Blog: Max Dawson
January 26, 2017
It was a day of darkness. A day of pain. A day of justice and a day of injustice.
Three men would die on that day. Two would die for their misdeeds. One would die for your misdeeds.
It was a day of rebellion and hatred of God. It was a day of submission and love for God.
The day? It is the day recorded in . We read this chapter in our Bible class last night. It is a remarkable chapter.
It begins with false accusations against Jesus at His trial before Pilate (23:1-5).
It continues when Pilate passes the trial (or passes the buck) to Herod (23:6-12).
After Jesus was returned to Pilate, the governor could find no fault in this man (23:13-25). Influenced by the crowd, Pilate sentenced the innocent man to death.
From that point, the events quickly took Jesus to Golgotha where He would die. Remarkably, one of the men who died beside Him, like Pilate, acknowledged that Jesus had done nothing wrong (23:26-43).
Even the Roman centurion who was in charge of the crucifixion admitted the same. He said, “Certainly this was a righteous man” (23:44-49).
If all these persons asserted that Jesus was not guilty of any crime, then why did He have to die? That’s the most amazing thing about this day that was like no other.
Jesus died for sinners like you and me. That’s what was happening on this day. “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” ().
THE FINAL WORD
Indeed, it was a day of darkness as the light of the sun was blotted for three hours.
It was a day of pain for Jesus–physical pain and mental anguish.
A day of injustice for Jesus Christ. A day of justice for two other men. Yet, one of those men would receive mercy.
Ultimately, this was a day of mercy for all men. That’s the bigger picture of the day like no other. But you have to ask yourself, “What does this day mean to me?”
Did it used to mean something really significant, but has less meaning today? Maybe it is time to get a fresh look at the cross. would be a good place to begin.
Let it renew your appreciation for the mercy Jesus has given you.
Blessings to you, my forgiven friends,
–Max