When we see pictures of the cross, obviously it's empty (well, most of the time it is, and should be because Jesus has risen and has ascended to the right hand of His Father)
We see a sanitised picture. Even the paintings of old, can't really convey what went on, that day. We can't really imagine what it was like, we can't feel the physical pain and torment, we definitely can't know what spiritual torment Christ went through!
This isn't sanitised, this is what I think of when I think of my Saviour dying for me!
He was friendless - all of His disciples fled. Peter tagged along, but only out of curiosity. Three times He denied the One he had once declared as being the Christ:
Matthew 16:13-16 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 26:69-75 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.” And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.” But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!” And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.” Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.
Jesus was given a trial, where the 'witnesses' lied about Him or twisted the truth. He was bounced back and forth to Pilate and the Sanhedrin. He was proclaimed 'guilty' of trumped up charges. He remained silent because, although He hadn't sinned, He would soon be bearing the guilt and sins of His people!
He was whipped, scourged - the whips used were more than likely fastened with hooks so that every lashing would rip out chunks of flesh, He had His beard torn out - this wasn't a slight pulling, it would have been ripped from his face, He was naked, He had a crown of thorns rammed onto His head, He was mocked, His kingship was mocked, the blood and pain would have been weakening and that was before He hung on the cross. They made Him walk, with all His injuries, originally with the cross He would be hung upon. The heat would have been draining alone, without having all those wounds. No doubt blood from those wounds would have dripped on the floor where He walked. Before being crucified, the people called for a real criminal to be released - Christ was alone and friendless, but soon an even worse aloneness would be felt!
As He got to Golgotha (the place of the Skull) - it looks like a skull and with the executions going on there, it was aptly named! Huge, thick iron nails would have torn into His flesh, tearing the nerves and tendons - the pain would have been indescribable! He was hoisted up, all His body weight on His arms, pulling His shoulders out of their sockets, dislocating them. The heat of the sun (before the sky went dark) would have been horrendous, heat stroke, sweat, congealing blood, festering wounds, muscle cramps, ALL of the body's nerves shooting messages of pain, to His brain, His lungs filling with fluid, water building up around His heart, dehydration - the Water of Life, being dehydrated. Still people mocked Him, Pilate had a mocking sign hung above His head. Hunger - the Bread of Life is hungry. Perhaps sickness set in, bodily functions kicking in (we don't like to think about this). Soldiers gambling for His clothes. He hung there naked and uncovered, in shame and humility. He thought of His mother (how she must have suffered, but not in the same way as Christ, her Son did). YET in all this horror, He could still look down and say
Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
FORGIVE THEM? FORGIVE those who did all that to You, Lord? Yes, for the way of the Christian is by the example of the Saviour, we forgive as He once forgave us!
This is my view on this: I believe Jesus was looking into the future too and asking His Father to forgive ALL of His people - the ones He chose before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4a).
This is my view on this: I believe Jesus was looking into the future too and asking His Father to forgive ALL of His people - the ones He chose before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4a).
His death was so horrific - our sins deserved that punishment or even worse punishment (could there be anything worse? Yes - hell. An eternity without love, joy, peace, blessing etc). He took it ALL, every last one of the sins of His people were laid to His account!
ANYBODY can come to Him, including those we deem unworthy (because we were unworthy - that's why He suffered so much)! Even those we find distasteful in life - murderers, thieves, paedos, slanderers, liars, adulterers, fornicators, terrorists, abusers, mockers etc - ANYBODY who turns to Christ and asks for forgiveness and repents of their sins - repentance is a turning away from the past life and seeking to live for Christ. It's more than a glib sorry!
