Mine, Mine Was the Transgression

“…this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” ~Acts 2:23

Many of you, I’m sure, are familiar with Rembrandt’s painting Raising of the Cross. In it, Rembrandt boldly paints himself into the mob of men who are lifting Jesus up to be crucified. In fact, Rembrandt’s use of lighting makes it so he is the main figure in view as the cross is being raised. (As an aside, I do not commend the painting as it contains an image of Jesus.) What Rembrandt is surely trying to say is that while many hands lifted the cross, he personally bears the blame for Jesus’ death. Indeed, we all share in the guilt of Jesus’ crucifixion.

A contemporary of Rembrandt’s, the Dutch theologian and poet Jacob Revius (1586-1658), wrote a poem entitled He Bore Our Griefs, in which he shifts attention away from the Jewish mob who clamored for Jesus’ crucifixion, as well as the Roman soldiers who nailed Him to the cross, to his own culpability for Jesus’ death.

No, it was not the Jews who crucified,
Nor who betrayed you in the judgment place,
Nor who, Lord Jesus, spat into your face,
Nor who with buffets struck you as you died.
No, it was not the soldiers fisted bold
Who lifted up the hammer and the nail,
Or raised the cursed cross on Calvary's hill,
Or, gambling, tossed the dice to win your robe.
I am the one, O Lord, who brought you there,
I am the heavy cross you had to bear,
I am the rope that bound you to the tree,
The whip, the nail, the hammer, and the spear,
The blood-stained crown of thorns you had to wear:
It was my sin, alas, it was for me.

Revius’ poem shocks us as he places himself — as he places you — in the place of those who spat on Jesus’ face, who struck Him with their fists, who hammered the nails into His feet and hands, who lifted the cross, who killed Jesus. What’s more, he portrays us as the very nails that pierced Him, the thorns that crowned Him, the whip that tore His flesh, the cross He carried. It was for our sins that He died. It was for us that He went to Calvary. Mine, mine was the transgression.

Christian, as you read this poem and meditate upon the death of Christ on the cross, think of your role in His death. Consider how Revius rightly attributes Christ’s crucifixion to you and your sin (and to me and mine!). It’s important we remember the cost of our salvation, and what better day to remember than Good Friday? But what Revius leaves out is perhaps the most important reality of all — that Jesus did it because He loves you. He died because He set his affection on you from eternity past. He willingly received your blows, wore your crown of thorns, carried your cross, and died for you and your sins because He loves you with an everlasting love.

There is grief to be remembered on Good Friday, but there is far more love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy to be celebrated. Don’t forget, Resurrection morning is right around the corner.

Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Pastor of Teaching & Spiritual Formation