Crucifixion (Louvre in Paris) by wallyg

“I love to tell the story
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and his glory,
Of Jesus and his love,…”¹

… says the well-known Christian hymn that is used across denominational lines.

So please read on, and behold Jesus’ love!

Jesus didn’t need to go through the crucifixion for his own benefit. He endured that experience to help us with our salvation and to show us resurrection to teach us about love and about eternal life. Jesus endured the false accusations, the scourging, the crown of thorns, being spit upon, and finally, being nailed to the cross.

According to the 15th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus was crucified at the third hour, there was darkness over the whole land from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, and then at the ninth hour Jesus “gave up the ghost”. That’s six hours on the cross. Six hours on the cross!

Before his crucifixion, Jesus told his disciples, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:12-13).

Jesus also comforted his disciples before the crucifixion, saying, “Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1).

When men came from the High Priest and Pharisees to take Jesus, one of Jesus’ disciples (Simon Peter) cut off the ear of the High Priest’s servant.  Although this man came to help take Jesus away, Jesus healed his ear and then told Peter to put up his sword (see Luke 22:15).

And from the cross, seeing his mother Mary, he told his disciple John to take care of her as if she were his own mother (see John 19:26-27).

Triumphantly, three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, proving God to be a loving God, proving life to be eternal, proving that hatred and falsehood could not destroy the Son of God. He validated all of his teachings. He showed the full reach of the healing power of God. And he showed us such love!

“Jesus aided in reconciling man to God by giving man a truer sense of Love, the divine Principle of Jesus’ teachings, and this truer sense of Love redeems man from the law of matter, sin, and death by the law of Spirit, — the law of divine Love” writes the Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy.²

For those who wonder what Christian Science teaches on this subject, while we don’t have a religious creed or doctrinal beliefs, here are two of our religious tenets:

“We acknowledge Jesus’ atonement as the evidence of divine, efficacious Love, unfolding man’s unity with God through Christ Jesus the Way-shower; and we acknowledge that man is saved through Christ, through Truth, Life, and Love as demonstrated by the Galilean Prophet in healing the sick and overcoming sin and death.”³

“We acknowledge that the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection served to uplift faith to understand eternal Life, even the allness of Soul, Spirit, and the nothingness of matter.”³

For me, in short, it’s about Jesus and his love!

“I love to tell the story
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and his glory,
Of Jesus and his love,…”

Have a happy and holy Easter!

Here’s a nice version of the song from Deesrickchevrolet (#431 in their hymnal) showing the words as it is sung:

¹ I LOVE TO TELL THE STORY, Poem by Katherine Hankey 1866, Music composed by William G. Fisher 1869; Hymn #414 in the Christian Science Hymnal, other hymn numbers in the hymnals of other denominations.

² Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, page 19.

³ Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, page 497.