Just Before the Crucifixion - Jesus' Attitude 

Jesus was arrested on the night of April 6, 30 CE. He died the next day, bound and nailed to a wooden cross. During those last hours of life between his arrest and death, his whole-hearted attitude was one of submission to both God’s will and the injustice of men. Throughout this ordeal, he was the personification of sublime dignity, supreme faithfulness, compassionate understanding, and unwavering self-control. This remarkable attitude took origin in his boundless love for God and his selfless ministry to man.

Jesus knew that the time of his departure had come, but his human heart longed to find out whether there might possibly be some legitimate avenue of escape from a horrific onslaught of suffering and sorrow. Just before he was taken into custody by the Romans, Jesus led three of his apostles, Peter, James, and John, a short way from their campsite to pray. These three had been Jesus’ close friends and personal associates for four years. He wanted them to be near while he prayed to know if it truly was God’s will that he drink this “bitter cup” that is, death by crucifixion. After he had asked a third time and came to understand it was indeed the divine will and there was no avenue of escape except to ignore God, his inner attitude shifted. It is well reflected in his prayer:

“Father, you see my sleeping apostles; have mercy upon them. The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak. And now, O Father, if this cup may not pass, then would I drink it. Not my will, but yours, be done.”

After praying, Jesus’ whole attitude was two-fold: The acceptance of unfair judgment by men and the desire to do the will of God. Men were demanding his life, God only asked for his cooperation to show that the judgment of men, no matter how undeserved or consequential, would be respected by Deity.

Those who observed Jesus during the time between his arrest and being nailed to a cross saw in him a mixture of calmness, dignity, forbearance, self-control, mercy, tolerance, and love. His attitude of understanding and thoughtfulness, even while being subjected to outrageous abuse and extreme cruelty, was captured when he said, “Forgive them Father, they know not what they do.”

Even before Jesus was arrested, he knew that his work on earth was finished, and he accurately estimated the sort of death he would die. After being arrested, he was little concerned with the details of his mock trial. Jesus had already reconciled himself to the fact that it was God’s will that he submit to the natural and ordinary course of human events just as every other mortal creature must. He refused to employ his human powers of persuasive eloquence or his superhuman abilities to influence the outcome of the schemes of his socially nearsighted and spiritually blinded fellow mortals.

Because of the life he lived before this ordeal, Jesus had acquired an attitude which could preserve composure and assert dignity in the face of rejection and insult. He could not be intimidated. When the chief priest asked Jesus if he was the “Deliverer, the Son of God,” he did not hesitate to answer affirmatively. He thereby provided, in his own testimony, that which they desired as a basis for convicting him of blasphemy.

The Master never displayed the least interest in Pilate’s well-meant, but halfhearted, efforts to effect his release. He really pitied Pilate and sincerely endeavored to enlighten his darkened mind. Jesus was wholly passive to all the governor’s appeals to the Sanhedrin to withdraw their criminal charges against him. Throughout the whole sorrowful ordeal, he bore himself with superb dignity and unpretentious majesty.

Jesus’ love for ignorant mortals is fully disclosed by his steadfast attitude of patience and great self-possession in the face of the jeers, blows, and buffetings of the soldiers and servants who attacked him. He was not even angry when they blindfolded him, derisively striking him in the face, and demanding: “Prophesy to us who it was that struck you.” Neither did he blame nor rebuke Pilate for having him unjustly and brutally whipped.

As the Master slowly walked to the place of crucifixion, he was very weary; he was nearly exhausted, so much so that he fell under the weight of the crossbeam that he was forced to carry. He had no food nor water since the Last Supper; neither had he been permitted to enjoy one moment of sleep. In addition, there had been one hearing right after another up to the hour of his condemnation, not to mention the abusive scourgings with their accompanying physical suffering and loss of blood. Superimposed upon all this was his extreme mental anguish, his acute spiritual tension, and a terrible feeling of human loneliness. Given all this, he still maintained an attitude of dignified acceptance and righteousness tempered with love and understanding of his persecutors’ motives and actions.

In examining Jesus’ attitude before being crucified, it is important to keep in mind he possessed a dual nature, that of a man and that of a divine being. Jesus’ divinity overcame his humanity and he allowed himself to be arrested, tortured, and killed in a most painful manner. He did this not as a ransom for humanity, not as a blood sacrifice to appease an angry and wrathful God. Instead, he did so to prove that God’s “only begotten son” is willing to go through the trials and consequences of injustice, just as mortal men and women are sometimes required to suffer. But God did not demand such a cruel death as Jesus faced – that was the doing of men.

All normal-minded individuals likewise possess human and divine natures. They can choose the divine attitude and follow Jesus’ lead when the circumstances of living in an imperfect world call for a decision between what is right and what is cowardly. Jesus’ attitude before the crucifixion revealed how to navigate troubled waters, even a hurricane of adversity, and not only survive, but also glorify God and ennoble humanity.

Those who watched Jesus face death saw how a God incarnate can triumph over hardship and transcend human limitations. Jesus’ human nature deferred to his divine nature in order to adjust his attitude during one of the worst possible situations any human can face, thereby becoming an inspiration for all who find themselves in difficult and trying circumstances. Faith and trust in God, and belief in the triumph of goodness, is a revelation of Jesus’ full and final attitude toward life and is an attitude available to all.