When the Cross Demands Everything

Standing before a suffering Savior, When the Cross Demands Everything presses the same question that once stirred a young nobleman—what will you do with the life Jesus gave for you?

“So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, ‘Behold, the man!’” (John 19:5).

Born in Dresden to nobility, Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf received the finest education of his time. Raised in a strong Christian home, he decided to follow Christ while only six years old.

Then one day in 1719 when he was 19 years old, Zinzendorf visited an art museum and saw a painting by the artist Domenico Feti titled Ecce Homo (Behold the Man). This painting portrays Jesus as He might have appeared after being sentenced by Pilate. His head bears a crown of thorns and His hands rest on a block etched with words in Latin saying, “This have I done for you—now what will you do for Me?”

Zinzendorf felt immediate conviction by the message and made a radical commitment to follow Jesus and make his life count. He went on to launch a massive missionary outreach and become one of history’s great champions of evangelism.

Feti’s painting reminds us of how Jesus suffered: He was scourged, even as soldiers “twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head and arrayed him in a purple robe” (v. 2). They mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapped Him in the face (v. 3). Pilate found no guilt in Jesus and declared to the mob, “Behold the man” (v. 5). The crowd continued to cry out, “Crucify him!”

Jesus did all this for you. How will you respond? What will you do for Jesus?

Reflection Question: How is Jesus inviting you to make your life count today?