Introduction

The death of Christ is the climax of the history of man. In a redemptive sense, it is also the climax of the history of God because the crucifixion of Christ is the event which secures redemption.

A. The Rejection of Jesus Christ

Jesus came as a King, but He was rejected. The full and final rejection by the Jews is recorded in John 19:15 as they crowded around Pilate at the praetorium: "But they cried out, Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him! Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar." That was the full, final, and absolute rejection of Jesus Christ as Israel's King. Despite all of His matchless beauty, all the majesty of His love, and all the wonder of His Person, He was despised and totally rejected because of the sinful unbelief of men. As a result, He would be crucified.

1. THE RESULTS OF THE REJECTION

As we approach John 19:16, Jesus has already been beaten and scourged. His back has been laid bare, the ribbons of flesh remaining covered with blood. As He stood in agony and pain, the crowd screamed for more.

The Jews were willing to indict themselves even with regard to His death. Matthew 27:24-25 says, "When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous Person. See ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children." With that statement, the children of Israel indicted themselves in the death of Jesus Christ.

2. THE REASONS FOR THE REJECTION

How could man possibly stoop that low; how could man possibly crucify the innocent and lovely Jesus Christ? But that is the depravity, the vileness, and the depth of sin. That is also the character of willful rejection, and the character of religious hypocrisy--it keeps the ritual and kills the reality. This is also what happens when men sin against light, love, and grace.

So, the Jews allow the most foul deed in the universe to be perpetrated against the innocent Christ. As a result, they have set in motion a chain of individuals throughout all history who have stood with the crucifiers. There are people today who manifest the same attitude, standing with the crucifiers and rejecting Jesus Christ. There are very few of them who would be willing to nail Him to a cross, yet by their very rejection they have already done so.

As the crowd screams, "Crucify Him, crucify Him," the trial is over, and both the public and private ministry (Jn. 13-17) of Jesus is over. The cross is the climax. Redemptive history has reached its apex. The combination of the sinful, vile murder by men, and the divine purpose of God, comes together to bring redemption to the world.

The Horror of Crucifixion

There was no more horrible death possible than death by crucifixion. Even the Romans regarded it as a horrible death. It is said that they even shuddered to talk about it. Cicero declared that it was "the most cruel and horrifying death." Tacitus said that it was a "despicable death." Crucifixion was invented by the Persians, picked up by the Carthaginians, and passed on to the Romans. The Romans never employed it for a Roman citizen, no matter how vile his crime. It was the dreaded death brought upon foreign slaves and foreign criminals. So Jesus Christ died the death of a foreign slave or criminal.

B. The Redemption of Jesus Christ

It is certainly true that this was the hour for which Jesus was born--the hour which He had been speaking of when He said, "...Mine hour is not yet come" (Jn. 2:4b). But now His hour had arrived. Jesus Christ was born into the world for one purpose: to die a redemptive death as a sacrifice for sin--bearing in His own body the sins of the world, and being made sin in order that men might be made righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).

The hour for which He was born has come to pass--He is to be crucified by the hate of men and by the will of God. You must understand that these two go together. God uses the hate of men to accomplish His purposes. Keep this principle in mind: God works His purposes through holy men and sinful men. No sinful man can ever violate the plan of God. So, Jesus Christ moves to the cross in God's plan.

As we look at John's Gospel, we are again made aware of his purpose: to present Christ as God in majesty, beauty, and glory. You say, "Surely John won't be able to present Him in that way here. The cross is so despicable, so degrading, so dehumanizing, so debased, and horrifying. Certainly there is no way that John is going to be able to proclaim the deity and the majesty of Jesus." But here, as clearly, as graphically, as dynamically, and as dramatically as you have already seen Him, you will see the majesty of Jesus. In His crucifixion He shines even the more glorious.

