“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
Jesus is God, our savior, and best friend. He is perfect and all-powerful. At times it is difficult to comprehend what he endured to save us.
When Jesus dwelled on earth, he did so in the body of a man. He saw the world through the eyes of a man, and his heart held joys and sorrows as did those who shared his walk through life. He felt hunger and thirst, and the same physical pains and discomforts as any other man.
Jesus, as God, knew the pain and suffering he was destined to endure. He was overwhelmed with great distress and sorrow at his impending arrest, beating, and crucifixion. At the Garden of Gethsemane, he fell, face to the ground, and prayed for God, the father, to release him from his fate. Ultimately, he followed the will of God.
Upon arrest, Jesus was spit on, punched, and slapped. A crown of thorns was placed on his head. Pilate ordered him flogged. Nails were driven through his hands and feet as he was nailed to the cross and left hanging until death. Crucifixion causes unbearable pain. The shroud of Turin gives evidence of 125 lashes from a whip and multiple bleeding wounds including those caused by the crown of thorns.
Jesus gave himself as a sacrifice, enduring a horrifying death, to save us from our own sins that we may spend eternity in heaven with him. There is no greater love than the love of Jesus Christ for his children.
