o the wonderful cross
today, on my way to work, i was listening to a sermon &the pastor went into a description of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. while listening to the sermon, i realized that i really did not comprehend nor appreciate enough the significance of the crucifixion and what a gruesome ordeal Jesus suffered through to save me, to take on what was to be my punishment for my sins, and to allow me direct access to God through him. the whole thing speaks to me of such tremendous unconditional love that i am ashamed at my self for treating the subject with so little emotion, for continuing to grouse and whine about my trivial matters or temporary pains, and for ceasing to rejoice and give thanks when things get slightly bumpy. the pastor spoke of a couple facts regarding the crucifixion that grabbed my attention.
you know, only Luke, the physician, mentions the fact that Jesus was praying so earnestly and anxiously in the garden of Gethsemane that his sweat was like drops of blood. (Luke 22:44) I find it so amazing that this medical fact is mentioned by the physician Luke as this gives us a glimpse into what Jesus was feeling when he was praying and awaiting His death. the actual medical condition where people sweat blood is called hematidrosis and according to wiki, it can happen "when a person is suffering extreme levels of stress, for example, facing his or her own death." Aside from the fact that Jesus knew that his death was going to be excruciatingly painful, Jesus' extreme level of stress and anxiety could be attributed to a couple of other things. First, the knowledge that his disciples were going to abandon and deny Him. He knew that they were going to be as sheep without a shepherd, and that at this time, they will all abandon Him. Second, the weight of bearing the entire world's sins; Jesus was to be the scapegoat, the taker of all our sins, our sicknesses, our sorrows, our darkness, and our rightful punishment, all on Himself. What a huge &terrible burden to take on!
third, and probably the most important factor, the fact that to carry all our sins meant to be cut off from God. God hates sin, He feels immense wrath toward it, and I think we do not really realize just how abhorrent sin is to God nowadays. we always read the New Testament where it is seems to be more obvious that God is a God of 'love', and we get this idiotic picture of a God who is like a grandfather who loves &allows his little grandchildren do whatever pleases them so long as they are happy. false. the God of the new testament is the same as the God of the old testament and throughout the old testament, we see how God begins to set apart Israel by constantly emphasizing over and over again how holy He is, how holy they were to be since they were His chosen people &priesthood, and how great His feelings of wrath and abhorrence are for sins. He is still a God of love in the old testament, as can be seen the many times he warns the israelites to repent and at the prayers of his faithful servants, relents on the punishment He had so decided for the israelites. But God is not only a God of love, but a God of justice and righteousness. And so, since Jesus is to take on all our sins, he had to be cut off from God. Some people ask whether God really forsook Jesus at the cross or not. God did. why? because Jesus had all our sins on him. God cannot allow sin in His presence. it's like two magnets of the same charge, you just can't stick them together. And so in Matthew 27:45, we see that when Jesus was cut off from God, there was 3 hours of total darkness.
I cannot imagine being cut off from God. that'd be the worst state ever. Whatever situation I am in, I constantly pray to God for guidance, for protection, giving thanks, telling him my sorrows &joys, etc, and I just can't imagine being in a state where I will literally have no one to go to when I am in a state of distress. So thinking about Jesus' crucifixion and how during that time of immense suffering, he was not only abandoned by all his disciples but also forsaken and cut off from God at such a time that I believe, if it were us, we would have liked best God's presence, I am able to appreciate more the privilege of having direct communication and access to God through Jesus.
the other interesting fact mentioned by the pastor is that Jesus refused the wine mixed with gall that was offered him. this wine mixed with gall would have had the effect of stupefying him since this was used as an anesthetic in those days. but Jesus refused it after tasting it. at this time he must have been in immense pain. first, he was flogged by the Romans with their whip that had glass or metal at the ends that would just rip pieces of your flesh off. normally they are not suppose to flog them to death and so they flog them until they are half dead, or more than half dead. according to wiki "Such a device could easily cause disfigurement and serious trauma, such as ripping pieces of flesh from the body or loss of an eye. In addition to causing severe pain, the victim would approach a state of hypovolemic shock due to loss of blood." :O then there's that crown of thorns on his head. &then finally being crucified. the crucified person's entire body weight is held up on the cross by the two nails in the wrists and the one that goes through both feet. apparently, when you're up on that cross every breath is painful since to breathe, you must lift yourself up on those nails. hence this accounts for why the last 7 sentences Jesus spoke while on the cross were short sentences.. obviously. so if he was in so much pain, why'd he refuse to drink that anesthetic? because he wanted to experience it all, experience all the pains, sorrows, sicknesses, etc for us. he took everything upon himself for us so that "we [would] not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses" (hebrews 4:15)
4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted. (isaiah 53)
as I slowly understand the full implications of how much Jesus suffered for us, how obedient he was to the Father's will, and how much He loved us who abandoned, mocked, disgraced, disrespected, and hated him, I now understand how it is that those saints could be always joyful in the midst of their persecutions and trials. thinking about Jesus dying for me is enough for me to rejoice. I think this is an important realization for me as I've realized recently that it's been harder and harder for me to give thanks and rejoice. I've been easily discouraged and discontent lately but after listening to that sermon, I realize how foolish and ungrateful I have been, and how merciful God is to still bless me with so much. I'm so blessed with everything God has lavished on me. &even if I didn't have these blessings, I still have the reminder that God loved me and treasured me to the point of even giving His own son to die for me. that alone is enough for me to rejoice and cease my complaining. I now know that following this command will not be as hard as it use to be: "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 thessalonians 5: 16-18)
since: "... God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (john 3:16)
you know, only Luke, the physician, mentions the fact that Jesus was praying so earnestly and anxiously in the garden of Gethsemane that his sweat was like drops of blood. (Luke 22:44) I find it so amazing that this medical fact is mentioned by the physician Luke as this gives us a glimpse into what Jesus was feeling when he was praying and awaiting His death. the actual medical condition where people sweat blood is called hematidrosis and according to wiki, it can happen "when a person is suffering extreme levels of stress, for example, facing his or her own death." Aside from the fact that Jesus knew that his death was going to be excruciatingly painful, Jesus' extreme level of stress and anxiety could be attributed to a couple of other things. First, the knowledge that his disciples were going to abandon and deny Him. He knew that they were going to be as sheep without a shepherd, and that at this time, they will all abandon Him. Second, the weight of bearing the entire world's sins; Jesus was to be the scapegoat, the taker of all our sins, our sicknesses, our sorrows, our darkness, and our rightful punishment, all on Himself. What a huge &terrible burden to take on!
