”

At Calvary, the Greeks, Hebrews, Romans, sinners, mockers, liars, thieves, murderers and religious murdered a man. It was not Caesar. It was not a government official. It was not an insurrectionist. It was not a philanthropist. It was not a do-gooder.

No, this was not just a good man they killed: “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die” (Romans 5:7).

Allow me to tell you who exactly they crucified that day.

• Jesus was the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world- John 1:29
• He was the Lamb led to the slaughter- Isaiah 53
• He was the Word made flesh- John 1:1, 14
• He was the Son of God- Matthew 16:16
• He was the Alpha and the Omega- Revelation 1:8
• He was the King of the Jews- John 18:19
• He was the King of Kings – Revelation 19:16
• He was the Lord of Lords- Rev. 19:16
• He was the Great I Am- Exodus 3:14
• He was the Good Shepherd- John 10:11
• He was the Vine- John 15:1, 5
• He was the Light- John 8:12
• He was the Bread of Life- John 6:35
• He was the Living Water- John 4:10
• Jesus was the Way, the Truth, and the Life- John 14:6
• He was the Door- John 10:9
• Jesus was the Resurrection and Life- John 11:2
• Before Abraham was Jesus was I AM- John 8:58
• He was the Branch of David– Jeremiah 33:15
• He was the Root of Jesse- Romans 15:12

Paul said that in Jesus was the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9). The fullness of the Godhead. All of God was in Jesus. When you looked at Jesus you seen the Father, because He and the Father were one in the same. Thomas looked at Jesus and declared “My Lord and my God!” Jesus was the Word made flesh, meaning that Jesus was God manifest in flesh (Jn. 1:1-14).

But Jesus was not just God, but He was in fact all man as well. As God He could calm the storms. As man He could sleep on the boat. As man He could thirst, but be the Living Water that would quench the thirst of all men forever. As man he could get tired, but as God He would give rest to all that were heavy laden and worn out. As man he could get hungry and fight the devil. But as God He was the Bread of Life that could help you conquer Satan under your feet.

There they crucified Him! Him! The Lord of glory. God manifest in the flesh.
The fullness of the Godhead bodily. The only true God. The flesh was killed and marred for your sins. And after three days Jesus resurrected that temple of His flesh.

They crucified Him, but He justified us. We killed Him, but He gave us life. They buried Him, but he cleansed us. We mocked Him, but He forgave us.

There they crucified Him, but here you can receive Him. Right now, wherever you are you can receive the One who died and rose from the dead for you. Simply believe in the Son of God (Jn. 8:24). Believe that He is God, and that He can save you. The Holy One provided the means for your forgiveness, but you cannot be passive about asking for forgiveness. You must repent of your sins, forsaking your old way of life and turning towards Jesus (Mk. 1:5). But just as Jesus was buried after His death, you must be buried with Him in baptism (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12). The One who died, has the name that can save (Acts 4:12). In baptism we invoke the name of Jesus Christ for the washing away of your sins, signifying the burial of the old sinful lifestyle (Acts 2:38). Finally, we are resurrected into new life, just as He rose from the dead. The Holy Spirit fills our hearts, giving us a down payment on the future glorification that we inherit (Eph. 1:14-16).

Do not hesitate, do not wait. There they crucified Him, but here today you can receive Him.