Requested by Phoebe, sung by Johnny Cash–a traditional gospel hymn, Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?
These images (from Jesus of Nazareth, I believe) are strong medicine, and hard to bear. Crucifixion was an ugly way to die. I have to fight a need to avert my eyes. But this was the atonement for all the sins of all the world–for our sins–with the penalty paid by God Himself in the person of His beloved Son. Paid for all time. This is the very core of our Christian faith.
Thank you, Lee. It’s a heartbreaking hymn, but our hearts should probably break a lot more for our sins than they do — and burst with grateful joy that Christ died to wipe away our guilt for all those sins.
God grant that we shall always find it heartbreaking!
Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
SING ALONG!
This is hard to think about, and as if this were not enough, think of the agony He suffered in the Garden before the crucifixion. The sinless, pure and perfect man having the sins of all the world placed on Him in fulfillment of the Leviticus 16 scapegoat offering. No wonder He was sweating profusely and begging the Father to take the thing from Him, but then submitting to Father’s will. Thinking about this brings tears to my eyes every time. He had to fulfill everything written in the Tanakh, and He did so perfectly.