WHAT IS THE CROSS Part II

The cross was known to be the most painful and humiliating ways of death. It was designed to bring the utmost suffering for the longest period. Some took 3 or more days to die. What they went thru we cannot imagine.
Up and down, up and down. Jesus went up and down on the cross, straining to breathe, straining to talk. To forgive those who nailed Him there, to give His mother to one for her care. To assure a thief that he would be with Him that day in paradise. Thinking of others as each minute seemed an hour, each hour like a day. The sun beating relentlessly down, thirst growing worse, pain unbearable.
Then the Holy Spirit leaving Him as He became sin. Sin vile to Him, vile to His Father, all sins He became. To the jeering crowd He was just a man on the cross, but to Him and to His Father He was sin. Ugly, horrible, vile sin. Our sins. OUR SINS!!! He wasn't on the cross for the sins of just those people, but He was there for everyones sins. Yours, mine, the world. He became sin that those sins may be punished. The price was being paid with His blood and with His suffering. The torment of hell was upon Him.
The Father, being holy, could not watch as His Son became sin. He turned His back on this who was His Son. Jesus was left alone. Totally and completely alone. Alone like we will never be unless we reject this that He was doing. He was emptied out, poured out like water. Nothing was left but the horror of our transgressions.The sky became black as darkness was loose on that cross. All the darkness of sin, of satan were on that cross. Darker and darker it grew, darker and darker His soul. Lost, forsaken, in agony, pushing up and down, thirst, pain, flies, but the worst was the emptiness. The worst was separation from His Father.
From the depths of his soul, from the depths of His despair, from the pit of agony He cried out in a loud voice "My God! My God! Why hast thou forsaken me?" He knew, but He was crying out what David had. Fulfilling prophecy. And as we cry out in our moments of despair he knows our pain like no other.
He said "I thirst". Was it for water? Or for His Fathers presence? Or both? For by now His tongue was swollen, His mouth dry as dust, unable to speak, to breathe was agony. And He had one more thing He needed to say.
He was given vinegar and He cried out "It is finished". The price had been paid. The battle was over. The battle for mans soul had been won.The work planned from the beginning was completed.
He cried out in a loud voice, "Father into your hands I commit my spirit". He hung His head and died. It was over. The Lord was dead. He had given His life that we may have life. His was the perfect and final sacrifice.
He was the Lamb of God, slain for us.
His blood shed for us.
His life given for us.
The final atonement.
The breaking of the curse of the law. Bringing forth a new covenant between God and man. Bringing grace, wonderful grace, forgiveness and reconciliation. That which was lost in the garden was restored on the cross. The veil between man and God was torn in half giving us access to His throne. Satan defeated, man delivered from the bonds that chained them.
The cross is forgiveness, reconciliation, deliverance and so much more.

What do we do with this man who gave His all that we might have all? Do we do as the crowd did and jeer Him. Do we mock Him? Do we take this death lightly? I pray not. I pray that we come to the cross and see Him. That we come to Him and let His blood cleanse us as we repent of the sins that drove the nails into His hands and feet. That gave Him this agony. That we acknowledge what He did in His great love and sacrifice and let Him reign in our hearts, minds and spirits. For greater love hath no man, than that He lay down His life for a friend. These are the words of Jesus. He laid down His life, it wasn't taken from Him. He gave it so we could live eternally with Him in His home. Surrender to Him now, let His sacrifice save, heal and lift you up.

Luke 23:34
Luke 23:42-43
Psa 22:14