Jesus Is Crucified

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.

R. Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

When they reached the place called Golgotha, they crucified Jesus, along with two criminals, one on his right and one on his left (Luke 23:33). Crucifixion was the Roman execution reserved for the worst criminals and for non-citizens — the most shameful, most public, most agonizing death the ancient world had devised. The condemned hung exposed, unable to defend themselves against the elements, the insects, the mockery of passersby, until asphyxiation or cardiovascular collapse ended the torture. It could take days.

Luke records the first word from the cross immediately after the nailing: "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). This is the one of the seven last words of Jesus from the cross, and it comes at the moment of greatest violence. The nails go in, and Jesus prays for those driving them. This is not a performance of virtue; it is the overflow of a heart that has been formed by love in every moment of his life, and that does not change its orientation even when the body is being destroyed.

A placard above his head read: "Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews" — written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, the three major languages of the ancient world (John 19:19-20). It was intended as mockery, but it proclaimed the truth in every major language. In his crucifixion, Jesus was raised up before the world — and as he had promised, "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself" (John 12:32). The cross is the throne; Golgotha is the coronation.