The crucifixion is the central focus of Christianity, along with the resurrection and ascension of Jesus into Heaven. Up until Jesus set His face to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51), He commanded people not to tell of many of His miracles. But soon, the time came when Jesus would choose to lay down His life as a ransom for mankind to all who would accept Him.
The closer He drew to Jerusalem, the harsher and more vocal His criticisms were for the religious leaders. Matthew 23 ascribes seven “woes” to the Scribes, Pharisees, who He calls hypocrites. Two chapters later, He sets Himself up as the Judge of all mankind. In multiple instances, the people were so enraged by His apparent blasphemy, that they tried to kill Him.
But He was the Son of God who laid down His life when He willed to do so. No one could take His life from Him (John 10:18). Until the hour came, every attempt to kill or silence Him came to naught. It wasn’t until He was ready, that Jesus allowed the evil against Him to take place as He was silent, as a lamb led to the slaughter.
While hanging on the cross, smug enemies approached Him and reviled Him.
“And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads
and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying,
“He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.
He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:39-43 ESV).
Yet, of the seven phrases we have recorded from Jesus as he suffered on the cross, none were spit out in anger or condemnation to those who were blaspheming Him. Imagine, the very crime they accused Him of was the crime they committed against Him as He gave His life a ransom for them and the world.
He loved the very people who were cruel to Him and the ones who wagged their heads at Him. It wouldn’t be long before some of these very people would listen to the first Gospel sermon and realize they killed the Son of God. It terrified them.
“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37 ESV).
Some of these very people probably passed by the cross as Jesus, in humiliation, was on display to all people as he hung on the tree. Some were the common people, some were religious leaders, some were Gentiles. They all witness the brutality mankind was capable of when we don’t want to accept light.
Isn’t it amazing how much acceptance and inclusion people offer to evil, but when it comes to Jesus and His followers, they hate us with a passion. They will allow those who commit all kinds of perversions to do what they do while praising them, but if someone stands on the Truth, quotes Scriptures, or takes a stand against sin, they accuse us of being closed-minded, intolerant, and hateful.
Should it really surprise us? This is the same embracement of evil that sent Jesus to die on the cross. It’s the reason He died on the cross. He did it to send light into the world and bring hope to the hopeless.
“He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” (John 1:11 ESV).
“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” (John 3:19-20 ESV).
And so wicked men had their way with the Savior,
“who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:6-7 ESV).
Yet even as Jesus spent six hours suffering on the cross, silent and finishing the work the Father sent Him to do in order to redeem man, there were some amazing things that happened which testified to who He was.
“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.” (Matthew 27:45 ESV).
For the last three hours Jesus hung on the cross, darkness covered the land. The Bible doesn’t tell us a lot about this darkness. We don’t know how dark it was. But it seemed to be something no one expected. There wasn’t a natural explanation for it. And a darkness that lasted three hours in the middle of the day was something that people just didn’t normally experience.
As God yielded up His life for man, He cried with a loud voice and the earth responded to the death of it’s Creator:
“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.” (Matthew 27:50-51 ESV).
I cannot imagine what went through the High Priest and religious leaders’ minds at that moment. What were they thinking when they witnessed the curtain split? This curtain was meant to separate God from man, the holy place from the most holy place. When the earth quaked, it tore that curtain down and split it in two. That which separated God and man was removed. And it happened the moment this “blasphemer” they killed drew His last breath.
But that wasn’t all…
“The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,
and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” (Matthew 27:52-53 ESV).
Jesus came to bring salvation and life to a people dead from sin. The raising of many saints who went into Jerusalem and were seen by many people was something that must have affected people who witnessed it.
Even a Gentile…
“When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54 ESV).
Imagine a Gentile saying this. And not just any Gentile, but a Roman Centurion. Matthew tells us it wasn’t just the Centurion who came to this conclusion about Jesus. It was also “those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus.” These were hardened soldiers who saw death and some of the worse things that humanity could offer up. Yet, in the midst of darkness, hearing our King’s last cry before death, seeing the earthquake and witnessing dead people come out of the tombs and head to Jerusalem, there was only one conclusion they could come to; Jesus was who He claimed to be.
The Son of Man who comes on the clouds of Heaven.
The Son of God.
The King.
The Messiah.
The Good Shepherd.
