While He was on the Cross, We were on His mind

 

While Jesus hung on the cross, His suffering was real and severe. Roman execution was designed to destroy the body slowly. The scourging, the thorns, the nails, and the struggle for breath were not symbolic. Scripture never softens this reality. Yet the biblical writers also make something clear. The cross was not endured in isolation. It was carried out with purpose, awareness, and intention.

From the beginning of Scripture, God reveals that redemption involves substitution and sacrifice. In Genesis 22, Isaac is bound and laid upon the wood, yet spared by a provided ram. In Exodus 12, the blood of the lamb stands between judgment and life. Isaiah later speaks of a servant who suffers not for His own wrongdoing, but for the sins of others. These patterns prepare the reader to understand the cross not as tragedy, but as fulfillment.

When Jesus was crucified, He was not merely enduring pain. He was carrying people.

Isaiah writes that the servant would bear griefs and carry sorrows (Isaiah 53:4). The Hebrew verb nasa means to lift, to bear, to carry a load. This is not emotional language. It is legal and physical language. The word makob refers to deep anguish and pain. Isaiah presents the suffering servant as one who carries the weight of others upon himself.

The Gospels confirm this understanding. Jesus does not speak often from the cross, but every word recorded matters. He prays for those who are crucifying Him, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). This prayer alone tells us that His attention was not turned inward. Even in agony, His concern was directed outward.

When one of the criminals crucified beside Him asked to be remembered, Jesus answered, “Truly I say to you today, you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). In the midst of His own suffering, He responded to faith. He did not dismiss the man. He did not postpone compassion. He gave assurance. That is not the behavior of someone absorbed only in pain.

John records that Jesus, seeing His mother and the disciple He loved standing nearby, said, “Woman, behold your son,” and to the disciple, “Behold your mother” (John 19:26–27). Even as His body was failing, He ensured care for His mother. This moment is deeply human, but it is also revealing. Jesus remained attentive to the needs of others while He was dying.

John’s Gospel repeatedly connects Jesus’ death with intentionality. Earlier, Jesus had said, “I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:15). The Greek word tithemi means to place deliberately, not to lose accidentally. His death was an act of will. He knew who He was dying for.

The phrase “the sheep” is not abstract. In the Hebrew Scriptures, God describes His people as known individually. Isaiah 49:16 says, “Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands.” The imagery is personal and specific. It speaks of remembrance, not general concern.

When Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” the Greek word used is tetelestai (John 19:30). This term means brought to completion, fully accomplished. It was often written on receipts to indicate a debt paid in full. What was completed was not only suffering, but purpose. The work of reconciliation had reached its goal.

Paul later explains this plainly. “While we were still sinners, Messiah died for us” (Romans 5:8). The preposition hyper means on behalf of, for the sake of. This was not a vague act for humanity in general. It was substitutionary. Personal. Intentional.

The transfiguration helps us understand this more clearly. When Jesus was revealed in glory before Peter, James, and John, Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with Him about His coming exodos in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). The word ties His death to deliverance. The mountain revealed who He was. The cross revealed who He was willing to save.

Glory in Scripture does not mean splendor without cost. The Greek word doxa and the Hebrew kavod both speak of revealed worth. On the cross, God’s character was revealed through self-giving love. That love was not theoretical. It was directed.

Jesus did not need to imagine us. Scripture tells us He knew why He came. He knew whom He was redeeming. He prayed for forgiveness. He welcomed faith. He provided care. He completed the work.

So when we say, “While He was on the cross, we were on His mind,” we are not claiming access to private thoughts Scripture does not give. We are acknowledging what His words and actions openly reveal. His suffering was real, but His love was active. His body was breaking, but His purpose never wavered.

The cross was not endured in silence or indifference. It was carried with us in view.

 

image by chatgpt at my direction.