The Crucifixion (2)

We have been looking at the journey to the cross and the first three hours of the cross in the last couple of weeks and last week we looked at the beginning of the crucifixion and we saw that as Kent Hughes has expressed there are a number of what he calls explosions of grace along the way as Jesus makes his way to the scene of crucifixion and then also as he is crucified in the first three hours and we're looking at some of those and what Kent Hughes meant by that was the people that he interacts with everyone that he interacts with he demonstrates grace toward last week we saw Jesus and Simon the man who carried the cross the cross beam for Jesus Jesus was too weak to continue that we saw Jesus and the mourners along the way those women who were professionally mourners that would try to somehow soften the the agony of those who were being taken to crucifixion we saw Jesus and the soldiers when we get to the place of crucifixion the main interaction Jesus has is with the soldiers and we saw several events not all of which involved the soldiers or directly mentioned the soldiers but we saw last week that Jesus was placed between two criminals we saw that the place itself was the skull or in Aramaic Galgotha or in Latin Calvary in English Calvary we saw that he was offered a narcotic which was typical for those being crucified because of the excruciating agony and pain and Jesus refused it we also saw the written charge that had been carried either by Jesus around his neck or by a Roman soldier in front of him on the way to the scene of crucifixion and which would be posted above his head on the the upper cross beam we saw that charge and then we began talking about the actual crucifixion tonight we are in Luke 23 all four gospels obviously cover the crucifixion Luke's gospel is the one that is underlined in your outline which means that's the one we'll focus on although we will be back and forth some but we are at verse 33 where the Bible simply says when they came to the place called the skull they crucified him there along with the criminals one on his right the other on his left and we last week began looking at the crucifixion the actual act of crucifixion in some depth at least we gave you a history of it beginning with the with the meads and Persians and kind of perfected by the Phoenicians and certainly used to great effect by the Romans now the reason why I want to spend a little bit of time actually describing what would happen in the actual process of crucifixion is not to be gory or gruesome giving inappropriate detail I think it's important for us to understand what would have readily come to the minds of first century readers of the gospels because they were familiar with crucifixion they knew what happened we don't crucifixion was very common to them you say well you know did everybody witness crucifixions I mean we don't witness people being executed today very seldom maybe a select few people but yes they did because the Romans purposely did executions especially crucifixions very publicly because it served as a warning they did it along main thoroughfares they did it at at cities at the inferences and exits to cities along the main roads so that everyone would see it and it was obviously intended to be a deterrent that way much like a hundred or more years ago in our country public hangings would have been much the same concept and mindset behind that also I think it's important for us to understand not only culturally what they would the image they would have in their mind but also important for us to understand theologically what Jesus was doing there's a statement that Paul makes in Philippians 2 that we don't fully grasp unless we understand what happened in the crucifixion do you remember when Paul describes the the sevenfold humility of Jesus as with each step from heaven downward he lowers himself a little bit more and Paul ends that by saying and being found an appearance as a man he humbled himself and became obedient to death and you might think okay that's the lowest humiliation possible but Paul adds one other phrase even death on a cross and that lowers it even more showing the humiliation that Jesus endured and suffered for our sins Paul makes a point of bringing back to mind for his readers in Philippi the gruesome horrifying agonizing death of even on a cross and so I think it's important for us even to understand the depth to which Christ went to go a step beyond the fact that Christ died and to understand fully what Paul means when he said even on a cross so that's my rationale so that culturally and spiritually theologically we might better understand what Jesus endured and suffered and the depth of humiliation to which he was willing to go for our sins and so let me just explain to you what is in those words they crucified him there when Jesus would have been brought to the place of crucifixion obviously he is already very weak through the loss of blood the beatings the scourging that he is endured not able to carry the heavy cross beam the beam that would go horizontal not even able to carry that all the way but what would happen is as soon as the the person would be brought by the Roman soldiers to that place the executioner there was one Roman soldier who was called the executioner other soldiers did other tasks but the executioner would take that beam they had placed it on the ground take the the person who's going to be crucified by the arm and jerk them backwards so that they would fall on their back now just imagine the pain of that after what Jesus has endured with the scourging would force him to come down on his back and as soon as he hit the ground they would then place that cross beam under the neck of the person who's going to be crucified there would be one Roman soldier on each side that would grab an arm and pin it to the beam with his knee take his knee and pin pin the person's arm one on each side then the executioner