The story of the crucifixion is bloody and savage. It’s a sad story for many, but on the contrary it’s one of the most beautiful love story of all time.
“Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him in the face … as soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” John 19: 1-3, 6 The thing with the Roman soldiers is that they won’t kill you
with their whipping. Jesus was flogged 39 times, only, because they want Him to suffer more in the cross. Crucifixion is an agonizingly slow death by asphyxiation. At Golgotha, the soldiers nailed his wrists (between the bones .radius and ulna), and His feet as well. He was hanging there, gasping for breath and agonizing in pain Still, He never ask for help, nor did He ask them to stop, He just let them. This is His moment. When the final hour came, He called out to His Father, but there was no answer. The sins of the world have fallen upon Him and the sin-hating Father has to look away. The pain was great but going through it alone was much harder. He must have wept as He performed His task. There He breathed His last. The air was still, then the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom, lightning pierced the sky, and thunder shook the earth, Heaven was bankrupt!
When Adam and Eve gave in to the goblet of poison, the liquid burned their innocence; they came to know death and sufferings. It’s the cup of sin. The Son of man came to taste the same poison. Like any one of us, He was anxious to go through something like this. “ Does it have to be this way?”
“It does.”
“Is there no one else who can do it?”
“None but you.”
“Do I have to drink from the cup?”
“ Yes, my Son. The same cup.”
“I am afraid, but let your will be done.”
No words can describe the sufferings Jesus had to go through, no amount of words could express the feelings of a Father who has to let go of His Son in order to suffer and die in the hands of malicious men. Why do the Father and Son did it then? God can spare Jesus of the trouble and go about the day in its daily course. God did it for LOVE. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 In the course of His decision He must have been torn between His reverence to His own Son and His great love for us, but still, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 What about His friends and followers, don’t you think they feel disappointed seeing Jesus hanging there? “I thought you will save us?” “You’re the Messiah, aren’t you?” Again, God’s way is better than ours, He rests His insight not on the here and now, and His love is not just for one but for everyone.
Come home to the Father. The opportunity to love and live with God caused Him His Jesus, let’s not put it to waste. We may feel silly going back after all that we have done, “What’s the use?” “What chance do I have?” Honestly, He will always take us back, the cross can attest to that - He opened His hands and stretched out His arms that it hurts. And to make sure that His hands will never close and His arms will never fold, He had it nailed it open.