loves me

It was nearly 2000 years ago. This innocent man knew exactly what was going to happen to him... He asked for a last supper to be prepared and it was there he admitted to one of them betraying him. At that time, no one could imagine betraying Jesus. Here sat before them was the Son of God who has done no wrong.

Imagine being Judas ~ I don't believe his intentions were to sell out his friend, his Jesus with a simple kiss on the cheek. At what price can I be bought? For Judas it was only thirty pieces of silver that he ultimately took his own life for. Once Jesus was arrested for calling himself the Son of God, King of the Jews, he was handed over to Pilate. After questioning Jesus, Pilate knew he had an innocent man in captivity, but because he wanted to please the crowd, he did not stand up to do the right thing. Just as Judas, Pilate knew his actions were wrong. His wife even knew and rather than taking a stand for what he knew was right, Pilate stepped aside and said he "washed his hands of it." Pilate had the power to stop the crucifixion.

I can't imagine being there... watching the Son of God be completely belittled and ridiculed. In front of the crowd, the soldiers stripped him of his clothes and out of mockery put a scarlet robe on him. A crown of thorns was placed on his head. I can't imagine the pain and like sweat beads of blood dripping from his brow. They placed a staff in his right hand and in his shame, they knelt in front of him and mocked him. The soldiers struck him in the head and in the face with the staff. They spit on him and mocked him. I can hear the chants of mockery "hail, king of the Jews." I can only imagine the embarrassment and humility Jesus felt. Why would he allow this to go on? Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, they stripped him of the robe and wrapped his cloths back on him only to lead him away to be crucified.

This fictitious image I have of three crosses on a hill side with a beautiful sunset is in reality, a place named Golgotha which means "The Place of Skulls." I'm thinking the only reason a place would be called that if there was some resemblance of death. They literally stripped him of his clothes again and divided up his clothes. They offered him a drink of vinegar mixture, but he refused to drink. They placed a sign above his head stating his charges of being crucified "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." They continued to mock him saying, "save yourself; if you are the king of the Jews, prove it and come down off that cross." They laughed at him saying that "he saved others, but he can't save himself, if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." I can't imagine the humility and pain.

Darkness came over the land and finally, Jesus cries out to God, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." And with a second loud cry, Jesus took his last breath.

...the earth shook; the rocks split in two; tombs broke open and bodies of holy people were raised to life; At that moment, people proclaimed that "surely, he was the Son of God."

Why did he allow this to happen? God, in all his glory and power, allow his son to be brutally mocked and left to die hanging on a cross...

why?

...because he loves me.