Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross.
—Mark 15:24 (NLT)
Crucifixion ranks right up there on the short list of the most painful and torturous deaths ever devised. In the first century, the cross meant death . . . but not just any death. It meant the most hideous, anguished death imaginable.
Each time I return to Golgotha and relive the horror of His final suffering, I am more deeply thankful for my Savior’s willingness to suffer as He did in my place. I also realize how inadequate I am to express my profound gratitude.
Was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Saviour!
’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor,
Vouchsafe to me Thy grace.
To thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever;
And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
Outlive my love to Thee.
—BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, 12th century
O Father, how exceedingly grateful I am for the Lord Jesus Christ. Although the scene occurred twenty centuries ago, it is as if I have just witnessed His death. How horrible it was! What anguish was His! The pain He bore on my behalf is more than I can even imagine. And it was my sin that caused it all “Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.” I pause to tell You how very much I love You and how grateful I am for the price the Savior paid on my behalf. All praise to You because grace abounds, forgiving my sins once for all. Because of Christ. Amen.
Adapted by Insight for Living staff from The Darkness and the Dawn by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2001 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinschristian.com
