The word passion comes from the Latin word, passio, and means “to endure, to suffer, to agonize.” To a certain extent every human being experiences passion to some degree in his or her life. This is especially true for the millions down through the centuries who have innocently suffered because of the sins of others. But this word passion would be especially descriptive of every person who was crucified – including the two thieves on either side of Jesus. They too were experiencing the passion of crucifixion. So what made The Passion of the Christ so different?

To find the answer to that question we come to the very heart of the identity of the Person of Jesus Christ. In fact, His heart is the real heart of the question.  Was His heart like every other human heart in history? Or was His heart different? Of course His physical heart was just like every other human heart – beating, pulsating and pumping blood. But what was the nature of His spiritual heart? Was it sinful or sinless? Was it guilty or guiltless? Was it polluted or pure? Was it defiled or holy? Was it the heart of man or was it the heart of God? Or was it both?

To answer this question, we come to the seminal issue of the nature of Jesus Christ. “Who was – or is, He?”  The answer to that question determines whether you see Him as just another religious leader in history, or as totally unique. Your conclusions will determine for you whether Jesus has spiritual equals and contemporaries among the founders of other world religions, or whether He is peerless. The answer you come to will determine in your mind whether He is “one among many” – or the “One and only.”  And it all goes back to this central question of “Who is the Person of the passion?”

What then, was the nature of Jesus? What was His true identity? What made His passion unlike any other human passion in history? The clear Biblical answer is this: Jesus had two natures. Like all of us, He had a human nature. But unlike any of us, He also had a divine nature. That’s why He is referred to theologically as the only Theoanthropic Person in history. This description comes from the combination of two words: theos, or God; and anthropos, or man. So Jesus Christ is the unique God-Man of history. As such He was the unique Incarnation of the One and only God. As John said of Him: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (John 1:14). So Jesus Christ was God-in-the-flesh. At one and the same time He was fully God and fully man. Jesus Christ was both the Son of God and God the Son. This fact totally separates Him from every other religious figure in human history.  All other religious leaders were 100% human – regardless of how virtuous or exemplary their lives may have been.

When it comes to the two natures of Christ, there is certainly a spiritual mystery being contemplated hat we cannot fully comprehend. This truth is part of the mystery of the Trinity, or tri-unity of God. In teaching about this great revelation I often say:

“If we could fully comprehend this mystery about the Godhead, we would be a part of it! Indeed, we would be the fourth member of the Trinity! But unless we have a psychotic God-complex and are suffering from delusions of megalomania, we know that we are not divine as Jesus was divine.  If we are in our right mind, we all know that we are not God.  However, mental hospitals and psych wards are filled with people who are suffering from those kinds of delusions of spiritual grandeur and have a ‘Messianic Complex.”  But no normal person would ever entertain such thoughts of deity.”

Since this doctrine of the Trinity and the Incarnate God are contrary to human nature and reasoning, they can only come through divine revelation. So the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of the Incarnation, are clearly revealed truths from the Bible. And while they are beyond reason, they are not against reason. These concepts elevate us from the limitations of human reason into the realm of divine revelation.

Therefore, it is the two natures of Christ that make His passion absolutely unique in human history. Properly understood, there was one Man with two natures who died on the cross over two thousand years ago. There was the historical Person and there was the spiritual Person. There was the Man of flesh and there was the Man of spirit. There was the Son of Mary and the Son of God. There was Jesus of Nazareth and there was Christ the Messiah.

And since both natures experienced death on the cross for you and me, let’s probe this spiritual mystery a bit further. Through Scripture, let’s briefly examine the two natures… two identities… two persona who experienced the passion of crucifixion. As a result, this portion of our study will bring us to a closer examination of the names that are used to describe Jesus

Names in the Bible are very significant. So in your study of the Bible, never gloss over any name. Take a few minutes to look up its meaning. Generally speaking, name represented nature. So a person’s name reflected something important about their nature, or the nature of the circumstances that surrounded their birth. Therefore, when we come to the Person of the Passion, we must carefully study the two primary names associated with Him:  “Jesus” and “Christ.”

