Those Final, Dreadful Hours

In this solemn and graphic message covering Matthew 27:27–50, Chuck Swindoll guides the listener through the physical torture and spiritual anguish of Jesus’ final hours. Swindoll begins by establishing the depths of human cruelty, using a historical account from Pierre van Paassen’s memoirs regarding the humiliation of a Jewish rabbi by Nazis to illustrate the sadistic nature of evil [9–11]. He then meticulously details the Roman method of execution, describing the "flagellum" used for scourging—a punishment so severe it was known as "halfway death"—and the specific medical agonies of crucifixion, including the inability to exhale without lifting oneself up against the nails [16–19, 33–35]. The sermon shifts from physical pain to spiritual isolation as Swindoll addresses the three hours of supernatural darkness that fell across the land. He explains that Jesus’ cry, "My God, my God, why have You abandoned me?" marked the moment God the Father turned away from the Son because Jesus was bearing the sins of the world [38–39]. To personalize this theological truth, Swindoll reads an exhaustive, alphabetical list of specific human sins—from "abuse" to "violent thoughts"—emphasizing that Christ bore every item on that list. The message concludes with a declaration of hope: because Jesus endured the "final, dreadful hours" and paid the debt in full, believers can stand forgiven, their sins washed "white as snow" [40–43, 46].

Message Key Facts:

• The "Halfway Death": Swindoll contrasts Jewish scourging (limited by law to 40 lashes) with Roman scourging, which had no limit. The Romans used a flagellum (leather thongs with glass, bone, and metal), designed to reduce the body to ribbons of raw flesh. It was common for victims to die during this process before even reaching the cross [16–20].
• The Weight of the Cross: Swindoll clarifies that Simon of Cyrene likely carried only the crossbeam (horizontal piece), which weighed approximately 200 pounds, as the entire cross (approx. 450 pounds) would have been impossible for a man to drag alone.
• The Mechanics of Asphyxiation: Citing Dr. Truman Davis, Swindoll explains that death by crucifixion was often a result of suffocation. The victim’s pectoral muscles would paralyze, allowing air to be drawn in but not exhaled. To breathe, Jesus had to push Himself up on the nailed feet, scraping his lacerated back against the timber, in a cycle of relentless pain [33–35].
• The Wine and Gall: Before nailing Him to the cross, soldiers offered Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall (a narcotic-like stupor-inducing drink), which He refused, choosing to endure the full weight of the suffering with a clear mind.
• The Abandonment: Swindoll asserts that at 3:00 PM, for the first time in all existence, the Father turned His back on the Son. This was not due to a lack of love, but because a holy God could not relate to the "conglomeration of evil" being born by the Son at that moment [38–39].
• The Alphabet of Sin: Swindoll shares that he sat in his study and listed sins alphabetically to grasp what Christ bore. He reads this list aloud—including items like "bitterness," "greed," "pride," "racism," and "prayerlessness"—to demonstrate that the cross was necessary for everyone's specific failures [40–43].
• The Nazi Illustration: The sermon opens with a harrowing story of a Rabbi forced by Nazis to preach a sermon on "walking humbly before God" while naked and watching a fellow Jew be beaten to death. Swindoll uses this to help the modern mind comprehend the "absolute humiliation" Jesus endured in the Praetorium [9–12].

Message References:

• Matthew 27:27–31: The soldiers in the headquarters (Praetorium) mock Jesus, crown Him with thorns, spit on Him, and strike Him [2–3].
• Matthew 27:32: Simon of Cyrene is forced to carry the cross.
• Matthew 27:35: "They nailed him to the cross... and gambled for his clothes".
• Matthew 27:45–46: The darkness from noon to 3:00 PM and Jesus' cry: "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?).
• Matthew 27:50: "Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his Spirit".
• Deuteronomy 25:1–3: Referenced to explain the Jewish law limiting lashes to forty, in contrast to Roman custom.
• 2 Corinthians 5:21: Referenced in the closing prayer: "He who knew no sin was made sin on our behalf that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him".

Message Speaker:

Pastor Chuck Swindoll