A DAY AT THE CROSS
Mark 15:39, “And when the Roman centurion, who stood right in front of Him at the cross, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’”
What happened on the cross was a cosmic event. In the sixth hour to the ninth hour, darkness fell over the whole land. For three hours, it was dark. When Jesus died, the whole universe shuddered. He’s not king of one little earth but of every planet, galaxy, and universe.
At this unique, historic, cosmic event, He cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?” At one moment in the history of the world the fellowship between Father and Son seemed fractured, once and only once. Divine communion broken for you and me.
What do we learn about Jesus through the Roman centurion? “Truly this was the Son of God.” A man accustomed to witnessing men die on a cross looked up at this One and proclaimed Him different than anyone else.
This motivates us to tears, to awe, to thankfulness as we view the cross. We should shout for joy. We should be motivated to action, to let others know of the importance of what Jesus has done.
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA
We learn of the courage of making a stand for Christ from Joseph of Arimathea.
Mark 15:43, “Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. And he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.”
It takes courage to stand by the crucified Christ. Some stand up to totalitarian governments or belittling professors, hedonistic friends or skeptic family members. “You believe all that crucifixion stuff, Jesus dying for your sins?” they say.
We make our own bold stand when we’re convinced beyond any reasonable doubt we rise for some godly, biblical, and just cause. Courage comes when we’re convinced what we gain excels in importance what we might lose. Make a courageous stand that you’d want history to record, independent of others without apology.
Meditate on Mark 15
Spending a day at the cross sounds like a quiet, contemplative exercise. Perhaps not. Read carefully through Mark 15. Review the old, old story about Jesus and His love. And if you allow God to open your spiritual eyes, the agonizing scene of the cross can be powerful enough to get your Spirit empowered life going again.
Let’s pray.
“Heavenly Father, open us to the fullness of Your truth. Help us to take the time to really understand the scenes in Mark 15, how those there experienced the cross. Let us glimpse Your Son, our Savior, dying for us. For we all know how the story ends. We know of the glory and the shouts of joy at the resurrection but help us not miss the message of the crucifixion. We give ourselves to fully receiving that revelation. Work Your glory in our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen and Amen.”
STEPHEN BLY
Circa 1990s
Resurrection Tomb Image by Arnie Bragg from Pixabay
Cross of Jesus Christ Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
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FAITH ADVENTURE “Spend a Day at the Cross” audio podcast by award-winning western author Stephen Bly. Learn more about Jesus through the eyes of those who were there at the cross. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series.
Blog post articles found here: “At the Cross with Pilate” https://www.blybooks.com/2024/03/pilate/
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