Do people ever make fun of you? Do they laugh at you? Do they put you down or call you names? What about false accusations? Have you ever been falsely accused of something that you did not do? Have you ever felt like people just don’t understand you or who you are?
As Jesus was lead up to Golgotha, the place of His crucifixion, this is what He endured. He was mocked and beaten by Pilate’s soldiers. His clothes were taken from Him. A crown of thorns was placed on His head with blood running down his face. Isaiah 52:13-15 tells us that He was beyond recognition. Even when He was offered wine mixed with gall, a sedative to dull the pain, He refused. Jesus endured all the agony of the cross, and all that it meant. The soldiers put nails through His hands and feet and placed this man who had no sin, who had done nothing wrong, on a cross to die. He was among criminals, among common thieves. Can you imagine going through this yourself? Can you imagine how that must have felt?
As Jesus hung there on the cross, people who passed by continued to shout insults at Him. They taunted Him and challenged Him. Hadn’t He had enough? What would you do if you were falsely accused? Wouldn’t we stand up for ourselves, defend ourselves, prove that they are wrong. Jesus, the Son of God, said nothing to them. He stayed up there on that cross. He could have come down. But He chose to die voluntarily. If Jesus had responded to their words and had come down from the cross, He could not have completed God’s plan for Him and for our salvation.
As Jesus took on the sin of the world, darkness fell over Him and over the whole land. For the first time in His eternal existence, Jesus experienced separation from His Father. And so He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
No comments:
Post a Comment