John selects the events at the cross that lend themselves to the majesty and the deity of Jesus. He picks out four features of the cross that speak of the deity of Christ, and which exalt Him to the skies: The Specific Fulfillments, The Superscription, The Selfless Love, and The Supernatural Knowledge and Control. John, true to his purpose, through the Holy Spirit, glorifies Christ again. Whereas some of the other Gospel accounts (Mark and Luke) emphasize more of the humanity of Jesus, the point of this Gospel is the deity of Christ. So, as we discuss the crucifixion, I do not want to paint a vivid picture of the agony, or emphasize the drama and try to stir your emotions; I want to do just what John did: present to you the glorious portrait of Jesus' majesty in death, and of Jesus as God. I hope it will give your faith a solid foundation, more solid than you have ever experienced in terms of the truths of the Word of God, and the knowledge of Christ.

To begin with, Jesus is glorified as God by...

I. THE SPECIFIC FULFILLMENTS (vv. 16-18, 23-24)

I believe that the greatest way we know that the Bible is true is through fulfilled prophecy. An announcer from a local radio station telephoned me one day when news came in regarding the new manuscript of the Gospel of Mark, which was supposedly found. This manuscript would be older than any manuscript we had at that time. It is very interesting that this man would date it at A.D. 50, because in the manuscript are prophecies of the destruction of Jerusalem, which did not occur until A.D. 70. The liberals have generally dated the Gospel of Mark after A.D. 70, saying that Mark wasn't prophesying at all, he was just recording what had already happened. In effect, they call him a liar; he was simply pretending to be prophesying. The liberals conveniently date everything past the fulfillment so they can eliminate prophecy. The announcer asked me what I thought the significance of this find was. I told him that I really didn't know whether it was legitimate or not, but the significance of it would be this: If it was securely dated earlier than A.D. 70, there would be a lot of people doing theological gymnastics to try to determine how Mark predicted accurately that not one stone would be left upon another when he predicted the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple.

The Bible is verified repeatedly by prophetic utterances. In the death of Jesus Christ, John picks out some of the obscure prophecies. The smaller the details, the more impact they have. The more minute the prophecy, the more powerful it is when it's accurately fulfilled. So, John moves from one little detail to the next, and we will see how prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

A. Jesus And The Cross (vv. 16-18)

"Then delivered he Him, therefore, unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led Him away. And He, bearing His cross, went forth into a place called The place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, on either side one, and Jesus in the center."

That is the scenario of the crucifixion. John doesn't dramatize it by portraying the dripping blood. John's purpose is not to show the human agony; John's purpose is to show the deity and the majesty of Christ in fulfilled prophecy.

God's Operation Through Men

John 19:16 says, "Then delivered he Him, therefore, unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led Him away." The beaten, shattered, panicky Pilate, unable to control the crowd, seeing that he has a riot on his hands, washes his hands and says, "...See ye to it" (Mt. 27:24b). Then the crowd said, "...His blood be on us, and on our children" (Mt. 27:25b). Jesus is then taken to be crucified.

One important word in verse 16 is the word "delivered." Pilate "delivered" Jesus to be crucified. Romans 8:32 says, "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all...." Who delivered Jesus? Not only the governor of Judea, but the Governor of the universe. You say, "Does that mean Pilate and God were working together?" Exactly. In no way does the vileness, unbelief, cowardice, or sin of Pilate alter the plan of God. God's plans are on schedule, whether they operate through sinful men or holy men. God is the author of history. So, God delivered over Jesus, as well as Pilate. The Bible says that He "was delivered for our offenses" (Rom. 4:25a). What men mean for evil, God means for good; and He makes the wrath of men to praise Him (Ps. 76:10a). So many people have the mistaken idea that if you are a sinful man, you will foul up God's plans. Not in any way. God works through men, holy or sinful.

The fact that Jesus died a redemptive death fulfilled massive numbers of prophecy. The entire mass of Old Testament redemptive promises are now fulfilled in Him. Every Old Testament picture of the final sacrifice, every type, and every prophecy about One who would die, were all resolved in Jesus Christ.

There are two types of prophecy: one, verbally predictive; and two, typically predictive. Verbal prediction is: "I say this event will happen," and it does. But a typical prediction consists of types or pictures. For example, there are Old Testament verses that pictured what Christ would do. The sacrifice of a lamb was a picture of Christ's sacrifice--a preview illustration. That is called a type, of which Christ is the fulfillment. So, there are two kinds of prophecy that are both equally powerful: Verbally predictive and typically predictive. And Jesus fulfills all the verbal predictions and all the types to the letter.

