Suffering: Crucifixion, Like Jesus

Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
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.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:4-6 (NKJV)

I've read about crucifixion's torture…

  • FURTHERED by public humiliation,

  • COMPOUNDED by the shame of nakedness,

  • MULTIPLIED by the heckling of mockers,

  • And HAMMERED HOME by utter helplessness!

I am crushed by its consideration.*

Jesus Christ, the King of kings, volunteered for the most despicable death of all. The only sinless Man Who ever lived took our punishment, so we could walk free.

Therein, God, Who will not abide with sin, became a Man to do exactly that: to clean His children's mistakes with His Blood, to take away our guilty verdicts for...

  • Every small lie and exaggeration,

  • Every evil thought and selfish purpose,

  • Every dirty thing we did in hiding,

  • Every cold shoulder turned to a stranger,

  • Every limp arm that didn’t volunteer,

  • Every blind eye to the plight of the poor,

  • Every closed mouth that refused to speak up,

  • Every lazy foot that didn’t step out,

  • Every condemnatory word we spoke,

  • Every judgment we had no right to make,

  • Every day we didn’t look at the Word,

  • Every hour we wasted with no-good friends,

  • Every instance we thought a no-good thought,

  • Every time we forgot the Man in charge,

  • Every faithless, cowardly decision,

  • Every stupid choice we made, ANYWAY,

  • Every addiction and harmful habit,

  • Every effort to glorify ourselves,

  • Every magic show we let enchant us.

  • Every lust or lewd imagination,

  • Every grudge we nursed without forgiveness,

  • Every mean word that spilled out of our mouths,

  • Every good word we neglected to speak,

  • Every complaint or back-biting remark,

  • Every curse over ourselves or others,

  • Everything we made into an idol:

    • Cherished houses, hobbies, and diplomas,

    • Cherished bank accounts and prized possessions,

    • Cherished looks, bodies, faces, and facades,

    • Cherished promotions and accomplishments,

  • Every pursuit for popularity,

  • Every step we took “along with the crowd,”

  • Every rote prayer from out-of-tune hearts,

  • Every proud stance or condescending glance,

  • Every holier-than-thou attitude,

  • Every failure to honor our parents,

  • Every past, present, and future mistake,

  • And all the other sins not listed here!

Actors, models, and talent for Christ:

When we start getting full of ourselves, let’s put our heads on the floor in remorse, because we’ve never lived a sinless day.

To adequately tenderize our hearts, let’s envision Christ hanging on the Cross… and note the hammers hanging from OUR hands. because He took the hits for our sins, too.

Once done, let’s thank Him again and again– in hopes of bringing a smile to His Face. Amazingly, our joy is His desire. It awaits us like a lovely sunrise… in glorious colors Earth hasn’t seen.

'For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay' (Habakkuk 2:3).

Suffering: Crucifixion, Like Jesus (Part 49)

* My before-Christ self, old Carey, is hard to kill. She still tries to rise from the grave where she was put. To get my trials, mistakes and priorities in proper perspective, I consider The Cross. Nothing crushes Old Carey better than that.

NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God! We’re ALL called to be actors (action stars) for Jesus. We’re ALL called to models of Jesus, and we ALL have gifts, talents, and callings from God–  to multiply them in the world for His glory.

P.S. NO DEVOTION, PREACHER, or SERMON… can begin to replace personal time in the Bible. I wholeheartedly and clear-headedly recommend READING THE BIBLE DAILY.

WARNING: Don’t focus on favorite verses, because out of context, they’re often misinterpreted. I plead with you to READ AT LEAST 1 BIBLE CHAPTER DAILY. How long does it take? An average of 5 to 10 minutes!

Carey Arban