Marketing Assistant (Writer), CBN Europe
Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it.
Then the leading priests objected and said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.’”
Pilate replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.”
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did.
Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.
(John 19:16-27 NLT)
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‘Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha).’
(John 19:17 NLT)
How heart-breaking it is to read that our Saviour had to face the most gruelling hour of His life alone. Carrying the cross by Himself.
I can only imagine the loneliness* that Jesus must have felt that day.
(*For more information on loneliness, its causes and how to overcome it, click here.)
The Bible tells us that Jesus was a man of sorrows, acquainted with the deepest grief (see Isaiah 53v3). He knew what it was to be in pain. He knew what it was to suffer.
The beautiful thing about Jesus is that, though He suffered more than any of us can think or imagine, He does not belittle our pain or our suffering.
In the film Passion of the Christ we see a very honest depiction of what it meant for Jesus to carry His own cross. We see the weight of the cross bearing down upon His body as he dragged it up the hill towards Calvary and the pain of each time he stumbled and fell on his way to his destination.
Can you imagine it?
Another painful part of Jesus’ crucifixion is the sign that was posted above His head – ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews’.
This sign, this label, intended to torment Him, carried an extra sting because Jesus knew that it was true. He IS the King. And yet His accusers used this title to torture Him further.
What label do you carry?
What has been written over your life that torments and tortures you?
Unemployed.
Barren.
Ill.
Alone.
Whatever it is, know that Jesus, our Saviour, nailed it to the cross once and for all.
He endured the cruellest of crosses so that we don’t have to.
It is tempting to want to avoid dwelling on the brutality of the crucifixion. But I believe that in fully allowing ourselves to contemplate the loneliness, mocking, pain and suffering of it all, we can enter into a place of even greater gratitude and adoration for our Saviour.
In each day of our Easter 2020 Devotional we will have some new questions to ask you regarding what you have read. Why not take some time, listen to the music below, and contemplate what God would say to you today?
Q1. What does today’s scripture reveal to you?
Q2. What cross do you carry daily?
Q3. How can you remind yourself that Jesus overcame all things – including your cross?
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