Revelation of Christ

The Lord has been showing me Christ on the cross quite often in worship lately.  In times of prayer I have been asking for increase in revelation of Christ and the cross.  In the images I see, there are several similarities between Jesus in The Passion of the Christ (Full Screen Edition) and the visions I receive.  When I see Christ His whole body is trembling in agony, His face is unrecognizable (very similar to that shown in the movie), and blood is everywhere.  Then it hit me in worship one day: the sheer agony that Christ went through, not just on the cross but to speak on the cross.  Before I go any further here are the 7 things from the Gospels that Christ stated:

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”
“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise"
“Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit”
“Dear Woman, here is your son!” and “Here is your mother!”
“I am thirsty”
“It is finished!”

In the execution of crucifixion, the individual generally dies by exhaustion.  In order to take a breath he must press on the nail in his/her feet and pull on the nails in his/her hands to alleviate the tension on the lungs.  With that in mind, reread those 7 statements.  Every one of those cost Christ excruciating agony; He had to further wound His flesh and dig those holes in His hands and feet that much deeper just to pray for the forgiveness of His persecutors, to forgive the thief, to cry out to His Father, to assign John as caretaker of His mother, to fulfill a prophecy, and to declare the completion of purchasing our sins.  Today let us keep His sacrifice fresh in our minds, for nothing reinvigorates our passion for Christ like the ultimate act of love upon the cross.