As I sat and thought about what Christ has done for me, it came to my mind what the cross must have been like from His view. We always think of the cross from our vantage point. We see God’s only Son, Jesus, dying on a cruel cross for our sins. It’s a hideous sight to us as we think upon all He went through to purchase our redemption. He was beaten to the point He was not recognizable. He was stripped of His clothing and bore the shame of being naked before all who were present. He was taunted by the unbelievers who challenged Him to free Himself. These are the things we see, but have you ever wondered what the view was for Jesus?
After the soldiers nailed Him to the cross, they begin casting lots or rather gambling for the garments that had been placed on Him. His death was a popular one and they wanted the clothes from this popular crucifixion. It was customary to crucify the criminal naked. His clothing was then the property of the executioners. John 19:23 tells us that they divided them into four parts. That would give every soldier an item of clothing, but His coat would have been more valuable, and they would have gambled for his coat. He viewed the ones He was dying for trying to gain materially from His death.
Matthew 27:35 “And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.”
He watched those who walked by mocking Him. They laughed as they challenged Him to free Himself from the cross. Those He had tried to reach while living among them, saw nothing but a criminal, and someone who said things that made no sense to them. They were willingly blind to who He was, just as millions are still willingly blind to the truth of the Savior.
Matthew 27:39-40 “And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and builds it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
He saw the thieves on the crosses on either side of Him Both of them were dying because of the sin they committed. One mocked Him, while one believed in Him. He experienced rejection and victory at the same time.
Luke 23:39-43 “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou come into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
Jesus saw His mother as she watched her son dying as an innocent man. As a mom, I can’t imagine watching one of my sons die, much less dying for others as an innocent man. The agony Jesus must have felt would have been unbelievable as He watched his grief-stricken mother crying for her son. He enlisted the disciple John to take care of her after His death.
John 19:25-26 “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”
These views Jesus had from the cross brought great pain to Jesus, but none as great as the view of His Father turning His back on Him. God the Father could not look upon Him because our sin was poured out on Jesus. Because God is holy, God cannot look upon sin. This is the only time in history past, present, or future, that God the Father and God the Son would be separated. This horrible picture of suffering is awful when you view it from the cross, but from our point of view, it is the beautiful fulling of redemption.
Matthew 27:46 “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
I am so blessed and thankful Jesus’ view from the cross did not keep Him from fulfilling His mission of redemption.
