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Note: Graphic Content Come with me to a hill called Mount Calvary, to the foot of the Savior's cross. We could never fully imagine His pain and agony because as humans we tend to shy away from pain. But for a few moments, in your mind go to that old rugged cross and stand at the foot of it. Here is a man who has been striped of his clothes and hangs naked before the vast crowd assembled to watch His crucifixion. Look up at the man called Jesus, and witness His pain and agony, and the cost He paid so we might live eternally. But first let us go back to the scenes just prior to His being hung on this rugged cross, and allow yourself to witness all that truly happened in the last twelve hours of life. Pilate stood on the pavement and looked down at the angry crowd assembled, waiting for Pilate's verdict. Pilate wanted to let Jesus go because He had found no fault in Him, but the crowd screamed repeatedly for the release of Barabbas and demanded that Jesus be scourged and then crucified. Pilate looked at the angry crowd and washed his hands signaling that He was not in agreement with the verdict that the people demanded. Pilate looked into the eyes of Jesus, sorry that he had been unable to stop this travesty. In those loving eyes of Jesus, Pilate saw understanding and forgiveness. He had found no fault in this Man called Jesus. In their ignorance of the Truth, the crowds cheered for the victory they had won. Roman Guards led Jesus away, and as they made their way to the whipping post the guards repeatedly hit, kicked and slap Jesus in the face, the people picked up rocks and threw them at Jesus as He passed by, and many laughed uproariously at the sight of the brutality. Finally they came to the area of the whipping post, where Jesus was to receive thirty-nine lashes from the customary Roman style whip. Two vicious guards picked up these ugly whips laden with pieces of metal and sharp protruding bones and the horrific torture began. Time after time, the whips are raised and slashed deeply into His bare flesh. Listen! Can you hear the snapping of the whips as they make contact with his back and legs? Look! How deeply it cuts into his flesh! Time after time, they make contact until His body is covered with huge, gaping lacerations. The cruel Roman whips tear deep into the tissue and shreds flesh and rips out chunks of muscle. His blood gushes forth! One cannot imagine the pain that has been inflicted on the Son of Man's body. In all honesty, we must pause to wonder; just how many of those stripes should have been placed on our backs? He endured all this suffering, so He could proclaim, "With My stripes you are healed!" What's this? Oh, no! They are pouring salt water over all his wounds! Look! How He cringes as the stinging water penetrates the open flesh! An embedded thorn in your finger is painful, but just look at that awful crown of spiked thorns. What an ungodly crown for this man, whose only guilt was that of loving and desiring to save mankind from destruction. A soldier laughs as he places this crown of thorns on Jesus' head. He turns and looks at the other soldiers standing nearby, and snickers as he pushes the crown deep into His tender scalp and forehead. Blood spurts out from the impact. It runs freely down His face and into His eyes, across his cheeks and onto His lips. The crowd looks on without remorse. They laugh as the soldiers spit in His face. The cruel soldiers are plucking the whiskers of His beard, and using horrible language as they mock the Son of God. One soldier after another slaps him in the face and mashes their fists in his already marred face. His face is so bruised and swollen from constant torture, that it is nearly impossible to distinguish His features. Cruel people pick up long sticks and strike Him. Others pick up rocks and hurl at Him, as they laugh and mock this innocent man. How brutal they are to the KING OF KINGS! Agonizing pain is inflicted upon Him as they lay the splintered cross on His raw and beaten back. He struggles with the weight of the cross as His lifeblood flows from all His wounds. The blood and sweat runs into His eyes and He struggles to see ahead of Him. The pain and loss of blood has weakened him to the point of exhaustion and He stumbles to the ground and the cross falls on Him. When He is able to stand, just for a moment He sees His mother in the crowd, her face contorted with grief for her Son. He carries the cross again until he falls again beneath the cross. The crowd takes advantage of his weakened state and kicks Him and throws rocks at Him. The soldiers know that He cannot carry the cross any further, so they enlist a man named Simon to help Him carry the cross. Finally, Jesus makes it to the place called Golgotha, where He will be crucified. A soldier pushes Him to the ground. Another soldier screams at Him to get on the cross - they have been waiting to put Him on. A soldier grabs His arm and places it on the cross; another holds his wrist in place. The third soldier stands by with a huge spike in one hand and a hammer in the other. He raises the hammer. Jesus whispers a prayer to the Father. Listen! Watch! Can you hear the bones crushing as the spikes go into the area where the hand and wrist meet? Another soldier with a spike and hammer nails His right hand to the cross. His blood rushes forth. Now hear the sound of the splintering bones as they drive those rusty spikes into His feet? Don't turn your face away! Watch as the soldiers raise the cross. Jesus is nailed to the cross, suspended in mid-air. The bottom of the cross drops into the hole they had prepared for His Cross. His body convulses from the sudden jolt. The weight of His body causes joints to be dislocated, muscles and ligaments to be torn! A close observer, Mary His mother, beholds