In reality the first is His actual name, and the second is His title. So generally speaking, the name “Jesus” refers to His human nature, and the title “Christ” denotes to His divine nature. “Jesus” reminds us of His human origin, while “Christ” reminds us of His divine origin. It is like saying President George Bush or Queen Elizabeth. One is their title and the other is their name.

Unfortunately, many people with some basic Biblical background are often so familiar with those terms and titles that they overlook their significance. On the other hand, those with little or no Biblical framework are even more confusions by those names and titles. That’s why the Bible constantly warns about “false prophets”…”false Christs”…“anti-christs”…and “other Jesuses” (Matthew 24:23; II Corinthians 11:4; Gal. 1:7; II Peter 2:1-19; I John 3:18; 4:1; Jude 5-13, Revelation 2:9, etc). Most of the major world religions have some erroneous teaching about Christ. And every cult has its “counterfeit Jesus” that it deceives people by. So for millions of people inside and outside the church, the term “Jesus Christ” is almost like saying John Doe!  So let’s pause to examine His names more closely.

• Jesus: This name in the Greek is Iesous, and it is a transliteration of the Hebrew name, Joshua, meaning “Jehovah is Salvation” or “Jehovah is Savior.” It was a very common name among the Jews in both the Old Testament and New Testament times (Ex. 17:9; Luke 3:29; Col. 4:11, etc). This was the human name that was given to Jesus by Mary and Joseph in obedience to angelic instruction: “…you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:31). So it is proper for us to refer to “Jesus” as His human name – but certainly with clear divine overtones.

• Christ:  Properly understood, this is not a name but a title, as I stated earlier. It is from the Greek word Christos, and means “Anointed One” or “Messiah.” This is especially true when it is preceded by the definite article ho Christos, meaning “The Christ.” There are three specific times when Jesus clearly affirmed this title for Himself:  First to Peter in Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:17). Secondly to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:26). Thirdly, at His trial before the Sanhedrin (Mk. 14:61-62).

And in the third incident, it was Jesus’ clear affirmation before the High Priest and Sanhedrin that He indeed was ho Christos, or “the Christ,” that got Him condemned to death! In their minds Jesus was clearly claiming to be God.  This was nothing short of the sin of blasphemy and required the death sentence!  So whether or not Pilate understood the spiritual significance of this claim – all of the Jewish leaders clearly did. And they condemned Jesus to death for claiming that title for Himself and not being willing to recant it in the face of the cross!

So this title “Christ,” whether used by Jesus, by His disciples, or by His enemies – clearly denoted God’s anointed…God’s Messiah…God’s one and only Son (Matthew 2:4; 22:42; 23:8-10; 24:5; 26:63-68; Luke 3:15; 4:41; John 1:41; 3:28; 6:69; 9:22; 10:24; 12:34; Acts 2:30-38; Romans 5:6-8, etc). And it was even more emphatic and significant when the Biblical writers expanded this title to “Jesus the Christ,” or “…the Lord’s Christ” (Matthew 16:20; Mk. 8:29; Luke 2:26; Acts 4:26; 18:28; 26:23, etc).

In light of that fact, carefully note how John the Beloved – who was the disciple closest to Jesus, summarizes the purpose of his Gospel:

“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31).

What an incredible summary from the man who knew Jesus the most intimately! Those verses reveal to us the passion of John about the Lord Jesus Christ – whom he passionately loved.

It is also important for us to note that these two words are sometimes used almost interchangeably. For all of the Biblical writers the name and title became synonymous. That’s because most of them had intimately known the human Jesus during the three brief years of His public earthly ministry. But through His miracles and resurrection, they had come to believe in His divine nature – and each of them ultimately staked their lives on that belief!  As a result we will find them often using the compound names “Jesus Christ” or “Christ Jesus” – and the references are far too numerous to even list (Matthew 1:1; 1:18; Mk. 1:1; John 1:17; 17:3; Acts 2:38; 5:24; 10:38; 19:4, Romans 1-6 etc). In their minds, the use of this compound name was like saying: “Jesus is the Christ” and “The Christ is Jesus.”

