Have you ever noticed how something meaningful can lose its impact through familiarity? Whether it’s a precious diamond necklace, a priceless work of art, or a historically significant object, frequent exposure to it can cause us to lose its value. In fact, the most important thing for all of humanity is often overlooked : the cross of Jesus Christ.
John 19:16-18: Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away. And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.
Cross of Jesus
From the tiny cross necklaces to large replicas like Spain’s towering 500-foot monument, symbols of the cross are everywhere. Yet, the cross Jesus bore differed vastly from modern interpretations. Made of rough, unpolished wood, full of splinters, it inflicted excruciating pain. Historians debate over whether Jesus carried the whole cross or just the horizontal crossbeam, but it’s clear that whatever he carried was incredibly heavy. The horizontal beam alone weighed about 125 pounds (60 kilos), and the entire cross weighed over 300 pounds (135 kilos). For someone already beaten many times, navigating uphill with such a burden is a daunting task.
Calvary
Have you ever wondered where the term Calvary came from? In John 19:17, Jesus is depicted bearing his cross, heading to Golgotha, referred to as the place of a skull. The Latin word for skull is Calvaria. That is where the English word “Calvary” comes from.
Carried Our Cross
Wearing a crown of thorns and enduring a back torn by whips, Jesus bore the weight of the cross for us, as Isaiah 53 vividly portrays. Beyond the physical heaviness of the wooden cross, let’s consider the other burdens Jesus carried:
- Weight of griefs and sorrows: Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Prophet Isaiah, after portraying Jesus as familiar with suffering in the initial verses, goes on to emphasize that he carried our griefs and sorrows upon himself. This means he took our pain as his own. What a loving Savior!
- Weight of transgressions and sins: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities.” Isaiah emphasizes that Jesus bore not his own sins, but ours. Driven by love, the sinless Son of God endured piercing and crushing on our behalf. His suffering becomes our salvation from sin.
- Weight of infirmities and sickness: “the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed”. Jesus paid the price for our healing by being beaten and bruised. His broken body is our breakthrough. His piercings is our peace!
Canceled, Disarmed, Set Free
Colossians 2:16-17: He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
On the cross, Jesus set us free by cancelling every charge written against us, disarmed the powers of the devil, and set us free forever! When the enemy thought he won by nailing Jesus on the cross, it was in fact Jesus making a public spectacle of the enemy.
Life Application
In life’s battles, when guilt and condemnation try to weigh you down, remember the enemy is a liar, and he is a defeated foe. Romans 8:37 reminds us: “in all things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” When your heart is heavy and your hands are weighed down by problems, take solace in remembering His nail-pierced hands. When your head hurts with worries about the daunting obstacles ahead, remember the crown of thorns upon His head 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us: “Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.” So, take heart because His cross is our crossover, and through His blood we have victory forevermore.
- Spanish version: https://dewdropsofmanna.com/spanish-pages-list/la-cruz-nuestra-victoria/
- Hindi version: https://shorturl.at/aG258
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