They Crucified Him

Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

“Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,

“They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.”

So this is what the soldiers did.

John 19:17-24

How many times have you heard the song, “Jesus loves me.” It is sung to babies. It is sung to teenagers. It is sung to people in their nineties.

Our Lord tells us, He loves us, no matter our age or what we are doing.

God had the power to stop those who wanted to crown Jesus with thorns. God allowed them to mock Jesus, strike Him, strip Him, and crucify Him. By saying very little, He did it all for love’s sake to pay for our sins and to rescue us from punishment.

How much does God love us? Jesus spread out His arms and was nailed to the cross. He died for us, then rose again.

The truest measure of God’s love is that He loves without measure.

Our Daily Bread – March 2, 2014