And so we come to the last lesson of this quarter. On the one hand, this is the most tragic moment in the entire history of the universe - the death of the Son of God. On the other hand, the plan of redemption has been completed, and Christ not only died, but He rose again. Does that make you happy? Me too. Let's look at this lesson in detail.

I Power in heaven and on earth

We read the text of Scripture:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matthew 28:18).

This text is given as a memorial to the lesson. These words were spoken by Jesus just before his ascension to heaven. Why did Jesus say these words? What was the impetus for saying these words? Did the students doubt something?

Matthew does not report anything about the appearance of Jesus to the ten disciples in the evening of the same day, as John does (John 20:19-23), nor about His appearance on the 8th day to the eleven disciples (John 20:24-29). But about the appearance of the resurrected Christ in Galilee, where He promised to meet the disciples, Matthew recorded (Matthew 26:32 compare with 28:7,10). It is not known on which mountain Jesus met the disciples, but they saw Him. And when they saw… they worshiped Him; while others doubted, writes Matthew.

Since He had already been seen before and made sure that it was He, the disciples did not doubt the fact of His resurrection, but rather whether He appeared to them this time as well. Since earlier His appearances were accompanied by unusual circumstances, and now everything happened “simply” (judging by the gospel narrative), the disciples could experience a kind of surprise or doubt.

But their uncertainty could not but dissipate when Jesus spoke to them as a Being higher order“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me,” He said. This “authority” (the Greek word “eksus'ia” literally means “official right” or “official authority”) was given to Jesus Christ by the Heavenly Father, and now He, on the basis of the authority given to Him, commands the disciples: Go! Go to all nations (to all, not just to Israel).

They were to go and teach, that is, to proclaim the truth about Jesus Christ, so that people from all nations could follow Christ, as they themselves did. Those who believed in the Savior were to be baptized in water. Those who responded to the good news were to be further taught and instructed in regard to the truths which Jesus had imparted to His eleven disciples.

Of course, not everything that He said to them was conveyed by them to the converted, but first of all, those specific truths that concerned the coming age of the Church and the operation of the grace of God in it; they carried them into all the ends of the earth. Christ's instruction to the disciples came down, in essence, to one thing: "Get Me followers!" And this is expressed by three verbs in imperative form: "Go, baptize, teach!"

The last words in the Gospel of Matthew are the words of the promise of Jesus Christ: And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Although Jesus did not physically stay with the Eleven, spiritually He was with them all the time they were on earth doing His assignment. The apostles sacredly observed these last words Lord and acted according to them: in whatever countries they went, they everywhere proclaimed the history of their Messiah Jesus Christ.

It was we who revealed the essence of the words of Christ, which are given to us as an epigraph to this lesson. They were given to the disciples as epilogues before Christ left them and ascended to heaven. A good result of the ministry of Christ on earth, but let's return to the most painful and responsible hours of the ministry of Jesus, this is the moment of execution and crucifixion.

II Execution

In fact, the very word execution means "corporal punishment." Who were ordered? Guilty. What was wrong with Jesus? Even Pilate could testify:

“behold, I bring him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in him” (John 19:4).

But the execution took place. We reading:

26 Then he released Barabbas to them, and having beaten Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium, and gathered the whole army against him.
28 And having undressed Him, they put on Him a scarlet robe;
29 And they wove a crown of thorns, put it on his head, and gave him right hand cane; and, kneeling before Him, they mocked Him, saying: Hail, King of the Jews!
30 And they spat on him, and taking a reed, they struck him on the head.
31 And when they mocked Him, they took off the purple robe from Him, and put His clothes on Him, and led Him to be crucified (Mt. 27:26-31).

Matthew describes the moment of execution very briefly: “he beat him, betrayed him to be crucified.” Then he describes the bullying and ridicule of the soldiers. The word "biv" in other translations is more specifically "handed over to scourging." Greek wordφραγελλόω fragell'o literally means to scourge.

In general, Matthew mentions only the first scourging; his goal, in this case, is to show everything about Pilate before moving on to the actions of the soldiers. Bullying actually preceded the main scourging and crucifixion. In fact, Jesus was scourged twice; the first time in order to arouse the compassion of the crowd and their approval for his release (compare how Luke and John describe this); the second time the crucifixion was preceded by execution (corporal punishment) according to custom, since before the crucifixion all the condemned were beaten with whips.

