The Ultimate Sacrifice

Dale Buchanan

Devotional #22 in 1 Peter

“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”  (1 Peter 2:24 KJV)

Stephen was stoned to death. 

James and Paul were beheaded. 

Peter was crucified upside down. 

Other Christians were tortured, burned, killed by lions, and many other horrific executions.

Jesus’ suffering was more extreme. 

He was God in the flesh. 

He left heaven’s glory, was made in the likeness of men, and humbled himself even to the death of the cross. 

Roman soldiers did the scourging stripes across his back with the Roman flagrum, a short whip designed to take the flesh off the body. 

The whip held two or three leather thongs or ropes connected to a handle. The thongs included small pieces of metal or bone. 

The end of the whip often held a hook, called a scorpion, that tore the flesh. 

The Romans did not have the Jewish limitation of 39 stripes. 

It was the job of the Roman centurion to stop the flogging short of death so the victim could be placed alive on the cross.

 
Christ’s physical suffering was minor compared to His spiritual agony. 

He took the sin and guilt of all human beings throughout history. 

We have all felt the burden and guilt of our own sins. 

Jesus bore the sin and guilt of countless billions of people. 

The burden was so significant that he cried out, 

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Later, still on the cross, he proclaimed the victory, “It is finished.” (John 19:30).

He took the stripes for us. 

He took our sins so we could live unto righteousness. 

Have you received the gift of salvation and forgiveness from Jesus? Christian, after all He has done for you, what have you given to Him?

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