The hill on which Jesus was crucified, Golgotha, plays a significant role in the story of our salvation. To the east of Jerusalem, probably located somewhere on the Mt of Olives,* was this hill where the Romans executed convicted Jews. But the story of this “Place of the Skull” doesn’t begin with the Romans and their executions. “Golgotha” is related to the Hebrew term “skull” and has a history among the Jews.
In the Law, God prescribed that when the armies were numbered that they be numbered “skull by skull” or “head by head” (Cf. Ex 16.16; 38.26; Num 1.2, 18, 20, 22; 3.47). It is quite possible that when the armies of Yahweh were being numbered, this was the place that they went to be counted. Now, here at Golgotha, the armies are gathering around Yahweh in the flesh. The Gospels tell us about the soldiers gathered around for Jesus’ mockery who also accompany him to the cross. We hear many people mocking Jesus on this hill. These armies are gathering together against Yahweh and against his Christ, seeking to throw off their authority (Ps 2). They are seeking to “crush the head,” Jesus. They are treating him as the serpent.
But the story of Golgotha has another possible twist to it that tells us how the story will end. Back in the days when David was a young man, there was a serpent-like Philistine warrior that challenged the armies of Yahweh and, thus, Yahweh himself. While the present king, Saul, and all of the other armies cowered in fear, young David went out to face this warrior, Goliath of Gath. David killed Goliath. He used Goliath’s own sword to chop off his head. That is what kings do: they crush the head of the serpent. David then took the head of Goliath back to Jerusalem (1Sm 17.54). It is quite possible that he buried the head on this hill. Golgotha may be a contraction of “Goliath of Gath” or even possibly a wordplay on it.
Here on Golgotha, the Son of David is lifted up and puts his feet on the skull of the serpent. The serpent is bruising his heel. But the Son of David is using his own weapons against him to crush his head. What looks like sure and ultimate defeat becomes the greatest victory ever won. Christ Jesus crushes the head of the serpent, securing the salvation of his people, and assumes the role of the king of creation.
The decisive victory that Jesus wins at the cross is shared by us, the church. Paul tells the church in Rome that “the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Rom 16.20). This echoes the promise of God in Genesis 3.15 when God promised that the seed of the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of the woman, but the seed of the woman would bruise or crush the head of the seed of the serpent. Jesus, the seed, has done this. Now we who are in him are the seed of the woman, and Satan and his seed will be crushed under our feet.
How? In the same way that Jesus did it. We follow him by taking up our crosses, and it is only as we follow him in taking up our crosses that Satan and his seed are put under our feet. This is how war is fought by the King and his armies. So, while we mourn the tragedies of wickedness that we see as our brothers and sisters are being slaughtered by Muslims, atheistic communists, and others, through this God is crushing Satan under our feet. There is no death in Christ that is not being used to defeat our enemies. We need to pray the Psalms themselves and in harmony with the Psalms concerning God turning the devices of the wicked back on them. God will do it in his own time.
However, many of us aren’t facing the sword of Islam or North Korea just yet. Taking up our crosses looks different for us. God crushes Satan under our feet when we give up our lives to him and for others in various ways. When we offer ourselves in prayer and worship to him, praising him, this is a sacrifice through which God is crushing Satan under our feet (Heb 13.15). When we do good to one another, that is yet another sacrifice that is well-pleasing to God (Heb 13.16). Even the smallest acts of kindness, the encouraging words, refraining from destructive words, being hospitable, rebuking sin when necessary, all of these and more are sacrifices pleasing to God. Through our sacrifice, through our death, God will crush Satan under our feet.
Take up your cross and follow Christ to victory.
*Ernest Martin, in his book, Secrets of Golgotha, makes the case that Jesus was crucified on the Mt of Olives and, therefore, Golgotha was located there.