This is how Barclay describes this horrific procedure: “Roman scourging was terrible torture: the victim was undressed, her hands were tied back and tied to a post in a bent position, so that her back was well open for scourging. The scourge itself was a long, leather whip, on which pointed pieces of bone and lead were fixed. Such scourging always preceded the crucifixion, and it turned the naked body into shreds. raw meat and bleeding scars. People died under such a scourge, lost their minds, and only a few did not lose consciousness until the end of the scourging.

Pilate saw that nothing helped and realized the seriousness of the threats that reached him to complain to Caesar (John 19:12). His relationship with the emperor Tiberius, then ruling Rome, left much to be desired, and he feared that rumors would reach that point about a certain “king” who had appeared in Judea, in whom Tiberius could see a rival; the more he feared that the news of the liberation of this king by him, Pilate, would reach Rome. And the governor made a decision: he took water and washed his hands in front of the people, thus symbolizing his desire to publicly free himself from responsibility for putting to death innocent person. However, neither this gesture, nor the words of Pilate: I am innocent in the blood of this Righteous One - did not remove the guilt from him, because all this parody of the trial was allowed precisely by him.

Meanwhile, the Jews readily accepted the responsibility laid on them by Pilate (verse 24). His blood is on us and on our children! they said. Their words turned into bitter reality: many of them (and their children) were overtaken by the judgment of God when, in 70 A.D., the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and led the people to dispersion.

As for Pilate, despite the four times he proclaimed the innocence of Jesus (Luke 23:14,20,22; John 19:4), he released Barabbas to the people, and after beating Jesus he handed him over to be crucified.

Jesus was taken to the praetorium (a huge courtyard that surrounded the courthouse) where a crowd of Roman soldiers crowded (this is how the second part of verse 27 should be understood). It is believed that there were 600 of them there (in the Greek text it says - "cohort"). The Praetorium could have been part of Pilate's residence (the so-called Castle of Anthony). But some think that it was located on the territory of Herod's palace.

The soldiers, having undressed Jesus, began to mock Him: a) they dressed Him in a purple robe similar to that of a king; b) they put a crown woven of thorns on His head and c) instead of a scepter, they put a reed in His right hand. And, kneeling before Him, they mocked Him, saying: Hail, King of the Jews! What a tragic figure Jesus was at that moment! His tormentors spat on him and beat him on the head with a cane.

Without knowing it, they were fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah about the Savior, recorded in Is. 52:14. For Jesus was beaten so severely by the Roman soldiers that few could recognize His “disfigured face.” Completely surrendering to the will of the Father, He silently endured all these mockeries. Having enjoyed themselves, the soldiers again dressed Him in His clothes and led Him to be crucified.

III Crucifixion and death

Matthew records only some of the events that took place on the way of Jesus to the place of the crucifixion and in the process. He writes that a certain Cyrenean named Simon (this man was from Kirin, a city in North Africa, where many Jews lived) were forced to carry the cross of Jesus, when He, tormented by beatings, could no longer carry it Himself. In the end, the procession reached a place called Golgotha, which means: “frontal place” (more precisely, translated from the Aramaic “calvary” means “skull”, “a place that looks like a skull”). But it was neither a place of "burial of skulls", nor a cemetery, nor a place of executions, but simply an elevated place, reminiscent of a human skull in its configuration.

At Golgotha, Jesus was offered to drink vinegar mixed with gall. This drink, which intoxicated the senses and somewhat eased the suffering of the crucified, but He did not want to drink it, so as not to lose control over His state even on the cross.

The act of crucifixion itself is described briefly by Matthew. He does not mention that nails were driven into the hands and feet of the Lord. But about the fact that the soldiers divided His clothes, casting lots, he says. Above the head of the person being crucified, they usually wrote what he was executed for. The inscription above the head of the Savior read: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. This is what He was accused of.

Jesus was crucified between two thieves (Matthew 27:38); Luke calls them "wicked men" (Luke 23:33).

