From Darkness to Light
For 3 hours darkness roamed the earth. Jesus Christ suffered for you, for me. He was betrayed, mocked, spit, slapped, and laughed at. He wore a crown of thorns and died to forgive our sins. His precious blood was the ultimate living sacrifice that gave breath, life, and purpose to humanity. From rereading Christ’s crucifixion, I learned 3 things.
Jesus’s Response to Betrayal
First, Jesus was betrayed by some of his close followers. Judas Iscariot sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. The sad thing is that Judas is the one who went to the chief priests and asked, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” (Matthew 26:15). However, despite knowing that Judas would betray him, and even after he betrayed him, Jesus still called him a friend. In addition to Judas, Peter also betrayed Jesus 3 times.
I bet in our day-to-day life and if not at some point in our lives, we have or will get betrayed. It sucks. It’s even worse when it’s one of your close friends or family. I find it quite compelling, interesting, and loving that Jesus still calls someone who sold him for money, “friend.” Calling someone “friend” after they have betrayed you is a challenge. I mean, well, if we’re being honest, a lot of what the Bible says is challenging, but defeating the challenges and acting in grace is what Christ is all about.
Jesus-The Ultimate Sacrifice
The second thing I learned was the end of old ceremonies and sacrifices. The Bible states, “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the Earth shook, and the rocks were split” (Matthew 27: 51). Jesus was the ULTIMATE sacrifice. He died for the forgiveness of sins so there wouldn’t need to be other sacrifices.
Unpopular Lesson From Jesus’s Tomb
The third thing I learned from rereading the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ was what he left in his tomb after he resurrected. The gospel says, “Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen clothes lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’s head, not lying with the linen clothes but folded up in a place by itself” (John 20:7). Jesus folded his linen before he resurrected.
In Hebrew tradition, if a master was finished with his plate, he would wipe his fingers and compress the napkin. However if the master left and folded up his napkin, the servant knew not to touch the table because the master would come back.
Jesus’s final words
There are so many stories, parables, and lessons Jesus teaches his children. From choosing love instead of hate, having a personal day-to-day relationship with him, and reminding us that he is coming back-We have always seen God at work. Before God left he said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19). Let us resonate with those words on a day-to-day basis.