The Cruel Cross

Jesus  is  led  away  from  the  governor’s  palace. 

They usher  Him roughly through the streets of Jerusalem and to the place of the skull. 

It is now 8.30 in the morning.   Men and women are setting up their market stalls.  Children are hurried off to school. 

Seeing  a  procession  coming  down  the  street,  one  bystander  asks, ‘What is this?’ 

‘I don’t know’, answers another.  ‘A prisoner on the way to crucifixion I guess.’ 

‘Look….. Look…..  It’s Jesus’, cries a woman. 

‘Oh no.   They aren’t going to crucify Him are they?’ ‘Nooooooo.   Let Him go’, shrieks a young girl.   ‘He is our Saviour. He is the Messiah.’ 

‘Are you going to crucify the Messiah?’ a man demands of the soldiers. He is pushed aside. 

Women are crying.   Many begin to shout at the top of their voices, ‘Stop. Stop.’  

Others try to pull Jesus to them. 

Roman soldiers push the women to the side.   ‘Get out of the way.   Move! Move over.’ 

Struggling  under  the  weight  of  the  cross  beam,  Jesus  falls  to  the ground.   Roman soldiers try to force Him onto His feet, but it is impossible. 

Jesus has been weakened by His ordeal in Gethsemane.  The weight of the guilt of sin is crushing Him.   

He has been dragged from trial to trial, battered by the Jews and the Romans, and finally flogged with many stripes.  His back is bruised and bleeding.   His life force is wearing away. 

The soldiers look around for a man to carry the cross.   ‘All Jews.’  They spit out the words, ‘Jews won’t carry it.’  

What are they to do? 

‘There’s a man’, shouts one.  ‘He’s African. Get him.’ 

The soldiers pull Simon of Cyrene into the procession and place the beam on his back.  

Jesus struggles on behind. 

When they arrive at Calvary, the two thieves yell and scream as the soldiers place them on crosses. Jesus waits quietly. 

When the time comes for the Saviour to be crucified, He allows Himself to be stretched out on the cross.  

He says nothing. 

‘Bring the nails’, yells a soldier. 

He picks up a nail and places it on the hand of Jesus. Then he lifts the hammer and…

‘I can’t watch’, cries Summer, with tears streaming down her face. 

The children put their hands over their eyes and sob.    Oma’s eyes are wet with tears too. 

‘Oh it’s too awful’, grieves Jeannette. 

‘Jesus, I am sorry I have sinned’, cries Kevin. ‘I am sorry you had to suffer for me.’ 

‘Me too’, say the girls. 

After a few moments, Jeannette ventures to take a look at Calvary. The cross has been erected and Jesus is hanging upon it. 

‘Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing?’ 

‘Oh, did you hear that’, cries Jeannette.  ‘Jesus is praying for those who have crucified Him. Isn’t He wonderful.’ 

                                                   **************** 

It is 9.00 in the morning.  Many have gathered around the cross. 

The chief priests call out in mockery.  ‘Come down from the cross if you are the Son of God.’ 

‘Yes, He saved others’, yells another. 

‘He can’t save Himself’, 

Together they laugh, little realising they are fulfilling Scripture. 

The disciples stand at the foot of the cross bewildered. 

‘We thought He was the Messiah, but now He is on a cross.   How can He set up His kingdom if He is dead?’   

Their hearts are aching and their hopes crushed. 

Jesus’ mother has followed her Son all the way to Calvary.  She weeps openly. 

Some who have been healed stand mourning the loss of the great Healer. 

Angels are stationed around the cross, protecting their Commander from the presence of Lucifer and his angels. 

Over the head of Jesus is the charge in Hebrew, Greek and Latin.  

It says:  JESUS OF NAZARETH KING OF THE JEWS. 

The chief priests are angry. 

A delegation makes a special trip to Pilate.  ‘Change the sign’, they demand.   

‘Don’t put that He is the King of the Jews, but that He said He was King of the Jews.’ 

Pilate has no time for these wicked men. ‘Get out of here. What I have written, I have written.’ 

It is now midday. 

Jesus has been on the cross for three hours. 

His suffering is intense. 

