The True Pain Christ Suffered on the Cross

I have been in the process of remodeling our kitchen which meant I had to take all sorts of things off the wall and down from the archway between the kitchen and the living room. One of the things I took down was the crown of thorns we got when we were in Israel. I had it laying down where I stuck a lot of the things and when I picked it up I stuck my finger on one of the thorns. It hurt quite a bit from simply pricking my finger. I thought about the pain Christ had to have experienced when the crown of thorns was pressed down hard on his head by the soldiers. As I thought about it, I felt God reminding me that this pain was nothing compared to the true pain Christ endured.

Did Christ suffer some agonizing pain when He went to the cross? Yes indeed He did. Imagine being beaten with fists then taken and whipped with a whip with bone and metal stuck in the ends so it grabs and tears flesh off you every time it hits you. After He was scourged, He was led out to Calvary to be crucified. Christ was laid on the ground and his hands were nailed to the cross piece then lifted into place. His feet were then nailed to the cross which caused even more pain when He pushed up to breathe. His physical pain was intense but I believe that His physical pain was minute compared to His emotional and mental stress. If you remember as He prayed in the garden His sweat became as blood according to Luke which indicated the extreme distress He was in at the time. Now He was fulfilling the task of becoming the sacrifice for our sins that God the Father called Him to be. Now hanging on the cross, beaten, bloodied and hungry, Jesus was being separated from His Heavenly Father. As He took the sins of the world upon Himself, His Father could not look on Him. No wonder He asked God why did He forsake Him! Jesus not only felt the pain of the crucifixion and the crowds hatred of Him , but He felt the separation from His Father even more. Not one of us could ever imagine the pain He felt at that moment. But thankfully Jesus was obedient to His Father's will and laid down His life so that we might have forgiveness of sin and be able to be reconciled to God. To Him the pain was worth enduring so that people would not have to face eternity apart from God. He suffered for us and was raised again to life demonstrating God's power over not just life but even death!

The thorn that pricked my finger was so miniscule yet it hurt. Yet what Christ suffered was so far greater than a simple prick of a finger. I was glad to remember the sacrifice God made on my behalf when I encountered the thorn. What about you? Has God ever reminded you of the sacrifice Christ made for you? I certainly hope you have accepted that sacrifice and never take for granted!