who had something similar to what a would be a nail apron today in fact let's look at that first picture Greg that probably this is not probably as accurate as what i'm going to describe to you but it's the best thing i could find to at least show the actions of the soldiers here's the executioner this picture has him straddling the the the condemned person but most accounts historically credible accounts say that basically this would be the guy right here who would have the hammer in his hand take take five inch spikes two of them out of his nail apron as it were and and hold them in his mouth while he positioned himself over the right at the time he was doing this this was all done very professionally if you can call it that very efficiently the time he was doing that the Roman soldier who would have his knee in the inside of the elbow would press the forearm down against the cross and the executioner would then feel for the hollow place in the wrist and find where that was now the bible talks about nail prints in his hands and his feet technically it was the wrist but in bible times the hand included the wrist that whole section was called the hand that was the Greek word used to describe that whole portion of the body so it was actually the hollow place of the wrist when the executioner found that he would with a swift blow and and hard blow drive a five inch spike through the hole in the wrist or the hollow place in the wrist and then he would jump to the other side same thing would have been done by the Roman soldier on that side and he would find the place again and nail that wrist once he became assured that the person on the cross would not be able to tear his hands loose once he felt confident that his hands would be secured then he would raise both hands that would signal the soldiers to raise the cross beam with the person on it off of the ground now there were different kinds of crosses there were at least three or four different kinds of crosses so sometimes the vertical beam that would be in the ground was already positioned sometimes it would already be attached to the cross beam but at other times it would not be and it's hard to tell exactly what happened with Jesus because it is not described in much detail the Romans did it several different ways but it's quite possible because the placard bearing his crime is stated in the gospels to be above his head that it was the traditional P kind of cross with the horizontal or the vertical bar extending upward above the horizontal bar if that was the case the horizontal bar with the with Jesus hanging by his wrists would have been lifted up with his back scraping against the vertical bar again incredible incredible suffering even in the preparation involved here he would be lifted up to a certain height and then the execution would position himself in front of the cross and take his feet actually one Roman soldier would grab each leg by the calf and position the feet the right foot over the left foot they did crucify the with the feet together like that so that they could just use one spike to put through both feet this actually was the most difficult part of the crucifixion for the soldiers for the executioner and the reason for that was the Romans had learned that if you put the feet too close to the ground and the legs are fairly straight the person on the cross would die more quickly and so they moved the feet up so the knees would be bent and crucified or nailed the feet together with the knees kind of in a bent position the reason for that was so that the person on the cross could push themselves up and then sag back down now there was a reason why that was important it prolonged the suffering and prolonged the life of the person on the cross if the legs were straight they died more quickly if they were bent and they could push themselves up they lasted longer some people agonized for two or three days on a cross before they died now here's what was happening next picture please if we can see when a person was placed on a cross like this the when they were placed in the upright position the hands and arms would be kind of in a V position there would be agonizing pain in the wrists which would cause the forearms and and the bicep tricep area to not in pain the muscles would cramp and not and tighten up but also the pectorals the upper pectorals and side pectorals would be effectively paralyzed so that a person could inhale but could not very efficiently exhale and that's what would typically happen to a person on the cross they would suffocate but instinctively because you would not be able to exhale you'd feel like you were suffocating you would instinctively push up on your feet and this is what happened to people on on the cross next picture please and this is these are still frames taken from the passion the feet are crucified or nailed together down here this is very close to the position that the the crucified person would be in when they had actually pushed up with their feet if you can imagine pressing on that nail with all the weight on the in step of the two feet that had been nailed to the cross slowly the person would rise and push themselves up when their shoulders became almost even with their hands they would be able to exhale and they would take several quick short breaths breathe as rapidly as they could and then obviously the pain became too excruciating in the legs and the feet the legs began to cramp the pain from the the the feet became so intense pushing where it was nailed to the cross that they would against the ag and and then obviously and within a few moments start having trouble breathing again and so there was this constant rising and lowering motion you've never seen anything like this in any movie or anything else you've never seen the actual activity action on the cross of this constant pushing oneself up to get breath and then sagging and being held by the wrists again and then pushing