Some thoughts on the crucifixion

As I was sitting in Bible Fellowship the other day (that's Sunday School for anyone older than 30), I was impressed with a couple of passages of scripture which just seemed to speak to me. Both Mark and Matthew make mention of something offered to Christ immediately prior to being nailed to the cross, while on the hill called Golgotha. Mark 15:23 reads "and they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.", and Matthew 27:34 reads "they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it."....and I wondered why.

After a bit of research, I learned that this mixture was used a sort of pain relief or sedative. The concept being that this at least for a short time eased the pain of the one who was to be crucified, and probably made it a bit easier for the soldiers to nail the person to the cross since they would be drugged. So Christ turned down this (albeit temporary) pain relief, which could have made the sacrifice a bit easier. So why?

There may well be several reasons, but I tend to believe that he had set his face towards the sacrifice to be made, and the fulfillment of the scriptures. Taking the pain relief would have meant more time on the cross so that the full cup of God's wrath against those for whom Christ died could be consumed by Christ. This would have had Christ on the cross and alive much closer to sundown, which would have increased the likelihood that they would have broken his legs (which would have violated the prophecy against none of his bones being broken (Psalms 34:20)).

Another facet of this was that he did not go to the cross to be saved from pain and suffering for our sins, but rather to pay for those sins through his suffering. He boldly faced each and every searing, throbbing pain for us. During one of those moments of pain, one of those agonies (if not more), was for my sins....the sins of Michael Morris. If the concept of substitutionary atonement were to be carried to its logical conclusion, the totality of the sins that I have and will commit throughout my life established the price he paid for me personally...as it did for every person who has or will believe on him.

Since all four gospels say that Christ died at the moment of his choosing by simply breathing his last and dying (Matthew 27:50, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46, and John 19:30) in support of John 10:18, and even Pilate is surprised that he is dead already(Mark 15:44) (which no doubt means that most victims treated in this manner lasted longer in his experience), we know that Christ suffered only as long as was necessary to pay the substitutionary price for the sins of all those who had and would believe on him.

His willingness to suffer and die without relief so that I could be free to spend eternity with God is a debt I will forever owe to my Lord and Savior, a debt of love that no service of mine however great will ever repay. I am continually humbled and amazed at his sacrifice for his sheep, of which I am one. Thank you Jesus....I love you so much...