The Way of the Cross: Pain That Transforms Into Purposeنموونە

Day 2: The Weight of the Cross

The cross was meant to erase Jesus.

It wasn't just about execution. It was about humiliation. Rome knew how to break people and make an example of them. Crucifixion wasn't just a way to kill someone; it was a public spectacle, a way to say this person is nothing.

John 18-19 shows us Jesus moving through this system designed to crush Him. He is betrayed, bound, and beaten. The same people who once cheered for Him now turn away. Pilate, a leader with the power to intervene, washes his hands of the whole thing. Everyone distances themselves from Jesus. He is alone, utterly discarded.

And yet, He carries the cross.

He knows that feeling if you've ever felt unseen, misunderstood, powerless. He has walked the road of being silenced and told He does not belong. He took on not just death but shame, isolation, and rejection.

This is where our perception of faith can complicate things. We could be led to believe that being a Christ follower ought to be about winning, overcoming, and power. But Jesus walks the opposite way—into weakness, suffering, and being erased. And somehow, in that erasure, He brings redemption.

What does it mean to follow a Savior who sacrifices everything on our behalf? What does it mean to embody the nature of a God who saw our inability to bear it all and show us empathy?

Jesus didn't only suffer with us; He suffered for us. Christ's love wasn't demonstrated through invincibility but through His willingness to bear what we bear, to step into suffering with open hands.

Reflection:

• Contemplate: Sit with this question: Where have I experienced being unseen or discarded? How does it feel to know that Jesus understands?
• Act: Fast from something today, opting to make space to reflect on Jesus carrying the weight of the cross.
• Pray: Identify the burden that Christ endured in the text. Use this time to consider what a prayer of lament or gratitude could look like in response.