Good Friday

 

So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 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. 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.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” (John 19:16-22 ESV).

 

What a day this was! Think of the sequence. The night before Jesus has the Passover Meal with His disciples, He washes their feet to show their calling of service and sacrifice, and He is betrayed, arrested, and taken for crucifixion to Pilate. The picture at Golgotha is quite striking. There were three crosses, with Jesus in the middle. Our salvation could have been accomplished if Jesus had died alone. But that’s not how God designed it. Jesus died between two criminals. They died as punishment for their crimes. Like us all, they had sinned against God. These two criminals portray our condition. They picture what all of us deserve apart from faith in Jesus.

 

Then there was Jesus. He too died under God’s curse and judgment, but he was innocent. He had no sin or guilt. Several times Pilate had declared him innocent. The sign that hung above Jesus’ head listed no crimes. Even one of the criminals who died with him testified that Jesus had done nothing wrong, and Jesus forgave him. Jesus’ cross proclaims salvation. It shows us the one who carried our sins.

 

It’s important that Jesus’ cross was in the middle. The cross is at the center of God’s work of salvation. We can’t avoid the cross; it forces the question “What will you do with Jesus?” On this Good Friday, where do you stand in relationship to Jesus, the Savior? Do you know that he has died for your sins? Have you accepted him as your Savior and Lord?