Jesus is nailed on the cross, hanging by his hands and feet. His skin is torn and his flesh is poured out and open, blood trickling down his skin. On-lookers are snickering. The weight of his body is pulling at the nails, tearing the flesh in his hands and feet. The pain is unthinkable and excruciating. His face is wincing in gut wrenching agony, but not from what you would expect. No doubt he is in pain, but the distorted looks on his face are not from the physical atrocities being inflicted on our innocent Savior. No, the wincing is from the pain he feels for every moment of our suffering. As Jesus is on the cross he is taking in all the sins that have ever been committed and all the sins that will ever be committed. Every single moment of injustice, hate, oppression, and loneliness; every tear of sorrow and depression; every act of violence and every moment that has caused his beloveds pain is being cast upon him. He is hurting for the pain that we felt and will feel, in the entire history of human life. He loves us and it breaks his heart and causes him deep agony that we have to go through those tears. While Jesus is in the worst pain imaginable, he is caring and thinking about us and compassionate for our pain.
For every tear that we shed, Jesus sheds a tear. For every moment of pain that we have felt Jesus feels that pain, and he felt it on the cross as he was hanging there taking on the sins of the world. The pain that we feel hurts him more than it hurts us. It breaks his heart when our hearts are broken. That is love. That is compassion.
