Time with Jesus - Saturday, 14
January 2012
Hi all,
Some
two thousand years after Calvary we look back on our history with much unbelief
and with little sense of understanding of what took place that day. We
shouldn’t! It’s the most important day in human history. Time has bound a sort
of cocoon around us. We know what happened, but have heard about it so often we
tend to yawn and ask, “What’s for lunch?”
I’m
reminded of what General Eisenhower said when the Allied forces came across the
concentration camps. He said, “Make sure this is thoroughly documented. Some
day in the future some bastard (quote) will
say it never happened.” He was right. Many Muslims today believe it is a
figment of Western imagination; a concoction to produce sympathy for Israel.
They don’t like the truth about the holocaust so they claim it didn’t happen.
And that was only 65 years ago.
The late Rev John Stoddard
Kennedy, sometimes known as “Woodbine Willie”, wrote a poem during the First
World War. He got the nickname from crawling round the trenches at immense
personal risk giving cigarettes (Woodbines) and bringing comfort to dying
soldiers. Called “Indifference”; I’ve tinkered with it slightly to make it more
relevant for today. When I first read it, I wept like a baby. Sometimes I still
do!
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INDIFFERENCE
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When Jesus came to Golgotha, they
hanged Him on a tree.
They drove great nails through hands
and feet, and made a Calvary.
They crowned Him with a crown of
thorns. Red were His wounds and deep.
For those were crude and cruel days
and human life was cheap.
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When Jesus came to Randburg, they
simply passed Him by.
They never hurt a hair of Him. They only let Him die.
For men had grown more tender and
they would not cause Him pain.
They only just passed down the
street and left Him in the rain.
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Still Jesus cried, “Forgive them,
for they know not what they do.”
And still the thunderstorm poured
down and drenched Him through and through:
The crowds went home, and left Him,
to stare at the TV.
And Jesus crouched against a wall
and wept for Calvary
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What
disturbs me is that the crucifixion has become little more than an historical
event. Oh yes, the recent movie, “The Passion” touched many people. But 10
years later, who remembers it? Very few.
Strangely
enough, the Prophet Isaiah described it in fascinating detail. The gospels
don’t say much about it. I suspect they were deliberately cautious of conveying
incorrect information.
What
about you and me? Are we aware of the enormity of what happened? Do we sense
the part we played in the drama of that day? “But that was 2000 years ago” I
hear people comment. For me it’s much more than just a story. I see myself in
almost every character that condemned and crucified Him. “Father, forgive them
for they know not what they do.” Thanks for that Lord. I need your prayer and
protection more than I dare admit.
Our
meditation today looks at the Passion of the Christ.
Blessings
Jim & Phyllida Strickland.
Jesus’ Sufferings
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The suffering of Jesus on the
day He bled and died,
Was more than just a simple case of being crucified!
That sort of death was common. Too
many died that way.
It was a sort of standard death, Rome practised in that day.
Many men had been there; they
died in agony.
So what was extra special when He died for you and me?
It wasn’t crucifixion. Though
that was bad enough.
It was a combination of factors that were tough.
The gospels don’t describe it.
The prophets made it clear,
How much that He would suffer before His death was near!
His face was so disfigured, His
body was so marred,
That He could not be recognised. This fact is very hard,
For us to come to grips with. His
beard they just ripped out.
The pain of going through it. Try it, if you’re in doubt!
But that alone was not enough
to change how He appeared.
It seems they broke His nose and cheeks while people stood and cheered!
The crown of thorns upon His
head would cause His blood to flow
So when the people looked at Him, Who was He? None would know!
The whipping and the beating by
the Romans was routine.
They “qualified” in viciousness and knew what pain could mean.
They didn’t have a limit; some
men were flogged to death.
And they’d continue flogging Him, until His final breath.
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The Roman way of flogging was to
carry on and on,
Until the victim passed away, or all His strength was gone.
They seldom flogged a victim, who
would be crucified.
They knew that if they did so, too soon he would have died.
They would prolong his agony as
long as what they could,
So wouldn’t flog the victim first. He’d die before he should.
How long were people on the
cross before they passed away?
The records tell us of a man who lingered nine whole days.
We know that they flogged Jesus
for as much as He could take.
They didn’t plan on killing Him. Their “jobs” were all at stake.
But when at last they’d
finished, the Lord could hardly stand.
The cross was far too heavy. That wasn’t what they planned.
Simon of Cyrene was compelled
to do this for
The Lord. He walked behind the cross. He couldn’t do much more.
And then they stripped Him
naked and nailed Him to that “tree”,
For anyone to look at and everyone to see.
But no one recognised Him; just
as Isaiah said.
Beaten, flogged and crucified and left till He was dead.
But by this act of dying, the serpent’s
head was crushed.
And in the self-same process, the Master’s heel was touched.
But what no one could
understand and no one else could see,
Was what was done to Jesus, was meant for you and me!
For He was not a sinner. That
one was you and I.
And it is what we all deserve from God who reigns on high.
Jim Strickland – Written Saturday 14th January 2012
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