The Journey to Golgotha (The Place of the Skull)

✅ Common Elements Shared by All Accounts[edit | edit source]

Jesus is led away to be crucified.
He carries the cross, either in part or fully.
Simon of Cyrene is compelled to carry the cross (in Synoptics).
The destination is Golgotha, the place of the skull.
Jesus is surrounded by a crowd, including soldiers and, in Luke, weeping women.

🔍 Differences Between the Gospel Accounts[edit | edit source]

Gospel	Unique Features
Mark 15:20–22	Soldiers lead Jesus out after mocking. Simon of Cyrene is compelled to carry the cross. The location Golgotha is explained.
Matthew 27:31–32	Similar to Mark, includes Simon of Cyrene. Emphasis is on the compelled service—a clear image of substitution or help.
Luke 23:26–32	Only Luke includes the daughters of Jerusalem, whom Jesus addresses. He prophesies of future judgment. Includes the two criminals being led with Him.
John 19:16–17	John uniquely says Jesus carried His own cross—no mention of Simon. The emphasis is on Jesus’ initiative in going to Golgotha.

⏳ How the Study During the Gaps of Authorship Explains the Differences[edit | edit source]

Mark provides the earliest raw narrative: Jesus, weakened, is helped by another, showing the burden of the cross too great in His human form.
Matthew, writing later, begins to see in Simon of Cyrene a picture of the disciple taking up his cross. Matthew emphasizes the cost of following.
Luke, writing with a fuller theology of the perfect man, sees this journey as a prophetic moment. Jesus is not only dying—He's teaching on the way. The women represent the bride, sorrowful but not yet understanding.
John, with full maturity, sees Jesus alone bearing the cross, reflecting His divine initiative. There is no help, no human support—only Christ laying down His life fully and knowingly.

Each Gospel adds a deeper lens of the cross: from human weakness → substitution → prophetic witness → divine obedience.

✨ Unique Ideas of the Gospel Authors[edit | edit source]

Mark: Emphasizes human frailty and the physical burden of the cross. Simon's appearance is sudden and unexplained, highlighting unexpected substitution.
Matthew: Emphasizes discipleship and submission—Simon is compelled, reflecting the cost and force of God’s will.
Luke: Jesus speaks to women (the bride) on His way to die. He warns of judgment to come—even in suffering, He is a teacher and prophet. The women reflect a fleshly sorrow.
John: Jesus bears the cross alone, fulfilling His mission. There is no mention of Simon because the Son must carry it fully to the place of death. The focus is on obedience and sovereignty.

📜 OT Scriptures That May Have Reminded Matthew[edit | edit source]

Isaiah 53:4 – “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…” → Simon's carrying of the cross may reflect our shared burden with Christ.
Genesis 22 – Isaac carrying the wood for his own sacrifice. → Jesus is the greater Isaac, and Simon is the servant or disciple joining in the offering.

🌄 Genesis Scriptures That May Have Reminded Luke[edit | edit source]

Genesis 3:16 – “I will multiply your pain in childbearing…” → The daughters of Jerusalem may reflect the bride beginning her birth pains—mourning but not yet delivered.
Genesis 6 – God warning before judgment. → Jesus’ warning to the women mirrors Noah's preaching before the flood—salvation is coming, but so is judgment.
Genesis 22 – Abraham takes Isaac and two others with him. → Jesus is led with two criminals, like Isaac between two men—a picture of substitution and death.

🧠 Unique Ideas of the Author (You)[edit | edit source]

You see every male as Christ, so both Jesus and Simon are Christ in different roles—Jesus as the Son obedient to death, Simon as the bride taught to follow.
You interpret the cross as a teaching—Jesus is teaching the bride how to die to self.
The weeping women represent the fleshly bride—mourning without understanding. She grieves but does not yet see the glory of the cross.
The contrast between Simon and Jesus is not contradiction but union—the Son bears the full cost, but the bride must also learn obedience through suffering.
You may see the two criminals as two sides of the bride—one receives, one rejects—paralleling Leah and Rachel, goat and sheep, or flesh and spirit.

✍️ Group Study Questions with Hints[edit | edit source]

1. Why does Simon carry the cross in some Gospels but not in John?[edit | edit source]

Hint: Is this a contradiction—or does each version reflect a different layer of truth?

✱ John shows Christ bearing the full weight.
✱ Synoptics show discipleship, sharing in His death.
✱ Could Simon represent the bride learning obedience?

2. What does the cross represent in this journey—not just the crucifixion, but the walk itself?[edit | edit source]

Hint: Look at the journey as a symbolic teaching or transformation.

✱ The journey is already part of the cross.
✱ The path to death is also the path to life.
✱ Is this the beginning of the bride’s instruction?

3. Why does Jesus speak to the women in Luke? What do they represent?[edit | edit source]

Hint: All women are the bride in SP—so what part of her nature is shown here?

✱ They mourn but do not understand—this is fleshly sorrow.
✱ Jesus warns them: real judgment is coming.
✱ Is this the bride who feels sorrow but has not yet submitted?

4. Why is Golgotha called "the place of the skull"?[edit | edit source]

Hint: Think about what the skull symbolizes—mind, thought, death?

✱ Could it represent the mind of the flesh?
✱ Or the place where man’s judgment reigns?
✱ Is this where man's wisdom dies, and God's wisdom is revealed?

5. Where is the bride in this scene?[edit | edit source]

Hint: She may appear in several forms.

✱ Simon—learning obedience through suffering.
✱ The women—mourning but not understanding.
✱ The crowd—judging without seeing.
✱ Is the bride in all of them, being separated into flesh and spirit?

6. What does the contrast between Jesus and Simon reveal?[edit | edit source]

Hint: Is this about strength—or about roles in salvation?

✱ Jesus must bear the sin of the world.
✱ Simon must learn from Him.
✱ Could this show Christ dying for the bride, and then teaching her to follow?

7. Why are two criminals led with Jesus in Luke?[edit | edit source]

Hint: All men are Christ—but when two are shown, what do they represent?

✱ Bride divided: one accepts, one rejects.
✱ Like goat and sheep, Esau and Jacob, or Cain and Abel.
✱ Does this show the choice set before the bride—follow or rebel?