Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. And they tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man would take. Now it was the third hour when they crucified Him. The inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” And they crucified two rebels with Him, one on His right and one on His left.

What are some ways you prioritize your image? Some of us manicure our outward appearances to be better accepted by the community around us. Some of us spend time with important people to build a name for ourselves. Some of us are careful in our behavior, never to mess up or seem weak around other people. Many of us will go to great lengths to preserve our image to others.

This picture of Jesus beaten and wounded on the cross is not one of self-preservation. Although He is the Son of God, He did not hold back from appearing weak, hurt, and helpless. He fully took on the pain. With our default of self-preservation, it is incredible to think of someone with such a high status taking such a low place of pain, weakness, and being numbered among criminals. This is what sets Jesus apart from other religious figures. Where many other religions give us ideas about how to get to God, Christianity shares with us that God came to be with us and take on our brokenness firsthand. When we remember the gravity of what Jesus endured, we see more clearly His love for us. Even as the King of kings, He took on humiliation, pain, and death so we could be made right with God. He took on the completeness of sin and suffering so that anyone who believes in Him can experience new life in God. This is the good news we get to share as we approach Easter. Jesus endured so that we may live. Hold onto this hope and share it today!

• What are some of the things Jesus endured on your behalf? How has His sacrifice impacted your life?
• Who in your life is going through a tough time that needs to hear that God came to the world and suffered so they could have life with Him?
• Pray for someone who needs this hope of Christ today.