Our sin reached its full horror and its most awful expression at the cross. Having disobeyed God’s commands, we were now crucifying God’s Son.
If there was ever a moment in human history when God’s judgment had to fall, this was it. But Jesus cried out, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (23:34).
Christ knew that God’s judgment would come that day, but He was saying, “Don’t let it fall on them. Let it fall on Me. And on Me alone. Let Me be the lightning rod for Your judgment on their sin.” Just as God had spared Adam when the curse fell on the ground, so now God spared those who stood around the cross, as His judgment for their sins and for ours fell on Jesus.
When Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them,” His prayer included the priests who condemned Him, the crowds who mocked Him, and the soldiers who crucified Him. It also included the disciples who deserted Him and the Old Testament believers who had waited for Him.
The prayer of Jesus covered the sin of every person who would come to Him. And if His prayer could cover the sins of those who nailed Him to the cross, it is big enough to cover all your sin as well.
Paradise Is Opened
A few feet away from Jesus was a man who had made a tragic waste of his life. Having pursued a life of crime, he had faced human justice and was now paying the price. Soon death would relieve his suffering, but then he would enter the presence of God where he would face divine justice. His position seemed hopeless.
This man did not know much about Jesus. A short while earlier, he had joined with another criminal in ridiculing Jesus’ claims. But as death drew near, something changed. He seemed to have a new awareness of what it would mean for a sinner to enter the presence of God. Ridiculing Jesus no longer seemed appropriate.
When Jesus was crucified, He prayed that those who nailed Him to the cross would be forgiven. Perhaps, the man thought, if Jesus could forgive these soldiers, he could forgive me too. So he turned to Jesus and said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (23:42). And Jesus answered, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (23:43).
Paradise! This man’s life had been a series of disastrous choices, but Jesus promised him an immediate translation, through death, into a life of unending joy. Before the day was over, Jesus would usher him into the presence of God. Suddenly this man, for whom the world held nothing, found that because of Jesus he was about to enter the greatest joy a human being can ever know.
This man’s story is a stunning example of what Jesus Christ is able to do for any person who turns to Him in faith and repentance, no matter how late in life.
What Jesus Suffered
Jesus was crucified at nine o’clock in the morning, and during the first three hours of His suffering, He prayed for His enemies and answered the prayer of a criminal who reached out to Him in faith. Then, at midday, “there was darkness over the whole land” (23:44), and for the next three hours Christ entered into the heart of His sufferings.
What took place in the darkness is beyond our understanding, but there are some things that we know because God has told us.
Jesus carried our sins when He died on the cross. “He… bore our sins in his body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin,” (2 Corinthians 5:21). “The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Jesus carried your sins into His death, so that you would not carry them into yours.
Bearing our sins meant that Jesus endured the punishment that was due to us: “upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace” (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus endured all that hell is on the cross. He was in conscious suffering, in blackest darkness, surrounded by demonic powers. He bore the guilt of sin, He absorbed divine wrath, and He endured all this alone, separated from the comfort of the Father’s love.
People often talk about whether hell is real or not. Hell is as real as the cross. Christ entered into all the dimensions of hell in the darkness, and He did this so that you would never know what hell is like.
In the depth of His suffering, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). No words can express the depth of this suffering. God the Father and God the Son have always shared one life, one love, one purpose, and one will. But when the Son of God became our sin bearer, the comforts of the Father’s love were beyond His reach. He was completely alone, suspended between heaven and earth—and rejected by both.
How Jesus Died
After three hours, the judgment poured out on Jesus was spent. Justice was satisfied, and Jesus shouted in triumph, “It is finished” (John 19:30). God’s righteous judgment for our sin fell on Jesus. He absorbed it. He drained it. He exhausted it. Hell burned itself out on Jesus for all who trust in Him.
Having released forgiveness and opened paradise by offering Himself as the sacrifice for our sins, Jesus had completed all that the Father had given Him to do. The battle was over, and the victory was won. All that remained was for Jesus to lay down His life. He called out in a loud voice: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46).
When someone dies, their strength diminishes and their voice weakens. No one speaks in a loud voice at the moment of death. But Jesus did.
Jesus was not overwhelmed by death. He said, “No one takes it [my life] from me… I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again” (John 10:18). Christ’s life was not taken, it was given. He gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20).
The Bible speaks of death as a dark valley that we all have to walk through. Dark valleys are scary places, especially if enemies are hiding there. But Christ has gone through the valley of death and cleared out the enemies. Death is still a dark place, but it is a safe place for all who belong to Jesus.
If you are in Christ, when the moment of death comes for you, you will be able to say with Jesus: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” And you will be safe in the Father’s hands. Death will not lead to unconsciousness or to a long period of being prepared. If you are in Christ, to be away from the body is to be at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).
Why Jesus Died on the Cross
Many people go through life with the feeling that God is against them. But here is what you need to know: Jesus did not come into the world and die on the cross in order to make the Father love you. He came into the world and died on the cross because the Father loves you.
One way to measure God’s love for you would be to list the joys and blessings of your life. So if you have good health, are surrounded by people who love you, and have work that you enjoy, you can rejoice in these gifts as signs of His love.
But what if you lose that great job? Or what if someone in your family becomes sick? Or what if a person you love loses interest in you? How will you know that God loves you then?
If you try to discern the love of God from your experience, you will always be in confusion. When blessings come, you will feel that God loves you. When hardship comes, you will feel that He must be against you, and you will lose the sense of His love when you need it the most!
Here is how you can know for sure that God loves you: He gave His Son for you. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9).
Opened
Everything God had planned to do since the beginning of time was accomplished at the cross. Jesus bore our sin, endured our hell, and was forsaken by the Father. Through His suffering, He purchased our forgiveness, reconciled us to God, and secured our entrance into heaven.
If you ever find yourself doubting God’s love for you, look to the cross: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
