The Crucifixion

So, I wrote this 2 years ago about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Surprisingly, it isn't terrible writing and I just decided to post it up on the old blog instead of letting it waste away on Facebook. Don't judge 17-year-old Linley's writing. And here's the death of our Lord put in my terms. 

"'What should I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?' Pilate asked. They answered, 'Crucify him!' 'Why? What crime has he committed?' But they shouted all the louder 'Crucify him!'." This, from Matthew 27:22-23, obviously, is when Pilate and Jesus are before the masses. The masses heard about Jesus and all he promised. His promises to them (and us) were like promising me a giant Reeses cup, one that never ended and was always tasty, and then me going, "NO! GO DIE!!". Pilate, poor dude, doesn't know what the heck to do with Jesus: a reaction Jesus probably got quite a bit. The teachers of the law and the religious leaders had bewitched them [the massive crowd in Jerusalem] into thinking that Jesus was just an impostor. So, as we all know, when Jesus is put onto the stand, the crowds want him gone. Pilate just can't ignore them; they're his people and he is obligated to heed to them. So, he agrees to kill Jesus. When I really think about it, I can't help but sort of feel bad for Pilate. He was stuck between THE rock and a bunch of blood thisty citizens. He chose the one that was less catastrophic for him, which is common human nature. Save yourself; if this guy is who he says he is, then he can save himself, right? Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that, buddy. Let us continue... 

"They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head...They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to be crucified." Matthew 27: 28-31. What Matthew fails to mention is the terrible whipping that they did to Jesus, so much so that he was unrecognizable and that his insides were on the outside. Later, when He was on he cross, people walked by and continued to make fun of him, like mean kids on the playground. He was crucified between two criminals, which is further shame. Okay, confession time for me. If these jerks were doing this to me, I would've sprung into action mode, kicking and screaming and yelling and punching those stupid guards right in their already ugly faces. But this is yet another reason why God did not choose me to be his ultimate sacrifice. Can you even imagine what Jesus was feeling and thinking right now? I don't know that I want to know. And He did this willingly, for me. For you. For everyone on this messed up planet. Imagine the most annoying person at school or work. Jesus died for them. Imagine Hitler. Jesus died for him. Imagine the Taliban. Jesus died for them. That thought is so crazy for me that I can't grasp it. But we are told that nothing compares to the love of God and the crucifixion is the prime example of this. On with the story... 

"From the sixth hour until the ninth hour, darkness came over the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' which mens 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" Matthew 27:45-46. Okay, the ADD part of me was like "He was calling for a South American animal (ei "lama" which made me think of "llama")?" but then I sobered up and was like "Wow, I'm stupid". Anyway. How many of us have ever cried that? (The whole why-have-you-forsaken me, not the llama/lama part). Or something like that? I'm sure we had a good reason, but imagine how pathetic we sound compared to what Jesus was going through. He was NAILED to rough wood, bleeding, suffocating, dying a horrible death and we're freaking out because, what? We got a bad grade on a test? Our life isn't picture perfect? Newsflash: our lives will never be perfect. Yes, God wants us to cry out to him. I have used that priviledge so many times it's ridiculous. I've laid on my bed, crying my eyes out because I'm stressed about something. Jesus had the weight of the world on his shoulders and I have the weight of geometry. But Jesus had so many motives for going up on that cross. Yeah, to save us all was definitely one of them. But also, I think, to show that it was okay to cry out to God; that He'll listen, no matter how stupid our problems may seem. Okay, here comes one of my favorite parts of the story. Here goes... 

"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life...When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and exclaimed 'Surely he was the Son of God!'" Matthew 27:50-54. I LOVE that part of the story. So, here's my interpretation of the guards. They see this massive curtain rip in half, completely and totally. An earthquake shakes everyone and rocks literally split. Holy people lived again, almost as a foreshadowing for Jesus. And they freaked out. Like, "oh, crap, we just killed the Son of the living God". I mean, how do you respond to that? "Whoops!"? Yeah. I kind of wish I could go back and smack them all on the forehead and go "Duh, you idiots! He wasn't lying!". The guards' reactions still crack me up, which I find ironic, seeing as Jesus just, you know, DIED. What, were the other miracles not enough for ya, buddy? But I think I know why I ridicule the guards so much. Because I might have been feeling the same way. I don't know if I would've believed Jesus right off the bat. I'd like to say I would, but I'm not so sure. Though it's funny to say ''Wow, those guards were stupid", it's kind of a wake up call. Like, wake up, buttercup! Would you have believed Jesus? Maybe, maybe not. That's up for you to decide.


Jesus died. For us. Because we needed it. And, to put it bluntly, if Jesus didn't go through all this stuff, we'd be going to hell. But God was not going to let His people be punished without having a chance to try to be redeemed. Christ was the redemption.