1. LED TO SLAUGHTER

a. The Prophecy Fulfilled

The last three words of John 19:16 say, "...led Him away." According to historians, crucifixion was often so terrifying (the victim already having been beaten through the scourging, in agony and pain, and full of fear), that it was customary for the victim to be dragged or driven to his execution. But this was not so with Jesus. It doesn't say that they "dragged Him away," and it doesn't say that they "drove Him away," it says that they "led Him away." That means He willingly, without resistance, followed. There was no panic, there was no struggle; they led, He followed. That fulfills a very specific and minute prophecy.

b. The Prophecy Foretold

In Isaiah 53:7, the prophet (hundreds of years before Jesus was ever born, and without any knowledge of crucifixion) said, "...He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter...." Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Isaiah said that when Jesus would go to His death, He would not be driven or dragged--He would be led. Jesus fulfilled this exactly. You can drive cattle, but you cannot drive sheep; you lead sheep, and thus He was led.

2. HURRIED TO DEATH

a. The Prophecy Fulfilled

Jesus was executed immediately after His trial, when the law actually provided for a two-day interval between the sentencing at the trial and execution, so any new evidence could be revealed or for a man to put his affairs in order. But that was not true in this case. By the time Jesus was nailed to the cross, it had only been two and one half hours since Jesus' trial before Pilate began. The leaders were in a hurry--they wanted Him dead right away. They were not about to allow two days to go by. Jesus went right from Gabbatha to Golgotha. Immediately after His sentence was pronounced, He was executed. He went from judgment to execution with no stops in between. You say, "So what?"

b. The Prophecy Foretold

Isaiah 53:8 says, "He was taken [to His death] from prison and from judgment...." Do you see the order? It says that when He dies, He would go from prison to judgment to death. That was not normal. Normally He would go from prison to judgment, back to prison for two days, then to death. Isaiah prophesied that He would go directly from His judgment to His execution--something the Romans never did. But they did it this time because God said that was how it was going to be done. So, Jesus fulfills that prophecy.

Many liberals say, "Well, Jesus just figured out how He could fulfill all of the prophecies." But then how would you get the Romans, the Jews, and all the people to fulfill them all? Old Testament scholars didn't have a list of Isaiah's prophecies that they would check to see what should happen next. There is no way that these events could ever occur apart from the sovereign plan and design of God. Jesus was no victim; this is not the tragedy of the life of Jesus-- this is the God-ordained, God-offered, and God-designed climax of His life. Every tiny detail was in the plan of God from eternity past. Jesus was no victim; He was a victor on the way to His triumph.

3. BORE HIS CROSS

a. The Prophecy Fulfilled

John 19:17 says, "And He, bearing His cross, went forth into a place called The place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha." Jesus was bearing His cross. Later on in His journey to the cross, perhaps as He reached the city gates, the cross was picked up by Simon, a Cyrene, because Jesus had fallen under the load of it (Mt. 27:32). But to begin with, He was bearing His own cross. In this verse, the Greek pronoun is emphatic--He bore His cross Himself. You say, "What's the importance of that?" There is a lot of importance.

1) The Weight of the Cross

I believe that they put the entire cross on Jesus. I believe that the cross was the lowercase t style cross, as opposed to the St. Andrews cross, which was shaped like an X. Tradition tells us that it was the former. In addition, the fact that Pilate put a name over His head indicates that there needed to be a piece of wood to place it on. So, they dropped this entire cross of great weight on His shoulders.

2) The Weight of the Crime

Jesus had to walk up to Calvary, carrying the cross through the city. The soldiers would lead the victim through as many streets as possible because a man in front of the victim carried a placard listing the crimes the victim was being crucified for. Why did they do this? There were two reasons:

a) The Warning

It was a warning to everybody that crime doesn't pay. I imagine that it was a fairly vivid warning--a scourged man bleeding as he was moving through the town.

b) The Witnesses

The Romans also had a great sense of fairness. It could be possible for a new witness or for new evidence to be introduced into the case. Someone could stop the procession if they had legitimate, new evidence. The case could then be retried.