oneself up that is why if the Roman executioners wanted to hasten death they would break the legs and remember that's exactly what they did for the two criminals because it was coming near the Passover they wanted the Jews to take care of the mess afterwards they didn't want to have to do it they wanted somebody Jewish Jewish people to claim the bodies and and take care of it they didn't want to have to take care of the post crucifixion stuff and so they wanted to get it done before six o'clock in the evening okay so that's the reason why they broke the legs of the two criminals on either side of Jesus that way when they did that they were no longer able to push themselves up and they would slowly suffocate it was a horrible horrible torturous death gruesome to watch indeed of course Jesus did not die because of the broken legs and suffocation we'll find out later exactly how he died but that is the crucifixion scene that is what it would be like and that's why Paul would say Jesus lowered himself even humbled himself even to death even death on a cross death by crucifixion was the most cruel horrifying kind of death imaginable and that's how our Savior died for us but something happens next which is absolutely astounding it is one of those explosions of grace that is shocking to everyone there before we get to that any comments or questions you have about the actual crucifixion process if you look at verse 34 in Luke's gospel verse 23 verse 34 okay he's been placed on the cross Jesus said the first thing he says from the cross father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing okay this is this is the forgiveness that Jesus offers who is the them when Jesus says father forgive them who is he asking forgiveness for the ones that put him on the cross okay the Jews all all them in everyone all humanity okay okay obviously it's difficult to know for sure personally I believe that Jesus was specifically referring to the Roman soldiers that put him on the cross because they truly did not know what they were doing the religious leaders they knew what they were doing they purposely chose to do it the Roman soldiers they're just carrying out orders they do this every day this is their job they do not understand what they're doing they do not understand who this is not yet they will but not yet I personally believe that Jesus is not praying a blanket forgiveness for everybody because there were people who knew exactly what they were doing and they will suffer for their sin they will be judged for their sin I think Jesus was praying forgiveness for those Roman soldiers now I might get the heaven and find out I was wrong and if so I will be joyfully wrong and would be grateful that I am but I think because of the way he said it for they do not know what they are doing I think he's referring primarily to the the the Roman soldiers and I believe there is good evidence that by the end of the six hours that Jesus is on the cross all of the Roman soldiers at the scene of crucifixion will come to faith in who he is not just the centurion one of the gospel says the centurion and those with him said surely this is the son of God so I think Jesus may have been specifically referring to them but regardless it shows it shows the heart of Jesus doesn't it as he is having done to him what we described would happen in a crucifixion his first words are not words of piercing cries of agony they are not cries like most often would be heard by those who were involved in crucifixion what they would typically hear is cursings and screaming at the people who were doing this to them calling down with whatever energy they had God's wrath in the most graphic profane language on those soldiers and anybody else around but they didn't hear that from Jesus they hear words of forgiveness and it is at this point and increasingly as we move through the events of the cross that people around the cross especially the Roman soldiers are pierced to the heart by the spirit of God because of what they hear from Jesus forgive them words of forgiveness rather than calling down curses okay any commoner question about the forgiveness on the cross okay the next thing that happens is the clothing you can see there in verse 34 it ends this way and they divided up his clothes by casting lots John's gospel actually gives us a little more information so let's look at John 19 hold your place in Luke John 19 verses 23 and 24 say it this way when the soldiers crucified Jesus they took his clothes dividing them into four shares one for each of them remember we talked about four soldiers one on each corner as he was led to crucifixion so they're four soldiers they divide his clothing into four parts and there would be several pieces of clothing including a belt and sandals and a couple of garments so they divide them in the four shares one for each of them with the undergarment remaining okay so there's an there's an odd piece of clothing that it's not divided easily among four people so there's one piece left over it's the undergarment the undergarment was kind of a tunic that went from the shoulders to the knees it was kind of a roe-blike garment and that would be the garment worn closest to the skin in new testament times this garment was seamless woven in one piece from top to bottom and notice what they say in verse 24 let's not tear it they said to one another let's decide by lot who will get it so they just evenly divided the other pieces of clothing there evidently were four articles of clothing they evenly divided those each one got a piece I don't know if they sparred or debated over who got what I don't know but the the undergarment they didn't want to tear or it would be useless so they gamble for that they cast lots for that but notice what John says this happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said they divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garments so this is what the soldiers did in that