Those who passed by the cross insulted Jesus. In a mocking tone, they recalled how He spoke about the destruction of the temple and its creation in three days. Surely this man is a “false leader,” they thought, because his vaunted ability to destroy the temple never came to light! And if He were the Son of God, He would have to perform a miracle by descending from the cross. His failure to do so, they reasoned, proves the failure of His claims. Before He saved others, but now He cannot save Himself. “Let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in him,” they said. "If He is pleasing to God, if He is His Son, may God deliver Him." It is doubtful, however, that they would have believed, even if the things about which they spoke so skeptically and caustically had come to pass.

In Matthew we read that not only those who passed by (27:39-40) and the religious leaders (verses 41-45), but also the thieves who were crucified with Him, reviled Him. Luke, however, states that one of the "robbers" has changed in his heart (Luke 23:39-43).

The bitter irony of what was happening was that Jesus really could do everything that the crowd called for Him to do. And come down from the cross and physically save Himself - He could, but it would be against the will Heavenly Father! It was necessary for the Son of God to die for others. And so He patiently endured suffering and insults.

Matthew has no reference to when the execution began, but Mark reads that it began at "the third hour" (Mark 15:25), that is, around 9 o'clock in the morning. Matthew points out exactly when darkness covered the whole earth; it was from the sixth hour to the ninth hour (that is, from 12 o'clock in the afternoon to 3 o'clock in the afternoon). It was during this period of time that Jesus became the Sacrifice for the world, and in this capacity was left by the Father.

The time was drawing to a close, but the power of Jesus was reaching its limit. He could no longer bear the separation from the Father and cried out with a loud voice: Or, Or! lama savahfani? These Aramaic words mean: My God, My God! why did you leave me? In these words He expressed the tormenting feeling of such separation from the Father as he had never known before; for from the Son, who took upon Himself the sin of the world, the Father had to turn away completely.

Some of those standing there did not understand the words of Jesus. "Or" they mistook for "Elijah" (verse 47). Thinking that His throat was dry, and therefore He was not speaking clearly, one of them took a sponge, filled it with vinegar and gave Him to drink. Others said, "Wait, let's see if Elijah comes to save him." Thus people mocked Christ.

And with a final loud cry, Jesus gave up his spirit, delivering him into the hands of his Father (Luke 23:46). Until the last moment, He controlled His life and died at the exact moment when this was to be done. None of the people could take His life, He Himself ordered it. Jesus gave his life according to the plan of the Father, only to take it up again in the resurrection.

At the moment of Jesus' death, three things happened instantly, one after the other. First, the veil in the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. This curtain separated the Holy of Holies in the temple from the rest of its premises. The fact that the veil was torn from top to bottom indicates that it was torn by God Himself, since a person would have torn it in the opposite direction - from bottom to top. This was a sign event by which God showed that from now on Free access to Him is open to any person - not only to the high priest in accordance with the Old Testament ritual.

Second, at the time of Christ's death, strong earthquake so that even the stones were split (Matt. 27:51). His death - an event of great spiritual power - shook the earth both figuratively and literally. Only Matthew writes about the third event. “And the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised” (v. 52; apparently referring to the Jerusalem cemetery). Comparing this information with other evangelists, we come to the conclusion that these "saints" were resurrected at the time of Christ's death, but they entered Jerusalem precisely after His resurrection.

Speaking of the death of Christ, we must clearly understand that this is not just a death that all people die, Christ took upon Himself the second death as the wages of sin. Crucified on the cross, Jesus did not know what awaited Him. It seemed to him that His death was forever. And from this He suffered more than from physical pain. He went through the "hell" that we deserve. It doesn't matter where or how we die, because we know that He conquered eternal death for us. Therefore, we wait with great faith that one day our desire to see God face to face will become a reality.

IV Resurrection and Ascension

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is presented as the long-awaited Messiah. It was difficult for the Jews to believe that their King would die a violent, shameful death, which awaited only the most notorious criminals and enemies of the state. Knowing the Scriptures and taking part in the rituals, they still could not recognize their Messiah. The rites, sacrifices, and feasts were a symbol of God's work to carry out the plan of salvation. After Jesus died and the veil was torn in two, there was no point in sacrificing animals anymore, as they pointed to Jesus' sacrifice. However, this did not mean that His work was completely completed.

