Public executions have always drawn a crowd. There is something sinister and macabre about them that draw people to them.  Whether it is death by beheading, stoning, hanging, firing squad, electrocution, gas chamber or lethal injection - a certain amount of people are always drawn to an execution. The same was true in antiquity with a crucifixion. It was a horribly fascinating event!

However, some means of execution are “cleaner” and “quicker” than others.  Some forms of capital punishment are more “humane” and “dignified” than others. They are designed to minimize the pain and suffering of the victim. The purpose is to bring death as quickly and cleanly as possible. Such was NOT the case with crucifixion!  Quite the opposite was true. It was specifically designed to bring maximum pain and absolute shame!

Crucifixion then, was not only designed to bring maximum pain and suffering to the condemned – it was also meant to strike fear and terror into the hearts of those who witnessed it!  Crucifixion was purposely carried out in the most public context possible so as to impact the masses. In some societies the entire community was required to watch the execution. That way it would be a graphic reminder of the price of breaking the law… rebelling against authority…or leading an insurrection. It always made an indelible and unforgettable impression upon those who witnessed it. And we will examine this “pain factor” in more detail in a later part of our study.

In this chapter and the one following, I want us to review the various other People of the Cross. In our previous two chapters we looked at the most important Person of the Cross – the Lord Jesus, and the principle of the cross, or dying to self. In both cases, Jesus is certainly the central figure and perfect example.

Christ’s Friends

After His last Passover, “Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane” (Matthew 26:47). It was located east of Jerusalem, just across the Kidron valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives. It was a favorite place of rest and repose for Jesus and His disciples. It is highly significant and symbolic to note that Gethsemane comes from an Aramaic word for “oil press.” So presumably there was an oil press in this garden used to crush and mash olives in order to press out the oil from the fruit.

Therefore, it was in this very Garden that Jesus would be pressed and crushed under the weight of the sins of the whole world. So when Jesus entered Gethsemane – the “olive press,” His suffering and sorrow took on new intensity!  From that moment on and from that place on, The Passion of the Christ began to unfold rapidly. And there in the Garden He became so pressed and crushed under your sins and mine that “…his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:44). I will share more about his “sweating blood” in a later chapter.

So in the Garden of Gethsemane, the combined weight of time and eternity pressed down on the Lord Jesus.  What had been planned in the eons of eternity past by the Triune Godhead – and precisely predicted for several thousand years by His prophets, was being fulfilled and consummated in just a few hours. Eternity would be compressed and fulfilled in about 12 hours of time!

It was in the Garden of Gethsemane that it would be revealed who Jesus’ real friends and enemies were.  And each of us will ultimately fall into one of those two categories.  There is no other third grouping.  As He said earlier in His ministry: “He who is not with Me is against Me” (Matthew 12:30).  Lent is a good time to honestly ask ourselves: “Which group am I really in?  Would Christ number me with His friends or His enemies?”  As we continue this Lenten Study, I think the answer will become clear to each of us as we look at the attitudes and actions in this eternal drama of the Passion of the Christ.

Even though Jesus is the One who was on trial, in reality His presence put everyone else on trial. The quiet and confident majesty of His presence forced everyone to react to Him and His claims of deity. No one could be neutral in the presence of His bold affirmation that He was indeed God’s Messiah. In the face of those claims, no one could be neutral. So His presence, proclamation and passion put everyone else on trail!

So let’s do a little “crowd survey” to see what we can learn from the many witnesses of the Passion of the Christ. Let’s try to view the events from their frame of reference and see what we can learn. In this chapter we will look at the people who were the friends of Jesus – His disciples. In the following chapter, we will examine the response of the enemies of Jesus.

Just as is the case with every great drama, there are a few key “stars” that the story revolves around. They are the ones who play major roles and appear in multiple scenes. They are the ones who have the longer scripts that are interwoven throughout the drama. But there are also other key “supporting actors” who play a more secondary role in the background. They are the “extras” who serve only as a back-drop to the drama taking place on center stage. They are usually anonymous actors – faceless and nameless. These characters only play small “bit parts” and have only minor appearances in this divine drama.

But as we watch the drama unfold, all of us can find one or more actors we can personally identify with. So let’s look at each of them carefully. And we will generally examine them in the order of their appearance on the stage of this drama – The Passionate Christ.

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