Sermon # 13 - The Way Of The Cross Part 2 - Standing Around The Cross Series

We read in John 19:17-18, He went out, carrying his cross, and came to "The Place of the Skull," as it is called. (In Hebrew it is called "Golgotha.") There they crucified him; and they also crucified two other men, one on each side, with Jesus between them. (GNB)

That day when Jesus was crucified on the cross, there were many people who stood there and witnessed that scene, but each of them had a different perspective. Even today those who look at the cross of Jesus do so with various mindsets. In this message as we meditate on these different groups of people who stood around the cross of Jesus, and analyze their attitudes or motives, I hope we too will be able to assess ourselves, to see where we stand.

1. The Roman Soldiers

The soldiers were just performing their duties

The first group that we observe are the Roman soldiers, who were simply carrying out the duties that was entrusted to them. They were not involved deeply in what was really happening, as they were more bothered about fulfilling their responsibilities to the Roman Government.

Even today there are many who attend church, as a religious duty, and thereby feel that by doing so they have fulfilled their obligation for the week. Every time we come together as a church, we must understand that we do so to worship our Almighty God, who watches over us, perceives our thoughts and is worthy of all our worship. When one attends church in a casual manner, they will not benefit from the fellowship, and will most often not even remember the word that was preached. There are those who hope that by fulfilling this duty of church going for an hour each week, that the Lord will take responsibility to watch over them, and bless them for the rest of the week. There are even some others who believe that they must step into the church, just in time to receive the final prayer and benediction, and are thereby good to go on for the rest of the week.

The experience of the Psalmist was different as we read in Psalm 122:1, I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the LORD's house.”(GNB)

We see that he Psalmist rejoiced at the thought of going to the house of the Lord.

Not many people today are joyful, and keen to be in the house of the Lord with fellow-believers. It is not enough to give lip-service to the Lord with our formal prayers, and have no intimate relationship with Him, on an on-going and personal level. When we do so, we are so much like the Roman soldiers who were unconcerned, and were content just performing their duties.

In another place the Psalmist says in Psalm 63:1-2, “O God, you are my God, and I long for you. My whole being desires you; like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land, my soul is thirsty for you. Let me see you in the sanctuary; let me see how mighty and glorious you are.” (GNB)

In the above mentioned verses the Psalmist describes his intimate relationship with God. He longs for God and his soul thirsts after God just as one would long for water when they feel thirsty. He discovered that his dry, worn-out and parched soul could find satisfaction in God’s sanctuary, for only there could he behold God’s glorious splendor and might.

We too must yearn to seek after the Lord, and thirst after Him as the Psalmist did. Let us ask God to stir in our hearts that deep longing to have that personal relationship with Him, and not to do things for the sake of duty. It will be totally erroneous on our part if we sought God only to have our personal or material needs met.

The soldiers divided Jesus’ garments amongst themselves

These Roman soldiers did yet another thing that day. We read in John 19:23-24, Now the soldiers, after they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, a part for each soldier, and the coat also. But the coat was seamless, woven in one piece from the top all the way throughout. For this reason, they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but let us cast lots for it to determine whose it shall be"; that the scripture might be fulfilled which says, "They divided My garments among them, and they cast lots for My vesture." The soldiers therefore did these things. (AFV)

The Roman soldiers who were at the foot of the cross of Jesus, coveted after those garments that were not theirs, and divided them amongst themselves. Even in those crucial hours when Jesus was dying on the cross, the only thought that was uppermost for these soldiers was, what they could personally gain from that situation.