A brutal execution changed the world
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Editorial
WE LIVE IN an era where death by electrocution, gas chamber, hanging and
firing squad are considered cruel and unusual punishment by some people.
States that have used those methods of execution in the past have abandoned
them in favor of lethal injection.
But all of those rejected forms of execution are ones in which condemned
prisoners meet relatively quick deaths. If those are considered to be cruel,
then what would be an adequate word to describe crucifixion? That brutal
form of Roman execution brought a tortuous death that could linger for days.
Jesus Christ knew a painful death on a cross awaited him. He predicted in
Matthew 20:19 he would be mocked, flogged and crucified.
People who do not understand the significance of the death of Christ often
wonder what is good about Good Friday. They may ask what is good about the
day Jesus was killed.
Christ's own words in Matthew 20:28 give the answer:
"... the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his
life as a ransom to many." (New International Version)
John, one of Jesus' 12 disciples and a witness to the crucifixion, later
wrote "...(God) loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our
sins." (1 John 4:10, NIV)
The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 5:7 that Jesus was the Passover Lamb
that was sacrificed, and he wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that God made Jesus
a sin offering so we might become the righteousness of God.
When John the Baptist first saw Jesus, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who
takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29, NIV)
When Jesus and his disciples returned to Jerusalem, he knew death awaited
him, and he knew the type of death it would be. But he willingly offered
himself as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind.
Crucifixion was one of the most brutal forms of capital punishment in
history. And one particular execution on a cross - that of a Passover Lamb -
changed the world.
On the Internet: For reading and researching the Bible in a variety of
languages and translations, go to: BibleGateway.
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Source : Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Editorial
http://www.lubbocko
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