Another symbol of fulfilled prophecy was the Feast of First Fruits. Before the entire crop is ripe, a small part of it ripens earlier. During the celebration of Passover, the Jews gathered the first ears of corn that ripened, tied them into a sheaf and gave them to the priest. The next day after the Sabbath, the priest offered it up before the Lord as a thanksgiving offering (see Lev. 23:9–14). The first fruit was a symbol of the fact that soon it would be time to harvest a full-fledged harvest.

The resurrection and ascension of Jesus to the Father was the first sheaf of the coming harvest. Christ is the firstfruits of the incorruptible harvest of the redeemed, which will be harvested at the first resurrection. The death of Jesus was accepted. He won. In Adam everyone died, but in Christ everyone will come to life and become a new creation (see 1 Cor. 20-23). What a beautiful promise we have. The corruptible will put on the incorruptible, and the mortal will put on the immortal! Christ is risen. The promised harvest is coming.

The center of the Christian faith is not only the Calvary cross, but also an empty tomb. Most people in the world, including non-Christians, believe that a man named Jesus of Nazareth actually died on the cross. Later a short time after the death of Jesus, historical evidence appeared, such as, for example, the record of the Roman historian Tacitus: “Nero betrayed to the most sophisticated executions those who, with their abominations, brought upon themselves universal hatred and whom the crowd called Christians. Christ, on whose behalf this name comes, was executed under Tiberius by the procurator Pontius Pilate” (Tacitus, Annals 15:44).

Whether a historical figure named Jesus was condemned and crucified has not been and is not being debated. But with the resurrection, things are different. It is much more difficult to admit that Jesus of Nazareth died on Friday afternoon and was resurrected on Sunday morning. This is what many people disagree with. After all, no one could be surprised by the story of a Jew crucified by the Romans in Judea. But the story of a Jew resurrected from the dead after crucifixion does not fit into the usual framework!

However, without this belief in the resurrected Jesus, the Christian religion cannot exist. Paul writes: “And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain... And if in this life alone we hope in Christ, then we are more unfortunate than all men” (1 Corinthians 15:14, 19). Jesus' death had to be followed by His resurrection, because in His resurrection we have the guarantee of our resurrection.

When we read the account of the resurrection of Jesus, we may perceive it in different ways. Or consider this story a sentimental fiction of the few disciples of Jesus, yearning for their Teacher and wishing to preserve the memory of Him. Or we can take the story of the resurrection literally as a first-hand account of an extraordinary event that was later interpreted as having meaning for every person who has ever lived on earth.

Nevertheless, Jesus resurrected, appeared to his disciples and gave the command: “Go, therefore, teach...” (Mat. 28:19). After the resurrection, Christ received unlimited spiritual authority. Therefore, He asks that we invite everyone to follow Him everywhere. The enemy of Christ is finally defeated. There may be random obstacles along the way. We may experience temporary loss. But the final victory is assured to us. At the center of the Great Commission are the disciples who responded to God's call, for nothing can compare to what Christ accomplished at Calvary and in Joseph's tomb. Is it possible to wish for something more than the world in life's difficulties, the certainty of facing death, and a guaranteed eternal reward?

Take this amazing message to others, make them disciples of Jesus, win friends for eternity, proclaim deliverance from slavery! "Go!"

CONCLUSION

As we read the story of Paul's missionary journeys, we realize that he would not have had the strength to keep going if he did not believe in something far greater than the pain and suffering he was experiencing. An encounter with the living, resurrected Jesus prompted Paul to set out to preach the gospel of salvation to all who would listen to him. The Great Commission is given to everyone who follows Christ. "Go" and teach everyone. These words also apply to each of us personally. This concludes our study of the Gospel of Matthew.

See you next Sabbath School in the new block. We have to study the material on the topic: "The role of the church in society."

Many people celebrate Easter. Many do not celebrate.

But what really happened in those 3 days?

Christ died for all mankind. And resurrected.

It is a fact. Let's examine this fact in detail.

After all, it's one thing to just hear "Christ is risen." It becomes like a slogan, which is no longer perceived by ear. And another thing is to know for sure that Christ died and rose again for us.

To verify this in more detail, I decided to write an article with a detailed study of the Greek original, on which are written. And also with scientific justification what actually happened on those memorable 3 days in the 1st century from the birth of Christ.

