9. JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS

Verses

At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
— Matthew 27:46 (NLT)

Questions

What’s the most pain you’ve ever felt?
What pain are you carrying right now?
What have you not attempted because of the fear of pain?

Meditation

In this image three nails form the shape of a cross.

They are crude tools of execution — the kind used by Roman soldiers to fasten a body to wood.

Roman crucifixion was designed to prolong suffering. Iron spikes were driven through the hands and feet of the condemned, fixing the body to the cross. The victim would struggle for breath, pushing upward against the wounds again and again.

The suffering was slow and public.

Jesus partook in pain.

The Son of God allowed His body to be pierced and fastened to the cross.

The apostle Peter later reflected on what this moment meant:

“He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.”
— 1 Peter 2:24 (NLT)

The spikes that held Jesus to the cross were not only instruments of suffering. In the mystery of God’s redemption, they became the means through which sin itself would be defeated.

The apostle Paul describes the work of the cross this way:

“He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”
— Colossians 2:14 (NLT)

Yet the cross was not only a place of redemption — it was also a place of profound suffering.

As Jesus hung there in agony, He cried out:

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
— Matthew 27:46 (NLT)

These words echo the opening line of Psalm 22, a prayer that begins in deep anguish but ultimately proclaims God’s deliverance. In this moment Jesus gives voice to the full weight of human suffering and separation.

Even here, the work of redemption is unfolding.

The One who was nailed to the cross was bearing the weight of the world’s sin so that humanity might be reconciled to God.

The Church responds with this prayer:

“O Savior of the world, who by your cross and precious blood have redeemed us: Save us and help us, we humbly beseech you, O Lord.”
— Book of Common Prayer, p. 281