So Jesus was undoubtedly led through the streets of Jerusalem on the road to Calvary carrying His own cross.

b. The Prophecy Foretold

Genesis 22 talks about a man who is an Old Testament type of Christ. His name was Isaac. Isaac was a picture of Christ, because he was to be given as a sacrifice, just as Christ was. In this story, there are actually two types of Christ-- Isaac and the ram (v. 13). Genesis 22:6 says, "And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son...." Isaac bore his own wood to his near execution. And Jesus bore His cross to His execution. If He hadn't, the type would have been destroyed. Jesus fulfilled it to the very letter. This is divine inspiration. And this is how verbal and typical prophecy predicted, to the very tiniest point, the death of Jesus Christ.

4. SUFFERED OUTSIDE THE CITY

a. The Prophecy Fulfilled

John 19:17 says, "And He, bearing His cross, went forth...." What does that mean? He "went forth" out of where? Jerusalem. The Romans had a law: no one could be crucified within the city limits or the boundaries of the city. The Jews had tried, on several occasions, to stone Jesus inside the city, but it was not allowed by God. If Jesus had been stoned inside the city by the Jews, the Bible would have been wrong, and you could have written off your Bible and Jesus Christ as false. In either case, Christianity would be doomed.

b. The Prophecy Foretold

All of the Old Testament offerings and repeated sacrifices were pictures of Christ's final sacrifice, and in particular, the sin offering. Jesus died as an offering for sin.

1) Exodus 29:14 -- "But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire outside the camp: it is a sin offering." In other words, the sin offering had to be removed outside the camp of Israel.

2) Leviticus 4:12 -- "Even the whole bullock shall he carry forth outside the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on the wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out shall he be burned."

3) Leviticus 16:27 -- "And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth outside of the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung."

In other words, the sin offerings in the Old Testament were taken outside of the camp. Who, then, was the ultimate sin offering? Jesus Christ. In order to fulfill that typical prophecy, where did Jesus have to die? Outside of the camp. There was no way for Him to have ever been stoned or executed within the city walls, because God had designed for Him to be the perfect fulfillment of every Old Testament sin offering, and they were always taken outside the camp. Thus does the writer of Hebrews say, "For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate" (Heb. 13:11-12). Jesus was executed outside the city because He had to fulfill prophecy. God had to manipulate Roman law to make sure that the crucifixion occurred outside the walls of the city, in order for Jesus to fulfill the significance of Old Testament types. So, Jesus fulfilled another specific detail of prophecy.

The Place of a Skull

John 19:17 says that the place where they crucified Jesus was called "The place of a skull." We believe that this place has been found and identified. It is commonly known as Gordon's Calvary, for the man who discovered the tomb in that area. From a certain angle, this hill definitely resembles a skull. Some have said that it is called the place of a skull because Adam's skull was found there. Others say it was a place where skulls were seen lying on the ground. It seems obvious that it was called the place of a skull because the hill resembled a skull. I personally believe that this is accurate because of the fact that it is in close proximity to Fort Antonia. Another site, in the middle of Jerusalem, is supported by early tradition. But there is not even a hill there, and it is all but obscured by everything that has been built around it. Now, the former site is definitely outside the wall, definitely near a highway, definitely in proximity to a tomb that was beneath it and believed to be Christ's tomb, and definitely close to Fort Antonia, northeast of the gate called Damascus. This is why we believe that this is the place of the crucifixion.

