| Crucifixion of Jesus In the past week, we were studying Mathew 27:32-66 in BSF. The passage described the cruxifixion of Jesus from the moment of Him carrying the cross to Golgotha (The Place of the Skull) to His burial. Although I have known this story since I was a little kid, I now have a much better appreciation what Paul meant in Philppians 2:6-8:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself and became obedient to death --
even death on a cross! The punishment of cruxifixion was meant to maximize the physical and psychological agony. Physically, the person to be executed would be flogged (see the movie Passion of Christ for visualization), required to carry the cross which weighed over 200-300 pounds, had the wrists and feet/heels pierced, and be stretched on the cross which made the person unable to breath and eventually died of suffocation (which is a horrible way to die). Psychologically, cruxifixion humiliates the person by displaying that person in public. The person would be made to carry the cross via the longest route from the court to the place of execution, be executed in a place with high visibility, and be disrobed in public. Jesus went through all these and was mocked and insulted throughout the whole process by soldiers, robbers (the two criminals executed with Him), teachers of the law, chief priests, elders, people who passed by:
"You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself!"
"He saved others, but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we'll believe in him"
"He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God"
Soldiers cast lots to divide his garment
His disciples fled... the crowd which proclaimed Hosanna ("save") when Jesus entered Jerusalem early in the week now turned against Him...
In this moment of extreme physcial pain and weakness and emotional distress, Jesus bore sins of all mankind and was forsaken by God the Father. Despite that He did not sin and has the power to come down from the cross, He decided to stay to complete His mission -- to become the sin offering/scapegoat for our sins once and for all so that we, sinners, obtain His righteousness.
It perplexed me why would God of the universe would submit to such humiliation by the human beings who He created. I get upset when I am insulted at work. What would it feel like under a circumstance as what Jesus went through? Paul said in Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" Sometime it's easy to just think about the cross as clean, loving and glorious because it's God's salvation plan. But in reality it was a painful and costly process that Jesus willingly went through for you and I. I cannot describe fully my gratitude for such amazing grace and I'm very thankful for this lesson to help me to reflect if I really know how much Jesus loves me (and you too). My fellow bloggers, if you have not receive Christ as your personal savior, I urge you to do so since without God's rightouesness via Christ no one can stand before God at the final judgement. God bless you! |
