4.15

John 19:1-27

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+19%3A1-27&version=NLT

Those who were present on this day would have huddled together in a crowd of hundreds to watch the perfect holy Son of God raised on a cross in humiliation while crowds cheered and cried out for blood. Why did Jesus have to be crucified? In Numbers 21, we get a story about the Israelites under siege by venomous snakes because of their disobedience. After the people cry out, God tells Moses, in order for the people to be healed, He must create a bronze snake and hold it up on a pole for all to look at. Once they set their eyes on the very thing that has been afflicting them, they will be healed. The cross was necessary because that which hangs on a pole has to reflect what the people seek freedom from. The broken and mangled body of Jesus was a reflection of how sin had devastated and disfigured humanity. The cross is so uncomfortable for us to look at, because we don’t just see an innocent man who died for us. We must come to the realization that we are the reason He had to die. We see the physical manifestation of the consequences of our sin and the price that had to be paid to free us from it.

Take time out of your day to reflect on the death of Jesus, and the price that was paid for you.