The Cost of Freedom

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

THE COST OF FREEDOM

 John 19:16-24

16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 Here they crucified him, and with him two others — one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews." 22 Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written." 23 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 which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did.

NIV

We have come to the moment in this gospel when a very disturbing, yet glorious event occurs. Why did Jesus have to undergo such a horrible way to suffer and die for our salvation? Why did He have to secure our salvation by being crucified? We know all the answers according to scripture. We know there is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood. God taught the Israelites that whole sacrificial system while they were in the wilderness. He had already secured their freedom from slavery in Egypt and was taking them to the Promised Land, which he had promised to Abraham and his descendants. In a sense, he was showing them their salvation cost them something, but more importantly, He had demonstrated the method they could have their sins atoned for and forgiven through the offering of sacrifices, the shedding of blood. This was not just taking some blood from the animal, this was shedding blood, taking the life out of the animal. This was what Jesus was to do for us on the cross. He gave his life, he shed his blood, so we could have forgiveness, once and for all, for all our sins. Still, it appears for our sake, the gospel writers leave out the horrible gory details of His pain and suffering. Some of them give more details about the event and of the words Jesus spoke from the cross, but none of them portray the real gravity of the situation. Jesus is nailed, not just tied to a cross, just to think of these large spikes being driven through his hands and feet makes us shudder. The excruciating pain of that alone is horrible, but then be hung naked, humiliated before all people, on a cross having to bear his weight, which also causes it nearly impossible to breathe. This is the method of death, suffocation, which crucifixion inflicts. It is a slow and agonizing way to die, it might take a couple of days for the end to come. This is why the Jews wanted the legs broken so no one would be on a cross during the Passover, especially Jesus, so they could remain clean. What a joke, what hypocrisy. Nevertheless, Jesus did this for us, so we could have forgiven of our sins. It is good to remind ourselves of just how this happened, how much it cost, how much God did for us because no matter how much we do, we cannot do what God did for us. We cannot live a good enough, we cannot do anything, as his death on the cross, his shedding of blood is a free gift for us. That alone should cause us to consider how we live, or in what manner we live. So often we search out the commands and try to live according to what we interpret as things we are not supposed to do and things we are supposed to do. But it is the cross, the death of Jesus, the shedding of his blood that brings us from the dominion of darkness into His light. Although we have such celebration because we serve a living Savior, because he did not stay in the grave, because he conquered death for us, giving us eternal life, it was the cross which won the victory of our sin, which caused the forgiveness of our sin. How could we possibly live free, if we were still burdened with the cost of our sin? Jesus set us free and we are free indeed. Let us never forget what that freedom cost.