His Cross Our HopeSample

“She has bugs in her hair, and she smells funny,” I pointed out to my friends. We were in the sixth grade, and I was the mean girl. I’m not at all proud of this B.C. (Before Christ) moment. I puffed myself up to look like the leader, and I did it at this poor girl’s expense. I humiliated her in front of others and had no shame in doing it. We humans can be so cruel.

Just like the soldiers were with Jesus. Prideful, arrogant, mean, and ignorant. Little did they know they were mocking their Creator. The One Who knit them together in their mother’s womb. They ridiculed Him with insults, beatings, and mockery, not having any clue that He would be the One to scorn death.

They didn’t even know. They didn’t even see.

And yet, Jesus took it all. He took their abuse and their slurs. He took their blows and their insults. He took their sin. With each offense uttered and spat, Jesus inhaled it all. And He carried it to the cross.

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” (Luke 23:34, NIV). His final thoughts were about them. About us. All of us.

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8, NIV)

This is the ridicule and shame we were supposed to receive, but instead, Jesus took it on Himself. It’s free for us, but it cost God everything.

You don’t have to take the beating anymore. He’s done it for you.

Praise Him today.

~Kimi Miller

Blogger, speaker, and co-host of the Faith Over Fear podcast