TODAY IN THE WORD
The popularity of Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ astounded the film industry. Many believed that there would be little interest in a movie where the characters spoke only Latin and Aramaic with English subtitles. Some predicted that the project would ruin Gibson's career. Once the film was finally released, the movie's graphic violence became the focus of even more controversy. Some claimed that the film's brutality provided a necessary antidote to the sanitized image most believers have of Christ's suffering. Many who saw The Passion of the Christ said that the film helped them to finally appreciate the full extent of all that Jesus experienced while on the cross.

Yet even Gibson's graphic portrayal could not do justice to the full extent of suffering that Christ experienced on the cross. Certainly, He faced the brutality of Roman crucifixion. This practice was as much a means of torture as it was a form of execution. The Romans reserved crucifixion for slaves and those who were considered to be the lowest criminals. Its victims were suspended by their hands on a cross beam that had been fastened to a stake that was driven into the ground. In most cases the stake was about the height of a man.

The worst suffering that Christ endured was not the physical torment of the cross but the pain of separation from His Heavenly Father. While hanging on the cross, Jesus endured the wrath of God on behalf of sinners. As the apostle Paul explains, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).

In other words, during the crucifixion Jesus had to endure a double indignity. Not only did He experience the pain of separation from His Heavenly Father, He also endured the shame of bearing our sins. The religious leaders believed that Jesus was a heretic. The Romans executed Him as though He were a rebel. God the Father knew that He was none of these. Jesus was a sacrifice for sin.

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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Although it is not as common in our evangelical context, Christians have long had a tradition of meditating on the suffering of Christ. This is not intended to promote a morbid fascination with the physical details of Christ's death, but to help us appreciate the significance of the cross.

One way to do this is through music. Try using the classic hymn by Isaac Watts, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” Those who prefer contemporary worship music may wish to use Chris Tomlin's updated version, “The Wonderful Cross.”

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