The Watch by the Cross: Four Meditations on Calvary

At Golgotha, Matthew records a terrible simplicity: "They crucified Him, and parted His garments, casting lots." The Victorian preacher Joseph Exell identified four layers of meaning for those with tender hearts watching this spectacle.

First, contemplate the visible tragedy itself—the physical brutality that all could witness. Yet enlightened minds perceive what careless eyes miss: the character and works of the Sufferer Himself, innocent and submissive.

Second, observe the Divine permission of these atrocities. Jehovah did not intervene to prevent the cross; instead, He purposed it as the accomplishment of redemption. The crucifixion provided an all-sufficient atonement (katallage—reconciliation) for human sin and established Christ's mediatorial empire.

Third, the gambling soldiers at the foot of the cross embody a spiritual principle: they obtained Christ's garments through chance, rendering no honest service—a picture of all who grasp at spiritual comfort without genuine repentance. True faith requires humility before this sacrifice.

Finally, the cross yields six transformative conclusions: esteem supremely the love from which it emanated; repent humbly of transgressions it pardons; repose implicitly upon its merit; avow zealously the cause it identifies; recognize it as a fountain for washing away sin; and find in it a pillow upon which the believing soul rests in eternal peace.