Ver. 35-37. Mark saith, Mar_15:24-28, When they hadcrucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and theycrucified him. And the superscription of his accusation waswritten over, The King of the Jews. And with him they crucifiedtwo thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numberedwith the transgressors.
Luke saith, Luk_23:33,34, And when they were come to theplace which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and themalefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what theydo. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
John telleth us some further circumstances, Joh_19:18-24Wherethey crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a title, and put it onthe cross. And the writing was, Jesus of Nazareth the King of theJews. This title then read many of the Jews: for the place whereJesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written inHebrew, and Greek, and Latin. Then said the chief priests of theJews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written I havewritten. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, tookhis garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; andalso his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the topthroughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rendit, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the Scripturemight be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment amongthem, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These thingstherefore the soldiers did. And they crucified him; that is, four soldiers, as we learn from John’s narration of this matter of fact; it seemeth this business was assigned to four more especially.
This crucifying was a bitter and shameful kind of death, not in use amongst the Jews, but amongst the Romans. The manner of it is not particularly known to us: but, as it is described by writers, a piece of wood was erected which was crossed with a bar upon the top. The body of the person being fastened to the main piece of wood, his arms were extended, and nailed to the cross bar, or piece of timber, and his hands and feet were nailed. Mark saith, it was the third hour, which with us was about nine of the clock: so hasty they were in destroying this just person, that between midnight and nine of the clock in the morning, they apprehended him, tried and condemned him in the sanhedrim, or at least in a court of high priests and elders, and then before Pilate the Roman governor, and led him to be crucified, and nailed him to his cross. The evangelists tell us, he was crucified in the middle between two thieves, of whom we shall read more afterward. Several scriptures of the Old Testament were fulfilled in this crucifixion of Christ. They pierced my hands and my feet, Psa_22:16, was fulfilled in his nailing to the cross. In his being crucified betwixt two thieves was fulfilled that, Isa_53:12, He was numbered with the transgressors. That of the psalmist, Psa_22:18, They parted my garments among them, and cast lotsupon my vesture, was fulfilled in the soldiers’ parting of our Saviour’s garments, as their fee. But how could they part them, and yet not rend them? Possibly they parted his other garments, and only did cast lots for his coat, or upper garment. Or, it may be, they valued it, and agreed each man’s share, and then cast lots for the whole. I see no ground for their assertion, who say, that in such cases they only stripped the condemned person of his upper garment. John’s relation seemeth to oppose it; he saith, and also his coat. Matthew, Mark, and John all agree in the inscription which Pilate drew to be put upon his cross, signifying the crime for which he died; only John puts in those words, of Nazareth. Thus Christ died in the attestation of his kingly office. This inscription angered the Jews; they solicit Pilate to alter it, and that it might be, Who said he was the King of the Jews. But Pilate refused, saying, What I havewritten I have written. There was nothing more pleasing to Pilate than this, (as he thought), to deride the Jews, as having such a despicable person (as he judged him) their King. In the mean time the counsels of God have their effect; Christ in his death is declared to be the King of the Jews. Luke saith, that Christ said, Father, forgive them; for they know what they do. Whether these words were spoken when our Lord was first nailed to the cross, or afterward, is not much material. Luke relates them before the soldiers’ parting his garments. Our Saviour by them declares himself a true Pastor and Shepherd of souls, teaching his disciples no more than he himself did practise. Mat_5:44, he had taught his disciples to pray for them who despitefully used and persecuted them. Himself here practises it. The malice of men ought not to quench in Christians the grace of God. Let us now consider the passage that happened from the time he was nailed to the cross until the time of his expiration, which was more than three entire hours.