Christ's Passion for Us

The Passion of Christ

We’ve probably all seen the Mel Gibson film that has so impacted a generation with the story of the cross. We have seen the truth, or as close as the film-makers art will allow, of just how horrific, scourging, flogging, and crucifixion really were. I was discussing the whole film sequence and the horrible cruelty practiced by man upon his fellow man, when a serious thought struck me.

What was Satan doing all the while this was going on? What was Jesus thinking while it was going on?

This is pretty imaginary of course, but I imagine Satan was gloating, jeering, mocking along with the Roman soldiers – to whom this was just another ritual execution. I cannot conceive of Jesus being joyful at the thought of doing His Fathers will, nor about the knowledge of what awaited Him when He returned to the Father. I can only feel, in line with Jesus cry from the cross, that He felt separated from His Father for the first time; that He felt abandoned to Satan’s evil devices; that the dreadful weight of the worlds sin was dragging Him down.

I cannot imagine the pain of separation. I cannot imagine the loneliness of abandonment. I cannot imagine the weight of the worlds sin, the stench, the rotten-ness, the feeling of being completely left with all that evil around Him. I cannot imagine how desperate He might have felt as He realised and experienced the full import of His Fathers request. Yes, request it was. Jesus chose to go through all of this for us, knowing Satan would be there in the utter depths of His suffering jeering and mocking, thinking he was about to win.

But then, neither can I imagine the joy of uttering those final words, “It is finished.” Oh how the angels must have rushed to His side at that moment, having had to watch the Darling of Heaven being crucified. I cannot imagine the joy and shout of triumph that went up from heaven as they watched Satan turn in utter dismay away from seeing defeat replacing much anticipated victory. Realising the import of the veil being torn from top to bottom as God finally made a way for us to approach Him directly. As resurrections took place just to confirm all his sudden fears.

Oh my, Satan must have been, and probably still is so angry. As much at his own stupidity as anything else. No wonder the whole event is called the passion of Christ because it took a God with great passion to plan it and a God with perhaps greater passion to see the plan through to victory.

Victory on a cross at Calvary. I stand in grateful awe and wonder of what Jesus did for me that day.