Listen to the Hammer Ring!

 Along the way they came on a man from Cyrene named Simon and made him carry Jesus’ cross. Arriving at Golgotha, the place they call “Skull Hill,” they offered him a mild painkiller (a mixture of wine and myrrh), but when he tasted it he wouldn’t drink it.

After they had finished nailing him to the cross and were waiting for him to die, they whiled away the time by throwing dice for his clothes. Above his head they had posted the criminal charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews. Along with him, they also crucified two criminals, one to his right, the other to his left.

Matthew 27:32-38 

As today is Good Friday, let's take a look at a couple of things:

     FIRST, according to Roman Law, any person could be ordered to carry a burden for a limited distance.  So Simon of Cyrene was ordered to carry the cross of Christ because Jesus' had been beaten so badly that He could not continue.  

     SECOND, it would not go well for the soldiers who had beaten Jesus if He died on the way to His execution.  Executions were very Public Events where the might of Rome was put on display to subdue the conquered.

     THIRD, the nails used to hold a prisoner to the cross was a spike about 7" long and they were actually hammered through the wrist because the hand would not be able to hold the weight of the body.

     FOURTH, the guards actually offered Jesus a mild sedative/painkiller so Jesus would be drugged into submission.  Jesus didn't need to be chemically subdued, Jesus willingly was crucified.

     FINALLY, while the soldiers were waiting for the prisoners to die, they would gamble for the possessions of the condemned right in front of them.  This was yet another insult and shame because the family of the condemned person was not allowed the possessions.

When I was younger, I read a poem that comes to mind when I think of Jesus' sacrifice to save me and claim me as His own:

Listen to the hammer ring

and rejoice!

Listen to the hammer ring

and thank Jesus!

Listen to the hammer ring

knowing He's taken everything

that was against us

and nailed it to the Cross!