Today we morn the death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for it was on this day, over two thousand years ago, that He was beaten mercilessly with a whip made of several leather thongs, each loaded with jagged pieces of metal or bone and weighted at the end with lead. He was then mocked, stripped of His clothing and made to wear a scarlet robe, the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head and a reed in His right hand. They spit on Him and took the reed and hit Him on the head and when they were done mocking Him they took the robe off and put His clothes back on Him and led Him away to be crucified. When they came to Golgotha, the Place of a Skull, they gave Him wine mixed with gall, which He refused to drink. Then they nailed Him to the cross and crucified Him, and divided His garments and then gambled for His clothing. He was blasphemed by people passing by. There was a darkness over the land for about three hours then Jesus cried out “My God, My God, why have you abandoned Me”? Understand God did not abandoned Jesus but I believe He closed His eyes because He could not look at the sin of the world that Jesus took upon Himself so that we could have salvation. Then Jesus cried out again and surrender up His spirit. When Jesus breathed His last breath the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom, the earth quaked and the rocks were split graves of the saints were opened and they were raised. What a frightening site that must have been for those who witnessed that I can’t imagine what they must have been thinking with the things that had happened. Now that evening a man named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus, asked Pilate for Jesus’ body He took the body and wrapped it in clean linen cloth and laid it in his own tomb then rolled a large stone in front of the door of the tomb.

Now this is how Jesus died a horrific death so that we may have salvation. How humiliating it must have been for Jesus to be stripped of His clothes, beaten, spit on and mocked and yet He loved us so much that He endured it so we had a way to the Father. There isn’t another person on this earth that would do that for another person let alone the whole world. I don’t mean to be so graphic, but I want you to know just what He did for you and me and every other person who has ever lived. We as humans would have been begging for death long before we were put on a cross that is why God sent His Son because no regular human could do what Jesus did. We can’t even go one day without sinning so I ask you knowing what Jesus did for you could you find it in your heart to seek Him out and ask Him to forgive you of your sins and ask Him into your heart for the salvation that He died on the cross to give you. Please give some thought to what I wrote. May you find peace in Jesus today and everyday.

God Bless,

Beverly H.