Tags
The Crucifixion, Jacopo Bellini, c.1430
For the final reflection in the series on Christ’s passion and death, we will use the movie The Passion of the Christ to help us understand the incredible sacrifice Christ made for our salvation.
And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. Luke 23:33
Last week, we reflected on Christ’s journey to Golgotha carrying the instrument of His death, the cross. Simon of Cyrene was enlisted to help Jesus carry the heavy cross. In the movie, we see Simon carrying the cross with the brutally beaten and exhausted Jesus hanging over Simon’s shoulder, appearing to add an extra burden for him to carry. But as Jesus falls to the ground at the peak of Golgotha, we see Simon crushed by the weight of the heavy, wooden cross. In spite of outward appearances, Jesus was in fact carrying the weight of the cross and the burden of the sins of the world.