A Bible Study 
"JESUS' LAST MILE JOURNEY"
(One of many Bible Studies at the Bible Study Site.)

"JESUS' LAST MILE JOURNEY"
By Evangelist Diana Gray
Copyright (c) 2001 All Rights Reserved.

    Matthew 27:26-27 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.   Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole huge band of soldiers. 

     "The whole band of soldiers…..HOW TERRIFING!  This is a crucial point in the terrible ordeal that Jesus was about to undergo.  We remember that Jesus was born in Bethlehem but was raise in Nazareth.  This was a city filled with Roman soldiers, who’s barracks or military compound was stationed in Nazareth at the same time that Jesus was there growing up.  Roman soldiers were trained to kill without compassion. 
     The men were even encouraged to make lifelong bonds with other soldiers which afterward became more important  to them than their own wives and families.  Soon homosexuality, drinking, debauchery, adultery, gambling and all forms of crudity was prevalent among them.   Carnal sin was so rampant throughout the troops that other people’s lives meant little or nothing next to a good trained soldier.  Death had become of little value to them, specially other people’s death!
     Even the accepted way that they could rise up to a higher rank was to beat up and or kill the ranking officer.  They then could take the officer’s job and start planning how to win out over the next highest officer in line.  Unless a man received an appointed position from Rome, this was the main way to move up the ladder in ranking position.  Soon only the worst of the bunch would be allowed to lead the others.  No wonder they were always fighting with other countries and starting wars.  Truly this was a tough lot of hard cruel men.  Money, power, glory and statues had become their God instead of our Heavenly Father in Heaven.
     How many times did they see Jesus as a child running and playing around Nazareth?   Surely the presence of Jesus must have brought conviction of their sins and fired hatred within them.  Was Jesus’ kindness and love too awesome for many of them to handle?  How many times did Jesus see soldiers beating up someone or displaying various acts of cruelty?  Did the look in His eyes (filled with love and concern for both the victim and the soldiers,) cause them to feel like running away in shame?  For those who would not repent of their sins hatred for Jesus must have surely grown over the years until it flamed into pure demonic hate. 
     What a formidable force Jesus now faced before Him. ..the whole band of soldiers Men who possibly hated Jesus for many years in Nazareth more than anyone could ever imagine.  His gentle loving nature, goodness and purity of heart must have been deeply resented.  Can you visualize the look of hatred Jesus must have seen in their eyes.  How Satan must have enjoyed this moment of revenge.  Even though Jesus could have called down a legion of the Lord’s Angels He didn’t.  How great His love is to face such a horrible beating and death for us.  Truly the thought is humbling! 

     Matthew 27:28-31And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.  And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!  And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.  And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. 

     This was wrong!  Jesus had been innocent from birth.  He was without sin yet they were about to crucify Him up on a terrible cross.  What a mockery of justice!  Roman law would not allow an innocent man to be put to death, specially death by crucifixion, yet Jesus Christ was sentenced to die this way.  He could have stopped them but this is the very reason Jesus took the form of a man, to die as a sacrifice for our sins.  We owe so much to our Lord, what a humbling thought that is!

    Matthew 27:32-34  And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.  And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

