Occasionally, I have been awakened by the bark of a dog, the screams of a fox or the ferocious meowing of fighting cats. When the silence of the night is broken by a howling animal, there is a certain eeriness to it but usually, I can get back to sleep quickly in my comfortable bed, safe inside our home. Even when I visit a zoo, I feel safe knowing that I am on the outside looking in. But would I want to spend a night inside their cage? Not particularly!

2000 years ago, an obscure man from Nazareth had been baptised at the River Jordan. It was a unique baptism. Upon coming up out of the water, there was a brief announcement over Heaven’s PA system : “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Immediately after the announcement, Jesus was taken out into a barren wilderness to be tempted by Satan for more than a month. Alone. No food. No earthly comforts. No bed. No pillow. No roof – exposed to the weather and to more than the weather! He was surrounded by foxes, jackals, wolves, wild boars, hyenas and leopards. It was a forty day barrage of unrelenting attacks and persistent temptations from Satan. By the way, the temptations leveled at Christ were not allowed by God to see if He might sin by yielding to temptation, but to prove He could not yield. He was sinless.

We don’t know if the wild animals hissed and howled and threatened Him or if they were docile in the presence of their Creator. We do know that just the mention of their presence adds to the bleakness and isolation of his wilderness experience. But there was a darker experience ahead for this Man. This same Man would be condemned to death, taunted and tortured and ultimately spiked to a cross. This time the wild beasts would not be docile in His presence. They were human beings and they attacked Him in every conceivable way.

“Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.” (Psa 22:12-13) This time the wild beasts were His own people who behaved as savage beasts. And besides the Jews, there were the Romans who nailed Him to the Cross: “For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.” (Psa 22:16)

If the 40 days in the wilderness surrounded by wild beasts and tempted by Satan was a lonely experience what must Calvary have been like? In the wilderness, the angels ministered to His needs. But He suffered alone at Calvary, surrounded by the beast-like hearts of men with no angels to minister to Him. What a dark experience that must have been. But it gets worse. After already hanging on the cross in shame and pain for three hours, the next three hours would be darker still. The blackness of the darkest night in the middle of the day descended while Jesus was abandoned by God Himself. My sins were placed on Jesus. God poured out His wrath upon the Innocent Substitute. He was forsaken so I would not be eternally forsaken.

Do I love Him? Yes!
Do I have reason to love Him? Yes! Every reason!
Did He have a reason to love me?
No! Absolutely none.
So why did He?
And why does He and why will He forever?
The more I think about it – the greater the wonder becomes.

Did you thank Him today?