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He willed it, when He willed it, and as He willed it.” * * * L esson Q uestion s V. 33. Where was Golgotha? What is the meaning of the word? V. 34. What was offered Jesus to drink? For what purpose was it offered? Why did He refuse it? V. 35. Why must Jesus die on a cross (cf. Jn. 3:14; Gal. 3 :1 3 )? Was it G°d’s plan and purpose that He should be cru cified (cf. Acts 2 :2 3 )? What did the sol diers do with His garments? What proph ecy was thereby fulfilled? V. 36. Who was described as sitting down to watch Him? Why did they watch Him? - V. 37. Who ordered the “accusation” to be put on the' Cross? Was it written in derision? Was it true? V. 38. Who were crucified with Jesus? What prophecy did this fulfill (cf. Isa. 5 3 :9, 12) ? Vs. 39-40. What did passersby do? What was their taunt? Had Jesus ever threatened to destroy the Temple? Of what saying were these words perhaps a perversion (cf. Jn. 2:18-22)? What did they ask Jesus to do? Could He have come down from the Cross had He wished to do So? Vs. 41-43. What other groups reviled Jesus? Did they speak to Him or about Him? What did they mean in the words, “He saved others” ? Why could He not save Himself? Had He claimed to be the King of Israel? Had they frequently de manded a sign from Him? Would they really have believed if He had come down from the Cross (cf. Lk. 16:31)? Had Jesus trusted on God? Did God fail to deliver Him now? Why did God permit Him to die (cf. Jn. 3: 16)? V. 44. What did the robbers do? Did one of them change his attitude (cf. Lk. 23:40-43)? V. 45. How long did darkness con tinue? Was this natural or supernatural darkness ? V. 46. Wliat did Jesus say? In which Psalm does this language occur ? Did His crying with a loud voice indicate that He was not physically exhausted? Vs. 47-49. What did some of the by standers think He said? What did one man do? Did Jesus accept His kindness? What did the rest say? Did this show lack of sympathy ? V. 50. How is the death of Jesus de scribed? Does this signify that He died voluntarily (cf. Jn. 10:17, 18) ? Hs * * P ractical .P oints 1. It can do little good and may do much harm to enlarge upon the tortures of mind and body suffered by the cruci fied Saviour. Take a hint from the Evan gelist, who merely says, “and they cruci fied him.” 2. The real suffering of the Cross was that which came to our Lord Jesus as the Sin-Bearer (Jn. 3:14; Gal. 3:10-13). 3. How easily Jesus could have saved Himself Had He not come to save others. 4. Those who lay down conditions on which they will believe God, would not be lieve under any conditions.
and said: “They were naughty men to hurt Jesus so!” He was wounded for us,
that we might be s a v e d f r o m the eternal hurt of sin. “We love Him be- b e c a u s e He first loved us.” L e s s o n Story. After J e s u s and His disciples s a n g the h y m n at the Last Supper t h e y went f o r t h from the upper room in
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5. What a pitiful spectacle—men gam bling at the foot of the Cross 1 6. We will never enter into the mean ing of the Cross until with brokenness of heart we say, “He loved me and gave Himself for me.” 7. The most pious and godly are often reviled by scoffers. There were no taunts for the robbers, but many for the Sinless One. 8. Do you hate the sin that caused Jesus to suffer? 9. How different the birthday of the King of the Jews, with the glory of heav en turning night into day (Luke 2 :9 )j and the hour of His death, when the brightness of noonday was turned into midnight blackness! 10. Jesus Christ went via Golgotha and Calvary to the right hand of the Father. He has opened a way for us (Heb. 9 :7, 8 ; 10:19, 20). 11. You know that Christ was crucified for your sins; do you also recognize that you have been crucified with Christ? (Gal. 2 :2 0 ; 6:14; etc.). * * * G olden T ex t I llustration There is a picture recently published which shows a company of wounded sol diers at Lakewood, New Jersey, going through calisthenic exercises; but the title struck a deep note of sympathy: “The Invisibly Wounded.” Their scars in battle were hidden, yet awfully real. The empty sleeve did not dangle at their side, nor the frightful furrow of shrapnel glare from eyeless sockets. Their wounds de fied the scrutiny of the curious. The pa tients felt the ache from racked nerves and deranged digestion growing out of barrage fire, gas attacks and trench fe vers, and the doctors knew the stupendous price each had paid for liberty and would continue to pay for years. But only the very thoughtful could doff their hats at the sight of these martyrs for a race’s emancipation. “The Invisibly Wounded” ! The “five bleeding wounds” of our Sav iour were very visible. Yet; as some one has said, “The suffering of Christ’s soul was the soul of his sufferings ."—H allock. * * * Jesus on the Cross Matt. 2 7 :33-50 Memory V erse: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him en dured the cross, despising the shame, and. is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” . (H eb . 1 2 :2 ). Approach'.—h. five-year-old girl looked at the picture of “Christ before Pilate”
to the Garden o f Gethsemane. Here Judas betrayed Him. Jesus was arrested, bound, and taken first to Annas, who sent Him to the palace of Caiaphas, the high priest, and head o f the great Sanhedrin. Here in the palace Jesus was mocked and scorned. He proclaimed Himself the Son of God, was accused by the Jews of blasphemy, and condemned to death, al though the trial was illegal. The law for bade the condemnation of a prisoner to death on the day of his trial. It also re quired the Sanhedrin to meet in the day time. The Jews were very careful to ob serve the outward forms of the law, but were so eager for the death of Jesus that they did not follow it in this trial. Under the Roman rule, the Jews could not carry out a death sentence. So they took Jesus to the Roman judge, or gov ernor, of Judea, Pontius Pilate. They made Pilate think that Jesus had called Himself a king, refusing to obey the king at Rome. They also accused Him of stir ring up the people against the Roman Government. Pilate looked at Jesus, ques tioned Him, and was so impressed with His gentleness and dignity that he told the Jews, “I find no fault in this man.” But this only made the Jews the more fierce. Then Pilate tried to evade re sponsibility and sent Jesus to Herod, gov ernor of Galilee, who clothed Him with a gorgeous robe, in ridicule o f His claim to be King, and sent Him back to Pilate. There He was mocked, scourged, spit up on, and condemned to death. Jesus was crucified at a place called Golgotha, outside the city of Jerusalem. He refused the drink that might have given relief from suffering, because He wished to lay down His life consciously, voluntarily. Seven sayings of Jesus on the Cross are_ recorded. You can find them, and let their wonderful meaning and beauty sink deep into your heart. Jesus was crucified at the hour of the morning sacrifice in the Temple, and He died at the time of the evening sacrifice. He was made a curse for us, that we might be free and forever saved. He had borne the scorn and mockery, the cruel scourging, the agony of the Cross, the bitterness of the Jew s; but worst of all was that awful moment when the face of His Father was turned away from Him, because of the sin that He took upon Himself—that weight of sin that was a horror to His own pure soul. In that moment of separation from His Father, He tasted the dregs of sorrow and punishment that should have been ours. Then in triumph and victory He cried, “It is finished 1” Satan was conquered forever! Jesus was Victor over sin and the grave. He came to save sinners, and the worst sin of all is to refuse this pre-
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