For the sake of even further emphasis, they would also often expand this appellation to the “Lord Jesus Christ” (Luke 2:11; Acts 11:17; 15:11; 16:31; 20:21; 28:31; Romans 5:1, 21; Gal. 6:18; Ephesians 1:3, etc).  In using such a term, they were exalting Jesus to a natural and supernatural position without peer or equal.  As monotheistic Jews, they had come to believe that this human being was like no other.  He was indeed the Jehovah God in human flesh!

But as we have already seen, Jesus always got into trouble with the religious leaders when He affirmed that He was indeed “the Christ.” By using that term to describe Himself, these religious leaders clearly understood that Jesus was calling Himself “The Messiah,” the specially “Anointed One” who had been sent from God.  As we have already pointed out, that’s what led to His crucifixion (Mk. 14:61-63).  It is only because Jesus unashamedly embraced that title that we have The Passion of the Christ.  If He would have clearly rejected that title at His trial, He would probably have been acquitted and set free.  Note carefully then, this final cross-examination of Jesus by the high priest when he put Jesus under an oath and asked Him this question:

“I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”

‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied” (Matthew 26:63-64).

That affirmation sealed His fate through death by crucifixion!  In the minds of all of the Jewish leaders present, Jesus was clearly a blasphemer because He clearly and unequivalently claimed to be God!

Therefore, according to the flesh, He was simply known as “the son of Joseph” or “the Carpenter’s son” (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3; Luke 3:23; John 6:42). This was the historical person who also had siblings who are specifically named: “James, Joseph, Simon and Judas.” And though not named, Matthew also speaks of “…his sisters” (Matthew 13:55). So Jesus had at least four brothers and two sisters – maybe more.

It is important to note in passing that this is one of the facts that separate the Catholic Church from Protestants because they teach the ‘perpetual virginity of Mary.’  That means that Mary never had any other child but Jesus.  However, this is a spurious doctrine solely based upon Papal tradition and found nowhere in the Bible. Matthew’s Gospel clearly tells us that Joseph “…took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son” (Matt. 1:24-25). The clear inference is that after Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary had normal sexual relationships like every other married couple, resulting in the conception and birth of several other brothers and sisters who were the human siblings of Jesus.

The most common human name however, for Jesus was “Jesus of Nazareth.” That’s because Nazareth was the town He grew up in. It was from here that He left the carpenter’s shop to launch His public ministry as a peripatetic preacher, teacher and healer. As a result, He was often called “Rabbi” or teacher (Matthew 26:25, 49; John 1:38, 49; 3:2, etc). So the designation and title of “Jesus of Nazareth” was associated with Him both before and after His passion and resurrection (Matthew 4:13; 21:11; 26:71; Mk. 1:24; 10:47; 16:6; Luke 4:34; 18:37; 24:19; John 1:45; 18:5; Acts 2:26; 3:6; 4:10; 6:14; 10:38; 22:8; 26:9, etc).

It was also this common title of “Jesus of Nazareth” that Pilate had inscribed on the cross – most probably above Christ’s head. Much to the disdain of the Jewish leaders, the notice also read: “Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews” (John 19:19-22).  To the Jewish religious leaders, the title of “The Christ” or “The King of the Jews” as related to Jesus was anathema!  Because He was crucified in such a public place, they beseeched Pilate to change the inscription of judgment from “The King of the Jews” to “…this man claimed to be the king of the Jews.” But to show his utter disdain for them and this unjust trial, Pilate tersely responded: “What I have written, I have written” (John 19:19-21).

It is helpful then for our understanding, to relate this title “Jesus of Nazareth” to the historical Person. As we think of this title we reflect upon Christ’s human nature.  And through His passion, we see the full range of expression of the human nature of this historical person – as we will see more in another chapter.

But according to the Spirit, we should think of Jesus as “The Christ”… “The Anointed One” …“the Son of Man”…“the Son of God.”  It is again important to note that the title that Jesus frequently used of Himself is the “Son of Man.” This is especially true in the Gospel of Matthew.  As we saw in an earlier chapter, this was a clearly understood Messianic Title to the Jewish people, going back to the prophecy of Daniel (Daniel 7:13). Since Matthew was a Jew writing for Jews, it is significant that he often quotes Jesus’ use of this title for Himself (Matthew 8:20; 12:8, 32, 40; 16:13; 27-28; 17:9; 19:28).  This drove home the point that Jesus was indeed the “Son of God” because He was the “Son of Man.”  He could not be one without being the other.

