Jesus is lead away to be crucified. By this point Jesus had been beaten, beyond recognition. Yet despite the beating He was given they still made Him carry this massive cross. Weak from being beaten to a pulp He could barely stand let alone cary a heavy cross. This cross was an estimated 100 pounds, this would be hard for anyone to carry let alone someone who was beaten mercelessly and had already shed loads of blood.
Jesus didn’t have to do this for us, He wasn’t forced to do this. Jesus chose to do this, for you.
They made Him carry this heavy cross and He couldn’t do it by this point, so they grabbed a bystander by the name of Simon and had him help. When they arrived to a place called Golgotha (place of a skull) they offered Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. This was to take the pain away and act like a pain killer that a dr might give you today for severe pain. When Jesus realized what it was, He wouldn’t drink it. He had to keep is conscience and his clear mind and new He couldn’t if He drank it.
Then they crucified Him, this book doesn’t go in full detail but to crucify Him they had to take huge, long steel or iron nails and they pierced His hands to the cross before piercing his feet as well. Imagine a railroad nail for a visual affect being pierced through the center of your hand again and again till the nail was secure in the wood. Image in the pain He endured for us, for you. To fully understand what Jesus chose to endure for us we need to paint the picture in our minds, so our hearts can be fully appreciative and thankful. We will never, ever be deserving of what He did for us, but knowing what He did helps us to always show our love and appreciation for Him.
Imagine Jesus being whipped over and over and over again, hundreds of times. Then imagine a metal hook that was placed on the whip so every time they whipped Him that hook would sink into his skin and lodge in there just to be ripped out causing stripes to show through His flesh and bones. Imagine this happening again and again till the ground was covered in buckets of His blood that He shed for us. Imagine this continuing for some time just to be spat on more, made fun of more, mocked more, and then a thorned crown being jammed into your heard after. Remember your worst headache and intensify that times a million. But that’s not it, then imagine Him having a 100 pound cross thrown on Him and being whipped and demanded to carry for a long walk up and down rough terrain. Every time He slowed down or tripped or fell another lashing was given. Then He finally gets to the top of the hill, He refused the pain killer despite the pain He is in that you know is radiating through His entire body. Then He gets one hand nailed to the cross, then they stretch Him more than the human body should be stretched probably popping shoulders out of place to get his hand to fit to the other side, which then received another railroad like nail being repetively hammered through His hand. Then His feet being pierced in place and the cross being thrown up in the air to have Him hang in even more misery. He chose to go though all of this for us, to forgive us of our sins, to cleans us in His blood, to heal our bodies and have health. I know this is hard to read but we need to fully know and understand what He did for us.
They then divided His garments among them and for His clothing they cast lots thus fulfilling prophecy. They wrote above His head what He was being charged for, ‘This is Jesus The king of the Jews.’
Two robbers were crucified with Him, one on either side of Him. Those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If you are the Son go God come down from the cross.’ So blind and filled with hate that they couldn’t see the Son of God right in front of them. The chief priests and the scribes were mocking Him as well. How awful this was. The robber who was being crucified join into mock Jesus.
The Son of God was in front of their face and they couldn’t even see it. So often the truth can be right in front of our faces and we won’t be able to see it either if we are filled with anger, hate, mockery or any other form of evil. We need to seek after Jesus and seek after His love and knowing Him. When we are filled in revelation of Him and His word, when we know Him, when we allow Him to renew our minds through the discipline of repentance; we will be able to have ears to hear Him and discern the truth from a lie. In the world we live in, we need to be able to discern the truth from the constant lies that the evil one spreads and the only way to do that is to know Jesus. Truly is that simple.
