The story of the cross is at the heart of the Gospel of Christ. The more we understand and appreciate what happened there, the more we will be drawn to the Savior.

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This said he, signifying what death he should die." (John 12:32-33.)

The word cross is not found in the Old Testament. It comes from the Latin word, crux. The cross is the crux of the message of the Gospel. No word in human language has become more universally known than this one.

In thinking through the accounts of the death of Jesus on Calvary again, I noted that there are some very obvious things about what happened and the meaning of those events. But there are some things that are not so obvious. Here are some of those things.

It is a very obvious truth that one named Jesus of Nazareth did suffer and die under Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea. (Matt. 27:2.) Jesus was born under Augustus Caesar (27 BC-14 AD) and died under Tiberius (14-37 AD). Both biblical history and secular accounts agree. This is important because there are some who deny that Jesus even lived. But it is an obvious truth that he did.

To deny that Jesus lived and died under Pilate would be similar for one today denying that George Washington lived and served as our first President. It would be like denying that Hitler killed anyone in the 1930s and 40s. It is obvious to any student of history that these things did happen.

It is true that the most complete accounts of Jesus’ life and death are found in the Scriptures. We have four inspired accounts of Jesus’ life. But unbelievers want to deny us the power of their testimony because the accounts were written by believers. But none of these writers were believers at the beginning. They had to be convinced by seeing and touching Jesus after the resurrection. Thomas said, I will not believe unless I see and touch him. Saul of Tarsus was a bitter opponent of Christianity at the beginning. These documents come down to us from the very time period when the events occurred. The writers were contemporaries of Jesus. This is exactly the kind of evidence that we need. They were eyewitnesses of all the events of Jesus’ life. (Acts 10:41, 1 Cor. 15.) In addition, these accounts were written shortly after the events and during the lives of the authors.

The Jews knew that this would carry weight with Pilate, especially if the Caesar in Rome heard about it. Tiberius would not be able to check out the truthfulness of it easily. There were no telephones or faxes. But it is obvious that Jesus was not trying to get the job of being Caesar of Rome. In fact, he taught his disciples to give to Caesar what belonged to Caesar and to God what belonged to God.

Some of his disciples, one of the apostles was a zealot, no doubted wanted Jesus to use his power to overthrow the Caesar and establish an earthly kingdom. Jesus told Pilate that his kingdom was not of this world. (John 18:36.) But Jesus never used his power against the political powers of that day. He used them against demons, diseases, sickness and death. (Acts 10:38.) He used them for the good of suffering humanity. His powers were directed against the Kingdom of Satan.

It is obvious that Jesus desired to establish a spiritual kingdom. Pilate, the Jews, Caesar and most of his disciples failed to grasp that truth.

"The Kingdom of God comes not with observation. Neither shall they say, Lo, here! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21.)

If Jesus was planning to overthrow the power of Rome, he was poorly equipped militarily to do so. He only had twelve close followers with him. They were on foot with none of the typical armor of that day. The only time that a disciple drew the sword in Jesus’ defense was when Peter cut off Malchus’ ear. But Jesus immediately healed him and told Peter to put up the sword. Jesus said, Those who live by the sword shall die by it.

Even Pilate knew that and recognized it. The Bible says, "Pilate asked them, Whom will you that I should release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? For he knew that for envy they had delivered him." (Matt. 27:18.) The Jews did not oppose Jesus because they had determined that he was not the Messiah. They were simply zealous the crowds that he drew to himself.

Others did not want to recognize Jesus because it would interfere with their means of income at the temple. The Sadducees controlled the temple activities. It had become a place of merchandise instead of prayer. Many changes would have to occur if the Jews recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Few people accept changes of any kind, even when it is for their benefit. The truth is that the Jews were envious of Jesus. It was one of the major reasons for opposing him unto death. That much is obvious.

(See sermon by Lonnie Davis, Cold Harbor Lectureship, "Calvary: The Perversion of Justice," 2002, 44-56.)

In the accounts that we have of the trials that led up to Jesus’ crucifixion, there is no fairness or justice at all. We would call it "a kangaroo court." The outcome was already decided before the evidence was presented. Scholars have identified twenty-seven illegalities surrounding the events of Jesus’ trials. The witnesses who were called against Jesus did not agree in what they said. What was the exact charge against Jesus? They kept on changing the charge. Was it blasphemy? If so, how and when did he blaspheme God? (Matt. 26:65.) Was it a conspiracy to overthrow the Caesar? (Luke 23:1-4.) Was he a criminal? (John 10:30.) What was his crime?

