Christ on the Cross

S. At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”–which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15: 33-34)

O. This one of the greatest moments in time! At this moment, Jesus is hanging on the cross...carrying the weight of the sin of the whole world (past, present and future). This moment is was for me and for every person in the world. It is not one of the prettiest scenes in the scripture. Jesus died an gruesome death on the cross...I can't even imagine what is was like. But the scene is one that will forever change the world. In this moment, Jesus actually became the sacrifice for the whole of the human race. He was the substitute sacrifice for my sin. And in the moment, God was not able to look on his Son. The anguish of all the sin that Jesus bore on the cross was so great that he felt a separation from God.

I have been studying about sin a lot in the past few weeks and one of the dangers of sin is separation from God (see Isaiah 59: 2). And that is exactly what Jesus felt when he hung on the cross. It took my sin...everyone's sins and paid the penalty that was truly ours.

A. Today, I pray that God will look upon my life through the blood stains of Jesus Christ. I am a sinner, but my sins have received atonement through Christ's shed blood. I must never forget the greatness of this gift.

P. Lord, I am truly grateful for the gift of forgiveness that I know through your act of love on the cross. Thank you for bringing me close to my heavenly Father through your sacrifice. Amen.