The Tupelo journal., 1904-06-10
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson in the International Series for
June 12, 19O4-Christ
Crucifed.
THE LESSON TEXT.
Mark 15.22-3e1

Ae'os
OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURE SECTION.
Jesus Crucifixion. Matt Z:32-56
Jesus Crucifixion..............Mark 15:21-41
Jesus Crueiixion. Luke 20: 26-4S
TIME-Friday, April Z, A. d. 80.
hill just outside the city of
Jerusalem, called Golgotha Calvary.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
They bring Him unto the place Col
gotha:" 1t was the common place of
execution. The exact spot is not known,
nor is the location of Gethsemane,
though both are pointed out to-day. 1t
is possible, however, that the location
just outside the city wall on the north
is correct. The place of a SKULL" So
called because of its resemblance to a
skull. Our word calvary is from the
Latin ~calvaria, skull. wine mingled
with myrrh:" Sometimes supposed to
have been a drink prepared to deader
the pain of the sufferer, but neither the
priests nor the executioners seem to
have been anxious to spare Him pain.
Compare Matt. 27:34, where He tastes it
and then rejects it. 1t had simply been
another attempt to torture Him in His
intense thirst by offering Him some
thing which looked like refreshing drink
but was not. "They cruelty Him." By
mailing Him to the cross while it lay
upon the ground and then raising 1t and
dropping it into the socket prepared for
1t. Cruciixion was then what hanging is
to-day, the most ~disgraceful death a
man could die, and at the same time the
most painful. The suffering of the vic
tim grew steadily worse till death came
not from a mortal wound but from the
maddening pain and from hunger and
thirst. The last hours of execution were
the worst, and these, owing to His early
death, Jesus was mercifully spared. at
was the third hour" Nine O'Clock in
the morning. The superscription of
His accusation" 1t was common to put
a placard above the head of a crucified
man stating his crime. PLATE could not
resist the temptation to make the
placard read so as to hurt the pride of
the Jews all he could, On this point
read John 1892.
In studying this section compare the
attitude of the crowd, even of the idle
passers-by, with their ridicule and
sneers, with that of the dying man upon
the cross. Jesus spoke seven times dur
ing the ordeal. Study His spirit from
those ~utterances. The first word from
the cross was: Father, forgive them;
for they know not what they do" duke
23:34); the second: Verify l say unto
thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in
Paradise duke 23:43); the third:
Woman, behold, thy son! Be-
hold. thy mother!" John 1920.
When the sixth hour was Gomez"
Twelve O'Clock, high noon. There was
darkness over the whole land till the
ninth hour" Luke's expression, the
suns light failing" cannot NEAR an
eclipse, since an eclipse at Passover
time. that is, at full moon, is an impos-
sibility. The conjecture that dense
clouds hid the sun is common and is as
suitable as any other. Whatever the
ause, the evangelists saw in it a token
of natures awe at the death of the Son
of God."-Prof. Rush Rhees. "At the
ninth hour" Three o'clock in the after
noon. The fourth word from the cross
was: my God, my God, why hast Thou
forsaken Me?" The words Of Ps. 22:1.
TWAS altogether natural that Jesus Who
had lived in the atmosphere of the He
brew scriptures all His life should ex-
press the feeling of desOlation and n
illness which swept over His soul in the
words of the precious Psalm. 1t was
only a feeling, however, truly human
cry, and Jesus did not for a moment be-
1ieve that God had forsaken Him. The
fifth word was: Il thirst" John 1928;
"The sole expression of bodily suffer
ing The sixth: ut is finished" John
1890, and the last: Father. into Thy
hands l commend My spirit" duke
23:46). He knows that the Father has
not forsaken Him. And so, with His
thought still for others in the very hour
of His death, Jesus finished His mission
and attained rest. The spectacle of His
death impresses us almost more h a
His life with His divinity, and We In
stinctively worship. 'The veil of the
temple was rent in two" The great cur
tain, 20 feet long and 80 broad, be-
tween the Holy place and the Holy OF
Holes. The old mystery surrounding
IsraeTs God had vanished: the age OF
types had passed; the Holy of Holes was
opened to every believer" On the
words of the centurion, read the R. V.
margin which is undoubtedly correct.