the look of agony on His face, and her river of tears is not unnoticed by her Son. Jesus does not curse the soldiers, or those watching His crucifixion. He just looks at them with sadness in His loving eyes. Through His agony and pain, He looks at His beloved mother and His disciple John and Mary Magdalene. Silently He prays for His accusers, then He calls out to the Father and says, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know not what they are doing! Do not put this to their account. Being suspended on the Cross, made breathing difficult, but in a strangled voice, Jesus says to His mother and followers: "Remember, what I told you!" He looked at His Mother and said, Mother, behold your son. Then to John He said,"Behold your mother." Tears stained the faces of Mary, John and Mary Magdalene. Their hope was fading. The grief they were experiencing made them forget His words of wisdom, and the many promises He gave them to keep. "Oh, sweet Jesus," Cried Mary, "If I could but give you a cool drink of water, but instead they offer You the bitter gall of vinegar!" Look! Do not turn away from Him because He is dying for you. Behold your suffering Savior! His body is constricting from the weight. The pain and agony grows steadily worsen. His back rubs against the rugged tree and it sends a stinging fire into His raw and beaten flesh. The splinters dig deeper each time His body moves. How many more hours must He suffer like this? He has been so horribly tortured that it is now difficult to realize that He is human. Every inch of His body is covered with His blood, the precious blood of atonement. It flows from all His wounds and drains away His precious life. We allow blood to flow to rid us of poisons from a wound, but He is bleeding to rid us from the poison of sin! Beyond all the physical suffering that Jesus has endured, there is a far deeper pain now. Jesus is dying of a broken heart! Even His Father has turned His back on Jesus and forsaken Him, for the Father cannot look upon the sin that Jesus is about to receive upon Himself. So Jesus faces His darkest hour alone and forsaken. The sins of all ages have been placed on the shoulders of Jesus! The putrid stench of sin has forced even His Heavenly Father, to turn away from Him. But it was for this purpose that Jesus left His heavenly estate and came to Earth as a newborn babe. Jesus was born to die for the sins of the whole world. The last minutes of His physical life dwindle away. He takes a deep breath. Then He cries out, 'IT IS FINISHED'! Then He speaks to the Father and says in a loud voice, "Father, into Your hands I commend my Spirit." And Jesus hung His head and died, and immediately, the veil of the Temple was rent from the top to the bottom. Realizing that Jesus had already died, a soldier raised a spear and thrusts it into Jesus' side. Jesus, the Son of man and the Son of God, was dead! Jesus died for crimes and wrongs that He never committed. He was without sin, meaning that He never once sinned. The only thing for which He was guilty was his deep love for humanity. He gave His all and suffered more than any earthly being could ever comprehend. He did it willingly, without reservation, and for one purpose. He came to save the world from sin. The sin-sick world demanded sacrifice. There was no possible way to reverse that day in the Garden of Eden, when Adam changed the course of Earth's destiny and sin came into the world. GOD had made a perfect world where only good reigned. Adam corrupted the world when he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. By that one action, Adam introduced evil into his perfect world. Thus, a perfect blood sacrifice was the only solution to this travesty. God and man were separated (no longer able to communicate) after the fall of Adam. Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, was the only one capable of taking our sins away and restoring fellowship with God and man. For those who have come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and given their lives to Him, He has taken away all of our sins and given us the righteousness that flows from His veins and courses through His perfect heart. He is a faithful and loving God, and He wants everyone to take advantage of the Gift of Salvation, that Jesus died on the Cross - for us to obtain. Now at the foot of His Cross, we stand looking up at this blessed Savior of the world, King Jesus! In those pain-filled loving eyes, we find forgiveness for all our sins that will never again be held against us. We were not worthy of the sacrifice He made in our stead, but in spite of that He loved us anyway. Once we are blood bought through His means of salvation, we stand not in our own righteousness, but through His Righteousness. And we will forever glory in the price He paid on that old rugged cross so long ago. I pray that you will consider your destiny, for we all have one. The Bible says that the choice is ours as to where we will spend our life once we die. Yes, we will all die at some point, but our spirit lives eternally which means we exist forever without end. We can live our lives on this earth for Jesus, or we can live in sin and live for self. Some think that Hell will be a party, but they are so wrong. Hell is a place of torment and unquenchable fire. God doesn't want anyone to perish and go to Hell, but it is your choice. Those who have accepted Jesus into their hearts and lives will spend eternity in Heaven. It is very important that you not put off making your choice of destiny. We do not know when we might die unrepentantly. Salvation is our Life Insurance and it ensures that our destiny is in Heaven. Jesus paid our sin debt all in full, and all you have to do is ask Him to come into your heart and take away your sins, and to love Him and live your life for Him. Tara Hart © 2004 |