Crucified - Life Application Study Bible Devotional
Crucified
Mark 15:24-26, NKJV
And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take. 25Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. 26And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
John 19:23-24, NIV
When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24“Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did.
Setting the Scene
Crucifixion was a lonely, painful, gruesome way to die. It killed—slowly and with agony. In fact, it often prolonged life longer than pain could be felt. Victims would simply go into shock and remain barely alive, breathing by unconscious will. At this point, the executioners broke the legs of the condemned and caused them to finish dying swiftly.
Though we find it hard and even repulsive to imagine, Jesus was only one of many people who had been executed this way by the Romans. His experience on the cross included several added sobering features, making it a unique death for a unique man.
First, the crucifixion was shameful. He was stripped of his clothing and pinned naked between heaven and earth. He was mocked by the crowds and taunted by one of the criminals crucified beside him. A sign posted over his head made fun of his claim to be king.
Second, Jesus was absolutely innocent. He was there, every moment of his agony, by choice. The nails didn’t keep him on the cross. His decision to remain there was stronger than his desire to avoid the pain. He had said: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13, NKJV).
Third, Jesus bore the sins of the world—including yours and mine—on the cross.
Fourth, Jesus sensed God’s abandonment when his Father turned away from him, covered as he was in our sins. When Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46, NKJV), he was experiencing firsthand the full separation that sin creates between God and man. He prayed that prayer so we never have to pray it.
Getting Personal
What does the phrase “Jesus is my Savior” mean to you?
In what sense would you say that, for you, the Cross was a necessity?
We can picture ourselves in various positions relative to the Cross. When we get close enough to see ourselves on the cross, we can begin to understand why it was crucial for Jesus to take our place.
Talking to God
Don’t be afraid to consider the Cross, in all its terror and glory, because it was God’s design for reconciling you to himself. Worship your Savior today, thanking God for the extremes he went to in order to make you his own.
