A Beautiful Terrible Day

Jesus was only 33 when He died.

He was condemned to die by execution on a cross - Crucifixion.

At that time Crucifixion was reserved for the very 'worst' of criminals.

I will say at the outset that every time without fail that I think of the death of Jesus and how He died it literally brings me to tears; a fact of which I am not ashamed.

Jesus' death on Calvary on that terrible/beautiful day is a bracing slap in the face to any believer who has been lulled into taking their salvation for granted.

We should never underestimate what it cost for our salvation to be available.

The false accusations; the rigged trial; the flesh-gouging flogging; The vicious punches to His face; His beard pulled out by the handful;  the irate crowds mocking, spitting and throwing rocks; the vicious outrage of the Sanhedrin; the excruciating two kilometre journey to Golgotha carrying the huge weight of the wooden cross; the nails in His hands and feet; the crown of thorns; the crushing weight of hanging on the cross.

And worst of all the sheer horror of being abandoned by his Father God.

Jesus: impaled on that monstrous tree; man's very worst creation of human suffering - bleeding and in abject agony.

He hung there tortured with the crown of thorns pressed into His scalp and down on His brow; more than likely piercing through his eyebrows. His flogged back rasping against the rough wooden cross as he gasped for breath heaving His pain racked body and pushing up by his nailed pinned feet. The whole picture of it overwhelms me.

It took three hours for him to die! YES: three hours hanging there torturously speared in the side, naked, crying out to His father in His pain and suffering as the mocking crowds spat on him and even gambled over His clothes.

The human body holds around three and half litres of blood and Jesus poured it all out for us. He could bleed no more. Towards the end of the three hours and just before he died he was simply pouring out water from His wounds - he gave everything for us to the very last drop.

Jesus had to die to open the gates of Heaven so that you and I can have access to God. So that our sins can be washed away.

It was our sins that nailed Jesus to the cross; our mocking voices screaming obscenities to Him that day; our hand that held those nails. All of us are guilty, none can escape judgement.

God knew that without punishment none can ever even hope to see Him - all of us have sinned and fallen short of his standard.

God knew that by the death of Jesus, the holy and spotless one, was our only hope of redemption; our only hope of forgiveness and acceptance into heaven.

All of us will have to give an account of our sins either by accepting what Jesus did on that terrible/beautiful day, falling at the foot of the cross and asking forgiveness and accepting Jesus' sacrifice as our own and claiming it as full payment for our own sins or....

At the very throne of God himself when it will be too late for forgiveness; mercy or excuses!

It is just so easy for us to go along with the world - pass jokes about the Holy one of God; ridicule Him, and pass him off as some sort of lunatic! Atheists do it all the time - you just have to turn on the television to cop an eyeful of the what the world thinks of Jesus. Using his holy name as blasphemy and profanity.

BUT what do you think of Him?

I know what I think! - each and every time I sin I come back to the cross; I see him hanging there for me; His blood washing me clean and I can claim that forgiveness again - so amazing so awesome!

Come to Him or maybe come BACK to him without delay - His nailed pierced hands are waiting just for you in welcome.