great psalm about crucifixion psalm 22 is where that prophecy is found psalm 22 verse 18 prophesies that as a part of the crucifixion the garment of Jesus would be determined by a lot as to who would receive it they would gamble for it so that's what happened with the clothing it's divided up and the undergarment is kind of gambled for somebody gets yeah well yeah probably what happened you know at the beatings they they they would then close him with the purple garment and mock him as a king and then when they got ready to take him to crucifixion they would put his own clothes back on him they would close him in his own clothing and then that's what they would take off when they got to the scene of crucifixion and typically a person would be stripped completely for crucifixion I mean it's clear even the undergarment is gambled away here were they aware that they were fulfilling I don't think they had any idea not the Roman soldiers they would not have in all likelihood been aware of any old testament scriptures maybe a few they'd heard in the area of Jerusalem but they wouldn't have been aware of that kind of prophecy I'm almost certain so they were not aware that they were fulfilling scripture yeah I think we can be pretty confident of that okay anything else okay that's Jesus interaction with the soldiers and again an explosion of grace right forgive them father forgive them they don't know what they're doing otherwise there is no word there is no word of retaliation accusation cursing as would commonly be the case there was none of that and then we find Jesus interacting with the mockers in verses 35 to 39 actually the the Bible indicates four groups of people mocked Jesus on the cross four different groups the first would be the bystanders or the passerby passersby some of them passing by some of them just standing around watching just the general you know populace of people in verse 35 the people stood watching okay hold your place here and skip back to Matthew's gospel Matthew 27 Matthew 27 and verse 39 Matthew gives us a little bit more information here verse 38 says two rebels were crucified with him one on his right one on his left first 39 those who passed by okay these are these are people walking on the main road outside of the city Jerusalem either coming into the city going out of the city those who passed by hurled insults at him shaking their heads and saying you who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days save yourself come down from the cross if you are the son of God okay now these these are just people I mean these you know non-descript crowd of people are they people who had heard him at some point in his ministry are they people who heard him in the temple the week before he was crucified are they people who were in the crowd being persuaded by the chief priests and religious leaders to cry out crucify him somehow they know of what has been said about him being you know the charges against him you said you were going to destroy the temple and build it up in three days that was one of the charges of the trial so it could be this is part of the group that was at the trial it's just hard to tell what what all is involved in these people but this is just bystanders passers-by that are heaping ridicule on him okay that's the first group of people second group of people the chief priests chief priests and other Jewish leaders back in in Luke's gospel verse 36 excuse me verse 35 the people stood and the rulers even sneered at him they said he saved others let him save himself if he is God's Messiah the chosen one again Matthew's gospel gives us a little bit more of what they said back in Matthew 27 verse 41 in the same way the chief priests the teachers of the law and the elders okay a little bit more specificity as to who was involved not just the rulers these are several groups of the Jewish religious leaders what are they what are they saying they mocked him verse 42 he saved others they said what do you think they meant by that he saved others Lazarus okay healed yeah I don't know if they would have included in their thinking that that he spiritually saved others the contrast they'll make in just a moment seems to indicate more physical deliverance I mean they they knew and could not deny several times they were faced with undeniable miracles of healing and like you said the resurrection of Lazarus they couldn't deny it so they would not protest that at all they would agree he saved others he healed people he you know he did that but he can't save himself you just imagine the mockery and the sneering in that he's the king of Israel isn't that what the placard says above his head and that what he claimed to be let him come down now from the cross and we will believe in him you think they would have no but it is taunting taunting him he trusts in God let God rescue him now if he wants him for he said I am the son of God there is there is bitter bitter taunting there look at him think even God would want him now he said he was the son of God you think even God would want him now let him come down and get him blasphemy of the worst sword isn't it and Jesus is silent could I suggest that is also an explosion of grace you know sometimes God demonstrates his grace by what he does sometimes he demonstrates his grace by what he doesn't do and Jesus toward the religious leaders is demonstrating his grace by what he doesn't do as Peter said first Peter 2 when he was reviled he reviled not again when he was mocked he did not retaliate did not retaliate so Jesus is silent he says nothing and in that way demonstrates grace both to them and us because the only way you and I could be saved as if he stayed there if he just took their taunts and did not take them up on it could he have come down from the cross sure he sure could have he could have shocked them all and proven himself shut their mouths but then you and I wouldn't have been able to be saved what grace