Gospels In Harmony – Bearing the Cross

Matt 27:32-44, Mark 15:21-32, Luke 23:26-43, John 19:17-22

[Study Aired March 29, 2022]

Mark 15:16 And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band.
John 19:1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged [him].
Matt 27:28 And they stripped him,
John 19:2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put [it] on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,
Matt 27:29 and a reed in his right hand:
Mark 15:18 And began to salute him,
John 19:3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.
Matt 27:30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
Mark 15:19 and bowing [their] knees worshipped him.
Mark 15:20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.
Mark 15:21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.
John 19:17a And he bearing his cross went forth
Luke 23:27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.
Luke 23:28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
Luke 23:29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed [are] the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
Luke 23:30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.
Luke 23:31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?
Luke 23:32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
Luke 23:33a And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, 
John 19:17b [the place] of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
Luke 23:33b there they crucified him,
Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

In our last study Pilate sentenced Christ to death. He washed his hands of the whole matter, released Barabbas, and handed Christ over to the people to be crucified.

Mark 15:16 And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band.
John 19:1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged [him].
Matt 27:28 And they stripped him,
John 19:2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put [it] on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,
Matt 27:29 and a reed in his right hand:
Mark 15:18 And began to salute him,
John 19:3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.
Matt 27:30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
Mark 15:19 and bowing [their] knees worshipped him.

We are on both sides of this. On the one side we are the people mocking and spitting on Christ. This takes place while we are in Babylon worshipping “another Jesus”.

2 Cor 11:1-4 Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

We bear with another Jesus, another spirit and another gospel when we are in Babylon. Following the false doctrines is the same as striking Christ and spitting on him. There is a time, if Christ be in us, that we are as Christ. Once we have Christ in us, the world will begin to treat us just as he is being treated here. We are mocked and are led away to be crucified in the hearts of those that are not able to hear us and cannot confess that Christ is come in the flesh.

1 John 4:1-6 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

We must always keep in mind that we were just as the world a short time ago and be careful to know that the man of sin is still within us and must be subdued daily.

Mark 15:20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.
John 19:17a And he bearing his cross went forth
Mark 15:21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.

The name Simon means “that hears; that obeys”. The name Alexander means “one who assists men” and finally Rufus means “red”. These three names are types and shadows of the old and new men and the number three deals with the process of spiritual completion through judgment. This is exactly what Christ is enduring.

Luke 23:27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.
Luke 23:28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
Luke 23:29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed [are] the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
Luke 23:30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.
Luke 23:31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

Christ is telling us that we should not worry about what is happening to Him, but we should be concerned how we could survive this judgment without Him. Jesus has received the spirit in fullness and knows what must be done so that he can then give the spirit to everyone else.

Luke 23:32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
Luke 23:33a And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, 
John 19:17b [the place] of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
Luke 23:33b there they crucified him,
Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

Through all of this Jesus still had the ability to ask the Father to forgive them. 

There is a phrase in this section of our story that needs to be examined further. 

John 19:17a And he bearing his cross went forth

Christ bearing his cross is an example of what we all must do in this life in order to be in the first resurrection.

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Luke 9:23-25 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.