Good Friday Crucifixion at Golgotha/Calvary

Why do we refer to this day as Good Friday? Because on this day our Lord and Savior died on the cross for us. Some people mistakenly believe that the entire atonement took place at Gethsemane. The atonement continued, and the Lamb of God’s sacrifice on the cross for us is an essential part of the atonement. This the Lord taught when he instituted the sacrament/communion during the Last Supper. Isaiah 53:4-5 put it beautifully, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

On Friday, about 9:00 a.m. “And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha [Calvary in Latin]: Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.” John 19:17-19.

“When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple [John] standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold they son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.” John 19:26-27. He was ever our Example. While suffering death by slow torture, he took care of his widowed mother who without her firstborn son would be destitute in the society of the times.

“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.” Matthew 27:45. The Jews measured the day beginning at sunrise, so the 6th hour would be about noon and the 9th hour about 3 p.m. by today’s clocks.

One of the thieves being crucified, “said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into they kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42-43. This should be extremely comforting to everyone. Are we not all sinners? If we turn to the Lord we too may be with him in paradise.

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46. His act of selfless sacrifice was something the Lord had to do alone. For one thing the Lord who knows all of us and suffered for all of us can understand when we have removed ourselves from God, just how alone we feel. There is nothing we can feel that He has not already felt. He knows! And we must turn to and trust in him.

“…he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” John 19:30. When every last thing which the Father asked him to do was accomplished, Christ lay down his own life. Nobody took it from him, he had the ability to live or die in himself. The Christ died for all men and women who ever lived and who will yet live.

The Lord died on Passover. When a lamb was slain at the Temple for Passover, The lamb was slain on the north side of the altar. This hill which some identify as Golgotha is roughly north of the temple altar.

As early as 1842 , the German scholar Otto Thenius suggested the skull feature as the site of Golgotha. The hill has been weathered and eroded since then, more rapidly of late due to bus traffic and construction. The road leading north from the walled city of Jerusalem would have passed near this site. The Romans purposely chose public spaces, such as highways, as crucifixion sites.

The above bus station was built by the Jordanian’s in the 1950’s. Many scholars believe that a crucifixion would have taken place on the flat ground near the road and not on top of the hill. Artistic license beginning in the middle ages has always depicted the crucifixion taking place more dramatically on a hill. I don’t blame the artists, it obviously makes a better painting. And the scriptures are silent as to whether it was at or on top of Golgotha. Today on top of Golgotha is a Muslim grave yard pictured below.