Two Timbers and A Love Beyond Measure

by Adam Lustig

So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. John 19:30 NKJV For as long as I can remember, things have been written to malign the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and especially during this time of the year. There have been books written and comments like the following:

..Jesus did not really die on the cross.
..He (Jesus) was only in a swoon sleep when He was taken down from the cross.
..Someone else that looked like Jesus died on the cross.

Objections like these are not only idiotic, but it shows that people have no idea what a Roman crucifixion entailed. Most people that were slated for the executioner's hammer and nails on two pieces of timber didn't even make it past the scourging of the Cat o' Nine Tails of pieces of glass and bone. I can understand these objections because when you are outside of the Holy Spirit's residence in your life, you will say these things.

The bible says that Jesus was whipped and beaten to the place where he was not recognizable:

"Just as there were many who were appalled at Him,
His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any
human being, and his form marred beyond human likeness."
Isaiah 52:14

Mel Gibson said this about his portrayal of the brutality of Jesus Christ' crucifixion in his film The Passion of the Christ,

"if I would of shown what Jesus had to endure before He was nailed to the cross audiences would of left the theater, it was that brutal."

The Via Dolorosa gives us a hint of God's agape love for us by making His Son, "the lamb that takes away the sins of the world."

Many of us are dads and grandads, so and to subject our children to the brutality and death of crucifixion would never enter our minds. The story of calvary is that of God taking something dead and dirty (us) and turning it into beauty and life. When Jesus cried from the cross of calvary, "It is finished!" The plan of redemption that was set into motion before anything ever was, was completed.

This Friday many of us will be attending Good Friday services at our churches, and I pray that each of us won't come away depressed or laden with guilt of what our Lord did on the cross many, many years ago. I would rather we would leave with grateful hearts because the GOD who emptied Himself of His deity, said "these timbers are for you because I want to spend eternity with you."

I pray those who have ears to hear, will hear His voice and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen