The Crucifixion

Dear Lord, as I write this, let your Holy Spirit speak thru me. May it show what you did for us out of your immense incredible love. May we always know that you suffered these things for us and you didn't have t too. In your precious name I pray. Amen

Herod was disappointed with Jesus, because he wanted a sideshow. He wanted to see magic tricks. But Jesus was not there to do magic tricks. That was not what He was. He was no magician, He was a savior. He didn’t perform, He saved, He healed, He restored. He did not argue with Herod, He did not try to convince him, he remained silent.

Because Jesus did no tricks for him Herod dismissed Him. He sent Him back to Pilate and continued on his own way to destruction. Pilate once again asked Him if He is a king. Jesus replied that He is and that His Kingdom was not of this world.

Pilate told Him he had authority to save or to kill Him. Jesus answered; that Pilate would have no authority other than what is given from on high.

Pilate did not want to kill Jesus. Something about Him touched him and he wanted to release him. But his fear of the crowds and losing his power if there was a riot made him continue. He thought he would have him scourged and that would satisfy them. He knew the damage that would be done and hoped that would satisfy the angry mob. So he sent him to the scourging post. Jesus was stripped bare and hung by his arms with his feet barely touching the ground. The soldier who was to do the scourging was a big well muscled man who had much experience in whipping men. He was also a very bitter man filled with hatred for this country and the Jews. He took all of this hatred out on the body of Jesus. He used a flagellum, with a thick handle and 9 long strong leather thongs. Embedded in these thongs were bits of rock and thorns designed to rip and tear into the victim. He drew back the whip and it came crashing down on the back of Jesus. As he prepared to withdraw the whip he twisted it, causing it to rip and tear into the skin and muscle. Again it crashed down, again and again, each time taking pieces of skin, flesh with it. Every few strokes, the soldier had to wipe blood and pieces of flesh from the thongs. The Romans did not have a regulated count of lashes as the Jews did. They would scourge the victim until they were at the point of death and then would revive them. That is what they did with Jesus.

The scourge ripped his back open, it reached around and ripped into his side, chest went to his buttocks and legs. They reduced Him to a bleeding, torn and disfigured hulk. His bones showed thru, His skin hung in strips from his body. They took branches of a thorn bush and fashioned a crown. These were not ordinary thorns. They were a hard, sharp thorn 1/2 to 1 inch long and they smashed it down on His head. It punctured skin and bone. They took sticks and beat Him on the head, pressing it down even more. They ripped out his beard. They mocked Him. They threw a purple robe over His back, over His ripped bleeding back and bowed to Him, mocking Him. He said not a word.

They then ripped the purple robe off His back and put His own robe back on Him. The blood had congealed by now, and this reopened them to create more bleeding. They led Him back to Pilate. Pilate said "Behold the Man". He then offered the mob a choice. To release to them Jesus, a man he found no fault in, an innocent man or Barabbas, a condemned murderer. They chose Barabbas and demanded Jesus death. Pilate then gave up. He had done what he could to save this man; he washed his hands of the whole matter. So be it. They wanted Him dead, he could do no more. He gave into mob violence and ordered Him to be crucified. They placed the heavy wooden cross beam on the tortured back of Jesus and led Him away. The load was to heavy for Him. The burden too much. So they had Simon of Cyrene, carry it for Him. Along the narrow, winding streets they went. Up the steps and out of the city to the hill called Golgotha. The place of the skull. There they took His clothes from Him again, ripping the wounds open, and stripped Him bare.

They threw him on the ground with the cross beam under His shoulders. A soldier stretched His arm out and knelt on it to keep it from jerking away. Another expertly felt for that place in the joint of the wrist where the bones were strong enough to keep the spikes from ripping out as He hung on the cross. He placed a 6 inch spike and drove it down, pinning the hand to the beam. Then he repeated the process with the other arm. The place where the spike went thru was also where all the nerves in the arm meet before entering the hand and fingers. They then raised Him in the air off the ground and dropped the crossbeam on the upright into the slot prepared for it. This action ripped into the sinews and muscles of the shoulder and disjointed them. They took his feet and put one on top of the other, leaving slack in the legs so that he could push himself up and drove a spike thru the feet coming out thru the heel. He was left suspended between heaven and earth.

