IN MATTHEW 27:32-35. A MAN OF CYRENE, SIMON BY NAME: CYRENE WAS A ROMAN PROVINCE IN NORTH AFRICA WHERE MANY JEWS LIVED. THEY ALSO HAD A SYNAGOGUE IN JERUSALEM (ACTS 6:9). HIS SONS, ALEXANDER AND RUFUS, LATER BECAME WELL KNOWN CHRISTIANS (MARK 15:21). COMPELLED [ Gr. aggareuo, A TECHNICAL TERM FOR REQUISITIONED] TO BEAR HIS CROSS: THE CROSS WAS GENERALLY CARRIED BY THE PRISONER, WHICH JOHN 19:17 INDICATES WAS AT FIRST THE CASE WITH CHRIST. EVIDENTLY , THE WEIGHT WAS MORE THAN HE COULD BEAR, DUE TO HIS SEVERE SCOURGING. THE TRANSVERSE PIECE WAS USUALLY CARRIED SEPERATELY AND ATTACHED BY ROPE TO THE VERTICAL POLE AT THE PLACE OF EXECUTION. GOLGOTHA......A PLACE OF A SCULL: THE NAME IS TRANSLITERATION OF THE ARAMAIC WORD FOR SCULL AND ITS EQUIVALENT TO LATIN calvaria, PROBABLY DUE TO THE PHYSICAL APPEARANCE OF THE HILL. THEY GAVE HIM VINEGAR TO DRINK MINGLED WITH GALL, FULFILLMENT OF PSALM 69:21. THIS WAS CUSTOMARILY GIVEN TO CODEMNED PRISONERS TO SERVE AS A KIND OF ANESTHETIC OR ANODYNE. IT WAS LITERALLY A DRUGGED WINE( Gr. oinon). THE STATEMENT THAT HE WOULD NOT DRINK INDICATES THAT JESUS REFUSED ANY MITIGATION OF HIS SUFFERINGS ON OUR BEHALF. AMEN.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 19:37:35 +0000