     According to Roman custom, condemned prisoners were forced to carry their own cross no matter how bruised or beat up they were.  Jesus was beaten, bleeding and close to death, yet He had to carry this large wooden board over a sore wounded back.   A back laid bare and open wide by the Roman lash.  A lash that  contained bits of metal and rock tied together on long leather straps. These straps  when used wrapped itself around a person’s back pulling skin off when drawn back again. 
     Did Jesus have any skin left over His back or did he have to carry a heavy wooden cross on bare exposed muscle and tendons?  At any rate He was badly bleeding and in a great deal of pain.  By this time after this final beating, Jesus’ face was no longer recognizable.  His eyes must have been so badly puffed up that he could barely have see out of them. 
     Visualize the streets of Jerusalem at this time in history.  Sanitary conditions were at best poor and since the whole city was filled with people for the Passover celebration, those conditions must have been terrible.   The stench of raw sewage and the rats that infested  cities like Jerusalem must have been hiding everywhere, lurking in doorways waiting for a chance to come out.  Bacteria and germs must have been laying upon the dirty streets waiting to be spread as people walked by.  Upon these dirty germ ridden streets, Jesus had to carry His heavy cross.
      Just imagine for a minute the dirt and filth He passed by not to mention the crowds of screaming yelling people pressing upon Jesus.  Striving to walk with His heavy burden, suddenly Jesus’ strength ran out and He fell down upon one of those diseased ridden streets.  He was God in the flesh who had a body of flesh and bone.   He had all of the weaknesses of a human man without any of the carnal sins that we were born with, yet without His intervention that body would die.   Jesus allowed this death to pay a high price for our sins.  He did it knowing that He would suffer for a season only to be raised again on the third day and today He sits with the Father  God in Heaven.
     At that moment Jesus must not have cared if there was any dirt or raw sewage that His face laid down in.  His body must have hurt beyond anything we can imagine.   The hatred of the people around Him must have been bearing down upon His precious heart.  This was by far much worse than anything our Lord should have had to feel, yet He did it for us!  He felt shame, humiliation, sadness and all of the other emotions that we would have been feeling if we were ever placed in that position.
     A surprised bystander from northern Africa who’s name was Simon of Cyrene was pulled out of the crowd and forced to carry Jesus’ cross for him.  After too much bleeding and physical abuse not to mention emotional distress, Jesus was too week and drained to care it for Himself. 
     I am sure this man Cyrene was not too happy to have to carry the cross for Jesus.  He too at that moment must have had been feeling a great deal of fear.  One minute he was out having fun yelling with the rest of the crowd, (probably laughing and enjoying himself,) only to find himself being roughly put into a position that He could not refuse, to carry Jesus’ cross on his shoulders.  No one dared to stand up to a Roman soldier and hope to survive later to tell about it.  What would that angry, yelling crowd do to him by carrying the cross for someone they wanted to die?  How the noise must have increased the closer they made their way down the street to Calvary.  As Hebrew calls it Golgotha or "The Skull"  In times past only criminals had been crucified at Calvary, but that terrible day Jesus was soon to take His place among the ranks of the accused.
     What was Simon’s thoughts and how did he feel? Honored, or scarred and terrified!  The man had to be shaking in his shoes from fear as they reached the area planned for Jesus’ death.  Did Simon ask himself this question, "What will happen to me? "  The Bible doesn’t say but I am sure Simon ran away as fast as he could the moment the soldiers freed him from his fearful task.   Having carried the cross for Jesus one can only hope that Simon accepted Jesus as his Savior when the opportunity arose.  We can only hope for the best, in any case what a fantastic story he must have been able to tell his children one day!
     How sad Jesus’ heart must have been at that moment in time.  The total humiliation of it all.  No one cared!  Most  everyone had deserted Him and even if they tried, no one could save Him.  He wouldn’t even save Himself because he loved us.   Even His beloved disciples except one John  had deserted Him.  John along with Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary could only show up to see Him die. 

    John 3:14-16 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

     When we accept and acknowledge that we are all sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God and believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins then we can have eternal life.  Through His great sacrifice and wonderful resurrection from the dead we too can know that one day we will live again after we die if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior.  Heaven can be our home if we acknowledge, repent of our sins and asked Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior.   Our precious Jesus  paid the awesome price to save us from our sins because He loved us.  How little He asks in return but that we give Him all of our love back to Him. 
     Listen, when you love someone, wouldn’t you want them to love and be with you.   Wouldn’t you want them to talk to you and tell you that that they are so happy to be with you, that they love you?  Yes, of course you would, well that’s how the Lord feels.  You are so special to Jesus and it’s His desire that you join Him in Heaven because He loves you.  Jesus Christ suffered  on the cross so that all of us might live with Him in Heaven for all eternity!  If you have never taken the time to ask Jesus Christ into your heart and be your Savior then there is no time like right now to do so.  You’re never too old and it’s never too late.   Do it now, you’ll be glad that you did!

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     "WE DO ASK THAT YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THE AUTHORSHIP OF THIS WRITER "DIANA GRAY MINISTRIES."  MAY IT BE A BLESSING AND ENCOURAGE YOU INTO A DEEPER SPIRITUAL GROWTH.