It should not be surprising then, that this title “Son of Man” is also used most often by Jesus through His betrayal and trial. Even though all of the Jews clearly understood it as a Messianic title, many today do not have that understanding. Note three instructive examples:

• In the Garden at His arrest: “The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners…here comes My betrayer” (Mark 14:41-42).

• To Judas at his betrayal: “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:48).

• To the High Priest and Sanhedrin: “I say to all of you:  In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Upon hearing that the High Priest tore his cloths and said: “He has spoken blasphemy!” (Matthew 26:64-65; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69).

Therefore, it was only because of His divine nature that Jesus could clearly know in advance how He was going to die by being “…lifted up.”  It was only because He was the “Son of God” – and knew it, that He could be interpreting the events happening to Him through the many prophecies being precisely fulfilled. Look at several examples:

• When He was being sought by the temple soldiers in the Garden, John records: “Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to Him, went out and asked them, ‘Who is it you want?’” (John 18:4). In the face of the fear in the faces of His disciples Jesus said: “If you are looking for Me, let these men go.” This happened so that the words He had spoken would be fulfilled: ‘I have not lost one of those you gave Me’” (John 18:8-9; c.f. John 6:39; 17:12).

• And when they were arresting Him He said: “This has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled” (Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:49).

• When Peter tried to defend Jesus with a sword, He said: “Put your sword back in its place…for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on My Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels.  But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way” (Matthew 26:52-54).

• Finally, when He was acquitted by Pilate but condemned to crucifixion by the Jews, we read: “This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death He was going to die would be fulfilled” (John 18:32).

So Jesus had no identity crisis going to the cross!  He knew Who He was and Whose He was!  He also knew where He had come from – and where He was going. And just as His knowledge of Scripture had carried Him through His early temptations in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13), so they guided Him through the hours of His trials before His death.

Humanly speaking then, Jesus knew that He had been “…born in Bethlehem” to Joseph and Mary (Luke 1:27; 2:1-20; 3:23). He also knew that He had grown up in Nazareth, so
“…He was called a Nazarene” (Matthew 2:23). But He also had an acute awareness that He was “the Son of Man” who had “…come down out of heaven” (John 3:13; 31; 6:33, 50, 62).  And it was because of this heavenly nature that He had supernatural insight into the events He was living out and fulfilling.

By human reckoning then, He knew He was dying as “Jesus, son of Joseph.”  But by divine reckoning He knew He was dying as the “The Christ” – the “Son of God!”  He clearly understood that as “God’s anointed Messiah,” He was dying for the sins of the world (Note the Summary Chart at the end of this chapter).

So “the Christ” that “Jesus of Nazareth” revealed was totally unacceptable to the Jewish leaders.  In their minds, a “suffering Messiah” was a contradiction of terms.  A “dying Messiah” just could not be God’s plan! That kind of Messiah just did not meet their fixed expectations. In their interpretation of the Scriptures, the Messiah they expected was going to be a Conquering King – not a Suffering Servant.  But as Jesus would teach the two on the Emmaus Road after His resurrection…

“How foolish you are, and how sow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself” (Luke 24:26-27).

And later that same resurrection day, Jesus held another Bible Class for His disciples – more fully explaining the same truths to them:

“This is what I told you while I was still with you. Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44).

It is important to pause at this point and make an important distinction between Christianity and Islam.  It is at this very point of the crucifixion that these two great world religions conflict so dramatically in their presentations of Jesus.  While Christianity reveals in all four Gospels that Jesus was indeed executed by crucifixion, Islam blatantly denies this fact.  Since Jesus – or Isa as He is called in the Koran, is revered as the second greatest prophet to Mohammed, it is inconceivable that Allah would have allowed him to die by such an ignominious method. The Koran teaches that Jesus did not die on the cross.  Rather a substitute died in His place – probably either Peter or Judas.  Note these words from the Koran:

“They said, ‘We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Apostle of Allah,’ but they killed him not, nor crucified him.  But so it was made to appear to them…For of a surety they killed him not.  Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself” (Surah 4:157-158; italics mine).

