THE CRUCIFIXION

Jesus was hanging on the cross.
Those who were passing by shook their heads and hurled insults at Him.
The chief priests and teachers of the law mocked Him among themselves.
“He saved others, but He can't save Himself!
Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross,
that we may see and believe.”
Those crucified with Him also heaped insults on Him.

What people saw was reason for the derision.
It was what they did not see, however, that held the truth
they so much needed to see:
He could have come down from the cross;
He could have saved Himself.
The nails weren't holding Him to that cross.
It was not He that needed the saving.
He chose to stay on the cross.
People were seeing what they believed.
The chief priests had seen much in Jesus' years of ministry
and still had chosen not to believe.

To ponder:
Our responses reflect more on what we believe than what truth is.
Are my beliefs in line with truth?
What is it that I am seeing?
Am I open to seeing truth,
when it does not agree with what I've always believed?

Twila Charles Leichty

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JESUS
crucified, dead and buried (asleep), resurrected

On Thursday night, Jesus prepared Himself to be the sacrificial Lamb,
when He went to Gethsemane,
honestly wrestling with His will and the Father's will,
then choosing submission, out of love and obedience,
to taking the sin of the world upon Himself
and allowing His life's blood to cover the door posts of our hearts,
a sign that we are His.
He “paid-in-full” the debt we had incurred by our sin.

When that payment was made,
the curtain of the temple was torn in two by God Himself,
from top to bottom.
Jesus Christ became our High Priest,
taking His blood directly into the Holy Sanctuary in heaven
and placing it on the mercy seat.

Yes! Jesus was mortal, subject to all that man is.
God breathed life into Him just as God breathed life into each one of us.
And, the Bible says that “with a loud cry, Jesus breathed His last.”
Mark 15: 37
And then He slept. His earthly work was done.
Yes, He rested on the Sabbath, keeping the command of God,
just as man was instructed to do.
And, God restored life to Him.
Jesus was resurrected after the Sabbath, to continue His work,
showing Himself to those who believed in Him,
and to whom He would give the great commission:
...“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”
Mark 16:15

Twila Charles Leichty