ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Tokonaki Sepitema 18, 2021 

kae ‘i loto ‘a Sīsū

and Jesus in the center

Sione 19 (John 19)

(v. 17-18) Ko ia na‘a nau ma‘u ‘a Sīsū. Pea ‘alu atu ia ‘oku ne fua mo‘ona hono kolosi, ‘o ne a‘u ki he potu ‘oku ui koe potu ‘ulupoko, ko hono ui faka-Hepelū ko Kolokota. Pea ko e potu ko ia na‘a nau kalusefai ai ia, pea ai mo ha toko ua, ko e taha mei hē, mo e taha mei hē, kae ‘i loto ‘a Sīsū.

(v. 17-18) And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, 18where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.

 

G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

Here once more we have the story of the Cross, and once again it is a story to be read almost without note or comment. The picture of our Lord led forth and presented to the crowds by Pilate is one of appalling solemnity. Whatever Pilate's intention, the vision of Jesus failed to arouse in the hearts of the multitude any pity for Him, and they clamored for His death. In spite of all Pilate's protests, the clamor continued, and he yielded to it, and handed Jesus over to the mob.

Referring to the Cross itself, John is careful to say that it was when Jesus knew that all things were accomplished that He cried, "I thirst," and after that declared the fulfilment in the words, "It is finished."

Presently we have the beautiful picture of mo disciples secretly paying the last tender offices of respect to the body of their Lord. Joseph found Him a grave in a garden, and Nicodemus brought great wealth of spices for His entombment.

David Guzik :: Study Guide for John 19

And Jesus in the center: This was literally true; of the three crosses, Jesus was in the middle. Yet as a concept, there are many ways that it could be said that it was Jesus in the center.

· Jesus was centered among humanity. Jesus never distanced Himself from common men, and freely interacted with those thought to be great men. From His incarnation, through His whole life, He lived as one of us. Jesus died among men and women, Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, high class and no class, the educated and the uneducated, the religious and the secular, the guilty and the innocent, the weepers and the mockers, those deeply moved and those indifferent, those who hated Him and those who loved Him

· Jesus was centered among sinful men. His enemies thought this would make His sufferings worse. They thought it would bother Him more to see the low company He died with. In His death the righteously religious mocked Him and His disciples forsook Him; yet Jesus was centered among sinners to the end

· Jesus was centered among confusion. Matthew 27:46-49 says tells us that when Jesus cried out in agony to His Father, the people around Him didn’t understand and some even thought it kind of amusing

· Jesus was centered between believing and rejecting. Matthew 27:44 told us that both robbers mocked Him, but Luke 23:39-41 tells us of a change in one of the criminals. The last human voice testifying to Jesus was a criminal converted right before his death. The disciples were gone and all Jesus healed and taught were nowhere to be found. The religious leaders mocked Him and spit upon Him, and even the faithful women were silenced by their grief. Yet there was one lone human voice that told the truth about Jesus when all others were silent

· Jesus was centered between saved and perishing. The thief on the cross was the last companion of Jesus on this earth before His death – and Jesus brought Him to salvation. Not with a sermon, but with every sermon He had already preached, every righteous deed He had done before. This was perhaps the only comfort to Jesus on the cross. Still, one thief was saved, but one was lost, and Jesus was in the center between them. To pass between one side and the other, you must go through Jesus

· Jesus was centered between God and man. Jesus on the cross took all the punishment our sin deserved. At the cross Jesus was both the priest and the offering

· Jesus was centered in all God’s history and work. We do not look at Jesus in the center with pity, as if we should all feel sorry for poor Jesus. He was the winner at the cross. This was the greatest victory of all time