As I was preparing a talk for
a joint Good Friday service, I realized that I don’t reflect enough on the
suffering that Jesus Christ went through on the cross. I don’t mean that in a morbid sort of
way. It is just that, beyond Good
Friday/Easter Sunday, I don’t often meditate on all that He suffered on the
cross.
After His arrest, the Bible
describes how Jesus had a crown of thorns crammed on His head. He was spit on, mocked
and then He was scourged. I read the
word scourged and I realize I don’t think much about what that actually
means.
When the Romans scourged someone,
it would quickly remove the skin. Deep lacerations, torn flesh, exposed muscles
and excessive bleeding would leave the criminal "half-dead." The
Centurion in charge would order a halt to the flogging when the criminal was
near death.
Jesus Christ suffered a
scourging before He went to the Cross.
At the cross, the condemned
was thrown to the ground on his back, with his arms outstretched along the
crossbar. The nails…the iron spikes…were
driven into His hands and feet. During
the time on the cross, Jesus would have been in excruciating pain, struggling
to breathe, enduing unimaginable horror.
Then came that final moment,
when His earthly suffering was over….with His last Words…”It is finished.”
Jesus, the innocent Son of God, who bore our sins, died.
As the Father has loved me,
so have I loved you. Abide in my love. (John 15:9)
I asked the people in our
congregation what came to mind when they thought of Jesus on the cross. One lady said, “Unfathomable Love.” I couldn’t say it any better.
Jesus went through all that
suffering because He loved us…He died so that we could be reconnected with God
the Father.
Today, I urge you to take
some time and reflect upon the Cross. Reflect
upon His suffering AND His Love.
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