third, and probably the most important factor, the fact that to carry all our sins meant to be cut off from God. God hates sin, He feels immense wrath toward it, and I think we do not really realize just how abhorrent sin is to God nowadays. we always read the New Testament where it is seems to be more obvious that God is a God of 'love', and we get this idiotic picture of a God who is like a grandfather who loves &allows his little grandchildren do whatever pleases them so long as they are happy. false. the God of the new testament is the same as the God of the old testament and throughout the old testament, we see how God begins to set apart Israel by constantly emphasizing over and over again how holy He is, how holy they were to be since they were His chosen people &priesthood, and how great His feelings of wrath and abhorrence are for sins. He is still a God of love in the old testament, as can be seen the many times he warns the israelites to repent and at the prayers of his faithful servants, relents on the punishment He had so decided for the israelites. But God is not only a God of love, but a God of justice and righteousness. And so, since Jesus is to take on all our sins, he had to be cut off from God. Some people ask whether God really forsook Jesus at the cross or not. God did. why? because Jesus had all our sins on him. God cannot allow sin in His presence. it's like two magnets of the same charge, you just can't stick them together. And so in Matthew 27:45, we see that when Jesus was cut off from God, there was 3 hours of total darkness.
I cannot imagine being cut off from God. that'd be the worst state ever. Whatever situation I am in, I constantly pray to God for guidance, for protection, giving thanks, telling him my sorrows &joys, etc, and I just can't imagine being in a state where I will literally have no one to go to when I am in a state of distress. So thinking about Jesus' crucifixion and how during that time of immense suffering, he was not only abandoned by all his disciples but also forsaken and cut off from God at such a time that I believe, if it were us, we would have liked best God's presence, I am able to appreciate more the privilege of having direct communication and access to God through Jesus.
the other interesting fact mentioned by the pastor is that Jesus refused the wine mixed with gall that was offered him. this wine mixed with gall would have had the effect of stupefying him since this was used as an anesthetic in those days. but Jesus refused it after tasting it. at this time he must have been in immense pain. first, he was flogged by the Romans with their whip that had glass or metal at the ends that would just rip pieces of your flesh off. normally they are not suppose to flog them to death and so they flog them until they are half dead, or more than half dead. according to wiki "Such a device could easily cause disfigurement and serious trauma, such as ripping pieces of flesh from the body or loss of an eye. In addition to causing severe pain, the victim would approach a state of hypovolemic shock due to loss of blood." :O then there's that crown of thorns on his head. &then finally being crucified. the crucified person's entire body weight is held up on the cross by the two nails in the wrists and the one that goes through both feet. apparently, when you're up on that cross every breath is painful since to breathe, you must lift yourself up on those nails. hence this accounts for why the last 7 sentences Jesus spoke while on the cross were short sentences.. obviously. so if he was in so much pain, why'd he refuse to drink that anesthetic? because he wanted to experience it all, experience all the pains, sorrows, sicknesses, etc for us. he took everything upon himself for us so that "we [would] not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses" (hebrews 4:15)
4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted. (isaiah 53)
as I slowly understand the full implications of how much Jesus suffered for us, how obedient he was to the Father's will, and how much He loved us who abandoned, mocked, disgraced, disrespected, and hated him, I now understand how it is that those saints could be always joyful in the midst of their persecutions and trials. thinking about Jesus dying for me is enough for me to rejoice. I think this is an important realization for me as I've realized recently that it's been harder and harder for me to give thanks and rejoice. I've been easily discouraged and discontent lately but after listening to that sermon, I realize how foolish and ungrateful I have been, and how merciful God is to still bless me with so much. I'm so blessed with everything God has lavished on me. &even if I didn't have these blessings, I still have the reminder that God loved me and treasured me to the point of even giving His own son to die for me. that alone is enough for me to rejoice and cease my complaining. I now know that following this command will not be as hard as it use to be: "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 thessalonians 5: 16-18)
since: "... God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (john 3:16)
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