Matthew 27.45-51, Luke 23.32-49, John 19.28-30
So now our loving Saviour bears His cross to Calvary
He will be the perfect Lamb, giving His life for you and me
His hands are nailed to the cross, the cross is hoisted high
The terrible deed has been done, and now they wait for Him to die
Jesus spoke, Father, forgive, they know not what they do
A prayer not just for His tormenters but for all other generations, too
Mockers jeered, He saved others, why doesn’t He come down off that cross?
They didn’t understand that if He did, all hope for mankind would be lost
He could have come anytime He chose, but He endured a villain’s death
His muscles and sinews writhing in pain, His lungs deprived of breath
He was forsaken by His Father, perhaps His deepest pain
Never had They been apart, His great loss was our great gain
Six long hours of tortuous pain, then finally He was free to die
At last the agony was ending, It is finished, was His cry
Not a cry of despair or grief, but of triumph and accomplishment, too
He won the victory over death, He'd done the work He'd come to do
The earth shook and rocks split apart, the Temple curtain was torn in two
The Roman soldiers shook in terror, He was the Son of God, it’s true
I remember going to church one Easter Sunday morning years ago and anticipating an uplifting sermon celebrating the resurrection and victory of our Lord Jesus. Instead, the speaker preached on the crucifixion and described somewhat graphically the horrors of it. I was disappointed. I didn’t want to celebrate Easter by contemplating the suffering and death of Jesus! I wouldn’t want to do it again, but in some ways that sermon had more impact on me than any other Easter sermon that I ever heard. For one thing, I understood more fully the suffering and torture that Jesus endured for me. Perhaps more significant for me was that I realised that subconsciously I had always assumed that because Jesus was one with God, He didn’t suffer as a mere human would have, that somehow His God-side eased His pain. I had never realised I had that assumption before that sermon. Later I was sharing this realisation with a sister and she pointed out that Jesus, in fact, probably suffered more than an ordinary man because He was separated from the Father for the first and only time. When we walk through trials, we can turn to God for help and comfort, Jesus suffered alone! I thank my Saviour for loving me enough to pay such a dear price.
Lord Jesus, to say thank you seems like an inadequate response for what You suffered on the cross for me and all mankind. My mind can’t really take it all in, and I’m at a loss for words to express my gratitude. Because of what You did on that ugly, hateful cross, I am free and reconciled to You, my Hope, my Joy, my Saviour. Help me never to live like the cross didn’t happen or doesn’t matter. It means everything! It changes everything!
In Jesus’s name, Amen
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