We may not know, we cannot tell what pain he had to bear,
But we believe it was for us he hung and suffered there. (SASB 133)
The Bible gives us seven “last words” of Jesus from the cross. But only the Gospel of John records the following: “Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, 'I am thirsty' ” (John 19:28).
What do we know about dying from thirst? It is difficult for Canadians, who live in a country with more fresh water than anywhere else on the planet, to identify with the pain of thirst.
Only days before, Jesus stood in the Temple and proclaimed, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them” (John 7:37-38).
Now here was Jesus experiencing physical thirst on the cross for our sake.
Witness the Pain
Crucifixion was a particularly cruel form of execution. I wonder how many people truly feel the agony of the Lamb of God.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, and John, the beloved disciple, were at the cross to witness firsthand Jesus' suffering. But everyone else—the disciples, the Sanhedrin, the chief priests, the Roman soldiers, the passing crowd—missed its significance.
As Jesus hung on the cross, only one person, a gentile Roman soldier, offered true insight into this mysterious, creation-shaking event. “Surely this was a righteous man,” he cried (Luke 23:47).
Albert Orsborn penned, “That with the crowd we passed thee by and saw, but did not feel, thee die” (SASB 135).
A Great Mystery
The death of Jesus is a profound mystery, but God has given us the privilege of probing this mystery in our daily lives.
To aid us in this, the Apostle Paul has given us the prayer language of Calvary: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). He articulates the saving effect of Jesus' death: “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). And from a prison awaiting his own execution, he recalls that Jesus “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8).
In what other ways can we explore the wonder of the Passion this Easter and feel Christ's burden as he died for the sins of the world?
We can keep watch with him. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples fell asleep when they were desperately needed by their Master. Jesus wants us to stand with him in prayer for the salvation of the world.
We can learn from those who are suffering. All around us are suffering people. We can visit them, pray with them and reach out to them to feel their pain. When we suffer with them, we suffer with Jesus.
We can die to sin. Paul wrote, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31 KJV). We, too, can die to sin and selfishness. We all can die at the cross with Jesus, and rise with him in the glory of his Resurrection.
This is the message of Good Friday. .
Lt-Colonel David Hammond is a retired officer who does not believe in retirement. He soldiers at Toronto's Bloor Central Corps, where his son, Douglas, is the corps officer. His daughter, Beth, is also a corps officer in Richmond Hill, Ont.
But we believe it was for us he hung and suffered there. (SASB 133)
The Bible gives us seven “last words” of Jesus from the cross. But only the Gospel of John records the following: “Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, 'I am thirsty' ” (John 19:28).
What do we know about dying from thirst? It is difficult for Canadians, who live in a country with more fresh water than anywhere else on the planet, to identify with the pain of thirst.
Only days before, Jesus stood in the Temple and proclaimed, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them” (John 7:37-38).
Now here was Jesus experiencing physical thirst on the cross for our sake.
Witness the Pain
Crucifixion was a particularly cruel form of execution. I wonder how many people truly feel the agony of the Lamb of God.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, and John, the beloved disciple, were at the cross to witness firsthand Jesus' suffering. But everyone else—the disciples, the Sanhedrin, the chief priests, the Roman soldiers, the passing crowd—missed its significance.
As Jesus hung on the cross, only one person, a gentile Roman soldier, offered true insight into this mysterious, creation-shaking event. “Surely this was a righteous man,” he cried (Luke 23:47).
Albert Orsborn penned, “That with the crowd we passed thee by and saw, but did not feel, thee die” (SASB 135).
A Great Mystery
The death of Jesus is a profound mystery, but God has given us the privilege of probing this mystery in our daily lives.
To aid us in this, the Apostle Paul has given us the prayer language of Calvary: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). He articulates the saving effect of Jesus' death: “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). And from a prison awaiting his own execution, he recalls that Jesus “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8).
In what other ways can we explore the wonder of the Passion this Easter and feel Christ's burden as he died for the sins of the world?
We can keep watch with him. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples fell asleep when they were desperately needed by their Master. Jesus wants us to stand with him in prayer for the salvation of the world.
We can learn from those who are suffering. All around us are suffering people. We can visit them, pray with them and reach out to them to feel their pain. When we suffer with them, we suffer with Jesus.
We can die to sin. Paul wrote, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31 KJV). We, too, can die to sin and selfishness. We all can die at the cross with Jesus, and rise with him in the glory of his Resurrection.
This is the message of Good Friday. .
Lt-Colonel David Hammond is a retired officer who does not believe in retirement. He soldiers at Toronto's Bloor Central Corps, where his son, Douglas, is the corps officer. His daughter, Beth, is also a corps officer in Richmond Hill, Ont.
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