But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds.
We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the LORD has punished Him for the iniquity of us all.     Isaiah 53:3-6 HCSB

Both Lee Strobel’s book, The Case for Christ, and the movie, the Passion gives us a very vivid understanding of the death Jesus suffered. He was flogged. This is a severe beating that ripped the skin. Many didn’t survive the floggings to make it to the cross to be crucified. He was mocked, He was humiliated, and He was crucified on the cross.

We know that He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and asked God if it were possible to remove this cup from Him. He asked God if there was any way He could avoid being crucified to let that happen but agreed that God’s will not His will be done.

From the beginning of creation, sin has brought forth a need for sacrifice. There must be bloodshed. In the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, they realized they were naked. They had covered themselves in leaves, but God made clothing out of animal skins and clothed them (Genesis 3:21). This was the first sin and the first sacrifice.

As we continued through the Old Testament, we see that people were instructed to bring animals for sacrifice for their sins.

Our sins or our iniquities as the Scripture says are the reason Jesus had to die on the cross. Romans 3:23 tells us that all sin and fall short of the glory of God. None of us human beings can live life without sin. This means there must be a sacrifice.

When Jesus died on the cross, He became the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He gave His life so that we may be set free from the bondage of sin. He paid the ultimate ransom for our souls.

His death not only set us free from sin but the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom. There was no longer a need for a high priest to go in and make a sacrifice to atone for our sins. Jesus became our direct link to God. This is why we pray in Jesus’ name. He is our intercessor.

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.”

Jesus had to die for our sins. He had to provide the ultimate sacrifice. He presented Himself for us. He paid the price that we owed.

Today, we celebrate Good Friday. This was a day that Jesus would like to have been able to avoid. He, being fully God could have called a legion of angels down to rescue Him. But being fully man He suffered for you and me. He felt the pain of the flogging. He felt those nails being driven into his feet and hands. Isaiah 53:7 says, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, He did not open His mouth.”

The blood Jesus shed on the cross has the ability to wash our sins away if we will only accept this great gift that He freely offered. He can cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we are only willing to confess our sins to Him and accept Him as our Savior.

I spent many years of my life not understanding how desperately I needed Him. I pray that you understand that we all need Jesus. We need Him as our Savior. We need to surrender our lives to Him. We need to do our best to be imitators of Him.

Have a great day!