After having been scourged, Jesus was started along the road that led to the place of execution, pro-
ceeding along the Via Dolorosa (the Way of Blood). This movie, as most, shows Jesus carrying His full,
complete cross along the narrow way of the city street, staggering and stumbling beneath the weight of it.
From what we know of the customs of antiquity, it is usually agreed by biblical scholars that Jesus probably
carried just the cross beam, with the upright having been delivered to the scene of execution in advance.
The cross beam itself would be a heavy load for two men in good condition, let alone one who was beaten
as savagely as Jesus was. It would clearly approximate a beam one foot in height and depth and five to six
feet in length. The movie goes on to record that Jesus stumbled and fell under the load and sheer exhaust-
ion. The Roman soldiers commandeer a man from the crowd of spectators and compel him to carry the cross.
This too, is specifically recorded in the Gospel accounts. “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. 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. 22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull”
(Mark 15:20-22).

Calvary

    The Romans called it Calvary and the Jews had named it Golgotha, a huge, foreboding outcropping of
rock that resembled a human skull. Golgotha means the place of a skull. As they reach the summit, Jesus,
exhausted, falls heavily upon His cross. The next scenes show Him being nailed to the cross, each hand to
the opposing end of the cross piece and a single spike driven through His feet. This was the manner of
crucifixion. The nails were not driven into His palms, though, because the palms would be shredded on the
nails from His own weight. They would have been placed and driven between the radius and the ulna, the
long bones of the forearm, at the wrist. All the motion pictures and all the artist renderings miss that very
salient point. There would have been a small platform to rest the feet upon, allowing Him to push up to take
in breath. A crucified man did not die from his wounds or from the loss of blood, though both would have
drained him of his strength. The body sags and rests upon the nails in the wrists, causing the chest muscles
to contract in such a manner that the crucified man cannot take in breath. He can exhale but cannot inhale.
Eventually, he becomes too weak to raise up on his feet and suffocates. The Roman guards in the movie
depiction are seen, correctly, breaking the legs of the two malefactors at either side of Jesus to hasten their
death. With broken legs, they couldn’t lift up to breath and were asphyxiated in moments. According to
prophecy, Jesus’ legs were not broken because He was already dead, at that point. John records, “For these
things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.” (John 19:36).
Christ was our “Passover” Who died as the “paschal lamb” for the sins of the many. And God specifically
demanded that the Passover lamb would be a male, the eldest, perfect and without any flaw or defect and,
even in consuming the lamb at the meal, not one bone was to be broken (Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12). The
Psalmist records these words about the righteous servant of God; “Many are the afflictions of the righteous:
but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. 20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken” (Psalm
34:19-20). Not one bone was broken, but, when the cross was raised and brought to an upright position and
dropped the one or two feet into the hole prepared for it, so it would stand erect, Every bone was disjointed
and the ligaments torn and distorted. How do we know this? In an elaborate description of the crucifixion,
the Psalmist makes that point. “Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me
round. 13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like
water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. 15 My
strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the
dust of death. 16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced
my hands and my feet. 17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. 18 They part my garments
among them, and cast lots upon my vesture” (Psalm 22: 12-18). Is there any question about whom the Psalm-
ist is speaking? This Psalm was written approximately one-thousand years before anyone in Israel even
knew what a crucifixion was. Jesus had made the final one of His short speeches to His Father, “It is finish-
ed” and then, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” and He died. His legs were not broken because it
was obvious that He had already died. At that point in the movie, one of the Romans hoisted up a javelin
and pierced Jesus’ side. A spray of watery blood showers him and those who are very close by. This is
further evidence of the fact that Jesus is already dead. The long needle-like point of the spear entered the
right side, just under the rib cage, traveling on an angle upward and rupturing the pericardial sac. This caus-
ed the fluid, hydroparacardium to spew out in a spray. Also, after a person dies, the blood will separate into
plasma and a watery fluid. I’ve witnessed this in autopsies of murder victims in a hospital setting in Northern
Virginia. This, too, is consistent with Scripture, according to John’s eyewitness testimony; “Then came the
soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. 33  But when they
came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 34  But one of the soldiers with a
spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. 35  And he that saw it bare record, and
his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. 36  For these things were done,
that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. 37  And again another scripture
saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced (a summation of Psalm 22)” (John 19:32). Crucifixion was
not an easy death, nor was it quick. It was an horrendous spectacle to watch and agonizing to the sufferer
dying by that means. It was the vilest and most heinous means of torture and execution that could ever be
inflicted upon any human being, let alone, upon the sinless, spotless Son of God. “Who did no sin, neither
was guile found in his mouth: 23  Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threat-
ened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:22-23); “For such an high priest
(Jesus Christ) became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the
heavens” (Hebrews 7:26); “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points [tested] like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15); “And ye know that
he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.” (1 John 3:5). Immense, are the lengths  to
which my God would go to save you and me for His own and it is as unfathomable to the human mind as it is
immense. “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us….” (First John 3:16);
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the
Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Tim-
othy 3:16). Charles Wesley made the same point in this beautiful hymn, over two-hundred years ago;

