“Were you there when they crucified my Lord?”
So asks the hymn that we will be singing a little later. The hymn expresses deep emotions at the thought of this suffering, and imagines what it would have been like to be there at the foot of the cross the day that Jesus died.
But it leaves the question unanswered, because it assumes that this event in history is merely one to be imagined, to be remembered, and sometimes, even felt. It assumes this, because who, after all, can go back in time? And yet, as we learn in Isaiah, “[Jesus] was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities. … All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” That is, from every moment in time, from every location on earth, from every tribe and tongue and nation, our sins were placed upon Jesus.
“Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?”
We may not have physically been standing under the cross when they nailed Jesus to it. But, to Christ, we were there, because Christ died for all sin, once and for all time, for every person. And that means that every time we stray from the path that Christ has laid out for us, we are right back there – heaving the hammer to drive the nails into his flesh.
Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, which, we are told, means “The Place of the Skull.” Did the hill look like a skull? Some say so. Some have found a hill with several caves that display the image of a skull when the shadows hit just right. Was this the reason for the name? Or was this a place of death, where many people died? A place where blood ran deep? Or was this site chosen this one time only – to crucify Jesus?
“Were you there when they pierced him in the side?”
We may not have been there in person, but we can imagine that when the soldier pierced his side with the spear, that this blood, and this water, poured out onto this place.
This Place of The Skull.
When we think of skulls, we often think of death. Because it represents a life that has been snuffed out. We think of destruction, of pain, of suffering, It is a symbol – not of what might have been gained, but of what has been lost.
But the skull is also a symbol of the mind; it carries the center of our reason; it is where we measure out the consequences of our actions and determine the direction of our soul. God says, “I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” It is where we decide to react to the Truth presented by the Son of God, or we decide to take matters into our own hands. And whenever we choose error over truth, sin over righteousness, or death over life – that is when we have taken the hammer and nailed Christ to the cross again. That is when we have taken the spear, and pierced his side again. Because that is when we have declared that our own way is the real way of righteousness and the real way of justice.
“All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
“Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?”
The Son of God, the King of Kings, The Lord of Lords, hung upon a cross, carrying the weight of our sin – and not just ours – but the weight of sin of the whole world – from the beginning of time and until eternity. And then he breathed his last.
And then there was darkness.
And then there was thunder.
And then the temple veil was ripped from the top to the bottom, exposing the Holy of Holies to people everywhere. What used to be feared; what used to be off limits; was now exposed to all humanity, so that everyone, everywhere could come within the reach of God’s saving embrace.
By his death, Christ conquered sin, and saved our minds and souls from the father of lies.
By his death, Christ opened our eyes to bring us into righteousness and Truth.
By his death, Christ conquered death, and opened for us the way of everlasting life.
Golgotha – the Place of the Skull.
There is symbolism in this place, because the battle is waged in our minds. And the blood that ran down the hard wood of the cross, runs down even now, upon our minds, and cleanses us from all unrighteousness – even still, and even now.
We are challenged to shift our minds and to see this day in light of God’s plan for all people, rather than from our limited human perspective.
Through Christ’s death, we are challenged to see joy in the suffering of Jesus.
We are challenged to see such a horrible day full of suffering and pain, and to call it Good.
Because today is the day that Christ set us free.
[This sermon was delivered at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Wickenburg, AZ on April 18, 2025.]
