What a bloody mess!
In the writing of this gospel,
Mark chose to not detail the physical horrors that Jesus experienced. He wanted
to keep it straight-forward; for the most part, a cut-and-dried telling which
would be favored by Roman readership.
* "They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him
over to Pilate."
* "Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released
Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be
crucified."
Nonetheless, what Jesus faced
was atrocious. It wasn't enough he had been through the wringer with his arrest
at Gethsemane, the prejudiced court trial with the Sanhedrin, a thrashing by
the Temple guards, and sentenced by Pilate to be crucified. The sleep-deprived,
worn-down Jesus was then flogged.
His flesh was ripped
"down to the bone, causing severe bleeding. It was a beating from which
prisoners often died."[i] And after this gruesome
torture, further weakening his physical body beyond repair, Roman soldiers took
Jesus to the courtyard of the Praetorium -- the governor's official residence
in Jerusalem. There, they added insult to injury with a mock coronation.
* "They clothed him in a purple cloak."
* "After twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him."
* 'They begin saluting him, "Hail, King of the Jews!"'
* "They struck his head with a reed."
* "Spat upon him."
* "Knelt down in homage of him."
"It's all in good
fun!" It was a parody: the royal color, the royal crown, the royal
greeting, the royal scepter. Surely this "King"
could take a joke -- even if he was in excruciating pain.
This repulsive narrative
harkens back to Psalm 22:12-13: "Many
bulls encircle me, strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their
mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion." Afterwards, Jesus was
led out to be crucified.
"Crucified." Not unique to Christendom, this method of punishment
combined execution practices from the Carthaginians, Persians and Phoenicians. What
the Romans did was fine-tune it to be a slow, tortuous death for the victim. One
of Rome's greatest orators, Cicero, stated crucifixion as "the most cruel
and disgusting penalty," while Jewish historian Flavius Josephus called it
"the most wretched of deaths."
The condemned prisoner
would carry a wooden cross along a path from the Praetorium to Golgotha -- an
Aramaic word meaning "skull"
-- which served as a very public reminder to one and all. "This is
what happens when you challenge Rome!" As Joe* pointed out to the study
group, "It was the price of sedition."
Depending on the location
of Golgotha, which is actually unknown although the traditional site is at the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the estimated walking distance was between
one-third to one-half of a mile. With a cross at six feet in length, weighing
between 50 and 70 pounds, is it any wonder the extremely exhausted Jesus
collapsed along the way?
"I am poured out like water, and all my bones are
out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast."[ii]
Marching along the path,
four soldiers -- forming a hollow square around Jesus -- wouldn't lift a finger
to help. But they also knew their captive must reach his destination, so "they compelled a passer-by, who was
coming in from the country, to carry his cross."
"Compelled" comes across too
humane compared to what must have really happened in obligating the passer-by from
North Africa to assist Jesus. How would you have liked it -- to be forced to
participate in carrying out a man's execution -- when all you wanted to do was
celebrate the Passover festival? What options did Simon of Cyrene have? He was "compelled."
After Jesus reached Golgotha,
Mark continues to write the story in simple terms:
* "They offered him wine mixed with myrrh."
* "He did not take it."
* "They crucified him."
* "They divided his clothes."
* "They cast lots to decide what each should take."
The Roman soldiers had a
task to accomplish -- to nail the victim to the cross. According to the Talmud,
"When a person is led out to be executed he is given a glass of wine
containing a grain of frankincense, in order to numb his senses, as it is
written, 'Give strong drink unto him who
is perishing, wine to those bitter of soul.' -- Proverbs 31:6" (Sanhedrin 43a) With
myrrh used as a narcotic, this mixed cocktail would sedate the person so they
wouldn't struggle -- or at least struggle somewhat less.
Jesus refused the drink
even though "my mouth is dried up
like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of
death."[iii] By keeping a clear head, an opportunity
presents itself later for Jesus -- while on the cross -- to minister to someone
in need.
As for the clothing of
those crucified, the executioners would divide the victim's garments. It was
their "right."
"For dogs are all around me; a company of
evildoers encircles me. My hands and feet have shriveled; I can count all my
bones. They stare and gloat over me; they divide my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots."[iv]
Through it all, with "evildoers" surrounding Jesus,
a life-changing moment occurred for the one who was "compelled."
Three Gospels mention Simon
of Cyrene aiding Jesus; however, nothing additional describes his involvement. Did
he stay? Did he leave? A hint is provided in something seemingly written as a throw-away:
"the father of Alexander and
Rufus."
This identification has a
tie-in in what Paul later wrote in Romans 16:13: "Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; and greet his mother -- a mother
to me also." Mark and Paul were connecting the dots, which indicates
Rufus was known by Roman citizens as a believer in Christ.
Moreover, scholars believe
Simon of Cyrene played a bigger role than just carrying a cross. He was the "Simeon who was called Niger,"
in Acts 13:1. Laying
out pieces of the puzzle: Simeon is
another form of Simon; Niger is Latin for "black";
the city of Cyrene was in Africa near present-day Shahhat, Libya.
Putting this together, the
Simon who entered Jerusalem was not the same when he left. Being with Jesus caused
a significant shift in his life. Simon and his family relocated from Cyrene to
Antioch to become part of the early church movement and where they eventually met
Paul and Mark. Their paths converged.
All because Simon of
Cyrene had been "compelled."
"I will tell of your name to my brothers and
sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the
Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him,
all you offspring of Israel!"
"To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth
bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live
for him. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the
Lord, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has
done it."
Psalm 22:22-23, 29-31
NEXT
The inscription; stationed
between two criminals; "saving"
