Good Friday.

To those who follow Jesus, this day is a time to remember the sacrifice He made by dying a horribly painful death on a cross.

Those who are Catholic seem to have a better grasp of the terrible pain Jesus experienced as he died on a cross. You’ll find a painting of this event in almost every Catholic church but in very few Protestant churches. I’m not sure why. But it’s good to spend some time today reflecting on the sacrifice Jesus made.

Why did Jesus die on the cross?

The big reason is in Isaiah 53:5:

“But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.”

We live our lives in a constant battle with sin. Jesus lived and died to fix the eternal consequences of our daily breakaways from God’s plan.

Another huge reason is found in Colossians 2:14-15:

“He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.”

He defeated the father of lies, Satan. He took away all his power. That means we don’t have to live as slaves to the power of our desires that go against God’s desires.

Today, I’m rejoicing in Jesus and His taking away my sin.

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The painting by by Wolfgang Sauber was painted in 1757. It’s in a church in Austria and is used under the Creative Commons license: link.

Paul Merrill writes here every first Friday.