5. CRUCIFIED

a. The Prophecies Fulfilled

John 19:18 says that when they had reached Golgotha, they crucified Him. This is of obvious interest because it fulfills reams of prophecy.

b. The Prophecies Foretold

1) The Typical Prophecy

a) THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY

Numbers 21 contains a very clear type of Christ's death. Israel had been sinning, so the Lord sent poisonous snakes to bite them. Verses 6-9 say, "And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned; for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that He take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass that, if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of bronze, he lived." Now, what is the significance of a serpent on a pole? The idea was that it was lifted up high so that all could see. All the people had to do was look with a look of faith, and by believing, they were healed. This is a type of Christ. Among sin-cursed, dying people, He is lifted up, and all may look on Him. The brazen serpent is a beautiful type of Christ. Therefore, we conclude that whatever kind of death Jesus died, it had to be a death in which He was lifted up. As a result, there was no way that Jesus could die by being stoned.

b) THE NEW TESTAMENT PREVIEW

Jesus Himself acknowledged that the serpent on the brass pole was a type of Him.

(1) John 3:14-15 -- "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."

(2) John 12:32-33 -- "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me. This He said, signifying what death He should die." In other words, it would be a lifted-up death.

(3) John 18:31b-32 -- "...The Jews, therefore, said unto Him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death; that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which He spoke, signifying what death He should die." In other words, He had to die a Roman death, not a Jewish death, because a Roman death would lift Him up on a cross.

So, Jesus had to be crucified. This meant that the Romans had to be in control of Israel at the time of Jesus' death. It also means that the Jews could not be allowed to stone Him. All of these details of history were moved around by God so that Jesus would die a death by being lifted up.

The Tradition of Jewish Execution

The Jewish scholar, Edersheim, indicates that the place where the criminals were stoned in Jerusalem, a place called Beth haSeqilah, was elevated about eleven feet above many rocks. They executed people by shoving them off the ledge, and they would be broken and crushed on the rocks below. The first witness who brought testimony against the person got the first shove. If the person didn't die from the fall, the second witness got to lift a large stone and drop it directly on the victim's heart. If the victim lived through all of that, then everyone would stone him. That was the manner of Jewish execution. There is no way that kind of death could be construed as being lifted up.

Jesus could not die a Jewish death--He had to die at the hands of the Gentiles. This kind of death also adds to the culpability and guilt of the whole world in Christ's death. So, just to make sure that every tiny jot and tittle of prophecy is fulfilled, Jesus is crucified-- lifted up.

2) The Verbal Prophecies

Crucifixion is even predicted directly. In Psalm 22, the psalmist, in portraying the coming death of Messiah, describes what it's like to be crucified; and crucifixion did not even exist at that time!

a) Psalm 22:14-16 -- "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted within me....my tongue cleaveth to my jaws....they pierced my hands and my feet." Now, how does he know this? You say, "Well, the Romans knew this prophecy and they nailed Him to the cross for that reason." Ridiculous! The Romans didn't even know the Old Testament existed, as far as this particular passage was concerned. They were carrying out the divine plan of God. They had to crucify Him because the Bible said He would be lifted up and nailed through the hands and feet. The only way anyone could die by being lifted up and nailed through the hands and feet would be crucifixion. It was the only kind of death Jesus could die; and He died by crucifixion to fulfill prophecy.

Jesus Christ, already bleeding from the scourging and weak from the rapid loss of blood from the nails, was held to the cross by four great wounds through His hands and feet, as the blunt, square nails were driven through His quivering flesh. The cross was then lifted up and dropped in its socket, the jolt ripping and tearing His flesh as it hit bottom. And there He was left to hang and die--of hunger, of thirst, of exposure, of the suffocation of His organs; and if He didn't die soon enough, the soldiers would break His legs so He could not hold Himself up. He would then totally suffocate all of His organs, and die. That is an ugly picture. A crown of thorns was crushed into His brow, with blood running down, mingled with the sweat and the grime. The flies and the gnats irritated Him, and He was unable to prevent the torture and annoyance of the irritation. The horror of His visage would be nothing to look at. And that also fulfills Scripture.

b) Isaiah 53:2 -- "...He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him." Isaiah was talking about His death. He predicted that Jesus would be an ugly presentation in His death. And again, He fulfills Scripture.

So, there Jesus hangs, dying from severe inflammation, hunger, thirst, swelling of the wounds, unbearable pain, torn tendons, the horrible agony of the weight of His body hanging by those four wounds, suffocating by the rearrangement of His internal organs, and a throbbing headache beyond belief. Then add to that the bearing of your sin, my sin, and the sin of every man who ever lived, and you will understand that all of those who will spend eternity in hell could only begin to feel what He felt in those hours.

6. NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS

a. The Prophecy Fulfilled

John 19:18b also fulfills prophecy: "...and two others with Him, on either side one, and Jesus in the center." Jesus wasn't even crucified alone; He was crucified like a common criminal. He was stuck up there with two criminals. You say, "What's the significance of that?"

b. The Prophecy Foretold

The significance of that fact is it accurately, specifically, and directly fulfills another prophecy. Isaiah 53:9 says, "And He made His grave with the wicked...." And Isaiah 53:12 says, "...and He was numbered with the transgressors...." Jesus was to die with evildoers. He was to die a criminal's death with other criminals. I believe that the Roman design in crucifying the other criminals with Jesus was simply to mock the Jews and Christ. But in the design of God, it was a glorious fulfillment of detailed prophecy. Again, we do not see a humiliated Christ dying with criminals, but an exalted Christ fulfilling prophecy.

The First Trophy of Grace

This event is a great illustration of what men intend for evil, God intends for good. One of those thieves that Pilate had crucified became the first trophy of the grace of Christ won at the cross. Luke 23:39-43 shows how Christ turned this attempted mockery into glory: "And one of the malefactors who were hanged railed at Him, saying, If thou be the Christ, save Thyself and us. But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we, indeed, justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise." Even in death, while bearing sin, Jesus has time to gather into His arms the first trophy of the new age--the dying thief. Jesus was crucified with criminals, and yet He was the victor, carrying one of them into His own presence.

So, Jesus fulfilled prophecy. And that is why in Acts 2:22-23, Peter says in his glorious sermon: "Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know; Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." Peter is saying, "You took this One, and you slew Him." But Peter also said, "...by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God...." God controlled every detail of history, whether it was acted out by holy men or godless, unholy men.

B. The Soldiers And The Garments (vv. 23-24)

In these two verses is another indication of fulfilled prophecy.

1. THE VERBAL PROPHECY

a. The Prophecy

In Psalm 22:18, there is a very accurate prophecy that says, "They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture." When Jesus dies, whoever was responsible for His death, would gamble for His clothes. First, they would part His garments, and then they would gamble for His vesture. That is a very accurate and specific prophecy. It had better come to pass, or you can throw away the Old Testament or eliminate Christ. And it does come to pass.

b. The Fulfillment

John 18:23-24 says, "Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also His coat [vesture]. Now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said, therefore, among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be; that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things, therefore, the soldiers did." Why did they do them? The Scripture said they would. But you say, "They didn't know the Scripture." But God knew it. He knew every move, and He made every man make the move to fit the plan. Yet, in no way is guilt relieved from them. It is God's plan, but it is still man's responsibility. So, a witless group of callous, godless, pagan soldiers were operating in a casual, fun-filled manner, fulfilling prophecy to the letter.

There were usually four soldiers attending a crucifixion, and it was no different here. The four main elements of Jesus' garments would be easy to divide. The shoes, the belt, the headdress, and the outer cloak would all be of similar value, and would be divided among the four. That left only the inner tunic, which is represented by the word "coat." The inner tunic went next to the skin, and this is what they gambled for. It would have been a tragedy if Jesus was not wearing an outer cloak, or if somebody had forgotten to give Him His headdress--there wouldn't have been anything to gamble for. But God had worked out every detail.

2. THE TYPICAL PROPHECY

There is another fulfillment of prophecy--a typical prophecy. John 19:23 says, "...Now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout." I imagine someone could read that and say, "So what? What's the point of putting that in there? Who cares if it was woven up, down, or inside out?" This is included for a very significant reason. In the Old Testament, the garment of the high priest was made of linen and had to be without seam. That was the symbol of his total purity. Who is the final and faithful High Priest? Jesus Christ fulfills to the very letter the symbol of the high priest by wearing the garments of His priesthood. The high priest was the liaison between God and man. The Latin word for priest is pontifex, which means "bridge builder." The priest's job was to build a bridge from man to God. Jesus Christ was like no other priest in the effectiveness of building a bridge to God for men. He even had the garb of the priest. So, Jesus fulfills a beautiful type of the great high priest.

