The Lessons of Calvary

^‘Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us” (Luke 23:39). 

The period that Christ hung on the cross was the moment of His greatest trauma both physically and spiritually. As He hung on the cross He said, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani’ which in Aramaic means my God my God why have thou forsaken me (Mat 27:46, Mark 15:34). This reveals how deeply He felt His separation from God as He bore the sins of the whole world.  Physically, He had travelled a long journey to the site of His crucifixion, carrying the cross which weighed between 30 to 40 pounds, not forgetting the effects of the floggings He had received from the Roman soldiers. As He hung on the cross, He suffered from bleeding due to His wounds and He also suffocated because of His body posture. Due to His body posture He struggled to exhale, even though inhaling was relatively easier.

The focus of today’s study is the character that Christ exhibited on the cross in the midst of the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual torture. In our spiritual warfare, our flesh is one of the main weapons the devil uses against us. In the case of Christ, Satan made sure that at that crucial hour, whatever blows or jabs he gave Jesus on the cross were the best and most effective ones he could ever give Him, in order to tempt Him to give up on His mission of dying to save the world. However, Jesus displayed tremendous strength in the form of love, self control, focus and a passion for souls among other virtues in this moment of His greatest pain. Below are some important lessons that can be learnt from Christ’s character on the cross:

         “One of the criminals who was hung there hurled insults at Him”, the chief priest, the scribes and the soldiers also mocked Him (Luke 23:35-39). But there is no record of Christ answering back in any of the four Gospel accounts. Here Jesus exhibited great self control and focus. His heart and mind were fixed on heaven and the billions of souls to be saved, not forgetting the glory that was awaiting Him. Heb 12:2 says, He endured the cross and despised the shame, (Prov 19:11).

         The criminal went on to say “Aren’t you Christ save yourself and us”. There again Christ passed the test. He exhibited great self-worth. The lesson here is, be confident of who God has made you. There is no need to prove who you are, your capabilities and status to others, against the will of God. Don’t measure your self-worth by your net worth. Remember, the praise of men will not last but the praise of God will last forever. Those who lead many to Christ shall shine like stars forever in heaven (Dan 12:3). 

         Also, Christ could have indeed saved Himself, but He rather choose to die to save the world, what a display of love and selflessness, He was indeed dead to self. ‘Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others (Phil 2:4).

         In the forty third verse, Jesus told one of criminals that, “today you will be with me in paradise”. His words here reveal that He cared about the salvation of that precious soul. He was winning souls in that period of great torment. That was a great sign of compassion for the lost.

         On the cross Jesus also said ‘woman here is your son and to the disciple ‘here is your mother, from that time on the disciple took her into her home’ (John 19:26). Here Jesus was building relationships, underling the importance of relationships.

         Lastly, Jesus prayed.  Instead of focusing on the physical abuse and trauma; He was communicating with the father, when He said ‘…Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34). He also prayed saying, ‘why have thou forsaken me’. His last words were also words of prayer; father,into Your hands I commit My spirit’. (Luke 23:46). Isn’t it interesting to note that the last thing Christ did on the cross was prayer?

The lessons above clearly prove that Christ’s had a character test on the cross, and His love, discipline and wisdom were displayed in making the right choices. God’s strength is wrapped up in His wisdom. Jesus passed the character test both after fasting for forty days and nights, and at Calvary, are you passing yours? Without that your spiritual maturity is in question.