Today is Good Friday. It is the day when we remember in a special way Christ's sacrifice for us. Through meditation on Jesus's death, I came to experience the love of God in a personal way. As someone who's struggled with self-hatred, I have come to see that I have worth because of everything Jesus went through for me. I would like to invite you to reflect on some of the major events which transpired during the Passion. As you think of Christ's sufferings, view His Passion in a personal way by remembering that He suffered and died for you.
The Agony in the Garden
This scripture passage recounts Jesus's departure to Gethsemane, also known as the Mount of Olives, the night before His death. He took three of his friends (Peter, John, and James) to the garden with him. While he prayed, His friends fell asleep. During His time of need, Jesus was let down by those He loved. "When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, 'So you could not keep watch with me for one hour?'" (Matthew 26:40). This shows us that Christ has personally experienced the disappointment that comes when one is let down by a friend when in a time of need.
During his time in the Garden, Jesus suffered greatly. He felt great sorrow, and most likely felt a great deal of anxiety as He thought about the events which would soon occur. As someone who struggles with anxiety, I find it touching that God Himself has entered into our humanity and shared in our human experience of sorrow and anxiety out of love for us. Furthermore, Scripture tells us that "He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.' (Matthew 26:39). Further reading of this scripture passage (verses 42 and 44 to be specific) shows us that He prayed to the Father three times. This shows us that while He struggled, He ultimately accepted the will of the Father and whatever it may entail. In doing this, Jesus shows us the ultimate example of how we should accept the sufferings which God permits in our lives. A wise priest once told me "A full prayer for healing is that God will take away our wounds, but that if he is permitting these wounds for the sake of greater healing, that he help us to carry them as crosses...it is okay to ask God to take away our sufferings. But let's do our best to complete the prayer and pray as he did in the garden: take this cup from me, but your will be done."
The Scourging at the Pillar
The four Gospels provide little detail on the flagellation of Christ. The Gospel of Mark tells us "So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified" (Mark 15:15). The Gospel of Matthew tells us "Then he released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified" (Matthew 27:26). The Gospel of Luke tells us "'Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him'" (Luke 23:16). Lastly, the Gospel of John plainly tells us "Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged" (John 19:1).
Since the four Gospels offer such little detail and spend such little time talking about this aspect of Christ's sufferings, it can be easy to simply read over this event in the Passion narratives with little thought as to the gravity of it. However, upon doing a little outside research on Roman scourging, it is evident that Jesus suffering greatly.
Old paintings of this event often portray Jesus as being covered in little blood, and having but a few lashes on His body. Mel Gibson's famous 2004 movie, The Passion of the Christ, includes a graphic depiction of Christ's scourging which some viewers find difficult to watch. In my personal opinion, Gibson's portrayal of this event is more accurate than that which is seen in some old paintings. During this scene, the Roman soldiers whip Jesus without mercy. Both skin and flesh are torn from His body, and blood flies as He is continuously beaten. During one particular moment of this gut-wrenching scene, Jesus ends up lying down on His back. While on the floor, the soldiers continue to whip Him, but this time it is on His belly instead of His back. Blood continues to flow, and by the time the scourging is over Jesus's lacerated body is covered in His own blood. I believe Gibson's portrayal of this event is close to the reality of what it would have looked like.
It is already difficult for me to wrap my head around the level of suffering one endures during a Roman scourging. Personally, I don't have a high tolerance for pain. Something as petty as a paper cut will cause me much discomfort to say the least! It is amazing to think that Jesus, who is God, not only became incarnate, but willingly allowed Himself to be literally torn apart for me.
The Crowning with Thorns
After being scourged, Jesus's abuse continued. Scripture tells us "Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, 'Hail, King of the Jews!' They spat upon him and took the reed and kept striking him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him" (Matthew 27:29-31).
If the soldiers really realized Who it was they were abusing, they would have trembled in fear. Just the thought of showing such disrespect to God Himself and sacrilegiously striking Him should fill anyone with fear. However, one thing which has stuck out to me while meditating on this event of the Passion was that He did not retaliate while He was being mocked and beaten so severely. He remained silent and allowed it to continue. He felt the thorns pierce Him, every blow to his head, the spittle of the soldiers, and the pain of being mocked. This should reveal to us the depth of His love!
The Carrying of the Cross
One notable figure whom Jesus encounters during His journey to Calvary was Simon the Cyrenian. According to Scripture, "As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon; this man they pressed into service to carry his cross" (Matthew 27:32). Simon clearly didn't volunteer to carry the cross; rather, he was forced into it. It is likely the case that Simon did not know of Jesus's identity as God, and would have assumed He was just an ordinary man being led to his execution. Furthermore, he probably would not have been aware of the privilege he was given in helping Jesus carry His Cross!
How often are we like Simon? We are given a cross to carry which we didn't ask for or desire. It is heavy, and causes us much difficulty as we try to bear it. However, God can work through our crosses and turn our suffering into a great blessing. The same priest I mentioned earlier also told me "...the crosses we carry are ultimately Jesus' crosses to carry with us. We cannot carry any cross if Jesus is not carrying it with us... They will only bring life if they are from him." This changed my mindset in regards to carrying my own personal cross. I realized that it is not my cross to carry, but our cross to carry. Realizing that on a deep level has made my personal suffering much lighter because I realize that Jesus is there to carry our cross with me, and that good will come out of it if I carry it with Him instead of carrying it alone.
After his suffering in Gethsemane, scourging and crowing with thorns, and long journey to Calvary, the culmination of Christ's sufferings arrives in His actual crucifixion. The Gospel of Mark tells us how long Jesus was on the Cross: "It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him" (Mark 15:25), "At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon" (Mark 15:33), and "Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last" (Mark 15:37). Jesus hung on the cross suffering for six whole hours.
Imagine the pain He felt during those first few moments of the Crucifixion. He felt nearly unimaginable pain as His wrists and feet were pierced by nails. He would have still felt pain from the crown of thorns and all of the wounds caused by His scourging and the carrying of His cross to Calvary. His body would have still been bruised and sore from all of the beatings He endured. He would have been exhausted from the sheer amount of pain He was experiencing in addition to the physical exertion He endured. All of these pains are already agonizing if suffered individually, yet He experienced them all simultaneously. Now, imagine what it must have been like to experience such torture for six long hours. It is already hard to truly picture what it must have been like to experience such torment for merely six minutes! Remember, Jesus did this for you.
It is my hope and prayer that meditating on Christ's sufferings for you has shown you the depth of His love. The Passion of Christ should fill us with deep gratitude when we reflect on the fact that God has entered into our humanity and personally experienced grave sufferings out of love for us. Instead of being a distant and uncaring God, He is a God Who cares deeply about His people. He loves each one of us personally.
Through His intense sufferings, Jesus has proved His love for us. We are called to reciprocate that love. Take time today to reflect on how you can love Christ.
Geo
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms © 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament © 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
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