     The scenes depicting the thieves on the cross are not only true to Scripture, but, also show graphically
what probably did happen to many who were crucified. In a strange sense of irony, or, poetic justice, more
than poetic license, the thief who railed at Jesus and taunted Him mercilessly is seen, his eyes and face be-
ing pecked by a raven sitting upon the pinnacle of the upright of his cross. This did almost border on gra-
tuitous blood-lust, but was finished quickly. It would not have hurt the film to lose it altogether. If I made
one recommendation to Mr. Gibson, it would be at this point, namely, to be very careful to keep Jesus as the
focal point, at all times. It is He who is central to the Word of God, to the Gospel and to this movie. When
Leonardo Da Vinci painted The Last Supper, he invited an artist-friend in to see it and to give his comment.
He immediately said it was magnificent, because Leonardo had captured the detail of the crystal wine glass
in the Lord’s right hand. After hearing his friend’s remarks, Da Vinci picked up a brush and removed the wine
glass from the hand. Why? Because he wanted nothing to steal the attention from Christ, Who is central to
the painting and to life. The thief on the other hand defended Jesus by telling his partner to leave Jesus
alone, because, they deserved their treatment, but He had done no wrong. Then, turning his head to Jesus,
entreats that Jesus would remember him when He comes into His Kingdom. Jesus responded to him that
“today you will be with me in paradise” -- per the Scripture. “And one of the malefactors which were hanged
railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying,
Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive
the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, re-
member me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today
shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:39-43). Jesus makes two pronouncements from the cross, to be
heard by those gathered at the foot of His cross. The Bible records seven, in all, but two or three are singled
out as representative of the whole. 

     The first of the sayings the movie includes is the phrase found in John 19:30, after He complained that He
was thirsty and received the vinegar soaked hyssop; “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he
said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” The translation used in the subtitle up-
on the screen rendered it as, “It is complete” which is also a reliable translation of the original. The original
was neither Hebrew, Aramaic nor Latin. It was koine' (common) Greek, the lingua franca of the merchants
and tradesmen throughout the region because of the influence of the Helenistic (Greek) Period, propagated
because of the conquests of Alexander the Great. It was also the language of the literary and philosophical
world of the day, as well as the language God saw fit to utilize in the writing of the New Testament. This
phrase in the English Bibles is actually a single word in the Greek New Testament, tetelestai, the perfect tense
of teleo, meaning to complete or mature, make an end to, discharge, finish, pay or perform. The perfect tense
implies more than something “has been finished”, it means,  that, “since it has been finished (at a specific
point in time) it is finished now, and it remains actively finished, always.” It can never become unfinished.
It also makes reference  to a fact that is much broader than simply the physical death of Jesus, as well. Even
though He “gave up the ghost” or expired after He uttered these words, there is much more in view than just
that. In part, we owe a debt of gratitude to hard working Archaeologists for helping us with our understanding
about this word and its every day usage. The critics told us that this word is one that was made up, invented
my the writers of the New Testament, because there was no example of its usage in everyday life in the First
Century, A.D. Well, we now have ample proof that the word was in common usage in the First Century and
that it had an important legal ramification, as well. Let me first give you a little background about the word,
tetelestai before I sum up the reason it is so important to our text. What silenced the higher critics in regard to
the word tetelestai was a team of Archaeologists working around a burial site in Oxarynkas, in Egypt, about
the turn of the Twentieth Century. They were sure their hard, long and arduous work would surely pay off
and they would hit the “mother-lode” of ancient burial data. Thinking they would unearth the secret burial
place of an important nobleman or an Egyptian royal, they pressed on, tirelessly, relentlessly. Imagine their
surprise and disappointment when the mummified bodies they dug up were revealed to be those of embalmed
and mummified crocodiles, which were venerated by the ancient Egyptians and preserved because of the
status of deity they afforded the beasts. One scientist was so distraught over his find that his temper got the
better of him and he swung his shovel, with great force and smashed the spade into the head of one of the
crocs, breaking the fragile hide. Doing so, he made a huge Archaeological find, a tremendous boon to the world
of new Testament textual documentation and one that made the liberal scholars (an oxymoron) eat crow. It 
seems the ancients used to stuff mummified crocodiles and other things with old, used and discarded papyri,
the same way we would stuff an object with old News Papers. There was a mixture of documents, from person-
al letters to bills of lading and bills of sale included in the pile pf papyrus documents. In some of these docu-
ments, they found, in common, everyday usage, the word tetelestai. In the bills of sale, listing the purchases
of a buyer, when the bill was paid off, the merchant would write across it, tetelestai, signifying that it had been
“paid in full.” I hope you can see where I’m going, here. When Jesus was about to expire upon the cross, He
cried out, tetelestai (tetšlestai) -- “paid in full!” -- theen, He dismissed His human spirit and died. He had
finished, forever, the matchless, peerless plan of salvation and cancelled the debt created by sin for all who
would believe and live. One well beloved hymnist, Horatio G. Spafford, expressed his excitement of that
prospect in the following way:

     If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior, this is your testimony. If you have not, you may and be
added to the honored ranks of those who have become the children of God, through faith in Jesus Christ,
His death and His resurrection for you. “John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and
the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received
him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which
were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)
full of grace and truth” (John 1:10-14). 

     The one truly ironic and curious twist for a movie whose script is written entirely in Latin and Aramaic is
the absence of the one line in the New Testament which is written in Aramaic in the English Bible; “Eli, Eli,
lama sabachthani”. “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?
that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). This cry of anguish from the
cross is recorded in verse one of Psalm 22, cited above, which describes for us  the anguish Jesus experienced
on the cross, one-thousand years before the fact. “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou
so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” (Psalm 22:1). The words and sentiments are David’s.
But, the description is of Jesus’ cross and crucifixion.