| Tonight I am thinking about the cross...
In John 19:31 we read that the Jewish leaders petitioned Pilate for the legs of the three crucified men to be broken to speed death, since the Sabbath was fast approaching and it wouldn't please God to see His son hanging on a cross on such a holy day (oops, it doesn't actually say that........my bad) - but it WAS a very high sort of Sabbath, so the crucifixion area needed to be cleaned up. Apparently crucifixion could be a lengthy procedure, since it took awhile for your strength to run out beyond the point where you could no longer push up with your pierced feet to raise the ribcage and take a breath. Thus, breaking the legs would hasten death. The soldiers broke the first man's legs, then the other's. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that He was already dead! Apparently this was a surprisingly short death, according to crucifixion statistics - mere hours, as opposed to an average of 2-4 days.
Many think that the severity of His scourging and the loss of blood probably contributed to our Lord's hasty death, and I'm sure that's true. But perhaps He hung there, limply, His full weight crushing his lungs - embracing what had to be, inviting it - because to fight it would have been the human thing to do, and He was accomplishing a Divine task. Surely there would not have been many before Him, who refused to fight their demise - how many men would willingly enhance the pain of the weight of their bodies wrenching down on their ripped flesh and their crushed chests?
It's thoughts like these, that bring me to my knees.........
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