Chronologically what happened

Jesus was condemned at the age of 33.

He was crucified. In those days, crucifixion was a terrible punishment, which was prescribed only for the most serious crimes.

What is crucifixion really?

Nails

Nails 15-20 cm long (average palm length of an adult)

The nails were driven into the wrists, not the palms. Otherwise, the palms would have been torn from the weight of the body. And so the condemned could hang on the cross.

There is a tendon in the wrist that is connected to the shoulder. And the nail that was driven in tore the tendon.

Jesus was forced to hold His body on one nail. Both of His feet were nailed to the cross with this nail.

However, the feet couldn't support his body without tearing. Therefore, He had to alternate reliance on the feet, with reliance on the hands.

The process of crucifixion itself lasted several hours.

Then Jesus endured another 3 hours.

Breath

Air was forced out of the lungs by the weight of the body. Therefore, Jesus had to use all his strength to breathe.

Blood

Blood flowed from the body of Jesus. A few minutes before his death, he stopped bleeding. Not a drop of blood remained in the body. Water flowed from His wounds.

John 19:34 but one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water.

The adult human body contains approximately 3.5 liters of blood. Jesus shed all his blood, to the last drop.

crown of thorns

Path to Calvary

Jesus went the hard way to Calvary. Beaten, He carried a cross weighing 30 kg for almost 2 kilometers.

What's the point of this?

After the crucifixion, Jesus Christ died on the cross. And he was taken to the tomb.

Tomb of Jesus

His spirit descended into hell. And his flesh was in the tomb.

• Jesus voluntarily sacrificed Himself. He became the cause of the Covenant of God with man.

Why was Jesus Christ crucified? This question may arise in a person who either refers to this event only as historical fact or takes the very first steps towards faith in the Savior. In the first case, the most correct decision is to try not to satisfy your idle interest, but to wait until a sincere desire appears in the mind and heart to understand this. In the second case, you need to start looking for an answer to this question, of course, from reading the Bible.

In the process of reading, various personal considerations in this regard will inevitably arise. This is where the division begins. Some believe that each person has the right to their own reading Holy Scripture and remain with their opinion, even if it is fundamentally different from the opinion of other people. This is the Protestant position. Orthodoxy, which is still the main Christian denomination in Russia, is based on the reading of the Bible by the Holy Fathers. This also applies to the question: why was Jesus crucified? So the next the right move in an attempt to understand this topic - an appeal to the creations of the Holy Fathers.

Don't search the internet for answers.

Why Orthodox Church recommend this approach? The fact is that any person who tries to live a spiritual life necessarily reflects on the meaning of the events connected with the earthly life of Christ, on the meaning of His sermons, and if a person moves in the right direction, then the meaning, the hidden subtext of Scripture, is gradually revealed to him. But attempts to unite the knowledge and understanding accumulated by all spiritual people and those who try to be them into one gave the usual result: how many people - so many opinions. For each, even the most insignificant issue, so many understandings and assessments were found that, as an inevitability, there was a need to analyze and summarize all this information. The result was the following picture: several people necessarily covered the same topic absolutely, almost verbatim, in the same way. Having traced the pattern, it was easy to notice that opinions exactly coincided with a certain kind of people. Usually these were saints, theologians who chose monasticism or simply led a particularly strict life, were more attentive than other people to their thoughts and actions. The purity of thoughts and feelings made them open to communion with the Holy Spirit. That is, they all received information from the same source.

The discrepancies arose from the fact that yet no man is perfect. No one can escape the influence of evil, which will surely seduce, try to mislead a person. Therefore, in Orthodoxy it is customary to consider the opinion confirmed by the majority of the Holy Fathers to be the truth. Single assessments that do not coincide with the vision of the majority can be safely attributed to personal conjectures and delusions.

For everything related to religion, it is better to ask the priest

For a person who has just begun to be interested in such issues, the most best solution there will be an appeal for help to the priest. He will be able to advise literature that is suitable for a beginner. You can apply for such help to the nearest temple or spiritual and educational center. In such institutions, priests have the opportunity to give enough time and attention to the issue. It is more correct to look for an answer to the question "Why was Jesus Christ crucified?" in exactly this way. There is simply no unequivocal answer to it, and independent attempts to seek clarification from the Fathers are dangerous, since they wrote mainly for monks.

