“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice … With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
John 15:13, Mark 15:33-34, 37
Questions
What was your first experience with the reality of death?
What makes you most angry about death?
What makes you most sad about death?
Meditation
The wages of sin is death. And since we have all sinned, we all deserve death. However, He took our place. He took the punishment we deserved. He died.
Take a look at the picture … the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Look closer. Look at the image inside the lamb. What do you see?
With His death, the judgement we are due has been taken care of. With His death, sin has been defeated. With His death, we have grace and mercy. His death was once and for all. No more sacrifices needed. And because of that, the cross is at the heart of everything.
As He said on the cross – “It is finished!”
Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You. Thank You for taking my place. Thank you, o Lamb of God, for taking away my sin.