Calvary's Cross (part 2)

CALVARY'S CROSS (part 2)

 

Crucifixion by way of nailing a convicted criminal to a rough cross was invented by the Romans, and was probably the cruelest form of death that a person could possibly die from. First they were scourged with a whip of nine pieces of leather strips with a piece of bone tied to the tips that would tear strips of skin off the backs of the victim. The soldier with the whip would stop just short of the victim passing out from loss of blood and the sheer pain and trauma. Then the victim was required to carry his cross to the waiting crucifixion site, where he was laid on the cross and large spikes were driven through his wrists and feet to secure him to the cross and then the cross was dropped into holes prepared for it. His death would come slowly over a period of several hours of intense suffering from loss of blood and dehydration under a hot sun. In the case of Jesus who was an innocent sinless Man, with a guilty criminal on either side of Him who taunted Him with the crowd watching Him suffer? The custom was to break the legs of the victims to speed up the dying process, but when they came to Jesus He had already "given up His spirit", probably from a broken heart, but the soldier thrust a spear into His side to make sure He was dead. Just before He died He cried out "Father forgive them for they know not what they do". This account is covered by all four gospel writers Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, read them all to get a complete list of details.

 

This happened on Friday, but three days later on "Resurrection Sunday", after spending the three days in a borrowed tomb, He Arose victoriously over death, just as He told His disciples in advance would happen. and appeared to many of His followers. So His death on the Cross coupled with His resurrection three days later is the very core of what we call the"Gospel of the Kingdom of God". This was preached by Peter and others of the original disciples, and later by Saul of Tarsus after he had an encounter with the risen Jesus on the Road to Damascus, recorded in (Acts 9:1-9). This incident more that any other, shows us how much the Father loves us by letting Jesus suffer and die for our sin, (2 Cor 5:18-20). This destroys the doctrine that Father had to turn away from Jesus while He took upon Himself our sin. "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the ministry of reconciliation". This tells us without any doubt that Father was there with Jesus through the whole ordeal of the Cross on Calvary!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                                                                08/03/13