The Judge of all mankind.
“Truly this was the Son of God!”
And yet, when you love the darkness and hate the light, it doesn’t matter what the evidence shows you. When the events you just witnessed should have caused you to drop to your knees like it did for the Centurion, your depraved and sinful heart can cause you to approach Pilate,
“and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’
Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” (Matthew 27:63-64 ESV).
We have a faith that was built on real events of God who left Heaven to give His life for you and me. Why? Because He loved the world that much. He wasn’t going to let Satan win. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves.
And the earth was His witness. It bathed people in darkness for the evil they were doing. It quaked at the death of its Creator and split the curtain in the Temple that separated man from God. It gave up the dead that were in it. And witnesses were there to see it all, many of whom in a short time would respond to the first Gospel sermon preached.
These amazing scenes at the cross were recorded that we may believe. Our Savior was Who He said He was. It wasn’t only His disciples who could see this truth. Even a Gentile who was honest about what he saw. Today, we can enrich our faith by knowing and believing these events took place six hours one Friday.
If you thought His crucifixion was an amazing sight, wait until you see what happens when He returns…
I am in the book of Luke in my daily Bible reading. Dr. Luke writes about the many times Jesus puts to silence His enemies. The religious leaders were either silenced because of the wisdom in His answers or because they were afraid of the people because they thought He was a great prophet.
What is our response when we read the words of Jesus? Are we silenced because of the wisdom in them, or are we silenced because we fear the people we know who believe he’s a prophet?
If we are silenced, do we do what the religious leaders do and wait for the perfect time to speak out against Jesus? We should be like Zacchaeus and respond to the words of Jesus with repentance and acceptance when we see how they apply to us.
I am reading about someone who lost his child after days of prayers for his son’s healing.
His wife asked him why God answers some prayers and not others. She said it’s hard to worship God when He doesn’t answer.
Her husband responded that he doesn’t know why, but that’s why our faith is so important.
It made me think that if God kept all evil and suffering from us, there would be no need for faith, would there?
Faith is what we have when we don’t have the sight we long for. It’s what we have in the absence of what we desperately want.
Faith is what we stand on even when we don’t understand why. It’s seeing the assurance of a promised future while living in a broken present.
Perhaps the most plain Old Testament verse in my opinion that testifies to the Trinity.
“Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there.” And now the Lord GOD has sent me, and his Spirit.” (Isaiah 48:16 ESV).
And now the Lord GOD: The Father.
Has sent Me: The Son.
and His Spirit: The Holy Spirit.
We live in a broken world because of sin and death. It is no longer the paradise God intended for us. But because God’s presence is still here, even evil men and women live in a world that still has goodness, gifts, and blessings from above.
Because of God, this broken world can be more than tolerable. It can be a place where we can find joy and pleasure. Yes, we will always have pain and disappointment, but we can also find great delight here because God’s presence is still here.
“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:44-45 ESV).
When I stand before Jesus on Judgement Day, I know I have a list of offenses so long, any of which is sufficient to justly separate me from God.
Regardless of any good deed I can point to, none of them will remove the offense from me.
I stand condemned.
Were it not for the sacrifice of Jesus and His divine forgiveness, I would have no hope.
“For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:12 ESV).
This is the only hope I have, and it’s grounded in a God who is not swayed by emotions or fickleness.
It is my only hope.
I am in the book of John in my daily Bible reading. Chapter three may have the most quoted verse in history, but the end of chapter two has one of the most strengthening passages, in my opinion.
Jesus is performing miracles, and many people are coming to Him. Even in chapter three, Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to Him. But listen to the last few verses in chapter two:
“But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people
and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:24-25 ESV).
Isn’t that comforting? Whether it was the masses who came to Him or a ruler of the city, no one had to give Jesus a dossier about the one who was before Him.
Jesus is God, the Creator. He knows us intimately. When we stand before Him in judgment, we will not need a lawyer to plead our case. We will need no parent, no spouse, no preacher, or no elder to ensure Jesus knows all about us.
He knows.
That brings me solace and yet, is sobering to me at the same time. But I would have it no other way. This, I take comfort in.
I am in the book of John in my daily Bible reading. Jesus is heading to Jerusalem to make the sacrifice He was sent to make.
Along the way, He taught. The sinners, tax gatherers, and common people believed Him. They saw Him as their long-awaited Messiah.
