A REMEMBRANCE FOR PASSION WEEK

This bronze sculpture, ‘Gethsemane’, depicts Jesus Christ on the night before he went to the cross to die a horrific death. I wanted the attitude of Jesus to show through in his intense pose, as he agonized with the Father. The Bible says that he was so troubled that he sweat drops of blood. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me. Yet not my will, but yours be done.”

What cup was Jesus talking about? The cup that signified God’s wrath that would fall on Him instead of man, in order to deal with the consequences of sin. Jesus agonized that night because He knew the suffering that He would endure. The greatest pain for Jesus on the cross was not physical but spiritual. He would become our sin offering. That means Jesus would bear all the sins of man to pay our penalty. Jesus, who was eternally perfect, and knew a perfect love with the Father, would for the first time taste sin and be separated from his father. He was now about to take sin upon himself to endure the separation from God that we would have to endure forever if it weren’t for Christ taking our place.

“Lord. Father. Dad. If there is any other way to deal with this, find it!” But there was no other way. And so Jesus goes to the cross with a humble spirit, not fighting, but becoming a replacement for us. Jesus showed the ultimate humility.

By His wounds we have been healed.