In our society, we value comfort, predictability, and a soft landing in every difficult circumstance.
The model of Christ is exactly the opposite. As we move toward the humiliation of the path to
Calvary, we are faced with the reality of the cross. Crucifixion was meant to be a slow, public,
and excruciating death.
Jesus’ wrists and feet were nailed through the most tender parts of His body, where large
nerves are closest to the skin and bone. Every breath caused Him to press up from those fresh
wounds just to expand His lungs enough to breathe. His back, shredded from the Roman
scourging, made contact with the wooden beams with every step He labored to take. The weight
of His body, hanging by nails, caused agony to pulse through His arms and shoulders as
weakness, dehydration, and blood loss took over.
This was not immediate death. This was hours of asphyxiation, pain, and humiliation carried out
in front of an audience. And yet Christians worship a Savior who endured all of this torture
voluntarily for our sake.
Jesus’ suffering was not caused by needless violence. It was love in its most costly form.
Through those hours, He carried the weight of the world’s violence, sin, and decay and did not
shy away from one more stripe of that reality. The cross reveals God’s heart for His children and
just how far He was willing to go to stand in our place.
The pain was real. The cost was great. And the love behind it all is immeasurable.
When we gaze upon the crucified Christ, we cannot help but see love displayed on a cross for
the life of the world. As we get closer to Holy Week, sit with this a bit each day. There is no life
without suffering, no freedom without bondage, and no resurrection without death.
In Christ,
James
Rev. James A. Williams
Senior Pastor
Grace Resurrection Methodist Church