John doesn't go into much detail concerning this gruesome scene. He doesn't mention, the nails and doesn't speak about the spear being thrust into Jesus' side. With straightforward clarity he reports; "Here they crucified Him."

On this Good Friday we pause to remember - or at least we should. We'd rather rush to Easter, but we must not. There is much we need to face here at the cross. Ponder with me a moment about two things we must face...

Our sinfulness! Never had, or never could, sin reach lower depths of depravity, than when it took Jesus and nailed Him to the cross. Lest we shake our finger at those nasty Jews and Romans who did this reprehensible act, remember, when we sinned and sin, we crucify Jesus. ( see Hebrews) We are not free from the guilt. Our sin was involved.

Once I preached a sermon detailing the cruelty of the crucifixion. I was rather explicit in the details about the manner in which crucifixion was carried out. I wanted each of us there that day to feel, in some degree, what Jesus went through. After the service an individual came up to me and said, "Pastor that was repulsive! I almost had to leave the service. I was getting sick." That was not my intention. Possibly in my zeal I over emphasized the wrong message. If we are repulsed and sickened by anything, it should be our sin, more than the means of crucifixion. The cross looms throughout time as a monument to the depths of our sin. That's one of the reasons we want to rush to Easter... we don't like facing our sin. We don't like taking responsibility for what we did that day at Golgotha. But we must.

The cross may be a monument to our sinfulness, but it is much more an indicator of His Love! Jesus told the Twelve earlier, "No one takes my life, but I lay it down." John in his introduction to the Last Supper discourse (chapters 13-16), began with, "Having showed His love to His own, Jesus now showed the full extent of His love." That began with a foot washing. It continued to the cross. The full extent of His love is seen on the cross. This is why the New Testament writers rarely, if ever, speak about God loving us. They most often, if not always, say "He loved us." God, in Christ, can never love us more than He did when He willing took upon Himself our sin, our penalty, our death. The cross stands through all time revealing the wondrous reality - "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life."

When we first look at the cross, our sin brings us to our knees and we look away in shame, disgust and horror. Then His Spirit lifts our tear stained face to look again This time we see love and we hear those wondrous words from the lips of the dying Savior echoing through time - "Father forgive them." Our hearts leap in joy to receive that forgiveness made possible in His death. Tears of grief and sorrow are turned to tears of joy and celebration. "It is Finished;" The work is done. Hallelujah for the cross!

But... to quote a great preacher... "It's Friiiiiidaaaaay; but Sunday's a comin!"

Keep Close To Jesus
Pastor Gerry