Crucify, Crucify
Words are doubled in scripture to stress importance. When Jesus said “truly, truly” before a statement, He was stressing it. He was saying, “pay close attention this is important” When Pilate appeals to the bloodthirsty mob to release Jesus, Luke records “they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” “The double cry reflected intensity,” (1). Jesus emphasized life, while the world emphasized death.
The only thing more significant than something doubled is something trebled. In the 6th chapter of Isaiah the prophet described his vision of God’s throne room. “Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”(6:2,3). In Revelation 4:8 John sees something similar, “the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
The doubled cry of sin “crucify, crucify” is defeated by the trebled “Holy, holy, holy” of God! Just as the crowd “kept shouting crucify, crucify” the enemy will keep shouting, “sinner sinner” “liar liar” “adulterer adulterer” “junky junky” “loser loser” “shame shame” Remember, when your sinfulness is doubled, God’s forgiveness is trebled. The truth about God’s grace is more important than the truth about your sin. Today, let God’s holiness overwhelm your loneliness. Let God’s vindication drown out the accuser’s condemnation. Let the “crucify, crucify” get crushed by the “Holy, holy, holy, of our Lord God Almighty.”
- Brown, R. E. (2008). The Gospel according to John (XIII-XXI): Introduction, translation, and notes (Vol. 29A, p. 876). New Haven; London: Yale University Press.