The Long Road to Golgotha — John 19:17

The Long Road to Golgotha — John 19:17

“And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.”

With Pilate’s washing of hands, Jesus’ fate is sealed—execution by crucifixion. It must’ve seemed like it had been some time since Jesus would escape the crowds to another place to be alone, rest, and spend time with the Father. Jesus is far from comfort since His trial began the evening prior. He has been up all night. His last meal was when He ate the Passover with His disciples, introducing communion and giving His last commandment on earth: “Do this in remembrance of Me.” But we can be confident that Jesus has been praying, despite having no private place to retreat to.

Jesus is taken outside the city of Jerusalem to be crucified. He’s escorted by the Roman guards, who knew well what was to happen next. It was Roman custom for someone who was to be crucified to carry their cross to the location where they would be crucified. Jesus would be crucified at Golgotha, a small hill outside of Jerusalem—the Place of the Skull. Scholars and archaeologists are unsure of the exact location, though others have their ideas. Estimates say it could have been anywhere between a quarter mile to a mile and a half to get there from the city. However long, Jesus would carry His cross there.

There is also an unsettled debate on how much Jesus’ cross would have weighed. Some estimate up to three hundred pounds—a weight extremely difficult for any person to carry, but nearly impossible for someone who had been scourged, suffered considerable blood loss, and was sleep-deprived. Jesus would still be forced to abide by the Roman custom. And so, without any show of mercy from the Roman guards, Jesus lifted the cross onto His shoulder and walked—careful not to lose His balance under the weight, feeling every sting of the splintered wood’s curse, exhausted by the pain of the night’s events.

“Behold the man. ”Pilate’s words resonate in the minds of the crowd, who watch with bated breath as the legs of the frail Christ shake with each step under the brunt of the cross. The heavy wood, crushing down on Jesus, reopens the scabbing wounds on His back from the scourging. Drops of fresh blood fall in the dawn’s light to the dry and unforgiving ground.

The road Jesus walked was lined with much of Jerusalem’s population. Everyone watching Him struggle. Women weeping. Jesus’ mother following. His disciples gone—all but one, John. Before a small sea of people, Jesus faces His fate. And He does so alone.

Through deep and gasping breaths, Jesus speaks to the women who weep for Him. In Luke 23:27–31, Luke is the only one of the four gospel authors who captures this moment for us:

“And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. But Jesus, turning to them, said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, “Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!” Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?’”

Jesus speaks doom to Jerusalem as He did previously when speaking of the destruction of the Temple to come. Would this atrocity—the killing of God’s Son—go unseen by God? No. If they would do these things during the spiritual renewal Jesus brought, what would the Jews do to others after Jesus has left? As the Sanhedrin would speak to their own demise, the blood of this Man would surely be upon their hands. It is for them—and you—that you should weep.

The sound of the heavy cross dragging across the hard ground would be a sound no one would soon forget. Jesus’ shoulder and back would feel it drag over every rock and lump of earth, in and out of every small pit in the road. After just a short distance, the body of the condemned Christ crumbles. He falls to a knee under the awkward load of the cross. It rolls off of His lacerated and bruised shoulder, falling to the ground as if it weighed a thousand pounds. And as if gravity had an added sway on Him, Jesus collapses.

A harrowing gasp comes from the crowd. The callous and impatient Romans berate Jesus. “Get up, King of the Jews! Get up!” They want this all to be over. The women cry out, “Stop this! Someone stop this!” None stepped forward. All the Jews knew the idiom: “Cursed is everyone who hangs from a tree.” What if this really was God’s doing? Perhaps it was the fear of God that would not allow them to act. More convincing is that it was the fear of the Romans. Anyone who helped a condemned man might themselves suffer the same condemnation and death.

With labored breathing and weakened faculties, Jesus’ body lays poured over the dirt. In His weary mind still was the goal—the purpose for Him being here right now. But where is His strength? Slowly, with trembling arms, He pushes Himself away from the ground. He tries to wrestle the cross back onto His shoulder, but the weight is too much. The cross falls back down with a heart-stopping thud.

The barking of the Roman guards, their lack of pity or remorse, the weeping of the women, the awe of the crowd—cries of such hopelessness in Jesus’ ears. But the Father was so near. Home is just beyond this agony and shame. On His hands and knees, Jesus looks ahead to the long road before Him, searching for His strength. Looking for the Father. He lifts Himself up again, His arms stretched to get the cross off the ground. With the wood back on His shoulder, He stumbles through a few more steps until finally collapsing again. Is this the King of the Jews, in whom so many put their trust?

Simon

“Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross.”— Matthew 27:32 (also, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26)

Simon was a Cyrenian. He had two sons, Alexander and Rufus. A life of his own. He was just passing by on his way out of the area, going about his business. Simon probably didn’t even know who Jesus was. He may have just seen the crowds gathering and wished to see what the uproar was about. Yet now he is sucked into the fate of this strange condemned man—and the most profound moment in human history.

How did you come to know Jesus? Were you expecting to meet Him? Or carry His cross?

The Roman guards pulled Simon from the crowd and made him carry Jesus’ cross the rest of the way to Golgotha. Some believe that after seeing the state of Jesus and carrying His cross, Simon also believed and was saved. God knows.

Application

What was the persistence that kept Christ going? Hebrews 12:2 tells us:

“Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame…”

Though Christ endured immense suffering, through it He saw the joy of being again with the Father. He saw His purpose fulfilled in the many lives that would know of Him and of this day and be saved. Jesus’ mind was fixed on His glory—the glory He would return to, and that He prayed His disciples would see Him in, in John 17.

Maybe you have known Jesus for a while and you know the long road that is set before you as you follow the commission to carry your own cross. It is a road that insists on your sacrifice so that the glory of God may be seen in you. You are trying to serve God and carry your cross, but you are so tired and weary.

Maybe you are Simon. Just going about your life and day, a stranger to all of this. And then you see Jesus for the first time, and you are invited to carry this cross also—and you’re just realizing how long the road to Golgotha will be for you.

Like Jesus, we keep our eyes on the future glory we will see and have. It is all and everything to us when the road is long, and sometimes our only hope when the cross insists on more of us than we believe we can give. Be encouraged with the perseverance found in the words of Paul:

“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.This is a faithful saying:For if we died with Him,We shall also live with Him.If we endure,We shall also reign with Him.If we deny Him,He also will deny us.If we are faithless,He remains faithful;He cannot deny Himself.”— 2 Timothy 2:3–13

This is what we are encouraged to teach: that all good soldiers of Christ must die to themselves and their own desires in order to obtain the prize—the glory of Christ now, and the glory of heaven to come. Remember your faith, and that the supernatural hand of God is upon you. If ever you are tempted to quit, remember also that God is faithful to you, and He will not give you more than you can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13).

A Prayer

Father, You see and know our weakness better than we do, as You know all things. And even further, through Christ, You have experienced our weakest moments. Encourage us today, God, when we are feeling like we can’t do this. Remind us of Your faithfulness, and Your Spirit, and the will and the desire You have given us to serve You. And remind us that when things seem hopeless and at their worst, You have not left us alone. You will never leave us or forsake us. Help us now to live lives to Your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.