The Tragedy of Indifference

As I contemplate John 19:23-24, I am made aware of the tremendous indifference of the world to Jesus Christ. Here is a group of men sitting beneath the great redemptive act of history, and all they can think about is gambling for some clothes. That is indifference, and that is exactly what you see in the world today. Yet just as those soldiers were indifferent, but still remained in the plan of God, so men who are indifferent to God today continue on a path to the place God has in store for them because of their indifference. The Bible says, "And fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Mt. 10:28). The tragedy of indifference. There the soldiers are gambling, while He is bearing their sin on the cross.

The Probability of Prophecy

According to Canon Liddon, there are 332 distinct prophecies in the Old Testament that are literally fulfilled in Christ. Now, that doesn't include the types, that's just the verbal prophecies. William Hendriksen states that the mathematical probability of 332 specific prophecies all coming to pass in one man is one in eighty-four with one hundred zeroes after it. There isn't even a word for that number. That is the chance of the possibility of every one of those 332 prophecies coming to pass in Jesus. Every one of came to pass to the very letter, plus another one hundred or so types. So, we believe that Jesus is God Incarnate, the Anointed, the Lamb slain for the sins of the world.

Focusing on the Facts

1. What made men stoop so low in order to crucify the innocent Jesus Christ? 

2. What event was the climax of redemptive history? What two acts combined to bring redemption to the world? 

3. How did the Romans employ crucifixion? 

4. For what purpose was Jesus Christ born into the world? 

5. Through what kind of men does God accomplish His purposes? 

6. How is the Bible repeatedly verified? 

7. Who delivered Jesus up to be crucified? Why is this significant? 

8. What was customary for the soldiers to do with the victim who was to be crucified? What was different about how they handled Jesus? What prophecy was fulfilled? 

9. What time interval was provided for by law between formal sentencing and execution? How much time was Jesus given? What prophecy was fulfilled regarding this? 

10. Why would the soldiers lead the victim to be crucified through as many streets of the city as possible? Explain. 

11. Why is it significant that John 19:17 says that Jesus bore His own cross? 

12. Where was Jesus crucified? What picture from the Old Testament was fulfilled? 

13. What typical prophecy from the Old Testament was fulfilled by the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? What is significant about the fact that the serpent was lifted up? 

14. What kind of death did Jesus have to die? What kind of death could He not die? Who had to be in control of Israel in order for this to occur? 

15. How did the Jews execute an individual? Describe the process. 

16. What two direct verbal prophecies were fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? 

17. What did Christ suffer as He was hanging on the cross? 

18. What prophecy was fulfilled when Christ was crucified between two criminals? How did Jesus turn this attempted mockery into glory? 

19. What verbal prophecy was fulfilled by the fact that the soldiers parted Jesus' clothes and gambled for the remaining item? What typical prophecy was fulfilled? 

Pondering the Principles

1. Read Genesis 37, 45, and Acts 17. In what ways did God use the sinfulness of man to accomplish His purposes? What was God's purpose in each of those chapters? Read Genesis 37 again. What similarities do you find between Joseph and Jesus? What did Joseph gain for his family, according to Genesis 45? What did Jesus gain for His family? Is Joseph an Old Testament type of Christ?

2. Read Hebrews 7-9. How has Jesus Christ become the final High Priest? Make a list of the differences between the ministry of Christ and the ministry of the high priest. Make a list of the similarities. What has made Christ's ministry effective, as opposed to the shadow that the high priests of Israel represented? Read Hebrews 10:21-25. What is the responsibility of every Christian? Will you make the commitment to draw near to your High Priest?

3. Since Jesus Christ has fulfilled so many prophecies according to the plan of God, how should you respond to God's plan for your life? How do you presently view God's plan for you? Are you contented or discontented? What kind of attitude should one have that has received salvation from a gracious and forgiving God? Are you manifesting that attitude? If not, what do you need to begin to do in order to have the right attitude?