Bible Study with Danelle

Today my heart is heavy. As I read of the morning leading up to the crucifixion, it is a reminder of all that Jesus went through for me. For you. For all of us. His death, while necessary, is not one that you would wish are your worst enemy.

It starts with the religious leaders handing Jesus over to Pilate and then drumming up the crowd to choose Barabbas, a murderer, to be set free. They encourage the crowd to press for Jesus to be crucified. And, against his better judgment, Pilate goes along with the crowd. So many have turned against Him. Again, their eyes and hearts have been blinded.

Then the soldiers mocked Him by placing a purple cloak (purple for royalty) on Jesus’ shoulders and a crown of thorns on His head all while hitting and spitting on Him. He is led then to Golgotha (Place of a Skull) while an unfortunate soul, Simon of Cyrene, carried His cross.

While the specific details of the crucifixion are not given in any of the four gospels, we know based on historical accounts of crucifixions, they are extremely gruesome and torturous. Sometimes people were just tied with rope and other times nailed. We do know, based on the accounts in John and Luke that Jesus was nailed to the cross because He shows them his hands and feet as proof He is really Jesus. This was to make a statement I am sure.

Even as He is hanging, dying on the cross, Jesus is mocked by the soldiers dividing up His clothing and the scribes taunting Him to save Himself. It was a horrible death.

I cannot imagine being Mary Magdalene or the other women that had followed Him. I can’t fathom the anguish of seeing Him suffering in that way. But it is so important that we remember what He suffered through for us. Without Jesus’ sacrifice and death, we would not be able to have the relationship with can have today with God. Jesus tore down the veil that stood between us and God. At His last breath, the curtain in the temple that separated the Holy of Holies from the people was torn in two.

This was such an important, symbolic event that even the Roman centurion understood the significance and declared that Jesus was the Son of God.

I pray that today you will take some time to reflect on the immense sacrifice that Jesus made for you to have direct access to God. That Jesus died for YOU. He did not die just for those at the time. He made way for everyone that was to come after to have access to eternal life.