Obviously then, both the Bible and Koran cannot be correct in their stories about the crucifixion of Christ.  One account is historically true and one account is blatantly false.  So both of these religions cannot be equal because of their divergent views about this cardinal doctrine of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.  The Koran presents Jesus as the “Apostle of Allah” who did not die on the cross.  By contrast, the Bible clearly reveals that Jesus was the “Messiah of God” who gave up His life on the cross for the sins of the whole world (*).  However, He did not stay on the cross – but was gloriously resurrected on the third day as proof that His vicarious death for sin was fully accepted by God the Father.  As a result, the message of the cross and empty tomb became the very heart of Christian preaching, teaching and living.  And it was Christ’s passion that inspired passion in the lives of His followers who willingly and victoriously suffered and died for their resurrected Lord!

Is it any wonder then that Peter boldly preached this truth about the resurrected Jesus on the Day of Pentecost? Listen to his authoritative convicting sermon to many of the very same people who helped condemn Jesus to death. And especially note how he weaves together the various names and titles of Jesus:

“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you my miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge, and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross…But God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear…Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

What was the crowd’s reaction to this bold message? “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other Apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’”  To that question Peter replied: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:22-38).  As a result of the power of that Name and the forgiveness of that Name, three thousand people gave their lives that day to Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world!

Even in the face of opposition and persecution by the same Sanhedrin that had condemned Jesus to death, the Apostles would not compromise their message about The Passion of the Christ. After they had been forbidden to “…speak in the name of Jesus,” they were released from their arrest. What was their response?  Was it to compromise?  Did they “tone down” their preaching?  Did they water down their teaching?  Did they switch to a more politically correct message about this Jesus?  No!  Listen to their incredible response to the same religious leaders who had condemned Christ to death:

“The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 5:40-42).

Before his own conversion, the Apostle Paul had been a member of that same hostile Sanhedrin. He too was totally antagonistic to the Name of Jesus Christ and wanted to eradicate it from the face of Palestine!  But after his own radical conversion on the Damascus Road “…he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.”

Doctor Luke further recounts Saul’s bold transformation and about-face by saying: “Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 9:20-22).  There is no plausible explanation for this kind of total reversal of worldview by Saul other than his personal encounter with the resurrected Christ on the Road to Damascus! It was so radical that his name was changed from Saul to Paul.

Later in his life, Paul looked back on the events of the crucifixion and gave these words of commentary:

“We speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (I Corinthians 2:7-8).

And the continuing tragedy is the fact that most of the “rulers of this age” still don’t understand who Jesus Christ is! That’s because they are limited in their understanding by the “world’s wisdom” – which is foolishness, rather by “God’s wisdom” – which is revealed in His Living Word and Written Word!  As a result, they either cannot or will not understand The Passion of the Christ!

SUMMARY CHART OF JESUS CHRIST “One Person; Two Natures” (Theo-Anthropic)

HUMANITY:JESUS/DEITY:CHRIST

 

“Jesus of Nazareth”/“Jesus the Christ”

 

Son of Joseph & Mary

                                   

The Carpenter’s Son/The Son of God Son of Man

 

From Earth/From Heaven

 

Natural Man/Spiritual Man

 

Man of Flesh/Man of Spirit

 

Master/Messiah

 

Servant/Savior

 

Fully Man/Fully God

 

King of the Jews/King of the Universe

___________________________________________________________________________
(*) For a further and fuller study of this subject, listen to my teaching series or watch my video series entitled: “A Christian Perspective of Islam.”  I also have a forthcoming book by the same title.

Let me remind you of three very significant historical events that took place in this general geographical place long before the crucifixion of Christ. They involve three of the most important Biblical characters in the Old Testament: Abraham, David and Solomon.

