Can we possibly comprehend the magnitude of Jesus’ death on the cross? The agony of His suffering? Can our sinful minds fully grasp the holiness and perfection of God?
Human life began in a perfect garden. A place that pleased God when He looked at it. Then man sinned and that perfection was marred. Man became sinful to such an extent that God destroyed most of them in a flood. Although sin disfigured God’s perfect creation, He planned to send someone to redeem fallen man. Jesus Christ was that someone. He was God. He wasn’t just like God or a god. He was the one, true God. This meant that He was sinless.
Christ was not born of man, so He kept His sinless nature. He did not sin at anytime during His life on earth. When men decided to crucify Him, they had nothing against Him but their own anger and hatred. Christ had done nothing wrong.
My thoughts now turn to the hideous nature of Christ’s death. First, He was beaten with a cat of 9 tails. The Bible says that He was not recognizable. Next, he was mocked. They put a purple robe on Him and made a crown of thorns for His head. They spit on Him and laughed at Him. He was then forced to carry His own cross. Something that He physically could not do. He was further humiliated by being stripped of His clothing. They took Him and nailed two thick spikes into his wrists and one through His feet. The cross was then lifted and dropped into a hole. The crucified was lifted up for all to see.
Death on a cross was a death by suffocation. The cross, however, had a board under the person’s feet so they could lift themselves enough to breath. This made the death even slower and more painful. The cross is the cruelest death that man has invented.
Christ suffered all of this and yet the physical suffering wasn’t the only part. For a space of 3 hours Christ bore our sins. Since God cannot look upon sin, the Father could not look on the Son while He carried our sins. For 3 hours God the Father turned His back on God the Son. Christ suffered alone. A holy, loving God did all of this for you and for me.
If this does not overwhelm our spirits, then we are cold indeed. Such suffering has never been found at any other time. Christ’s love for us is so amazing that He would suffer such great agony to save us from our sins.
Christ suffered for you and me.
Friend, have you accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of your life? The Bible says, “All have sinned,” Romans 3:23. Jesus dies to save sinners. He died for you.
He didn’t stay dead – He rose from the dead and is alive today. He triumphed over death.
Sin has a penalty. “For the wages (penalty) of sin is death,” Romans 6:23.
The good news is “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ,” Romans 6:23. Jesus paid those wages – took that penalty for us. All we have to do is to accept that gift and place our trust in Him.
Pleading in Prayer 