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He was in a work detail on the railroad. The day\'s work had ended and the tools had been counted. When the party was about to be dismissed, the Japanese guard declared that a shovel was missing. He insisted that someone had stolen it to sell it to the Thais. He strode up and down the front of the men ranting and denouncing them for their wickedness, their stupidity and most unforgivable ingratitude to the Emperor.

\"Screaming in broken English he demanded that the guilty one step forward to take his punishment. No one moved. The guard\'s rage reached new heights of violence. \'All die, all die,\' he shrieked!

\"To show that he meant what he said he pulled back the bolt, put the rifle to his shoulder, and looked down the sights ready to fire at the first man he saw at the end of them.

\"At that moment the Argyle stepped forward and stood stiffly to attention and said calmly, \'I did it.\'

\"The guard unleashed all his whipped up hatred. He kicked the hapless prisoner and beat him with his fists and still the Argyle (prisoner) stood rigidly at attention. The blood was streaming down his face but he made no sound.

\"The guard seized his rifle by the barrel and lifted it high over his head and with a final howl brought the butt down on the skull of the Argyle who sank limply to the ground and did not move. Although it was perfectly evident that he was dead, the guard continued to beat him and stopped only when exhausted.

\"The men of the work detail picked up their comrade\'s body, shouldered their tools and marched back to camp. When the tools were counted again at the guardhouse, no shovel was missing.\"¹

The Argyle stepped forward
and stood stiffly to attention
and said calmly, \'I did it.\'

Surely there is no greater love than what this prisoner displayed. His was the supreme sacrifice. Knowing that he wasn\'t guilty, he gave his life to save the lives of his fellow prisoners. Even Jesus said, \"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.\"²

And yet, Jesus did display an even greater love. As the Apostle Paul wrote, \"Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ [Jesus] died for us.\"³

So why did Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Great Creator of the universe, lay aside his external robes of deity to be clothed in a garment of human flesh, and left the glory of Heaven to come to earth as a man to die for lost mankind?

He did it because of his incredible love for us, to pay the penalty of and consequences of our sin, which is spiritual death. Spiritual death is not the cessation of life. It is eternal separation from God, the author of all love and life. Jesus died for us because it breaks the heart of God to lose us forever in an unthinkable eternity that God calls hell.

And when we consider the excruciation suffering caused by crucifixion—the agony of which Jesus went through for us—we can appreciate so much more the magnitude of God\'s love for

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According to a report by medical doctor, Mark Eastman, the suffering Jesus experienced on the cross is almost unbearable just to think about it.

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For instance, prior to Jesus\' trial he was flogged by the Roman guards. \"This process typically involved a whip with numerous leather thongs, 18-24 inches long, with bits of metal, bone or glass embedded in the leather.... Scourging was an extreme form of punishment. The skin on the victim\'s back was usually shredded, thus exposing the underlying muscle and skeletal structures. Severe blood loss and dehydration were the rule. Many victims died from such scourging.

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\"After the scourging of Jesus, the Roman soldiers beat Him a second time with their hands and with a reed. Then they put on him a \'crown of thorns.\'\"⁴

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Then came the crucifixion. \"It is arguably the most painful death ever invented by man and is where we get our term \'excruciating.\' It was reserved primarily for the most vicious of criminals.\"⁵

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Even though Pilate, the Roman Governor, said, \"I find no fault in this man,\" he gave in to the jealous crowd and allowed Jesus to be crucified. With his arms stretched out Jesus was nailed to a wooden cross. \"The nails, which were generally about 7-9 inches long, were placed between the bones of the forearm (the radius and ulna) and the small bones of the hands (the carpal bones),\" permanently destroying the largest nerve in the hand \"called the median nerve.... In addition to severe burning pain the destruction of this nerve causes permanent paralysis of the hand.\"⁶

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\"The positioning of the feet is probably the most critical part of the mechanics of crucifixion. First the knees were flexed about 45 degrees and the feet were flexed (bent downward) an additional 45 degrees until they were parallel to the vertical pole. An iron nail about 7-9 inches long was driven through the feet between the 2^nd and 3^rd metatarsal bones. In this position the nail would sever the dorsal pedal artery of the foot, but the resulting bleeding would be insufficient to cause death.

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\"The resulting position on the cross sets up a horrific sequence of events which result in a slow, painful death. Having been pinned to the cross, the victim now has an impossible position to maintain....

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Crucifixion ... is arguably
the most painful death
ever invented by man.

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\"The result is that within a few minutes of being placed on the cross, the shoulders will become dislocated. Minutes later the elbows and wrists become dislocated.... As time goes on, the victim is less and less able to bear weight on the legs, causing further dislocation of the arms and further raising of the chest wall, making breathing more and more difficult. The result of this process is a series of catastrophic physiological effects\"⁷

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Eventually the heart begins to fail, the lungs collapse, and the victim suffocates. He dies a slow, unbelievable excruciating painful death.

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And all of this Jesus did for you and me gladly and willingly because he loves us with an everlasting love. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins and mine so we could be totally forgiven and given the gift of eternal life with him in Heaven forever. The good news is that Jesus, after three days, rose from the dead assuring us that we who believe in him will also rise from physical death to be alive forever with God.

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If you\'ve never thanked Jesus for dying on the cruel cross in your place, don\'t let this Easter pass by without doing this and asking him to come into your heart and life as personal Lord and Savior and accepting his full and free forgiveness.

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NOTE: To help you do this, click on the God\'s Invitation link below.

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1. Taken from The Bridge Over the River Kwai as read by David Stoop. 2. John 15:13 (NIV). 3. Romans 5:7-8 (NIV). 4. Page 10, Personal Update, \"The Agony of Love,\" by Mark Eastman, M.D., Used by permission. 5. Ibid, Page 11. 6. Ibid, Page 11. 7. Ibid, Page 12. Web site of Mark Eastman, M.D.

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