Christ was not crucified

Any Gospel event has two meanings: explicit and hidden (spiritual). If you look from the point of view of the Savior and Christians, then the answer could be this: Christ was not crucified, He voluntarily allowed himself to be crucified for the sins of all mankind - past, present and future. The obvious reason is simple: Christ called into question all the usual views of the Jews on piety, undermined the authority of their priesthood.

The Jews, before the coming of the Messiah, consisted in excellent knowledge and exact execution of all laws and regulations. The sermons of the Savior made many people think about the falsity of this view of the relationship with the Creator. In addition, the Jews expected the King promised in the prophecies Old Testament. He was to free them from Roman slavery and stand at the head of a new earthly kingdom. The high priests were probably afraid of an open armed uprising of the people against their power and the power of the Roman emperor. Therefore, it was decided that "it is better for us that one man should die for the people than that the whole nation should perish" (see chapter 11, verses 47-53). This is why they crucified Jesus Christ.

Good Friday

On what day was Jesus Christ crucified? All four gospels unanimously state that Jesus was arrested on the night from Thursday to Friday of the week before Easter. He spent the whole night in interrogation. The priests betrayed Jesus into the hands of the governor of the Roman emperor, the procurator Pontius Pilate. Wanting to avoid responsibility, he sent the captive to King Herod. But he, not finding anything dangerous for himself in the person of Christ, wanted to see some kind of miracle from a prophet known to the people. Because Jesus refused to entertain Herod and his guests, He was brought back to Pilate. On the same day, that is, on Friday, Christ was brutally beaten and, having put on His shoulders the instrument of execution - the Cross, they took him outside the city and crucified him.

Good Friday, which happens in the week leading up to Easter, is a day of especially deep sorrow for Christians. In order not to forget on what day Jesus Christ was crucified, the Orthodox keep fast every Friday throughout the year. As a sign of compassion for the Savior, they limit themselves in food, try to carefully monitor their mood, not swear, and avoid entertainment.

Calvary

Where was Jesus Christ crucified? Turning again to the Gospel, one can be convinced that all four "biographers" of the Savior unanimously point to one place - Golgotha, or This is a hill outside the city walls of Jerusalem.

Another difficult question: who crucified Christ? Would it be correct to answer this way: the centurion Longinus and his colleagues are Roman soldiers. They drove nails into the hands and feet of Christ, Longinus pierced the already cooling Body of the Lord with a spear. But he gave the order So he crucified the Savior? But Pilate tried in every possible way to persuade the Jewish people to let Jesus go, since he had already been punished, having been beaten, and there was “no guilt” in Him worthy of a terrible execution.

The procurator gave the order under pain of losing not only his place, but, perhaps, life itself. After all, the accusers argued that Christ threatened the power of the Roman emperor. It turns out that the Jewish people crucified their Savior? But the Jews were deceived by the high priests and their false witnesses. So after all, who crucified Christ? The answer would be honest: all these people together executed an innocent person.

Hell, where is your victory?!

It would seem that the high priests won. Christ accepted a shameful execution, regiments of angels did not descend from Heaven to take Him down from the cross, the disciples fled. Only mother best friend and a few devoted women remained with Him to the end. But this was not the end. The imaginary victory of evil was destroyed by the resurrection of Jesus.

At least see

Trying to erase any memory of Christ, the pagans covered Golgotha ​​and the Holy Sepulcher with earth. But at the beginning of the 4th century, Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Elena arrived in Jerusalem to find the Cross of the Lord. For a long time she unsuccessfully tried to find out where Jesus Christ was crucified. She was helped by an old Jew named Judas, who informed her that the temple of Venus was now located on the site of Golgotha.

After excavations, three similar crosses were discovered. To find out on which of them Christ was crucified, the crosses were alternately attached to the body of the deceased person. From touch Life-Giving Cross this man is alive. A huge number of Christians wished to bow to the shrine, so they had to raise the Cross up (erect) so that people could at least see it from afar. This event took place in 326. In memory of him, Orthodox Christians celebrate on September 27 a holiday called the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord.

