Psalm 22:1
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.
Psalm 22 gives us an eerie insight into how Jesus felt as He hung on the Cross that Friday. David pens a prophetic description of Jesus’ agony.
Picture from Passion of the Christ
Isaiah 52:14 says, “His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and His form marred beyond human likeness.”
The death of Jesus on the Cross was an actual event. It’s not a story from childhood or a story of myths with a happy ending. It happened. It was an actual event in history. My One Year Chronological Bible gives the date of: Friday, April 7th, AD30 or Friday, April 3, AD33.
The original “Good Friday” was not good. It was beyond describable. It was an absolute atrocity.
The events of that not so good Friday…
Midnight – ~4:00am – Jesus is agonizing in Gethsemane
4:00am – 5:00am – Jesus is betrayed; bound and carried off by soldiers.
5:00am – 9:00am: The trials begin with the high priest to Pilate – Herod – back to Pilate. Flogged, slapped, spit upon, a crown of thorns placed upon His head. He is forced to carry His Cross outside the city. A passerby named Simon and the soldiers force him to carry Jesus’ cross as Jesus can no longer carry it on His flogged back.
9:00am – Jesus is nailed to the Cross
9:00am – Noon – Jesus is forgiving the soldiers who are nailing His hands; taking care of His mother and forgiving the thief on the Cross beside Him. He’s naked. He’s mocked, taunted and insulted. People stared in disgust.
Noon – 3pm: Darkness falls on the land – a supernatural event. For the first time ever, God turns His back on His Son because Jesus becomes sin for you and for me.
3:00pm: Jesus gives up His Spirit. An earthquake takes place; rocks split apart; and tombs open. The curtain in the Temple is torn in two, from top to bottom. The Roman officer is convicted to the core and realizes that truly this was the Son of God. (Matthew 27:54)
A closer look at what Jesus endured…
1. Jesus was flogged? Do you know what flogging means?
It was a whip of leather thongs… tipped with metal bits… The whip would have ripped the flesh off of His back. Jesus’ internal organs would have been exposed. A flogging normally consisted of 39 lashes. It was beyond horrible. History records that victims would either go insane, go into unconsciousness or die. (John 19:1)
The miracle is not that Jesus survived it – but that He submitted to it.
He had you and I on His mind…
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2. Nails in the hands and feet?
The wrists were considered part of the hand in the language of that day. According to Lee Strobal, in The Case for Easter, “The Romans used spikes that were 5-7 inches long and tapered to a sharp point. They were driven through the wrists, about an inch or so below the palm. This was a solid position that would lock the hand. If the nails had driven through the hands, His weight would have caused the skin to tear and He would have fallen off the cross. The nails went through the wrists.The pain would have been absolutely unbearable.”
Yet, He had you and I on His mind…
3. Death on a Cross – was it immediate?
Crucifixion is an agonizingly slow death by asphyxiation.
In order to breathe, Jesus would have to push up on His feet and then release. Push up, breathe, release… Push up, breathe, release… Jesus did this for 6 long hours.
Why? Because He had you and me on His mind…
Good Friday for you and for me. A bad Friday ~ a really bad Friday for Jesus.
Have you ever thanked Him for what He endured for you? If not, take time today to thank Him and reflect on what it cost our Lord in phyical, emotional and spiritual agony to offer forgiveness of sins for everyone who receive and believe in His name.
Well said, Tara. Our pastor said just this past weekend, "Jesus knew what was coming, yet He rode on." I love your line "The miracle is not that Jesus survived it – but that He submitted to it." I can't fathom it. Thanks for the reminder to give HIm thanks today — and always. Happy Easter!