How did Jesus die?

4:27 p.m. Today's project is to ponder the death of Jesus Christ, the most tragic, yet glorious, act of all history.

Yesterday, when I had finished the post, I became so overwhelmed by the scriptures from Isaiah that described His beating and whipping, the scorn and the spitting, that I buried my head in my hands and wept. I confessed my sins, as we should all do on a daily basis, and reflected upon the multitude of sins that were washed away at the very moment when I accepted Christ as my Savior. While expressing my gratitude, I just as suddenly became joyful,, excited to belong to the Lord!! I was refreshed, and was filled afresh with the Holy Spirit!

Isaiah 53:7-8a (New Living Translation) describes the manner in which Jesus went to His death after Pilate relented and acceded to the demand of the mob to crucify him (John 19:1-16). "He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away."

Before His death sentence, however, we do see Jesus speaking. At several points during His illegal arrest by the Sanhedrin [forbidden by law to meet at night] Jesus spoke "truth to power" as the modern phrase has it, stunning listeners with His truthful claim to be the Son of God. (Luke 22:70) We read of a far-ranging dialogue between Jesus and Pontius Pilate that left the Roman governor asking, "What is truth?" and concluding, "I find no fault in Him at all." (John 19:38) Yet to the craven, miracle-seeking Herod, Jesus "answered him nothing." (Luke 23:9). Jesus acted as He taught, not casting pearls before swine!

Jesus did not protest His execution, because it was God's will. He had prayed to the Father in the Garden, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup from Me; nevertheless, not My will but Yours be done." There would be no other way to save mankind from eternal punishment, because Revelation 13:8 tells us, Jesus is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

The Lamb was slain for us, for each and every one of our sins. "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: 6) There is no sinless human being; only the truly sinless One could redeem us, save us, and bring us into fellowship with God!

Lord, help us to meditate on the death that shook all of Jerusalem with a great earthquake, darkened the sun at noon, and caused the thick curtain in the Temple to tear in two! Let Jesus' words on the cross, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" and His last loud cry before He released His spirit, infuse us with a deep gratitude and love for You such as we have never known!

In Jesus' Name,
Amen

Tomorrow: three days in the tomb.