The execution of crucifixion on the cross was the most shameful, the most painful and the most cruel. In those days, only the most notorious villains were executed like this: robbers, murderers, rebels and criminal slaves. The suffering of a crucified man is indescribable. In addition to unbearable pain in all parts of the body and suffering, the crucified one experienced terrible thirst and mortal spiritual anguish. Death was so slow that many were tormented on the cross for several days. Even the executioners - usually cruel people - could not coolly look at the suffering of the crucified. They prepared a drink with which they tried either to quench their unbearable thirst, or, by the admixture of various substances, to temporarily dull their consciousness and alleviate their torment. According to Jewish law, a person hung from a tree was considered cursed. The leaders of the Jews wanted to disgrace Jesus Christ forever by condemning Him to such a death.

When they brought Jesus Christ to Golgotha, the soldiers served Him to drink sour wine mixed with bitter substances in order to alleviate suffering. But the Lord, having tasted it, did not want to drink it. He did not want to use any remedy to relieve suffering. He voluntarily accepted these sufferings upon Himself for the sins of people; That's why I wanted to endure them.

When everything was ready, the soldiers crucified Jesus Christ. It was about noon, in Hebrew, at the 6th hour of the day. When they were crucifying Him, He prayed for His tormentors, saying: “Father! forgive them because they don't know what they're doing."

Next to Jesus Christ they crucified two villains (robbers), one on the right, and the other on left side From him. Thus, the prediction of the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled, who said: “And he was counted among the villains” ().

By order of Pilate, an inscription was nailed to the cross over the head of Jesus Christ, signifying His guilt. On it was written in Hebrew, Greek and Roman: Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews and many have read it. Such an inscription did not please the enemies of Christ. Therefore, the chief priests came to Pilate and said: “Do not write: King of the Jews, but write that He said: I am the King of the Jews.”

But Pilate replied: "What I wrote, I wrote."

Meanwhile, the soldiers who crucified Jesus Christ took His clothes and began to divide among themselves. They tore the outer garment into four pieces, one piece for each warrior. The chiton (underwear) was not sewn, but all woven from top to bottom. Then they said to each other: "We will not tear it apart, but we will cast lots for it, whoever gets it." And casting lots, the soldiers sitting guarded the place of execution. So, here, too, the ancient prophecy of King David came true: “They divided My garments among themselves, and they cast lots for My clothes” ().

Enemies did not stop insulting Jesus Christ on the cross. As they passed, they slandered and, nodding their heads, said: “Eh! Destroying the temple and building in three days! Save Yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

Also the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, and the Pharisees, mockingly, said: “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. If He is the Christ, the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, that we may see, and then we will believe in Him. Trusted in God; may God deliver him now, if he pleases him; for He said: I am the Son of God.

Following their example, the pagan warriors, who sat at the crosses and guarded the crucified, mockingly said: "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself."

Even one of the crucified thieves, who was to the left of the Savior, slandered Him and said: “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

The other robber, on the contrary, calmed him and said: “Or are you not afraid of God when you yourself are condemned to the same thing (that is, to the same torment and death)? But we are justly condemned, because we received what was worthy according to our deeds, but He did nothing wrong. Having said this, he turned to Jesus Christ with a prayer: remember me(remember me) Lord, when you come into your kingdom!"

The merciful Savior accepted the heartfelt repentance of this sinner, who showed such wondrous faith in Him, and answered the prudent thief: " I tell you truly, today you will be with me in paradise".

At the cross of the Savior stood His Mother, the Apostle John, Mary Magdalene and several other women who revered Him. Can't describe the grief Mother of God who saw the unbearable torment of His Son!

Jesus Christ, seeing His Mother and John standing here, whom He especially loved, says to His Mother: Geno! behold, thy son". Then he says to John: here, your mother". From that time on, John took the Mother of God to his house and took care of Her until the end of Her life.

Meanwhile, during the suffering of the Savior on Calvary, a great sign occurred. From the hour the Savior was crucified, that is, from the sixth hour (and according to our account from the twelfth hour of the day), the sun darkened and darkness fell over all the earth, and lasted until the ninth hour (according to our account until the third hour of the day) , i.e. until the death of the Savior.

