“…for the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame.”
— Hebrews 12:2

In the days of Jesus, no symbol was more feared than the cross. It was not a heroic death or an honorable one—it was torture. Rome reserved crucifixion for slaves, criminals of the lowest status, and those society deemed unworthy of dignity. If a free man was ever condemned to die this way, he was first stripped of honor, beaten, and treated as a slave, so that Rome could justify such a degrading execution.

And yet—the eternal Son of God chose this path.

The One through whom the universe came into being, the One for whom all creation exists (Colossians 1:15–16), allowed Himself to hang upon wood crafted by the hands of sinners He Himself created. The pure, holy, sinless Christ suffered a death reserved for the despised. How could such majesty endure such shame?

Because the cross was not an accident.

Jesus spoke of His coming suffering long before the nails pierced His body (see Luke 18:31–33). He knew the cost. He knew the hour. And still He said, “Shall I ask the Father to save Me from this hour? No. It is for this very purpose I have come” (see John 12:27). From Bethlehem to Calvary, His mission was clear: He came to die.

But the question remains—Why?

The apostles gave us the answer plainly. Paul declared, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). Peter affirmed, “Christ suffered for sins once for all—the righteous for the unrighteous—to bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

This is the heart of it all:

Jesus died because of our sin.

Jesus died in our place.

Jesus died to bring us back to God.

The spotless Lamb endured the wrath we deserved. Where we were guilty, He stood innocent. Where we should have been condemned, He stepped forward and took the sentence Himself. The cross is not merely a symbol of pain—it is the evidence of God’s love, stretched wide between two beams.

He bore judgment so we could receive mercy.
He was abandoned so we could be adopted.
He died so that we might live.

This is why the cross stands at the center of our faith—because it is the place where love paid the price.

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