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He Loved You This Much
Jesus had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Even before the crucifixion began, he clearly had physical symptoms associated with severe stress. The night before the execution, his disciples reported seeing Jesus in "agony" on the Mount of Olives. Not only did he not sleep all night, but he seems to have been sweating profusely. So great was the stress that tiny blood vessels were rupturing in his sweat glands and emitting as great red drops that fell to the ground (see Luke 22:44). This symptom of severe stress is called hematohidrosis...this was only the beggining...<br> <br> Having previously been beaten by the Jews, it was now the Romans' turn. The beatings administered by Roman soldiers are well known to be very bloody, leaving lacerations all over the body. Romans designed their whips to cut the flesh from their victim's bodies. These beatings were designed to be painful to the extreme. It would also cause a fluid build up around his lungs. In addition, a crown of thorns was forced into his scalp which was capable of severely irritating major nerves in his head, causing increasing and excruciating pain, as the hours wore on.<br> <br> In Christ's severely stressed condition, these beatings were easily enough to kill him. His body was horribly bruised, cut and bleeding. Having had no nourishment for many hours, and having lost fluids through profuse sweating and much bleeding, Jesus would have been severely dehydrated. This brutal torture would certainly be sending him into what doctors call "shock," and shock kills.<br> <br> In addition, Jesus was forced to carry the the wooden beam on which he would die. Imagine the effect of carrying a heavy weight if you were in that condition.<br> <br> Hung completely naked before the crowd, the pain and damage caused by crucifixion were designed to be so devilishly intense that one would continually long for death, but could linger for days with no relief.<br> <br> According to Dr. Frederick Zugibe, piercing of the median nerve of the hands with a nail can cause pain so incredible that even morphine won't help, "severe, excruciating, burning pain, like lightning bolts traversing the arm into the spinal cord." Rupturing the foot's plantar nerve with a nail would have a similarly horrible effect.<br> <br> Furthermore, the position of the body on a cross is designed to make it extremely difficult to breathe.<br> <br> Frederick Farrar described the intended, torturous effect: "For indeed a death by crucifixion seems to include all that pain and death can have of horrible and ghastly—dizziness, cramp, thirst, starvation, sleeplessness, traumatic fever, tetanus, shame, publicity of shame, long continuance of torment, horror of anticipation, mortification of untended wounds—all intensified just up to the point at which they can be endured at all, but all stopping just short of the point which would give to the suffer the relief of unconsciousness."<br> <br> One doctor has called it "a symphony of pain" produced by every movement, with every breath; even a slight breeze on his skin could bring screaming pain at this point.<br> <br> Medical examiner, Dr. Frederick Zugibe, believes Christ died from shock due to loss of blood and fluid, plus traumatic shock from his injuries, plus cardiogenic shock causing Christ's heart to fail.<br> <br> At the ninth hour (the time at which a sacrificial lamb was killed everyday in the Jewish temple), Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated,"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" and soon died, after saying "It is finished." At about this moment is probably the time when the temple's priestly ram's horn would have been blown that day, announcing that the priests had completed the sacrifice of the lamb for the sins of Israel. Also at that moment, the great, thick curtain that closed the Holy of Holies room from view, ripped open from top to bottom.<br> -Mark 15:34 and Matthew 27:46<br> <br> Biblically, it is clear that Jesus chose and willed His moment of death. That moment was induced not by pain, emotional stress, heart attack, or any other, but by His will. Though fully human, He is also fully divine. As God, He could not die from external sources, but only of His own volition and will.<br> <br> Near the end, a criminal beside him mocked, "If you are the Christ, save yourself and us." Little did this sinner know that the man he was speaking to hung there voluntarily. He was speaking to our Creator, capable of releasing all the power in the universe and beyond, and easily saving himself. Jesus remained in this agony and shame, not because he was powerless, but because of his incredible love for humanity. He suffered to provide the needed way of salvation for you and me.<br> <br> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br> <br> "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:<br> Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:<br> But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:<br> And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."<br> -Philippians 2:5-8<br> <br> Christ is our Savior and the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Even though He was divine, Jesus became a human being to die for the sins of mankind. He was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death.<br> <br> Christ as our Savior gave His life that we might live. He died a hideous death, as our Passover, that we might understand the magnitude of sin and the monumental significance of His sacrifice, which was made for every human being.<br> <br> Jesus lived a perfect life and didn't deserve the death penalty. However, because of our sin, because the wages for our sin were too much for us to pay, Christ paid them for us. He died for each and every individual when he was placed upon the cross. He was preordained to die, because of sinners like you and I...but he didn't do it in bitterness, but love. He was happy to die for us, so that we may live; <br> <br> "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."<br> -John 15:13<br> <br> Thank you Jesus, for dying for us. Thank you for suffering so that we wouldn't have to. (John 3:16).<br> <br> <br> <img src="http://biblia.com/encyclopedia/jesus-cross19g.jpg"> <br> <br> In John chapter 3, Jesus was talking to one of his friends, Nicodemus and he began to refer to a story in the old testiment, about when the people of Israel were plagued with a disease. God began to share with Moses what to do about the disease. <br> <br> He told him to take a serpent and wrap it around a pole and hold it up so everyone in Israel could see it and those who would look upon that serpent on the pole would be healed of the disease in their lives. <br> <br> So Jesus was talking to his friend Nicodemus in John 3:14 and said "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert so the son of man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." <br> <br> "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believe in him will not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16<br> <br> Today if you're diseased, if you've got sins in your life, if you've got hurts that nobody knows about, if there's things that're going on between you and God that only you and Him know about. Today -just as Moses long ago lifted up the serpent, wrapped around a pole, and everyone who looked on it was healed of the diseases in their lives- today you can look at what Jesus christ did for you two thousand years ago when he was lifted up on that cross. You can look to him today and be healed of the diseases in your life. The disease of sin, that's taking your life. <br> <br> Today, if you've never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior I just ask you to pray this prayer with me, and if you have accepted him and maybe you've just got sins in your life that you just need to ask God to forgive you of. First John 1:9 says if you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive you of your sins and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. <br> <br> If you just pray this prayer with me right now, just say; <br> <br> "Heavenly father I thank you for your son Jesus, I thank you for the sacrifice that he made for me on the cross. I believe in him, I accept him as my lord and savior, I ask you to forgive me of my sins, I ask you to wash me clean. Cleanse me with the blood of Jesus, I ask you to change my heart, to change my mind, and to change my life and to use me for your glory. God may I know what it is, to be saved...amen."<br> <br> If you prayed that prayer with us, I just want to encourage you. Let you know that Jesus loves you more than anything, I want you to just begin your walk as a disciple of Jesus Christ.<br> <br> God bless.
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