that he stayed there just took it you just took it and stayed there the third group of people who mocked him were the soldiers now they're not convinced yet who he is they're starting to hear things but at this point they joined in the mockery verse 36 back in Luke 23 verse 36 the soldiers also came up and mocked him they offered him wine vinegar and said if you are the king of the Jews save yourself there was a written notice above him which read this is the king of the Jews what Luke is doing is explaining why they were saying that they they started hearing what people were saying about him looking at the charge oh okay yeah you're the king of the Jews and and since he had rejected the narcotic they taught him now with some of the cheap wine vinegar that Roman soldiers typically had with them at crucifixion scenes as they waited for the people to die and they'd already gotten the clothing they would sit around and drink and they offer him some of that obviously Jesus does not take it so the soldiers join in the mockery and the fourth group of people to mock him were the the two criminals the one on either side look at verse 39 one of the criminals who hung their hurled insults at him aren't you the Messiah save yourself and us Luke says one of the criminals Matthew and Mark both say both of the thieves or the criminals who's right one can be included into trick question right obviously both of them initially were hurling insults at him and then all of a sudden one stops and that's where Luke picks it up the other one is continuing and one has stopped and we'll see in just a moment why he stopped why he stopped something's happening in his heart okay and there's going to be another explosion of grace here in just a moment any question about the mockery Jesus responding as he did with silence to the mockers all four groups of them okay then we find Jesus and the thief or the criminal remember we've we've explained that it was not just petty thievery that these men were executed for notice if you will what happens in verse 40 but the other criminal okay the one is continuing to mock him but the other criminal rebuke him don't you fear God he said since you are under the same sentence we are punished justly for we are getting what our deeds deserve but this man has done nothing wrong now what's what's happening in this man's heart why does sudden change he he had been mocking too what do you think's happening okay all right he has heard him pray for forgiveness or ask for forgiveness for the soldiers not not retaliating back I mean obviously the criminals were retaliating as anybody else typically would people who typically were crucified were hardened criminals this was a this was bad crimes and most of what you would hear from across would would be hard to listen to and he's he's heard all of this he's heard him ask for forgiveness he's heard him not retaliate when people are accusing him but he's also heard something else what does he heard conviction sure he's also he's also heard the accusations hasn't he you're the son of God chief priest said that right would God even have him now after all he said he was the son of God you say you're the king of the Jews you saved others I mean he's heard these accusations and what are intended to be accusations the Holy Spirit is driving into his heart as truth he did save others he is the king of the Jews he is the son of God and somehow the Holy Spirit is using that to convict this man's heart and notice exactly what true conviction is composed of he shows the evidence of true conviction the true work of the Holy Spirit in his heart when he says in verse 41 we are punished justly for we are getting what our deeds deserve what is he basically basically admitting there I'm guilty I'm a sinner I'm deserve this death okay that's part of the conviction then he says but this man has done nothing wrong second part of the conviction is of the sinlessness the holiness the guiltlessness of Christ that's a beautiful picture of conviction when someone gets saved they first of all understand their sinner and they understand that Jesus the son of God the Holy One took their sins died for them so there's a conviction about who you are and there's a conviction about who Christ is that's a genuine part of the spirit's working and that's evidence than this man's heart whatever the reasons were that it all came together for him the things we've listed possibly a part of it things he's heard from Jesus and even from the mockers and the spirit of God is used all of that to bring him to a recognition of who Jesus is and that he did not deserve this death he truly was the son of God king of the Jews the Savior and he could save him and so that's his conviction but then notice his call he calls out verse 42 then he said Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom what an amazing declaration what an amazing call I love what he says but I love you even more what he does not say he does not say remember my works now he didn't have much to offer that way but he didn't say that he didn't say remember my good intentions or remember my religious upbringing you see this man had nothing to offer did he had absolutely nothing to offer he had nothing that he could bring to Jesus and say remember this he just cries out for pure mercy and grace remember me remember me and he's thinking of sometime we off in the future when you come into your kingdom whenever that is if you are the king of the Jews I know you're not getting a kingdom right now whenever you come into your kingdom remember me remember me he just throws himself on the mercy and grace of Christ he can't do anything he can't bring anything he doesn't deserve anything he knows all he deserves is death he's basically calling out saying save me that's exactly what's needed for anyone to come to Christ and be saved right Paul would remind us in Romans 10 verse 13 it's on the screen for you