It was a bloody place. There stood three crosses—each of them holding what society deemed as sinful men. The two men nailed to the crosses on the right and left were known through-out society as criminals. However, the man hanging on the middle cross was known as a miracle worker, a healer, a preacher of righteousness—the Son of God! As people gathered around the cross, they saw the Son of God and He was a bloody mess.
Picture this in your mind. Before He was nailed to the cross, He had been beaten by a cohort of 600 Roman soldiers, whipped with a cat of nine tail (an instrument of chastisement in Biblical times), and if that weren’t bad enough, nails (spikes) were driven into His head, hands and feet. Scripture tells us in Isaiah 52:14 that Jesus’ face and body was so marred that He was unrecognizable as a man.
Isaiah 52:14 (NLT) “But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.”
The physical pain, the mental and emotional anguish is more than one could imagine, let alone bear. Shortly after being crucified on the cross of Calvary and enduring enormous suffering, Jesus took His last breath and died. But this was not the end—He woke up in Hell. Hell was not the end of His suffering, but merely part two, the second phase. In Hell was Satan and every demonic force. They tormented Jesus for every sin that mankind had committed. For three days He paid for sins in an unbearable place never designed for a man to see or to experience.
Hell was a lonely place, a place where Jesus was separated from God and His holy presence. It was a place where He received greater torment than what He had experienced before His death. What Jesus experienced was what His Father desired for Him, and it was through Jesus’ obedience to His Father that brought Him to this place. Why? —you might ask. Why such a horrible death for such a good man—a man who did so many wonderful things for so many people before His death?
In Isaiah 53:6-10 (NLT), the scripture says that: “… All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all. [7] He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. [8] Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. [9] He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. [10] But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands. [11] When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. [12] I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.”
Due to God’s great love for His creation (people), He chose to lay the sin of the world on Jesus, and to have Him to pay the price for sin, which included suffering and death. God also caused Jesus life to be cut off prematurely and had Him taken to Hell to pay the price for mans’ sin. In doing so God provided a way of salvation for man. St John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
You see, the only person God could send to take care of the sin problem was Jesus because Jesus was the only sinless man. When Jesus walked the earth, He was no ordinary man—He was 100 % God and 100 % man. He was sinless; not born from the seed of a man; thus, He never had the nature of sin. Rather, He was born of God through supernatural means!
Luke 1:26-31 says: [26] Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, [27] to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. [28] And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” [29] But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. [30] The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. [31] “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
Clearly, Jesus was not born through natural means, but through supernatural means to ensure that He would not have a sin nature. Therefore, when it was time for Him to fulfill His Father’s will and become a sacrifice for the sin of mankind, He was positioned to do so because He was without sin. Think about it this way, Jesus was sinless, but in order to pay for mans’ sin He had to voluntarily take on mans’ sin and the full repercussions of it.
This was what He was born into the world to do. To die in mans’ place so that they might receive a new nature, the nature of God. This nature would give them the right and privilege of becoming a part of God’s family. Anyone receiving Jesus would also have heaven as their home and all the rights and privileges of salvation!
Calvary was a very bloody place. And what happen to Jesus was necessary for you and for me. He was chosen by God to be your substitute. Matthew 1:21 tells us, “…And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
Jesus was sent into the earth to rescue you from Satan’s plans for you. He was sent to deliver you from the dangers of sin, death, hell and the grave. In addition, He came to guarantee that you would have the opportunity to receive healing for your total being and a covenant of promise to live the life He promised you! Lastly, He came to make certain that you could partake of everlasting life by receiving God as your Father so that you could have a real relationship with a loving and living Father.