But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

I had a moving experience last week. I have a set of resurrection eggs at home that I put out at Eastertime. Several of my grandchildren came over for a sleepover; they saw the eggs and asked to play with them. I sat with them and walked them through the story using the little toy that is in each of the twelve eggs. The first toy is a donkey, so we talked about how Jesus rode into town on a donkey. Remember, I am talking to small children. They liked the part about the donkey. We walked through some of the other events, each a little more disturbing, such as the whip and crown of thorns, but I chose my words carefully because of their young ages. Then we got to the crucifixion which was symbolized by a large cross-shaped nail. Again, I tried to describe it in an age-appropriate way, and then was ready to move on to the linen cloth and the stone for the grave and the empty egg representing the empty tomb. But the five-year old just stopped, near tears, and hugged me and said she was so sorry that Jesus had to be hurt so badly. I was surprised at how tender her heart was toward Jesus and his pain.

I was convicted by how she was impacted by Jesus’ suffering. While I know the crucifixion really happened, I do not feel it like I should. I am only too happy to move on to the resurrection and ascension, which of course are central and foundational to our faith. But we should not overlook the monumental event of the crucifixion.  It was my sin that put Jesus on the cross. It was my sin that killed him. And it was a brutal, painful death. The man, Jesus, physically suffered like any person would suffer. The divine Jesus also suffered as God turned his face away from him unable to look at his only begotten Son who had taken on the sins of the world, my sins. I can hardly write these words.

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Because of Christ’s willingness to suffer for us, we as believers have been redeemed from the pit of hell to live victoriously in Christ forever. “For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us!” (2 Corinthians 5:21 TLB). Praise God!!

In Christ,

Judy