By Zachary Teasley
Jesus Christ the Savior of the World paid the ultimate price on Calvary’s Cross; He shed his precious blood and gave His life as a ransom for our sins and paid the debt that we were unable to pay. Many of us are willing to take risks and defend our family and friends but how many of us are willing to give their life for them? The answer is very few of us, and Rom 5:7-8 further confirms this and the magnitude of the price Christ paid on our behalf, it says, For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man, someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We will discuss later in the article some details as to the degree of suffering and punishment that Christ bore on our behalf. God’s plan foreordained before the world was created, determined how that Jesus Christ would come to the earth and die as an atonement sacrifice for the redemption of mankind. Christ is indeed God sent from Heaven as confirmed to us from another member of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit. 1 Jon 5:4-7, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven; the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.” Jesus also acknowledges the work of the Holy Spirit testifying of Him to His disciples in Jon 16:13, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority; but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” Speaking again of the tremendous price or what Jesus gave up coming down to this earth and because of His forbearance and love for mankind, He voluntarily gave up the majesty and honor he enjoyed in Heaven and came to this earth and took on human form to taste death for every man and woman. Heb 2:9 confirms this for it says, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” Jesus Christ gave up a tremendous amount of power and comfort in Heaven, for He is God the Son, to become flesh as a human being as we are. While on this earth, Jesus Christ lived a very transient lifestyle while on this earth compared to the magnificence, peace, and tranquility He left in Heaven; Matt 8:20, “And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Furthermore to help us to properly understand what Jesus Christ gave up when He humbled himself and left Heaven and entered this world miraculously by birth through Mary, lets read together Phil 2:5-11, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who is in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” While on this earth Jesus Christ courageously executed the ministry that God the Father commissioned Him to do while He was in Heaven with Jehovah God. Heb 4:15 tells us, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Regarding the intensity and the gross level of punishment inflicted upon our Lord and Savior and to give us some insight into what Jesus went through, we will briefly outline some of the methods or ways used to punish Christ: He had been beaten severely before the crucifixion. There is no way to know how many lashes He received. The Romans had a forty-lash limit on Roman citizens; they had no such legal restriction on non-Romans. The most common whipping device was known as a cat of nine tails. This was a short whip that had a small handle with nine leather straps bound to it. Each of the leather straps was covered with imbedded material such as nails, wire, rocks, etc. The effect was that when the whip hit the body of the prisoner, it would wrap around them and stick in the flesh (usually on the stomach and side) then it was ripped free (in effect shredding the skin of the one being beaten). Often the one being subjected to this violent beating would die from the shock or blood loss. By the time the whipping was completed, most of the skin from the victim would be hanging like ribbons from about the waist to the ground. After enduring this brutal beating, the Lord was forced to carry His cross toward the hill where He would be murdered. Once he arrived at the place to be punished, a nail (similar to the size of a railroad spike) was driven into each hand. The feet would then typically be set one on top of the other and then another nail would be driven through them both. Then the cross would be lifted up and dropped into a post hole. The jarring effect would have caused extreme pain to both the feet and hands. Therefore, we see the sever and grueling suffering our Lord and Savior bore on Calvary’s Cross as a propitiation or atonement for our sins, 1 Jon 2:2. Why did Jesus Christ willingly pay such a high heavy price for you and me? Because He is God the Son and because He loves us and was willing to actively make it possible that we can be reconciled to God through the shedding of His blood, Jon 3:16. Heb 9:22 states, “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no remission.” God does not tolerate or accept sin for it separates us from God. How many of us would be willing to pay a debt for another person and would take agonizing punishment and later be killed in a humiliating manner? Thankfully, that’s exactly what Christ did for us!