We were on Jesus’ mind when he was on the cross. Here we are called to look upon the one we pierced. What is your attitude to the suffering of Jesus? Those who put Jesus on the cross had one thing in common, bitterness in their heart. Mary had bitterness of heart when she saw what was being done to her son. John saw his beloved Master and realized what was happening was a crime. If there was ever a wrongful death, Jesus’ death was. We should have been there with our sins. When we consider the cross and don’t have a sense of bitterness about what Jesus had to go through, we are in the position of needing to pray for forgiveness. It was sin that crucified Jesus but not just any sin in general. It was my sin. It was your sin. Remember the bitterness you should have.
Zechariah 12: 10And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
When we think about who killed Jesus, it’s easy to say the Sanhedrin did it. It’s easy to say Pilate did it. It’s easy to say the High Priest did it. Peter shouldn’t have denied him. Judas shouldn’t have betrayed him. However, what about the things I do, the things you do? When we sin, we do worse than they. Jesus bore the sins of all mankind, past, present and future. Tomorrow, next week, next month, next year will hold failures for us. We’ve never been able to do anything about that in ourselves. It took someone to be human to bear the sins. At the same time, it took God Almighty. We have both in Jesus Christ. He willingly allowed himself to be pierced by our sins. From the rulers and leaders to the common people who cried “crucify him” we find blame, but we must also put blame on Adam and Eve. We must put blame on ourselves. When we look at Calvary, we must remember with great remorse. We must look at it with bitterness. It was our sins too. We had a part in Jesus being nailed to the cross because of our own sins.
Then we realize we committed the crime of Calvary. Jesus was guilty of being good, of being the Son of God. He wasn’t the criminal. Sin is a crime to God, and that put him there. Since we all sin, we all put him there. Instead of judgment toward us, Jesus showed forth salvation and grace. When I look at Jesus in his suffering, I can’t help but see unrelenting love and mercy beyond measure. I see hope for heaven that I couldn’t have without Calvary. Before I can point a finger at anyone else, I must look at myself. I helped kill Jesus. Are you willing to admit that? We can only have bitterness for our part, and we should have love for him. I won’t escape hell because I’m a preacher or a Free Will Baptist. I realized the error of my ways. I saw the bitterness of my sin and realized I couldn’t save myself. I hate that Jesus went through what he did.
Man’s attitude toward the cross is casual sadness. Others don’t care at all. Hypocrites pretend to care about the suffering but care only for themselves. None of us are above sin. Never condone your sin or put off dealing with it. Those sins pierced Jesus. He didn’t have to do this, but because he loved us he endured the cross. We’d all be in hell or close to it without Jesus. The flesh can drag us down. We ought to be in bitterness about our failures. Take inventory of your soul. Keep your sins confessed. Claim the mercy and grace of God. Let there be bitterness when we see the cross. It helps us see the how precious forgiveness is. Show God you mean it by your obedience to the Savior.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 