Then Jesus said,—
"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
[XXII. The Cross of Jesus]
We pause at this picture, dear children, with awe and reverence, and as we gaze upon it our hearts are filled with love and grief.
"Did Jesus bear that cruel death for me?" we whisper to ourselves. "Was my name on His heart when He hung all those hours on the cross? Were my sins pardoned by His most precious blood, which flowed from His bleeding side?"
If we can answer a solemn "yes" to these questions, then the cross of Jesus our Saviour is the place where henceforth we can find joy, and thankfulness, and strength.
On the cross where Jesus was crucified, a piece of parchment was nailed. This was generally done, so that people should know what the crime was for which any one was to suffer this cruel death.
But Pilate had nothing to charge Jesus with. He had said over and over again, "I find no fault in Him." And when he sat down to write His accusation on the parchment, he wrote—
"Jesus of Nazareth—the King of the Jews."
This writing was read by many of the Jews, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near to the city, and many were passing backwards and forwards at this Passover feast time.