I have a great love and appreciation for Scripture.

Last week I told my congregation about how my strong belief in the veracity of Scripture has only gotten greater with time.

Think about most of the things we experience in life. We have this wonderful hope and excitement about so many things. Often, when the event or the situation actually happens, it’s not as meaningful as we thought.

Think about how many times that the more you know about something the less you appreciate or respect it.

That is simply not my experience with the Word of God.

The more I know about Scripture, history, geography, and the biblical languages the more I believe and accept it.

It’s interesting to me what Scripture teaches, but it’s also interesting what it doesn’t say. I want to give you three things about the crucifixion that the Bible does not say.

First, none of the four Gospels say that Jesus died.  Before you jump to what would be a wrong conclusion, what I mean is the language itself. The Gospel writers never said that Jesus died. They use different language.

Two gospels say that he “breathed his last” while the other two gospels say that “he gave up his spirit.”

Both mean that Jesus died, but isn’t it interesting the language that is used?

I believe the Gospel writers wanted to show the voluntary sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. From a biblical and theological point of view, it makes no sense to blame the Jews or the Romans for the crucifixion. It was our sin that sent Jesus to the cross.

Second, the Gospel writers never say that Jesus was nailed to the cross. It simply states that they “crucified him.”

We do know that Jesus was nailed to the cross and that His crucifixion occurred in the relatively short number of years in which the Romans nailed victims to the cross. At other times the Romans tied their victims to the cross.

We know that Jesus was nailed because of Thomas and his doubt. He demanded proof of the resurrection. He wanted to see the nail holes in the hands of Jesus.

Third, the Gospels also don’t describe the physical agony of the cross. I believe this is the case because everyone living in the time in which the Gospels were written were acquainted with the horrible practice of crucifixion. Instead of speaking of His physical agony, the Gospels, especially Matthew, describe the spiritual agony of Jesus. Paul said that He who had no sin became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21) and Peter described how the righteous died for the unrighteous (1 Peter 3:18).

I find what the Scripture says and what it doesn’t say to be enlightening and amazing.

I hope you will join with me in reading Scripture and seeking God through His Word.

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