But the religious leaders were so stuck in their religious expectations that they were blind to the Truth when it was before them.
What about us? Are we open to the Truth when presented with it, or are we so stuck in our religious expectations that we, too, are blind to what we see?
May we all have an open heart to Jesus and His simple Gospel.
I have finished the Gospel of John in my daily Bible reading. The scourging and crucifixion scene is always hard to get through.
What excruciating pain He endured for you and me, for the very ones who hated Him and counted Him an enemy.
He could have chosen to come in any age, any time. He could have chosen to visit His creation when people had humane death penalties.
He could have died by lethal injection. He could have died by electric chair. He could have died by the guillotine. He could have died by firing squad.
But in His sovereignty, Jesus chose the cruelest and most painful death man had devised. In doing so, He proved what He, God, was willing to do for His creation.
There was nothing He wasn’t willing to endure for you and me. In His sovereignty, He chose the death He yielded to for you and me. He left nothing on the table for the love He demonstrated on that day.
What He asks in return is nothing compared to what He has given. What will we do today in response to His gracious gift?
Will we spurn it or will we accept it and make Him our Lord and King, accepting the salvation found in His blood that was shed in a most heinous manner?
In John 21, Jesus is sitting on the beach, talking to Peter about feeding His sheep. Then He foretells Peter’s future,
“(This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” (John 21:19 ESV).
Have you ever wondered why our death, persecution, or suffering for the name of God glorifies Him? It’s not that God has a sadistic streak in Him that loves to see His children suffer.
The reason Peter’s death, and our suffering, glorifies God is because we choose to put Him first, even if it causes us to sacrifice greatly in His name.
God gave everything for us as a demonstration of His love for you and me. When we remain steadfast through trials and persecutions, we demonstrate our great love for Him as we give everything for Him.
This glorifies our great God.
Before Jesus went to the cross, He said,
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12 ESV).
It is His expectation that people demonstrate love for others and for God. While on earth, Jesus showed us what love for God looks like and what love for others looks like.
If we want to know how to follow Jesus’ command to love one another, we need to look at how he demonstrated His love for us.
He was selfless.
He was consistent.
He was sacrificial.
He was deferential.
He was the embodiment of 1 Corinthians 13. Learning to love others like Jesus loved others is not optional; it is His expectation.
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12 ESV).
So, I’m watching YouTube. Kids on campus are speaking blasphemies that are unfathomable to me. They speak about God as though He is imaginary, a figment of our imagination.
They speak of Jesus as though, at best, He was a good man. Some claim He is a fable. Others that He was just a messed-up, crazy loser whose life came to an early end because of His mental issues.
It is callousness in which they speak of God as either a creation of our human mind or one of the most evil beings who ever existed.
I fear for these image bearers of God. They speak of things they know not of. They do not consider the wonderful position they are in, being the pinnacle of God’s creation with an invitation into His royal, eternal family.
They are about to trade away the greatest treasure that exists for a mess of pottage. A treasure that was made specifically for them by this God they blaspheme.
This is why we need to continue to evangelize. There are some out there who will stop their blaspheming and kneel at the feet of King Jesus if they hear the Good News from us.
It’s worth hearing a million disrespectful “no’s” to find the one repentant “yes.”
I am in the book of Hosea in my daily Bible reading. God was bringing judgment upon His people because of their spiritual adultery against Him, their faithful Husband.
Though God had always been there for them, they spurned Him.
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” (Hosea 4:6 ESV).
One of the first steps we take in committing spiritual adultery against God is having a lack of knowledge. When we stop meditating on the Word, we become susceptible to churches and people who make claims that we are ill-equip to confirm or challenge.
We must spend time in the Word of God. We must meditate on it day and night. We must not put our future in the hands of any man, organization, or our own fickle emotions and desires.
If we stop spending time in the life-giving Word of God, we will fall for anything and run the risk of being destroyed for lack of knowledge.
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:4-8 ESV).
Rather than claim the right Jesus legitimately had as God, He emptied Himself of that right to serve God and man.
If Jesus, our God, acted this way, then who are we to exert our right and preeminence over our God and fellow man in anything?
We need to have the same mind that Jesus had and be willing to empty ourselves of any right we can claim which would prevent us from serving our God or our fellow image bearers of God.