GCV Blog

Grace Church of the Valley blog.


Matthew 27:35 And when they had crucified Him...
Mark 15:24 And they crucified Him...
Luke 23:33 ...there they crucified Him
John 19:18 There they crucified Him...

All the Evangelists agree: Jesus Christ was crucified. They state the reality without further commentary; however, their simple historical statement touches a myriad of emotions.
They crucified Him. There is a sickening sadness in the statement. They did what? We did what? The Messiah, the Healer, the Rabbi-they crucified Him? How could the One who was God in flesh be nailed to a cross, subjected to one of the most horrible and disgraceful execution methods in history?

Besides the sadness, there is also shame. It was all wrong, backwards, unnatural. What were we thinking? He was our Savior. He lived perfectly and did countless miracles and we responded with jealousy and betrayal, rejection and blasphemy, mocking and crucifixion. 

How horrible must our sin be that this was the solution? It's gut-wrenching to think that my folly, my utter rebellion against God's utter perfection, necessitated the cross. God's blest plan for dealing with my sin was crucifying His perfect Son, and there's something painfully sad and shameful in that.

But joy and thanks overwhelm the sadness and shame. They crucified Him, and now our only hope for righteousness is available. My entire life now, not to mention my eternal future, hangs on the hope of the cross. Without it, I am doomed to a life of emptiness followed by the agonies of a just judgment. But my sin debt is paid! God's wrath is perfectly satisfied, and salvation can be mine!

My offences were nailed there with Him. I am free, free from the guilt and tyranny and condemnation of sin. I don't have to sin. And sin will never condemn me before God. Christ was cursed, and I was forever blessed. The horror of the sadness is matched and surpassed by the intensity of the joy and thanks: "There they crucified Him."