God’s Son, Our Sacrifice
In numerous ways, my mother sacrificed to make my life better. She frequently went without things herself so I could gain an education and a better future. These sacrifices were driven by deep love and care. I have done the same as a parent.
Our loving Savior made a sacrifice that cannot compare to anything we can do. While my mother made sacrifices by giving up things in life, Jesus gave up His very life for us.
From the beginning God’s plan included Jesus dying for mankind’s sins. It is interesting that God allowed a brutal Roman crucifixion as the instrument for His wonderful plan of salvation.
This centuries old practice was typically employed for the worst offenders such as insurgents. The Romans used this shameful, painful execution method to discourage criminal activity, with victims being scourged, beaten and placed along busy thoroughfares as examples. It doesn’t seem fitting for our Lord to die this way.
The thought of our innocent Savior enduring such a painful death is disconcerting. Jesus, both human and God, endured incredible brutality, humiliation, and anguish. All the sin and shame that should be ours, He took upon Himself in the ultimate sacrifice. Alone on that cross, He was absolutely separated from His Father in heaven.
I know that Jesus’ death is necessary for our salvation, yet why did it have to be so gruesome? Couldn’t a simpler, more humane death still have accomplished His purpose?
Jesus’ crucifixion was very public. Many witnessed that He had actually died. Jesus’ death was no ordinary Roman execution. It was accompanied by incredible events such as daytime darkness, the torn temple curtain, an earthquake, and dead people arising and appearing to many.
This humiliating, shameful death is what we deserve. It is our blood that should be shed, not His. But that is the point. Jesus was taking our place on that cross. He carried the weight of all our sin, sacrificing His life for ours. Jesus took the worst this world has to offer and turned it around. A simpler death would not carry the same weight of redemption.
The Romans did not have control throughout this execution. As God’s Son, Jesus had the power to stop the crucifixion at any moment. He willingly submitted Himself to Roman torture. Most people experiencing crucifixion lapsed into a coma because of the incredible pain. Jesus remained in control and coherent right up until the moment He gave up His spirit.
Yes, it was a Roman cross that the Son of God died on; but it was God’s loving plan, willingly followed by Jesus. Even the Roman centurion presiding over the event was in awe over the dramatic death that took place in front of him:
“When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:54 NIV)
The centurion understood what many Jews did not – that Jesus is the Son of God.
How is Jesus’ crucifixion integral to our lives as Christians?
The depth of Jesus’ love for us is evident in the anguish He experienced in our stead. That kind of love is phenomenal. This means that each of us matters! Jesus did all this saving work for me and for each of us. He, who committed no wrong, provides us with grace, hope, and forgiveness through the Cross. The power of the Cross impacts who we are on all fronts. As redeemed children of God, we can go forward in hope and peace, live a life of purpose, and share this great message with others.
The Cross, a symbol of Roman brutality, becomes a symbol of hope. Our salvation hinges on it and Christ’s resurrection. Without Jesus’ loving sacrifice, we would not have forgiveness for all our sins and the assurance of eternal life with Him in heaven.
Jesus, God’s one and only Son, made a significant sacrifice for us, beyond anything we can do ourselves. The power of the Cross makes it possible for us to live in hope. We are no longer slaves to sin but free from its bonds.
As we endure the waning days of winter, we can look with hope to the spring to come and with it our celebration of Easter and Jesus’ resurrection. We can move forward in hope, knowing that God’s promise of salvation has been fulfilled.
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