for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved and there's a sense in which there's a lot of theology packed into that that calling on the name of the Lord this is a great example of it it's calling out of that conviction that I'm a sinner that Jesus is the Savior the Son of God the spotless sinless land of God and I don't have anything to offer him I don't have anything to bring I don't have any merit to present to get myself into heaven I throw myself on the grace and mercy of Christ remember me save me that's the call that every person must make in order to be saved now not necessarily exactly in those words you understand what I'm talking about maybe your experience was a little different you didn't maybe use those exact words and that's not the point the point is you recognize your sinner Christ is the Savior and you place total confidence in him to save you and nothing that you can do or have done that's what salvation is when I think of this and then I think of Jesus response I am amazing we've got to look at Jesus response before we finish Jesus answered him truly I tell you today you will be with me in paradise oh there's so much here today you will be with me in paradise finally Jesus speaks he has not said a thing to any of the four groups of mockers he has not retaliated he has not spoken one word in his defense but when one lost soul calls out to him Jesus response and he still does today doesn't he he will never neglect the cry the call of a sinner who calls out to him he has not had a word to say about the mockery but when someone calls to him in faith he responds and he responds to this man he will always answer that call and he says today you will be with me in paradise first of all where's paradise trick question again wherever Jesus is that's a good answer that's a good answer I love that because our time is running short let me hasten to the answer only three times in the in the Bible is this word used in the New Testament here second Corinthians 12 where Paul says I once knew a man in Christ who was caught up to the third heaven he says in verse two second Corinthians 12 to then he identifies that place in verse four as paradise so where's paradise the third heaven the presence of God the other place it's used is in is in revelation 27 where the promise to the church in Ephesus by Christ himself says to those who overcome I will give the right to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God where's paradise it's wherever the tree of life is it's where overcomers go death it is heaven it is in the presence of God it is not in the center of the earth there's a whole theology built around Christ going down to the center of the earth between the death and resurrection of Christ and by the way many great theologians believe that I just think they misunderstand first Peter three they misunderstand Ephesians four they misunderstand the fact that it's a it's the wrong kind of genitive they're thinking of Ephesians four it's the lower parts of the earth they're thinking the lower parts in the earth that's deity that's not genitive the the Greek genitive basically is the lower parts it's in a positive genitive to use the term in Greek it means the lower parts meaning which is the earth where did Jesus descend to from heaven to the earth it's talking about his dissension in his incarnation not down inside the earth after his death and when he says today you'll be with me in paradise where was the thief going to be that day with Jesus not in the center of the earth in the presence of God where did Jesus go between his death and resurrection into the presence of God where every believer goes at the moment of death so the whole theology that's built on this compartment that Jesus went to down in the earth and asked for the keys of Satan you know and got the keys and released all the captives I don't see it in scripture just don't see it in scripture but that's for another day that's for another day that's another battle but I do believe Jesus was promising him this very day no purgatory no intervening time the moment you die you go into the presence of God and that's what he promises for every believer the moment you die you go into the presence of God no intervening time and by the way it's never too late to get saved and the full glory of heaven is offered to a person who even gets saved under deathbed full glory of heaven not some lower state because you wait until the end what were you thinking well obviously it's full hearty to wait that long but for the person who turns to Christ no matter when it is it's never too late and they go to heaven thank God for that thank God for that just remember this man is the perfect example of someone who gets saved because he could offer God nothing he could bring nothing he could do nothing he could not do one thing to add to his salvation and we're going to see later that Jesus basically will say it's done it's finished when he died it's finished it's paid in full and we'll get to that term later I'm jumping ahead of myself it's so good it's paid in full it is the height of arrogance to think that you can add anything to that you add anything to that your good works your baptism you're whatever and you're saying no it wasn't finished Jesus was wrong it wasn't finished on the cross I had to do something to add to it that is the height of arrogance so be careful when you add anything to faith in Christ and his work on the cross you're you're dealing with something very very dangerous there time is way past gone let's go let's pray father thank you for the death of your son and our Savior on the cross and Lord we cannot even begin to mind the depths of what happened there not just physically but theologically and spiritually it is just so amazing I pray that you'd give us a glimpse a little bit of an idea of what it really was like what happened when Jesus died for us and I thank you that salvation is only through him so in his name we pray amen