The night Jesus was betrayed must have felt like most other nights for His companions. It was the Passover and Jesus knew in advance that there would be a man with a jar of water near the entrance to Jerusalem as they approached. He sent Peter and John to meet the man, follow him to his house and ask him about having the disciples and Jesus eat the Passover meal at his residence (Luke 22:7-12). Amazing occurrences must have seemed almost commonplace by then. Yet, this was to be a night like no other night.
“When the hour came, Jesus and His disciples reclined at the table. And He said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.’” (Luke 22:14). Why do you suppose, knowing full well that He would soon suffer, was Jesus eager to share this meal and why wasn’t He strategizing an alternate plan? I think you know the answer.
Jesus knew that He was about to be betrayed into the hands of His adversaries, yet He made no attempt to outwit His betrayer and thwart the scheme. Jesus understood that His mission depended on following through with God’s redemptive plan for all mankind and Christ knew He was the centrepiece of that plan.
When they had finished the meal, Jesus got up and wrapped a towel around His waist. “After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.” (John 13:5). This was a lesson in love. Who among us, knowing they only had hours to live would focus on serving their associates and not on self-preservation?
“When He had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes and returned to His place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ He asked them. ‘You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:12-15). This was the most unselfish act of mentorship known to mankind. Let that sink in…
The Garden At Gethsemane
Later that night, they went to a place called Gethsemane, where Jesus became distressed and troubled. He said, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” (Matthew 26:38). Verse 39 continues, “Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, ‘Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’”
Jesus prayed this prayer a total of three times that night, yet He stayed the course, not wavering from His mission, with full knowledge of what lay ahead. Luke 22:44 tells us, “And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” This rare condition is called hematidrosis and is thought to be part of our body’s “fight or flight” response to extreme stress. Yet Jesus did neither. Why did He stay?
Moments later, Judas arrived with a large crowd armed with swords and clubs (Matthew 26:47). One of Jesus’ companions cut off a servant of the high priest’s ear and Jesus proclaimed, “Do you think I cannot call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53). Why didn’t He? What He did do was heal that servant’s ear.
Humility In Humiliation
When Jesus was being interrogated by the high priest, “They spit in His face and struck Him with their fists.” (Matthew 26:67). And when Pilate recounted the charges against Jesus, he remained silent. He was then flogged, which was no small ordeal. The process involved tying the victim to a flogging post and then whipping them with a flagrum, which consisted of a leather whip with leather thongs or cords of varying lengths, in which small iron balls and sheep bone fragments were fixed at intervals.
The leather balls would deeply bruise the victim’s flesh while the bone fragments would cut into their skin and subcutaneous tissue. Eventually the underlying tissue would be lacerated and the recipient experienced severe pain and blood loss. The word excruciating is derived from the Latin word excruciare, cruciare, to crucify. The flagellation itself was called the half death as many victims died shortly after.
The Roman soldiers mocked Him, spit on Him and struck Him in the head again and again. Yet Jesus did not summon help from God. He endured this torture with steadfast resolve. Why? Then Jesus was forced to carry the crossbeam of the cross to the place He was to be crucified, however, partway, a bystander, Simon of Cyrene was made to carry it because the weakened Jesus was unable to. He was then nailed to the cross and hung.
It is interesting to note, that during the making of the movie The Passion of The Christ, Jim Caviezel suffered a dislocated shoulder during the filming of the scene when the cross was stood up and dropped into its hole. The horror and inhumane extremity of the true crucifixion is beyond our modern appreciation and comprehension.
Death during crucifixion was usually the result of asphyxiation. Since the victim’s shoulders would dislocate from being suspended by the arms, they would be unable to breathe properly. Having dislocated my left shoulder, I can only imagine the agony of hanging by your arms with both shoulders dislocated.
When the victim struggled to inhale, they were forced to push up with their legs from the nails in their feet. Without enough oxygen being inhaled, carbon dioxide would build up in the blood resulting in high levels of carbonic acid. This would in turn cause damage to the capillaries and watery fluid would leak into the surrounding tissues.
The repeated pushing up against the wooden cross would aggravate the already exposed back muscles, with abrasive friction, and slivers and splinters of wood becoming imbedded in the victim’s flesh. Once the victim was no longer able to push up to facilitate breathing, they would suffocate. Additionally, there is a very good chance that Jesus also suffered hypovolemic shock from loss of blood. Knowing all of this in advance, He never deviated from his mission. What kept Him from taking an easier path that would avoid the cross? With all the power of heaven at His disposal what held him on the cross?
Jesus Chose To Die For Us
In John 10:17-18, Jesus discloses, “The reason my Father loves Me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.”
And John 15:13 informs us, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” God is love (1 John 4:8) and His redemptive plan, right from the beginning of time reflects His love for mankind. The fact that Jesus came into our world, lived as a human, suffered and bore our sins as our atonement is a continuous act of love.
And He has promised eternal life to all who believe and call on the name of Jesus. The gift of grace is a gift of love. The hope that true believers share – that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever is because of love.
When we contemplate what Christ has done for us, we ultimately fall short of adequately comprehending the depth of His love for humanity. He willingly allowed Himself to be crucified, thereby paying the price of our salvation. I pray that the gravity of the gospel and the reality of the crucifixion will not be lost on a superficial Easter celebration this year. That you would be cut to the depths of your heart on Good Friday and as you worship on Sunday as well. Furthermore, hold fast to the intensity of the atonement every day.
Let your mind take you to Calvary. Hear the sound of the hammer as it drove the nails through our Savior’s hands and feet. Hear the crack of the whip as it sliced through the flesh of His back. Witness the grimace on His face as he winced from each blow and contemplate the pain of His torture. Imagine the agony of His soul as He endured the physical price that we deserve and stare into His eyes and see the love that kept Him there. Never forget that you were bought at a price. Amen.
