Crucifixion

by Odon Bulamba (summary only - 7th July, 2007)

Most people don't understand why the cross exists, what is the significance of the cross and why God chose that. For different cultures the cross means something different. The cross of Jesus Christ can teach us something, it can bring life, it can empower us, and it can show us what we need to be as Christians.

Pilot was the toughest men at that time and that is why Jesus was sent to him. Pilot was a politician, he was not a good man which is why he said, “I wash my hands”. Not because he believed Jesus was a good person or undeserving of death. Because pilot was a politician he asked people what they thought he should do with Jesus but he only asked the small crowd that had gathered there in front of him he didn't ask every person because he knew people would say no.

From the cross we were saved and from the cross we came from darkness into light.

Crucifixion was the worst of all the death penalties. A person who is crucified will first be tortured in front of a crowd of many people where everybody will know who they are. They must carry the cross on their back and walk around the city to the place where they will be crucified. If for example if I was to be crucified in Ngaruawahia I will have to walk all the way from Hamilton. It can take four to six days on the cross before dying. Clothes must be completely removed to be humiliated. The friends of Jesus Christ ran away because it was a shame for them to look upon the nakedness of their friend or family member. Others ran away because of fear of being asked if they knew him. He was completely abandoned. The church abandoned him, the Roman authorities abandoned him, and he was alone with no where to go.

They nailed his wrists and feet to the cross. The normal way of crucifying someone at that time was to hammer the nails into the wrists and feet extremely slowly. They would hammer the nails in a small portion of the way into the wrists or feet and then be distracted by talking or as the Bible says, casting lots for Jesus’ Clothes. They would then hammer a little more and wait again and in a little more and wait again so that it was extremely painful. He was given a Crown of humiliation which no one else received, it was made of thorns and dug deeply into his head.

Why was Jesus crucified?
God said who will go down to die for my people? Jesus accepted to be crucified in order to save others. He grew among people, He performed miracles and he was crucified. God has sent us to spread the gospel. Have we accepted to die others? Have we accepted the pain? Many people refuse even to pray because they have all they need. If you don't care about the family of God or those who should be in the family of God you are useless. Even the dead need a family even the mentally ill.

Hell is worse than crucifixion. Hell is eternal but crucifixion is only for a few hours

We have to accept this grace to save people, to share the will of God and to spread the gospel. Why don't we just sacrifice ourselves, go through a little pain for our brother or sister? When we go back to heaven we will give a report to Jesus Christ of what we did for him. We need to carry our own cross and follow Jesus Christ. What type of cross are you carrying? Many people carry the cross of money and run after that. Is your cross the television? You can know all the TV programmes for the whole week. Is it a cross of jokes? Or lies? Are you supporting people to come back to Christ? Who do you carry your cross for? You have a mission on this earth; you are here for a reason. What's your purpose?

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