ABRAHAM

When we studied Abraham in an earlier chapter, I alerted you to the fact that I did not want you to forget the particular place where he took his son Isaac, for sacrifice. As you will recall, it was in the “…region of Moriah” that he was to go and sacrifice Isaac “…as a burnt offering on one of the mountains...” (Genesis 22:2).

We know from the story that it was a three day journey by foot from Beersheba, where he was living at the time. So we read:  “On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.” At that time he instructed his servants: “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” And we further read that “Abraham built an altar there.”

It was on Mt. Moriah then, that Abraham went to “worship” through the sacrifice of his beloved son.  This story reminds us of the costliness of worship! Central to authentic spiritual worship is always an altar – a place of sacrifice and death.  Cheap worship is a contradiction of terms.  In authentic religion, if there is no altar there can be no sacrifice and therefore no worship.

So with and obedience beyond human comprehension, Abraham was about to sacrifice his only son on Mount Moriah when God stayed his hand! At that same time, God also provided a substitutionary sacrifice to take Isaac’s place on the altar. I don’t want you to overlook here the incredible faith that Abraham expressed when said to his servants: “We will worship and then WE will come back to you.”  Abraham went up the mountain fully prepared to sacrifice his only son. When he took his son to Mt. Moriah, Isaac was already a dead man! Abraham had already put him on the altar…given him up…fully surrendered him to God. In his mind and heart Isaac was already dead! 

But Abraham also went to Mt. Moriah fully expecting God to raise him from the dead! Listen to this further commentary on the story from the book of Hebrews. The central theme of the story is Abraham’s great faith. The writer begins and ends at that point:

“By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, ‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’  Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death” (Hebrews 11:17-19).

Do you see what great faith Abraham had in God? Did you notice the significance of that one sentence:  “He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son.”  As he set out to Mt. Moriah to sacrifice “…his one and only son,” Abraham clung to the many “promises” that God had previously given him. The greatest promise that Abraham clung to was that God would give him more offspring than the “stars in the sky” (Genesis 15:5) – and they would all begin with Isaac! So there was only one possible faith conclusions:  It Abraham was going to take Isaac’s life – God was going to give it back! And the only possibly way that could happen would be for God to “…raise the dead!”

So this first mention of “Mt. Moriah” forever sets it apart as holy ground! It was the place where God tested Abraham – and he passed the test because of his passion for God! This holy mount was the place of worship… love… faith… sacrifice… death… grace… substitution… resurrection! And one day it would also be the place of The Passion of the Christ!

 

DAVID

A second very significant spiritual event took place in this area during the life of King David. It is recorded in I Chronicles 21. As God increasingly gave him success over his enemies, David became filled with a false sense of pride. He began to secretly entertain the thought that he had done all of these great exploits by his own military genius.

Therefore, against the will of God and contrary to the council of his advisors, David decided to take a census of his people – especially his fighting men. They had grown to the place that they numbered over one million! Not a bad army in anybody’s book!  With that knowledge, it would be easy for David to begin to trust in his army rather than in his God. So because this was “…evil in the sight of God…He punished Israel.” As a result of God’s judgment through the plague he sent, seventy thousand men died. So because of David’s pride, he lost more men in this judgment by God than he ever lost in battle. It was an extremely costly sin in terms of the loss of human life! But it would be a lesson David would never forget.

As a result of this judgment that fell upon his people, David repented in sackcloth – and fell facedown before God in reverential fear and contrition. In his desperation and despair, David cried out to God:

“Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? O Lord my God, let your hand fall upon me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people” (I Chronicles 21:17).

As a result of his repentance, the judgment hand of the Lord was stayed. At that moment God opened David’s spiritual eyes and allowed him to see His angel of judgment who was “…standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite” (v. 15). So the angel of the Lord instructed David to “…go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite” (v. 8). And David was obedient. He immediately goes to buy this particular “threshing floor” so he can build an altar to the Lord there.

When he gets there “Araunah was threshing wheat.” So David says to him:

“Let me have the site of your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped. Sell it to me at the full price” (v.22).

But when Araunah realizes that this was King David, and that he wishes to build an altar to the Lord there, he responds with great generosity:

“Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this” (v. 23).

