Greatest injustice the world has witnessed

Gwen Herat

Was the crucifying the Lord upon a cross to redeem His people from sin. He paid the price with His innocent blood but we Christians still hurt Him and continue to do so until the coming of the Messiah.

Today is the heart-rendering, emotional day in the Christian calendar. True enough; we go to church and repent, but the next day. We are back at it again risking against the preaching of the Lord. We as Christians, should hang our heads in shame and sorrow for not pausing long enough to understand the deep meaning of the Lord's sacrifice. Repentance is inadequate, but abiding the Christian values is what the Lord expects. It is difficult for man however much he tries, to rise up to the occasion. Sin sits hard and long upon all of us and we are led to temptation.

Why did the people of His time reject the Messiah?

Despite the overwhelming in support of Jesus Christ's identity as the Messiah, they did not believe Him. Perhaps because of the common belief among the Jews in His time was that the Messiah would appear and deliver from the oppressive Romans and restore the earthly kingdom of Israel. But the Christ's message was simple.

His mission was to liberate believers from sin. Jesus Christ stood in contrast to such false Messiahs. Instead He taught that His kingdom was not in this world. He was rejected when people found it difficult to understand him but for John the Baptist, when he heard of his miraculous evidence though he was the son of God. Yet, when he was imprisoned, he sent his disciples to ask the Lord whether he was the 'Coming One' Jesus Christ's apostles found it difficult that he would be sacrificed and then resurrected. The Lord explained that he had to die and suffer while Peter questioned Him whether he could fit into the role of Messiah.

On entering Jerusalem shortly before the Passover, Jesus Christ was welcomed by Christian crowds hailing Him as King. The situation changed quickly and within weeks, He was arrested and put to death upon the cross.

God's prophesy had to come true.

Let us turn to the Holy Bible that records his death upon the cross.

Jesus is taken to Pilate

Early in the morning all the chief priests and the elders made plans against Jesus to put him to death. They put Him in chains, led him off and handed him over to Pilate, the Roman Governor... Jesus stood before the Roman Governor who questioned him. 'Are you the King of the Jews'? He asked. 'So you say' Jesus answered but he said nothing in response to the accusations of the chief priests and elders. So Pilate said to him. 'Don't you hear all these things they accuse of'? But Jesus refused to answer a single word, with the result that the Governor was greatly surprised.

Death of Judas

When Judas the traitor, learned that Jesus had been condemned, he repented and took the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders. 'I have sinned by betraying an innocent man to death', he said. What do we care about that' they answered. 'That is your business'. Judas threw the coins down in the temple; then he left and hanged himself.

The chief priest picked up the coins and said. 'This is blood money and it is against our Law to put it in the Temple treasury'. After reaching an agreement about it, they used the money to buy Potter's Field as cemetery for foreigners. That is why the place is called the Field of Blood.

Jesus is sentenced to death

At every Passover Festival the Roman Governor was in the habit of setting free one prisoner the crowd ask for. At that time there was a well-known prisoner called Jesus Barabbas. So when the crowd gathered, Pilate asked them 'Which one do you want me to set free for you. Jesus Barabbas or Jesus called the Messiah. He knew very well that the Jewish authorities had handed over Jesus to him because they were jealous.

While Pilate was sitting in the judgment hall, his wife sent him a message, 'Have nothing to do with that innocent man, because in a dream last night I suffered much on account of him'.

The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask Pilate to set Barabbas free and have Jesus put to death but Pilate asked the crowd 'which one of these two do you want me to set free?

'Barabbas' they answered

'What then shall I do with Jesus called the Messiah'? Pilate asked them.

'Crucify him' they all answered. But Pilate asked 'What crime has he committed? Then they started shouting at the top of their voices. When Pilate saw that it was no use going on and that a riot might break out, he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd and said 'I am not responsible for the death of this man. This is your doing'. Then the whole crowd answered.

'Let the responsibility for his death fall on us and on our children.' Then Pilate set Barabbas free for them and after he had Jesus whipped, he handed him over to be crucified...

Jesus is crucified

As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene named Simon, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus's cross. They came to a place called Golgotha which means The Place of the Skull. There offered Jesus wine mixed with a bitter substance but after tasting it, he would not drink it. They crucified him and then divided his clothes among them by throwing dice. After that, they sat there and watched him. Above his head they put the written notice of the accusation against him. 'This is Jesus, the King of the Jews', then they crucified two bandits with jesus, one on his right and the other on his left.

People passing by shook their heads and hurled insults at Jesus, 'You were going to tear down the Temple and build it up again in three days time. Save yourself if you are God's Son. Come on down from the cross'.

The Death of Jesus

At mid-day the whole country was covered in darkness which lasted three hours. At about three o'clock Jesus cried out loud 'Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani' which means 'My God, my God why did you abandon me'? Some of the people standing there heard him and said, He is calling for the Elijah. One of them ran up at once, took a sponge soaked in cheap wine, put it on end of a stick and tried to make him drink. But the others said 'Wait let us see if the Elijah is coming to save him.

Jesus again gave a loud cry and breathed his last.

Then the curtain hanging in the temple was torn into two parts from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split apart. The graves broke open and many of God's people who had died, were raised to life. They left the graves and after Jesus rose from death, they went into the Holy City where many people saw them.'

'Matthew, Chapter 27