This extraordinary, universal darkness was noted by pagan historian writers: the Roman astronomer Phlegont, Phallus and Junius Africanus. The famous philosopher from Athens, Dionysius the Areopagite, was at that time in Egypt, in the city of Heliopolis; observing the sudden darkness, he said: “Either the Creator suffers, or the world is destroyed.” Subsequently, Dionysius the Areopagite converted to Christianity and was the first Bishop of Athens.

The Holy Cross of Christ is the Holy Altar on which the Son of God, our Lord, offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Execution by crucifixion was the most shameful, the most painful and the most cruel in the East. So in ancient times only notorious villains were executed: robbers, murderers, rebels and criminal slaves. In addition to unbearable pain and suffocation, the crucified man experienced terrible thirst and deadly mental anguish.

According to the verdict of the Sanhedrin, approved by the Roman procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was condemned to be crucified.

Death came into the world with Adam's sin. Christ the Savior - the New Adam - had no sin, but took upon himself the sins of all mankind. To save people from death and hell, the Lord Jesus Christ went to death voluntarily.

When the Savior was brought to the place of execution, to Golgotha, the Roman soldiers, the executioners, gave Him vinegar mixed with bile to drink. This drink dulled the feeling of pain and somewhat reduced the painful suffering of the crucified. But the Lord refused. He wanted to drink the whole cup of suffering in full consciousness.

They took off their clothes from Christ, and the most terrible moment of execution followed - nailing to the Cross. "It was the third hour," the Evangelist Mark testifies, "and they crucified Him." According to our time it was about nine o'clock in the morning.

When the soldiers raised the Cross, then at that terrible moment the voice of the Savior was heard with a prayer for His ruthless killers: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Two thieves were crucified next to Christ - one on the right and the other on the left side.

Meanwhile, the soldiers who had crucified Jesus were dividing His clothes among themselves. They tore the outer garment into four pieces. And the lower one - a tunic - was not sewn, but whole-woven. Therefore, the soldiers cast lots about him - who will get it. According to legend, this tunic was woven by the Most Pure Mother of the Savior. The enemies of Christ - the scribes, Pharisees and elders of the people - did not cease to slander the Lord hanging on the Cross. Scoffing, they said, "If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross... You saved others... save Yourself."

The thief, crucified to the left of Christ, also blasphemed the Divine Sufferer.

The other thief, on the contrary, calmed him and said: "We are justly condemned ... but He did nothing wrong." Having said this, the robber turned to Jesus: "Remember me, Lord, when you come into Your Kingdom!"

The merciful Lord accepted the heartfelt repentance of this sinner and answered the prudent thief: "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." Near the Cross were not only the enemies of Christ. Here stood His Most Pure Mother, the Apostle John, Mary Magdalene and several other women. They looked with horror and compassion at the torments of the Crucified Savior.

Seeing His Mother and her beloved disciple, the Lord Jesus Christ said to Her: "Woman, here is Your Son." Then, turning His gaze to John, He said, "Behold, your Mother." From that time on, the Apostle John took the Mother of God into his home and took care of Her until the end of Her life.

Beginning at the sixth hour, the sun was darkened, and darkness covered the whole earth.

About the ninth hour of Jewish time, that is, at the third hour in the afternoon, Jesus loudly exclaimed: "My God, My God! Why did You leave Me?" This experience of being abandoned by God was the most terrible torment for the Son of God.

"I thirst," said the Savior. Then one of the soldiers filled a sponge with vinegar, put it on a cane and brought it to the withered lips of Christ.

"And when Jesus had tasted the vinegar, he said, It is finished!" The promise of God has been fulfilled. The salvation of the human race has been accomplished.

Following this, the Savior exclaimed: “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit,” and, “bending his head, gave up his spirit.”

The Son of God died on the Cross. And the earth shook. The veil in the temple, which covered the Holy of Holies, was torn in two, thereby opening up for people the entrance to the hitherto closed Kingdom of Heaven. And as a sign of the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ over death, many bodies of the reposed saints were resurrected and after the Resurrection of the Lord entered Jerusalem.

Seeing what happened at Golgotha, all the inhabitants of Judah were seized with fear. And even for the pagan crucifiers, the great truth of the Divinity of Christ became obvious.