Christ’s Passion

Christ’s Passion

Then they nailed him to the cross. They gambled for his clothes, throwing dice to decide who would get them.

Mark 15:24

Many people today hang attractive crosses on the walls of their homes or on a chain around their neck. But the cross on which Jesus died was anything but attractive. During the period of history when Jesus lived on earth, people sentenced to death by crucifixion were first beaten with leather lashes, often losing a great deal of blood before they were forced to carry the upper beam of their cross to the execution site. This was the case with Jesus. When the crossbeam was laid on the ground, Jesus’ hands were nailed to the beam with spikes, and then his body, probably unclothed, was hoisted up. When the crossbeam was attached to a vertical stake, his feet were nailed into place.

Many Jews of Jesus’ time didn’t believe that the world could be saved through such a seemingly bizarre plan, and many people alive today feel the same way. But God’s Word teaches us that the best news the world has ever heard came from a graveyard. Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, died on the cross in the place of you and me. Before rising from the dead with eternal life, he experienced the separation from God that we deserved because of our sin.

It is in the death of Jesus that we see how much God loves us. As a result of this great love, we can be reconciled both to God and to each other.

Because of his death, we have life and hope.

Father,

Thank you that because of Jesus’ death on the cross, I can have a relationship with you. Thank you that I can be reconciled to others around me too because of the example and power Jesus provides for us. Amen.