Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-06-01
JESUS ON THE CROSS.
LESSON X, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JUNE 8.

Il
Verses 35-s7-Comment by Rev. II. s.
Hoffman.
| CONDENSED from Lesson Helper Quarterly by
| permission of II. S. Hoffman, Philadelphia,
publisher.
Notes.-V 49, Golgotha, usual place of
execution The Latin word calvary, its
equivalent, also means skull, from its conical
shape. V. "a Vinegar, a bitter, Supplying
drink to deaden the feeling of pain. V. IS.
Thieves, robbers. V. 80. Wagging their
heads in token of derison and insnlt Job
xvi 4; Ps elk, %. v 45. Darkness, not an
eclipse, but preternatural gloom that indi-
Gated the awfully wicked deed done V. 49,
Eli, or "Eloi." Ps. xxi, 1; lisa. ill., 10;
xiii, 3-5. V. so. Cried again, ait is
finished" John xix, 80 Loud voice, shout
of victory, Luke xiii, 46.
V. 80. The Via Dolorosa or Via Crucis. or
the Lords road from the PrRtorium to Col
gotha, which required on this occasion half
an hour to pass, was marked at every step by
the blood which oozed from the freshly
scourged body of Jesus. The natural pain
from the scourging was augmented by the
heavy cross which he, like all the con-
demned, had to bear. Exhausted by long
watching, by troubled night such as no
man ever since or before passed through and
now by the most intense bodily suffering. he
at last tainted and sunk under the burden of
his cross, so that Simon, the Cyrean was
seized to help him carry it,
Golgotha, or Calvary, an elevated place
somewhat resembling in shape human
skull, was then without the city limits, for
capital punishment was not permitted within
the walls. This was also Roman law He
was cast out of the city of God, that we
might obtain entrance into the heavenly
Jerusalem Golgotha, once the most dread
full and horrible place on the earth, had be-
come through Christ the mountain of bless
ings. Christ can transform the vilest sinner
into a shining saint
V. a. There was offered our Lord the
usual potion given to such as were crucified
to stupefy the senses, but he was unwilling
to dull them to pain or to dim his commun-
ion with God. He came to taste our death,
and he wished no intoxicant to blunt that
taste
V. IS. The criminal having arrived at the
place of execution, was required to be stripped
of all his clothes, and then was laid upon the
cross with his arms stretched out upon its
cross beams Then by several strong and
well directed blows of mallet or hammer
huge nails were driven through the hands
ment of torture. Then the cross was lifted
and let fall violently into the hole that had
been previously dug in the earth. 1t was so
cruel and shameful mode of punishment as
never to have been meted out to Roman citi-
zens but reserved only for slaves, rebels and
the most abandoned and worthless characters
1t was at the same time the most painful
form of death. ~ The position of the arms
and body was most unnatural The least
motion caused the most intense smart l2)
The nails were driven through clusters of the
most sensitive nerves and tendons of the
hands and feet, causing the most exquisite
anguish. 49, The exposure of so many
wounds to the air and the heat of midday
brought on violent Inflammation A. The
free circulation of the blood was prevented
More blood was carried out by the arteries
than could be returned by the veins. This
caused determination of blood to the brain,
producing inexpressible agony. o. Death
was not immediate The pain increased and
some had been known to languish thus till
the seventh day. Our Saviours sufferings
soon terminated, because of the intense suf-
fering of mind and body which preceded his
crucitixion Only the inquisition, with its
fiendish inventions, has been able to equal
this torturing death Such was the death
All that he suffered was for us. What a
price was paid for us. If he died for us.
what ought we not be willing to do for him!
V. So The soldiers now watched him that
none should remove the body Sometimes
this watch lasted several days
V. 81. 1t was customary to attach to the
cross the crime and name of the crucified
person. Plate wrote or caused to have writ
ten the crime for which Jesus was executed
Schaff
V. 80. To add an additional shame to
Christ's crucifxion he was associated and ex-
ecuted with malefactors.
V. 50, 40 His crucfied condition was in
such contrast with the title over him and
with his own words, as to excite the mirth of
the crowd" Peloubet. They perverted
words which Jesus used But it is remarkable
that what was then taking place resulted in
the destruction of the temple They derided
his claims and jested at his agonies He
could not come down from the cross because
he was the Messiah. Had he come down he
would not have been the anointed Christ
He who seeks first to save himself is never
able to save others.
V. Al, A. The offense for which Jesus was
crucified was that he claimed to be divine,
that he was the Messiah, that he was the Son
of God. All this be was, and by numerous
miracles proved that he was more than
mere man. The mass of the people were
eager to hail him as the long expected Mes
siah. But because his kingdom was not
temporal, but spiritual, they rejected him.
Unwittingly the chief priests, scribes and
elders, who reviled and Knocked, bore testi-
mony to his having ~ saved Others" e.
trusted God" and ~ said 81 am the Son of
God"
V. a. Up to this time both of the thieves
upbraided Christ, but a wondrous and
blessed change was now wrought in one.
Gods Spirit can turn blasphemy into prayer
and scoffers into saints.
V. As. The darkness was preternatural,
and was not caused by an eclipse of the sun,
for the moon was full, making an eclipse i'm
possible.
v. 46. We seem to have in this exclamation
an intensified renewal of the agony of Geth-
semane. The climax of his substitutionary
sufferings Is now reached In his terrible
anguish it seemed to the human nature of
Christ that he was deserted by God But be
was really not forsaken He could still say
my God" Even if God hides his face