Now note very carefully David’s response to this very generous offer from Araunah:   

“No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that cost me nothing. So David paid Araunah six hundred shekels of gold for the site” (v. 24).

“David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the Lord, and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering” (vs. 25-26).

So we see that David would not accept the threshing floor as a free gift. Nor would he let Araunah provide the animals, grain and wood for the sacrifice. This was his sin… his pride…his disobedience… his problem… his crisis – not Araunah’s. So he insists that he must “…pay the full price” for the threshing floor in order to build an altar. David said that he would not “…sacrifice a burnt offering that cost him nothing.”

That’s a great lesson for each of us. Cheap grace is never acceptable to a holy God!  It is nothing but worthless worship.

Thousands of years later, the greater “…son of David” (Matthew 22:41-46) would be born who would be the Messiah. That’s why to the Jews the very term “Son of David” was synonymous with the Messiah. So at this very place where King David made his sacrifice, the Lord Jesus also “paid the full price” to stop a greater judgment of God.

But the “full price” Jesus would pay would not just be for the people of Israel. It would be for the whole world. And the “full price” for the sins of the world would not be with “…perishable things like silver and gold.” It would be with “…the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (I Peter 1:18). So both King Davids paid the “full price” at this place – one in gold, one in blood!

So it was on Mount Moriah that David’s sin of pride was atoned for on the altar through a blood sacrifice. After that the angel of the Lord sheathed his sword. No more judgment. No more plague. No more death. So we read: “When David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there” (v. 28).

But there was still one major problem. The Tabernacle that Moses had built was not there – it was in Gibeon. And the Tabernacle was the proper place for the altar and sacrifices to take place. So David said:  “The house of the Lord God is to be here and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel” (22:1). From that moment on, David began to make preparations for the building of the Temple of God on that very spot – which brings us to the third Old Testament person associated with this place known as Mount Moriah.

SOLOMON

As we know, God refused to let King David build the Temple because he was a warrior – a “man of blood” (I Chronicles 28:3). But he did let him amass a great fortune – along with many of the necessary building materials to pass on to his son Solomon, so that he could build God’s Temple. And where was it built? You guessed it…

“Then King Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David” (II Chronicles 3:1).

So on Mount Moriah, Solomon built the most costly and most beautiful structure ever built by man in human history! And the most sacred place of all was the “Holy of holies” where the glory of the Lord resided. It would be in this place that God would have his Name to dwell forever (I Kings 5:5; II Chronicles 6:6). And since it had been the place of Abraham’s altar and David’s altar, it would be the final resting place for the holiest altar of all – the Ark of the Covenant. So after the building was fully completed and the Ark was in place, it was again time for worship. Time for sacrifice. Note the extravagance of their worship and sacrifice that was led by King Solomon:

“When the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark, and they brought up the Tent of Meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests…carried them up; and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted” (vs. 4-6).

And it would be somewhere on this same rocky mount that the Lord of glory would make the ultimate sacrifice! It was here that The Passion of the Christ would take place. It would be the most extravagant act of worship on the most significant altar in human history – the old rugged cross!  There we would see the indescribable and incomprehensible love of the passionate Christ expressed for a lost and dying world.

With that brief Old Testament review of the general place of the crucifixion, let’s turn now to the New Testament. There we gain some more insights about this significant place as it is variously described in the Four Gospels:

·      “As they were going out…they came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull)…And they crucified Him” (Matthew 27:33; Mk. 15:22).

·      “When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals – one on His right, the other on his left” (Luke 23:33).

·      “Carrying His own cross, He went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified Him, and with Him two others – one on each side and Jesus in the middle…the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city…” (John 19:17-18, 20).

We can clearly see then that all four of the Gospels totally agree on the exact place where the crucifixion of Jesus took place. They all referred to it as the “Place of the Skull.” And it is referred to in several languages: Latin, Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek. Let’s look at each of them more closely:

·      Latin: calva, calvarius or “skull”

·      Aramaic: gulgolta, or “skull”

·      Hebrew: gulgoleth, or “bald, round, skull-like mound”

·      Greek: kranion, or “skull”

Why was this place called “The Skull?” We cannot be absolutely sure. Biblical scholars have given two explanations. First, since it was a known place of execution, some believe that there were human skulls lying around from previous crucifixions – left there as a public warning.  However, this is not likely the best historic explanation because of Jewish law that required a dead body to buried by nightfall (Deuteronomy 21:23).

