Still from Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ"
This post is part of a 13 day series, joining other Christian bloggers from around the world, reading together Frederick S. Leahy's classic, "The Cross He Bore".
John 19:17 - "...and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha."
To further Christ's humiliation, he was forced outside the city, carrying his own cross, to the hill called Golgotha to be crucified. There is much happening here that is not readily apparent to the eyes.
Outside the city gates was the horrid burning stench of Gehenna (burning dung). Outside the city gates was to be out of the holy city of Jerusalem, therefore, outcast from all that is holy. To be hung on a cross was, to the Jew, a sign of accursedness before God, and man. Consider this deeply.
Yet, as Leahy points out, we have been here before, outside the gates. In the time of Moses, the Israelites constructed a golden calf, and soiled their camp. Therefore, God built his "tent of meeting" outside the camp of the idolaters, and made holy what was unholy.
Here, as well, we see Christ leaving what was considered by man to be holy (the city of Jerusalem), to make his holy place, apart from what man might consider holy.
A most offensive, and shameful place is about to become the most holy place that ever existed on planet earth.
When God penned the Law, with Moses, and made the accursed man to hang on a tree, he had in view that his own Son would some day, be accursed of man, and God, by hanging on a tree.
Abba, please burn into our hearts those things that you would have us understand from this dreadful walk outside the gates!