The judge, Pilate, admitted that he saw nothing that he had done wrong. The Jews intimated the judge and threatened to tell Caesar. Pilate washed his hands in a public statement that he was not participating in this perversion of justice. But he wanted to please the Jews over whom he ruled.

It is obvious to me that Jesus suffered terribly. We need not to have trained people in the medical field to describe it, though some have done so. The words are enough for us to understand that Jesus did not die an easy death. It is believed that scourging and crucifixion were introduced by the Persians, but perfected by the Romans. A person charged with a capital offense was beaten nearly to death and then nailed to a cross to die slowly and publicly. Some endured the pain for days on a cross.

Jesus was not eager to die on the cross, like a fanatical Arab today ready to commit suicide and murder. He prayed fervently that this cup of suffering pass from him, if it were possible. He was determined to allow the Jews and Romans to crucify him because he knew it was the Father’s will, because he knew the purpose of it, and because he loved lost humanity. But in the flesh, he did not desire to be so mistreated and abused.

Probably, the most severe pain of all was that he suffered alone. The weight of the sins of the world was his to bear. No one else could help. The angels were forbidden from interfering. He could have called ten thousand angels, but he suffered and died all alone. Jesus did not want to be separated from his Father while bearing the sins of mankind. That pain was keenly felt and undesirable.

It is obvious to me that Jesus suffered severely.

It is obvious that the prophets foretold his death and that it was in the plan of God. But what is not so obvious is why? Surely, something so cruel and painful would not have been carried out if there were some other way. That is what Jesus pleaded and prayed about to the Father before his crucifixion. But there was no other way to redeem man. We can say, therefore, with confidence that his death was necessary. In did appease the wrath of a just God. It satisfied the law’s demand for justice morally and spiritually. Jesus was like a lamb under the Law of Moses being offered for the sins of the people. But even so, it is still not so obvious why Jesus had to die on the cross, but it was necessary.

It is not so obvious how the death of one person could atone for everyone’s sins. We know that Jesus did "by the grace of God taste death for every man." (Heb. 2:9.) Normally, in matters of justice one man is punished for his own misdeeds. A judge or jury would not allow one man to come forward and suffer some punishment for everyone. They would not allow one person to take the place of all those in prison and permit them to go home. If that were done spiritually, each sinner would need a separate and personal Savior. In the Bible, one person can and did satisfy the justice of God. That truth is obvious, but how that is possible is not so obvious.

It is not so obvious from reading the account that my sins were involved in his death, but they were. It is sometimes difficult for us to make that connection. What does the death of Jesus in the first century have to do with my sins? That is not so obvious, but comes from an understanding of the Gospel.

It is not so obvious that the will of God is being carried out in the events of Jesus’ death. On the surface, it looks like just another cruel event in the Middle East, another perversion of justice. It looks like a series of conflicts among Jews, Romans, disciples of Jesus, religious and political leaders. It looks like the kind of thing that happens when political leaders get involved in religious matters.

Yet to the student of the Old Testament, it is clear that the prophets had foretold the very details of Jesus’ rejection and death. Isaiah 53 is among the longest sections giving such details. Even the fact that not a bone of him would be broken was foretold. The purpose of Jesus’ death was stated that he bore our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, and by his stripes we are healed.

It seems that Pilate is acting according to his own choices, that the Jews are doing what they might be expected to do, that Judas chose to betray Jesus, and Peter chose to deny him. How do these human choices fulfill the will of God? The foreknowledge and foreordination of God are not so obvious, but they are certainly present. It is often hard to see the hand of God acting in our world, yet it is true that God has always worked in the world and works until now, as Jesus said.

It is not so obvious a matter in these accounts that faith in what was accomplished on our behalf justifies us, but it does. (Rom. 1:17, Rom. 5:1, Gal. 3:11, Heb. 10:38.) Paul wrote,

"Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God." (Rom. 3:25.)

"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation and covered me with the robe of righteousness." (Isa. 61:10.) We put on Christ. (Rom. 13:14, Gal.3:27.) Righteousness is imputed to those who believe that God raised up Jesus from the dead. (Rom. 4:3, 22-25.)