The more likely and logical explanation is that this rocky knoll in some way had an eerie resemblance to a “human skull.” Although the exact place is not known, it is either at the present site of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, or Gordon’s Calvary. I have visited both sites a number of times. But in both places there is a large “rocky knoll” that would suitably fit the original location. And interestingly enough, they are both a part of the same geological rocky shelf known as “Moriah.”

So while we do not know the exact place with absolute certainty, we do know the general location. But contrary to a well beloved hymn, we do know that it was not a “hill” or a “mountain” as such. Remember the opening refrain of The Old Rugged Cross?

“On a hill far away, stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame…”

So while we do know for certain that it was not a tall hill or mountain in the traditional sense of the word, it was in a very public place. John specifically tells us that “…the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city.” He further points out: “At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid” (John 19:41). So this general area seemed to have been a known burial site with gardens all around – not unlike many cemeteries today.

The writer of Hebrews underscores this matter of location when He compares the sacrifice of Christ on the cross to the animal sacrifices of the old covenant:

“The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through His own blood. Let us, then, go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore” (Hebrews 13:11-13; c.f. Ex. 29:14; Leviticus 4:12, 21; 9:11; 16:27).

So we know several things clearly about the place of the crucifixion. It was “…outside the gate.”  It was “…near the city.” And nearby “…there was a garden.” It had to be “…outside the city gate” because it was illegal to crucify a person within the city. So it would have been a very public place as close “…outside the city gate” as possible. And since there was a “garden” with a “new tomb,” it must have been a known place of burial. As a result it would have also had some kind of road leading to it.

In carrying out the execution, the Romans would have taken the longest route to get there to draw more public attention to this horrific means of capital punisment. This would have been consistent with the Roman practice of execution. Since crucifixion was their preferred way of public execution, they wanted to do it in as prominent a place as possible. Therefore the sight of these public executions would serve as a stark visual warning against any form of rebellion against Rome. This would have been much like the “public hangings” practiced in America in years past – as well as in other countries of the world to this day.

So this place where Jesus died was a public place of pain and shame. It had been uniquely prepared through the centuries by God as a place of worship… sacrifice… judgment… atonement… forgiveness. It had been hallowed by the sacrifices of Abraham, the sacrifices of David, the sacrifices of Solomon. It became the site for Solomon’s Temple, the most costly and beautiful temple ever built. Now it was hallowed by the greatest sacrifice in human history – the sacrifice of the Lord of glory! And through the sacrifice of His life, the gore of the cross was transmuted into the glory of the cross!  So without question, this is the single most important place on planet earth! For it was on this holy mount that the Lord Jesus died, was buried, and was resurrected from the grave – all for our total redemption!

And finally, it’s probably best that we do not know the exact spot where the crucifixion of Christ took place. If we did, people would begin to worship the place of the cross rather than the Person of the cross! Just as is the case with most of the other “holy places” in Israel today, there would be shrines, temples, churches, altars all over it!  And the competing religious groups would be “fighting for preeminence” – just as they do today at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on special holy days like Christmas and Easter.

For the same reason, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is one of the hottest and most contested places on earth. It is the site of the Western Wall – the only remaining portion of the Temple. So for the Jews, this is their most holy site in all the earth. It was here that three successive temples were built and destroyed: Solomon’s Temple, Zerubbabel’s Temple and Herod’s Temple.  And it is also the site of the Dome of the Rock – the third most holy site for Moslems because of Muhammad’s reputed “Night Journey” to Jerusalem. Only Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia would have more geographical and spiritual importance to the world of Islam than Jerusalem has – which is why there is still constant fighting between Jews and Arabs over the control of the Temple Mount.
So even though we cannot identify the precise place where the crucifixion took place, we do know for certain the identification of the Person who was crucified there. So let’s turn our attention more specifically to the Person of the passion.