Imagine yourself.Only it's not you, as you are now. It's you, living in the age of the Roman Empire. It's you, but you're filthy. You're dirty, and dressed in rags. It's you, sweating and panting. It's you, chained to a rock, about to be flogged and scourged.A Roman stands before you and barks out an order for the lashing to begin, when suddenly, time stops.Someone kicked dirt at you, but the dirt is frozen in mid-air. The crowd gathered to watch you suffer is frozen in it's madness. The lash, about to hit you, isn't moving. Everything stops, except for one figure. He's dressed as you are, in rags, but you know who he is."Go, you are forgiven for your sins" He says, and the next thing you know, he's unchained you, and taken your place. You fall back into the crowd, and time resumes. Blood flies through the air, as Jesus takes the punishment for your sins.That blood should have been your blood.Jesus never sinned, but there he is, taking your pain from you.The whippings continue, and the flesh and blood are thick in the air. Finally, they've had enough. The ground is matted with blood that shouldn't have been from an Innocent's. But it is, and that's the truth of the matter.
The next day, you're back where you belong. The punishment of sin is death. People have gathered and formed a pathway for you to walk. A large wooden cross is lifted and placed on your back. You grunt, the cross weighs more than you do. The crown of thorns on your head has cut through your scalp in several places, and the crowd throws rocks and sand at you.A Roman whips you with a lash from behind and you fall, devoid of strength.Time stops again. And Jesus steps forward out of the crowd, once again. Taking your cross, your sin, your shame. He takes your crown and you find yourself in the crowd, without bruise again. Jesus is spat upon, kicked, whipped, cut, bruised from flying stones. And all this time, it was your sin that he takes it for. The rags on his frame are red as wine from the blood that should have been yours. What person do you know would take your shame, your cross, your pain from you? Jesus lived a life without sin. He didn't deserve to die, but he chose to. He chose to take your sins, and mine, and everyone's sins onto him. So that you wouldn't have to go through an eternity of Hell.
I just wanted you to think about that.
note: taken from the livejournal of mattie