                                                 *****************

In heaven, the angels continue watching their beloved Master.  

An angel happens to glance towards the light of the Father. ‘The light of God is moving’, he says to his friend. 

Others turn to see it and all the angels watch the light move slowly through the streets of the holy city and out the gates of pearl. 

‘The Father is going down to earth’, say the angels. 

‘We should have known He would go’, reasons another. 

‘Yes, He cannot bear to be separated from His Son.’ 

                                                  ***************** 

Suddenly everything turns black on Calvary. 

The sun is blotted out and the blackness of midnight covers the land. 

Panic grips the crowd. 

‘Was this the Messiah we put to death?’ ask many.  ‘Maybe it was.’ 

The place of execution is silent. The cursing stops. 

The angels protecting Jesus see the light of the Father approaching the cross. In the thick supernatural darkness, His presence cannot be seen by anyone else.   Not even Jesus can see it. The Father places Himself as close as possible to His beloved.    

At times a flash of lightning reveals the face of the Saviour. ‘What have we done?’ groans a man. 

He glances back at the cross just as lightning flashes.   The face of Jesus is seen shining with the glory of God. 

‘Ooooh’, he  gasps,   ‘He is  the Messiah.’ 

Guilt piercing his soul, he yells at the top of his voice.    ‘We crucified the Messiah.’ 

Fear grips the people. 

They dare not move in the darkness. Soon the clouds 

move away and the sun shines in its full strength. 

The crosses of the two thieves are visible.   

The centre cross, upon which hangs the Saviour, is covered in blackness. 

The last three hours pass slowly for Jesus.     

The sins of the world are crushing out His life. 

In a little while His heart will collapse under the strain. The Father is close to His Son, but He must remain silent. 

The loneliness and loss of His Father’s favour suddenly overwhelms Jesus and He cries out in mental agony, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ 

The words tear at the Father’s heart.    

He must endure the pain.  He cannot  whisper  loving  words  in  His  Son’s ear,  or  even  make  His presence known.   

He says nothing. 

As the last hour ticks away, Jesus becomes weaker and weaker.    

He has no sense of victory, although by faith He is confident that His sacrifice will save many men, women and children in the kingdom. 

The end is near. ‘Father, it is finished.  

Into Thy hands I commend My spirit.’ 

At the last moment before His final breath, God the Father removes the sense of loss from His Son. 

‘Son, you’ve won’, He whispers. 

Jesus’ head falls forward and He breathes His last.

The Son of God is dead. He has fulfilled the covenant with His Father – humanity will have a second chance. 

A brilliant light encircles the face of Jesus, shining with a glory like the sun. 

                                                      ****************                 

‘He is dead’, sobs Summer. 

‘Jesus is dead’, repeats Jeannette, tears streaming down her face. 

‘It’s all over’, groans Kevin. 

Suddenly Jeannette senses the presence of someone next to her.  

She turns her head. ‘Ooooh Meilon, you are here.’ 

Summer and Kevin look up. 

‘Meilon and Betil. You have come to us.’ 

The angels smile.  ‘Children, dry your tears.  We can now rejoice’, says Betil. 

‘Rejoice!’ gasps Summer. 

‘Jesus is dead’, exclaims Jeannette. ‘He hasn’t risen yet.’ 

Meilon states with great conviction. ‘Our Commander has gained the victory of sin, over the devil and over death.’ 

‘Yes’, adds Betil, ‘His suffering is over. He has finished His work.’ 

Together the angels joyfully proclaim, ‘And He will rise on the third day.’ 

It is all so wonderful, but the children find it hard to change from tears to joy in a moment. 

‘Rejoice children and Oma, rejoice’, encourage the angels. The children wipe the tears from their eyes. 

‘Come’, laughs Meilon, ‘we are going to the New Jerusalem.’ 

‘Oooooh.’ 

‘Goody’, says Kevin.  ‘I have missed heaven.’ 

The girls smile and say to the angels, ‘We missed you too.’ 

‘I know, but you were tested, and praise God you passed the test.   You put your faith into practise.   We were pleased with you, and the Father rejoiced.’ 

