It’s hard for me to imagine what Calvary would have been like 2000 years ago. For one thing, I wasn’t there when it all happened. For another, I probably wouldn’t have had the guts to witness the whole event anyway.
But I guess if I used my five senses, as well as my imagination, to describe it, I would have seen it as a huge cross, worn and weathered in time. Its smell would have been that of the sweat and body odor of an angry crowd, agitated by the scorching heat of the noonday sun. Its sound would have been that of the groaning and weeping of a family longing for justice. Its touch would have been that of the rough, dusty path the crowd’s bare feet walked on. But the taste? I guess it would have been bittersweet.
Bittersweet. I don’t think I could think of any better word to describe its taste. To most people, however, Calvary is a lot bitterer than it is sweet. The picture of Jesus’ slow, painful march up Golgotha makes many people pause for a while, and let out a sigh of regret. The picture of the cross-bearing Messiah walking barefoot along the rocky hillside is enough to break one’s heart. The picture of our Savior, whipped and wounded by the very people He gave up His life for is the bitter truth that many find most difficult to swallow.
But I like to believe that Calvary is not all bitter. I have faith in the other half of the word I used to describe its taste—sweet. I like to believe that Calvary is the sweetest thing that has happened to humankind. The pain and suffering was depressing, yes, but it was for a greater purpose. There was mourning, but it was so we may have a reason to celebrate. There was death, but it was so that we may have life. It was bitter, but it was so we may savor the flavor of God’s sweet saving grace.
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