And they brought Jesus to the place called
Golgotha (which being interpreted is The Place
of the Skull)” Mark 15:22.
What sacrifice can we make that will impress the Father more than Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary? None! In the light of that one great sacrifice where Christ poured out His blood, our best efforts at self-denial fade to insignificance. The legendary missionary, David Livingstone, gave up and sacrificed everything to bring the Gospel to the continent of Africa, yet he said, “I never made a sacrifice. We ought not to talk of 'sacrifice' when we remember the great sacrifice which He made who left His Father's throne on high to give Himself up for us.”
Indeed, the heart of Christianity is neither about us nor our sacrifices, it is about Jesus. As P. T. Forsyth said; "Christianity is not the sacrifice that we make; it is the sacrifice that we trust."
Is His sacrifice enough for us? Consider this, on the day of His death, the Lord Jesus was brought to Golgotha, the place of the skull. Look at Him, the perfectly pure, holy and lovely One. He is brought to a miserable place littered with skulls and bones, then stripped naked and publicly executed. As Isaiah said, “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7),” Did you hear that word, ‘SLAUGHTER’! Let’s not try to sanitize this. He was slaughtered for us.
Jesus—the kindest and most gracious man who ever walked, is led to Golgotha where He will writhe in tortured agony. But how can this be? His life was one of doing good and glorifying God. Yet, He is condemned to a wretched place where the worst and the wicked are executed.
Look at Him again, He is more than a man, He is God manifest in the flesh…the God/Man. One word from Him and the armies of Heaven will mobilize and launch a rescue mission. Look at Him, concealing His Sovereign power as He refuses to save Himself. The wicked men who have contrived to kill him are laughable. They think they are in charge. Look at them again and see the reality; see them maliciously scheming to murder the Young Prince of Glory. But unknown to, and in spite of, themselves they are fulfilling His will. They mean this vile act for evil but God means it for good … it’s all according to His plan.
So here He is, the Ruler and Judge of the universe being led as a lamb to the slaughter. Look again at the leaders of religion. This is the day they have plotted and planned for, yet look carefully again and see, in spite of all their supposed power, they are impotent. Again, see who it is who is really in control, It is the Lord Jesus. He did not resist them. A man in charge does not need to resist. One glance from His eyes could have vaporized them. Look at the cruel, wicked men fulfilling His will. But listen to the Master and marvel, for He says, "No man takes my life from me—I have power to lay it down" (John 10:18). So here in His sovereign authority He moves all history, the will of man and the hatred of His enemies to one inescapable conclusion…Golgotha
But why did He allow Himself to be led as a sheep to the slaughter? (Acts 8:32).
One reason He went there was because no amount of sacrificing or religious observance on our part could rescue or redeem us.
And so,"they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha" the place of ultimate disgrace. In Jerusalem, in those days, parents would warn their children that if they took the wrong path in life they would end up at Golgotha: It was the end of the line, fit only for the lowest of the low! And so the Lord of Glory, Jesus, identifies with the lowest, the vilest and the foulest. Don’t ever think, therefore, that you have gone beyond His reach or exhausted His love. You can never exhaust a love that has gone to Golgotha for you.
So here at the cross, the place of the ultimate sacrifice, we discover our meeting place with God. Here man and God meet and see each other clearly. At the cross, we declared our hand and displayed our hatred for God; yet at the cross, God meets us, and fully demonstrates His love and grace towards us.
And now, because of Christ’s sacrifice, the cross is the true center of Christian fellowship.
His sacrifice is enough for the Father, is it enough for you?
“My faith has found a resting place Not in device or creed I’ll trust the ever-living one His wounds for me shall plead I need no other argument I need no other plea, It is enough that Jesus died, And that He died for me”
And that's the Gospel Truth!