As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is Jesus, the King of the Jews.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭22‬:‭14‬-‭19‬
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. But you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me.

Why did Simon get forced into the service of carrying the cross? It is likely that Jesus could not physically do it after being scourged, beaten, and probably having lost a lot of blood.

What a horrible ordeal he went through to save us!

1. As a proof of God’s hand in these events, we have a psalm of David that prophesied about the details of his torture and death very accurately.
2. Bones out of joint - This could be from the flogging he received, but is likely from being hung on a cross.
3. Wax Heart: The life-source of his heart, God, for a time had abandoned him. So his heart, once full of life, was now rejected by God as he carried the sin of the world.
4. Parched mouth - he was very thirsty. They gave him a bitter wine that did not quench his thirst.
5. “Dogs” may be a reference to non-Jews, the Roman soldiers. Villains definitely surrounded him. All the people and their leaders and the Romans had blood on their hands.
6. Pierced hands and feet - This was done by nails to pin him to the cross.
7. Bones on display - he was naked on the cross, and everyone could see the weak state of his body.
8. They cast lots for his clothing. They did do this.

And then it says, “But you, Lord do not be far. You are my strength; come quickly to my aid.”

This is a reference to Jesus knowing God would leave him. He askied for strength and a quick return.

And we see by this prophecy that all of the days of Jesus‘ life were preordained by God. God knew about them hundreds of years before they happened.

While people may not have understood that this was specifically talking about Jesus at the time, looking back it is quite obvious there was a prophecy about the death of Jesus.

The different times of these books are well documented. David was an ancestor of Jesus, and he was not alive at the time of Jesus‘ birth. The power of prophecy, when it is true, is profound, as it tells you that the one who prophesied knew the true God.

This is only one prophecy of many about Jesus. God is reaching out to all of us through prophecy to believe in his sovereignty, his love and his truth. How will I respond to this?

Lord, thank you for this passage that so clearly articulates the details of Jesus‘ death. This was important so that we could see that the prophecy that you gave David was fulfilled in detail during Jesus‘ time in his death. That is a very powerful and unfathomable thing for me. I’m glad my God is bigger than me and does great things that I can’t comprehend. Who wants a small god?