We all know that Jesus was brutally flogged and then nailed to a cross to die a terrible and painful death. But the kind of suffering and death he went through was not that uncommon in his day. Lots of people were flogged, and crucifixion was a normal tool for Roman capital punishment.
What makes Jesus death way different (besides the fact of his innocence) is that Jesus died voluntarily. If a bunch of trained soldiers tie you up to a post and proceed to whip the flesh from your back, there’s probably not much you could do about it. And if your limbs are connected to wooden beams by iron spikes driven through your hands and feet, what are you going to do? But at any point, Jesus could have snapped his fingers and stopped it all. I doubt you or I would have the strength and commitment to endure that kind of torture for more than a few minutes if we had the power to end it. But Jesus held strong for hours of gruesome pain and suffering until his body couldn’t take any more and finally died.
Praise the Lord for his dedication, because otherwise none of us would have any hope.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:50 — 25.6MB)