May 4, 2020
Central Truth
God so loves YOU that He gave His one and only Son to become the final and ultimate sacrifice for your sin.
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. 1 19:23 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,
“They divided my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”
So the soldiers did these things, 25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”
38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus 2 19:39 Greek him by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds 3 19:39 Greek one hundred litras; a litra (or Roman pound) was equal to about 11 1/2 ounces or 327 grams in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
How many times have you heard, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16)? Maybe you see it while walking down the aisle at Hobby Lobby, hear it during a church service, or have it so memorized that it just rolls right off your tongue. When you hear it, do you ever stop to think that God so loved YOU that He gave His only Son? Does it truly penetrate your heart?
It can be hard to grasp the sacrifice that God made for us on that Good Friday. Despite our sins, Christ still died for us (Romans 5:8). We deserve to die as penalty for our sin (Proverbs 14:12, Romans 6:23), but Christ died as a sacrifice for our sin. "[H]e has appeared once for all at the end of ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Hebrews 9:26b). He gave all of Himself so that we could be His.
We deserve to bear God's wrath for our sin, but Christ's death satisfied the wrath of God on our behalf (1 John 4:10). Our God is a giver. He is a giver of life and love and, in this, He gave His life and poured out His love for you—for each of us—so that an eternal relationship could begin.
We were separated from God by our sins (Isaiah 59:2), but Christ brought us back into relationship with God (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). Christ is our Redeemer, Savior, Rescuer, and King. He is our substitute. 1 Peter 2:24 says, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."
How quickly we forget when we get too busy! Let us meditate on the truth of such a simple story with such a powerful meaning instead of letting the busyness of life distract us from our Savior.
1. Who can you tell about the sacrifice that Jesus made for you?
2. God loved you so much that if you were the only one He had to die for He still would have done it. What is holding you back from believing that?
3. What can you do to slow down your day-to-day life and remember Jesus' sacrifice?