From the Head of Schools
The Cost of the Cross
Dear NorthPointe Christian Families,
This year’s school wide theme is Joy from I Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Be joyful always: pray continually;
give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
As we enter this season of Good Friday and then the celebration of Easter Sunday we remember
that Easter joy is centered on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, marking VICTORY over death, the
forgiveness of sins, and the promise of new eternal life.
Luke 24:6-7 “He is not here; he has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in
Galilee; The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the
third day be raised again.”
Praise to God for a living hope. I Peter 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead.”
The weight of the cross that Jesus carried and was crucified on once again reminds me of the
immeasurable price that had to be paid to cover my sins – and yours. It was our sin that put Him
on the cross and He willingly took on the pain, the humiliation and ultimately death. No greater
love has, or will ever be, exhibited.
But it begs the question: What will you do with the cross? The price has been paid in full. Have you
repented and accepted His forgiveness and gift of eternal life? Will you respond to his invitation?
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth
in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Each year we invite you to read the excerpt below and reflect on what Christ has done for us—and
the invitation He extends to each of us.
This Easter, may each of us reflect on who we are in Christ, the hope and Joy we have because of
His VICTORY over death and sin. What is He asking you/me to do to impact our World for Jesus
Christ?
Have a blessed Easter and Be Joyful for He is Risen!
Todd Tolsma
Head of Schools
THE SCIENTIFIC DEATH OF JESUS
Excerpt from “The Scientific Death of Jesus,” published April 7, 2011, on the blog Power in the Word.
At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to the death penalty.
At the time crucifixion was the “worst” death. Only the worst criminals are condemned to be crucified. Yet it was
even more dreadful for Jesus, unlike other criminals condemned to death by crucifixion, Jesus was to be nailed to
the cross by His hands and feet.
Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long.
The nails were driven into His wrist. Not into His palms as is commonly portrayed. There’s a tendon in the wrist
that extends to the shoulder. The Roman guards knew that when the nails were being hammered into the wrist,
that tendon would tear and break; forcing Jesus to use His back muscles to support himself so that He could
breathe.
Both of His feet were nailed together. Thus He was forced to support Himself on the single nail that impaled His
feet to the cross. Jesus could not support himself with His legs because of the pain, so He was forced to alternate
between arching His back then using his legs just to continue to breathe.
Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering, the courage.
Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours.
Yes, over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of suffering?
A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water from his wounds.
From common images, we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to His side…
But do we realize His wounds were actually made in his body.
A hammer driving large nails through the wrist, the feet overlapped and an even large nail hammered through
the arches, then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear. But before the nails and the spear,
Jesus was whipped and beaten.
The whipping was so severe that it tore the flesh from His body. The beating was
so horrific that His face was torn and his beard ripped from His face. The crown of thorns cut deeply into His scalp.
Most men would not have survived this torture.
He had no more blood to bleed out, only water poured from His wounds. The human adult body contains about
3.5 liters (just less than a gallon) of blood.
Jesus poured all 3.5 liters of his blood; He had three nails hammered into His members; a crown of thorns on His
head and, beyond that, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into His chest.
All these without mentioning the humiliation He passed after carrying His own cross for almost 1.24 miles, while
the crowd spat in his face and threw stones (the cross was almost 66 lbs of weight, only for its higher part, where
His hands were nailed).
Jesus had to endure this experience, so that you can have free access to God.
So that your sins could be “washed” away. All of them, with no exception!
Jesus Christ Died for You!
