They took Him; they accused Him!
The priests and leaders said He blasphemed
and therefore must die…
though no evil in Him did they find!
In anguish before His arrest, Jesus sweat drops of blood
as He prayed to His Father that His will might be done.
But there was no other way and no other one;
the time for shedding His blood had fully come!
They spat on His face… they slandered… they sneered…
they plucked out His beard… struck Him… and jeered.
False witnesses lied… they whipped Him with cords…
stripped off His clothing and crowned Him with thorns.
But He answered them nothing – He knew He must die!
Marred as no other, they led Him to Calvary’s hill
where they drove in the nails to crucify… kill!
Still they did mock as He hung on the tree,
then left Him to die with two common thieves.
And He accepted it all – He knew He must die!
At any time He could have called on His Father
and angels be sent to His rescue… legions!
But He knew He had come to the world for this reason:
there was no other one pure and righteous,
able to die for fallen unrighteous.
Thus on the Cross He hung and suffered,
not by the order of rulers or nails,
but because of our sin that on Him was laid.
He was holy with nothing to pay,
so became sin for us and in our place He was slain.
How dark was the darkness! What shame and what anguish!
Jesus, the Saviour, was wounded for us!
Pain, more than nails, was afflicted on Him
when His Father’s face turned away
as Jesus was punished for sin on that day.
He endured it all for joy before Him
of seeing His seed, those to be His.
To the end He endured, then cried: “It is finished!”
Our sin, past, present and future
has been paid for by Jesus.
We are free from our debt;
sin can no longer condemn
and keep us from peace with our Father in Heaven…
For Jesus rose from the grave; today He lives
as Saviour, Redeemer; also the King.
No more can be done our salvation to win;
the door stands wide-open; believe and come in.
This, the reason why, He knew He must die!
(Is.53:3-7,10, Luke 22:44, 23:4,
Matt.26:60, 62-63, 65-68, 27:14,27-31,33-46
John 19:30, 2Cor.5:21, 1Pet.2:24, Heb.12:2)
