Bob says it often - that we should try to sanitize the scripture - and yet we do, in our readings, and interpretation of events. But how about in the realism of Christ, upon His shoulders, taking all our sin, and God's wrath/anger.
If you read through the Old Testament - you're barraged by the rules and laws that God setup for His people to follow. A friend of mine recently asked - "What in the world with all the laws . . . " and the reality is that the punishment for breaking the laws and rules was severe - and oftentimes deadly.
And to redeem us - Christ took the pain, and the wrath, and God's anger, in order that when He sees us - He sees Christ - and His righteousness.
I grew up Catholic . . . they're big with crucifixes in the Catholic church - you'll be hard pressed to find a cross that doesn't still have Christ on it - and yet it was in His resurrection that our ultimate hope lies. These crucifixes, however, always portray Christ as simply hanging on the cross - looking fairly healthy . . . not smiling - but certainly not "in pain."
We've got a cross that hangs above our stage . . . i think it weighs about 400 pounds. It's heavy. When we have to hang it, or take it down and move it - it takes a couple of us just to move it - and yet, it's life-size, and probably similar to the one Christ hung on and carried after being beaten within an inch of his life. I'm a pretty big guy - fairly strong, and it takes a couple of us to move it from one side of the stage to the other.
I wonder what it takes for us to really wrap our minds around the horror, agony, and pain of that day . . .
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