Spasms ripped thru His arms and chest constricting the muscles so that He could not breathe. In order to breathe He had to push Himself up on His spiked feet and when He tired He would drop back and go thru the spasms again and again. As He did so he said "Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing". The soldiers were doing a nasty duty. But it was their job. They did not know they were killing the Son of God, their creator. They just wanted it to be over with so that they could go back to their barracks and drink and gamble. That is what they did there. They gambled for His clothes. Up and down, up and down. Those that have survived a crucifixion say every moment is like a year. The hot sun, the stinging flies attracted to the blood, the spasms, the splinters being driven into His mangled back as He pushed Himself up to breathe. Lips cracked, tongue swollen, agony beyond belief assailed the Son of God. Even though He had been offered an opiate to ease the pain, He refused it. He wanted to feel it all. He wanted to feel the people’s agony with disease and injuries. He allowed Himself to feel the hopelessness and despair of a situation. He took it all on Himself. He didn’t have to.

He could have called the angels to release Him, but He willingly suffered that we may have eternal life, healing and forgiveness. He looked down upon the crowd with love and saw His mother standing with the disciple John. He knew they would need each other and He gave His mother into the disciples care. After 3 hours the sky became dark. All the sins of the world came to rest on this man. The Father could not look at sin. He turned His back on this, His beloved Son. For three hours the darkness overcame the land. But nothing was as dark as what was in the heart of Jesus. For the first time in all eternity, He and His father were separated. For the first time He was totally alone. As no one has been or ever will be. He cried out "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me". This was a cry from the inner most being. All the pain, all the agony of the world was placed on Him then. He was alone. He said "I thirst". I believe He was thirsty for the Father and His love. Not just physical thirst. After the third hour of darkness He cried "It is finished". The atonement was done. The penalty for sin had been paid. The judgment for the worlds sins was placed on Jesus. He had paid it all. Because of His love, our sins were wiped away. Because of Him, we could live eternally with the Father. He cried out once more "Father into thy hands I commit my spirit". He gave up His life. The scourging did not kill Him. The cross did not kill Him. He gave it up. Death was the penalty for sin, He paid that penalty. He suffered pain and agony that we might live and be healed and have eternal life. As His spirit left His body the veil in the temple, the veil that separated man from the Holy of Holies was rent into. As His Spirit left His body, the separation from man and God was ended.

He gave His life that we may have access to the throne of God that we may come to the Father and have fellowship; each one of us could have a relationship with the Father, not thru a mediator or a priest but through Jesus. Jesus is the mediator. Jesus is the advocate. Jesus is the all in all.

They took His body from the cross and laid it in the tomb of a rich man. All hope was gone. He was dead! What was going to happen to them now? All their hopes and dreams were gone. They were lost.

He had told them what would happen, but they didn’t understand. The guilt of their desertion, the fear of the future crashed down on them. All was ended. Is it?

Three days later the tomb was empty. He had risen. He had triumphed over death. He appeared to them and forgave and restored and healed their broken hearts. He sent them on a mission to spread the Word. He was alive. He showed that death was not an ending, but a beginning, the beginning of an eternity of bliss or the beginning of an eternity of torture and regrets.

There is a choice to be made. He cannot make it. It is a choice each of us must make!

Do we accept His sacrifice?
Do we accept His life given for us?
Do we turn to the one who loves us or to the one who wants to destroy us?
Was His death meaningless?
Do we dismiss Him like Herod or we give into peer pressure as Pilate?
Do we give into hatred, prejudice, and lies like the Pharisees did?
Will we be so strict with our habits, our way of thinking that we cannot accept what was done in a city far from here and long time ago?
Will we take Him as our Lord and Savior and live for Him?
Do we let Him make us what we should be?
Do we let Him heal, restore, forgive and cleanse us?

The veil is torn, the price paid. Come to the Father and the Son and let them fill your heart and life. Accept Him. Love Him. Serve Him. Adore Him.

Satan was defeated. He lost the battle when Christ rose from the dead. He can have no hold. When you are tempted to remember old sins, remember the blood of Jesus wiped them away. When you sin, run to Him and let Him wash the sin away and cleanse you from unrighteousness. He will deliver you. He paid the price. He wants you to have a full, joyful life. He wants you to live in eternity with Him. He does not want anyone to be lost. He gave His all; let us give all back to Him who loves us.

Thank you Jesus for the love that you have for me, for the death you died for me, for paying the penalty for my sins, for lifting me up to higher places for your everlasting love. Forgive my sins, those I know and those I don’t know. Wash me, cleanse me, heal me and restore me. Let my life show the love that you have for me and for all mankind. Glory to your name! I come to you as the blind man did and ask that you open my eyes. I come to you as Mary did and kneel at your feet and ask you to teach me your way. I come to you not to see tricks or signs or marvels. But to know you. To fellowship with you. To follow you. To serve you. To glory in your presence. That you the master of the universe, the maker of all things, would love me enough to want to fellowship with me a mere human. I bow at your feet and give you my life, my heart, my soul. Make me the best for you that I can be. Let my life glorify your name. In your name I pray.

Amen and amen.

Jo Pulliam

www.JesusLovesOnline.Com