The children are now happy. 

‘We are all going to watch the resurrection of Jesus from the New Jerusalem’, states Betil. 

Together they wing their way through the Great Nebula of Orion, and to the holy city. 

When they arrive, Betil says, ‘Children, it is nearly Sabbath and Jesus is being buried in the tomb.   We have notified your parents that you will spend Sabbath with us.’ 

‘Oh goody’, responds Kevin. 

‘Let’s go to the grand hall to await the beginning of Sabbath’,  invites Meilon. 

Soon the hall is filled with happy angels.   Everyone is smiling. 

‘Happy Sabbath children’, greet many of the angels. ‘Sabbath blessings to you all.’ 

When everyone is seated and every voice is hushed, the light of the Father enters the grand hall. 

Immediately the sound of a silver trumpet rings through the air. Sabbath has begun. 

The angelic choir then sings a magnificent song. 

‘Oh, it’s wonderful’, marvels Summer.    She smiles at Jeannette, who nods in agreement. 

At the conclusion of the hymn of praise, the Father speaks. 

‘My dear angelic children.  Tonight we stand victorious over the rebellion of Lucifer, over sin and over death.   My Son Michael has gained the victory and we can rejoice that His suffering is over.  

When Sabbath has passed, My Son will be raised from the dead.   At present He is resting from His work of redemption for the human race. Salvation for men, women and children is a reality. 

My Son will briefly visit heaven after His resurrection, but it will be forty days before He can come home to stay. His heart is now on earth as well as in heaven and He needs to encourage His beloved disciples. 

After My Son has spent forty days with all believers in Jerusalem, Judea and Galilee, He will return to heaven, together with a special group of people who will be resurrected at the same time. 

These will be the trophies of His sacrifice, the firstfruits of the harvest to come.  We will have ten days of celebration when My Son will be anointed in preparation for His heavenly ministry as high priest of the Order of Melchisedec.  It will be a time of great rejoicing. 

On the tenth day, fifty days after His resurrection, He will pour out My Spirit upon the believers praying in the upper room.  It will be a sign to them that My Son is ready to begin His ministry in heaven on their behalf. And it will be a signal for them to go into the world to share the good news. 

You dear angels will then have a major part to play. You must speak to men, women and children all over the earth, telling them to seek salvation through God’s only begotten Son.   He alone can save them, not works, prayers, idols, only Yeshua-Jesus. 

It will not be easy.  Lucifer knows he only has a short time left before he is destroyed.  He will employ his evil angels around the world to lead men, women and children astray. 

Do not be discouraged. Do your part and souls will be saved.  Only a remnant in each generation will accept the good news, but that remnant will be a multitude of saved human beings in the kingdom.  If they die faithful they are safe.  They will rest in the grave until My Son raises them to eternal life when He returns.  

If they die lost, there is no more you can do.  Their fate is sealed and they will be destroyed with Lucifer and his angels. 

Remember that no one need be lost.    The sacrifice of My Son has covered every human being on earth.  The price paid for sin is complete.  Tell this to everyone who will listen.    There is no need to be lost.

Do your work faithfully.    Every person saved will be the reward for My Son’s suffering and they will serve Him as subjects of His kingdom on earth.  

My Son will reign on a renewed earth that has no suffering, no sin, no pain, no tears and no death.  This earth-made-new will be as heaven was before Lucifer’s rebellion. Your hearts will fully rejoice again, never to be saddened. 

My Son’s victory has placed a seal on the safety of the universe so that sin will never rise again.  Rejoice my children and sing.’ 

Immediately  the  angels  burst  into  rapturous  song,  filling  heaven’s arches with glorious harmony. 

                                                    ****************

‘Oh, that was wonderful’, smiles Summer. 

‘I am so glad we could be there’, adds Jeannette. 

Kevin agrees.  ‘It was the best worship service I have ever been to.’ 

‘Children’, says Betil, ‘you will stay with Meilon for your sleep.  He will wake you in time for morning worship.’ 

‘We will go to my mansion now’, says Meilon. 

Betil says goodbye.  ‘I will see you later Meilon, and children, farewell until the morning.  Bye.’