Saturday, February 24, 2007
John 19:17-18a Carrying His own cross, He went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified Him.
PORTRAIT OF OUR SUFFERING SAVIOR (PAINTED BY NUMBERS): FIVE WOUNDS
Today we color the number five into our portrait (for the five wounds inflicted on Jesus on Calvary). We dip our paint brush into red.
Even before He was executed, Jesus endured much: The cruel flogging, brutal beating, the thorny crown driven into His scalp. Now He volunteers to drink the bitter dregs at the bottom of the cup of agony given to Him by His Father. He allows the soldiers to lead Him to Golgotha, stretch Him out on a cross, pound iron spikes through His extremities, lift up the cross from the ground, and jar it home.
The blood you see flowing from the hands and feet of the Man of Sorrows -- and from His wounded side pierced by a soldier spear after His death -- is the all sufficient price that needed to be paid for our redemption. The holy God has so much against us on account of our sin that nothing less than the bitter suffering and dying of His own perfect Son can pay our debt, still His wrath, and make us acceptable in His sight. Without the shedding of the blood of Jesus there would be no forgiveness for anyone. We could enjoy no loving relationship with our heavenly Father now. No crown of glory would be awaiting us in the life of the world to come.
But thanks be to God that . . .
Chief of sinners though I be,
Jesus shed His blood for me;
Died that I might live on high,
Lived that I might never die.
Grace and life eternal
In that blood I find;
Blest be His compassion,
Infinitely kind!
Because of Jesus' blood shed on Calvary, our scarlet transgressions have become as white as snow. Our crimson sins have become like wool.
