Where Were The Apostles? (J70)

Where were they now, the apostles He chose?
One was here, but eleven were scattered,
Like a heap of dry leaves, when the wind blows;
They should have been where their presence mattered!
The Lord hangs dying, pinioned to a tree,
His blood redeeming the whole world from sin;
Each breath required unbending of a knee,
The lungs to expand, and air to draw in!
John was here, grieving over what’s been done;
So was Mary, feeling a mother’s pain;
Jesus said, ”Dear woman, behold your son;”
Nodding to John, growing silent again.
The legs were broken of the other men,
But not Jesus’, for He was dead by then!

Scripture Quoted: John 19:16-19 (NIV)
“Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Commentary on: John 19:16-37 (NIV)
Crucifixion as practiced by the Romans is perhaps the most painful and degrading means of execution ever devised. The “cross” might not have been shaped as the familiar one seen atop church steeples and in jewelry. It could be irregular, even X-shaped and an actual tree trunk, trimmed down to a couple of bare limbs. The victim is nailed to it by large square iron nails, one through the slimmest part of the crossed ankles, and one in the middle of each outstretched hand. The knees are left slightly bent.

After planting the cross and the victim in a hole deep enough to keep the cross firmly upright, the real pain is first experienced by the victim. Immediately he discovers that the weight of his torso collapses his lungs, and it is very difficult for him to inhale. He finds that it is necessary to press downward on the ankle nail so that his knees straighten his legs, which lifts the body; when he is in the higher position, he can inhale. The pain of pushing downward on his mangled ankles is excruciating, and he falls downward quickly. The only way he can stay alive is to repeat the upward push. Soon he grows weaker; some might live only an hour; stronger individuals might live three or four hours. To inhale enough air to speak takes a longer and higher upward push and weakens him faster. Jesus made seven short statements before He died.

Since this was Passover, at 6 pm the Sabbath was to begin, and the Jews requested Pilate to remove Jesus and the two with Him, so the rituals would be kept. The soldiers then broke the legs of the others, so they would be unable to breathe and would quickly die. They did not break the legs of Jesus, for He was already dead. There is a prophecy in Exodus 12:46 that states that no bone of Jesus would be broken.

It is believed that Jesus’ foster father, Joseph, was already dead. That may be the reason that Jesus asked John to take His mother into his care; she went with John immediately. The Catholic belief holds that Jesus had no brothers and sisters, and that Mary remained a virgin all her life. The Bible, however, states in several passages that Jesus had half brothers and sisters.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)