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71. The Splinters 02.17.20

I’ve seen this picture floating around and different text has been shared with it. I have something on my heart to add. Many of us know the history of the crucifixion. Many of us know that Jesus was 33. Jesus was to be nailed to the cross by His hands & feet. We know that each nail was 6-8 inches long and that they were driven into His wrists tearing and breaking the tendon which forced Jesus to use his back muscles to support himself. We know that both feet were nailed together forcing Him to support Himself on the single nail that impaled His feet to the cross. Jesus could not support Himself with His legs because of the pain, so He was forced to alternate between arching His back then using His legs just to continue to breathe. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering, the courage.
In reality we can’t imagine this level of pain. We are in awe of the savior because of the selfless sacrificial lamb that He was for US. For all humanity. Yet his words were “Forgive them for they know not what they do.”
I’m not asking you to imagine a pain of a crucifixion that’s indescribable but let’s think of it from this perspective. Have you ever had a splinter? Have you ever had one that you couldn’t get out? One you had to dig for and get tweezers for, or perhaps use a small knife to help you get it all out? Do you remember the pain that one tiny splinter caused you?
I would imagine that there wasn’t a Lowe’s or Home Depot around that sold treated wood. I can imagine that the wood that the cross was made of was not smooth like the 2x4’s you see today. I’m guessing that this wood that the cross was made of was rough, was splintered. I imagine that the skin on the back of His arms and legs, that the skin covering His entire back was affected by the splinters from this wood. Every movement to balance himself would leave different areas of his skin scraping the splintered wood constantly.
I know that we can’t understand the unimaginable pain of crucifixion. Can we try then to understand the pain that one splinter causes us, and magnifying that to the extent of having it affect our entire body? We cry with one splinter. Now we live from one cross.
That pain was endured for you. You’re worth it. It was endured not so you can read a bible and sing a few hymns on a Sunday morning. It was endured so you could have an intimate relationship with the Lord. A relationship where it’s not this far away God of the heavens that you pray to hoping he will grant your wishes like a genie. It’s for a God that you can connect with on a daily basis through the gift of the Holy Spirit. It’s not for religion, it’s for relationship.


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