Cross: Shame to Glory | John 19:16-37

August 28, 2013

Book: John

Rev. Shine Thomas

INTRODUCTION

This is the account of the self-sacrifice of our Savior when he laid down his life for you and for me.

John 19:16-37

¹⁶Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

The Crucifixion of Jesus

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. ¹⁷Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). ¹⁸There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

¹⁹Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. ²⁰Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. ²¹The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

²²Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

²³When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

²⁴“Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,

“They divided my clothes among them

and cast lots for my garment.”

So this is what the soldiers did.

²⁵Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” ²⁷and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

The Death of Jesus

²⁸Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. ³⁰When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

The Reason for the Cross

The Trial of Jesus

The Shame of the Cross

The Result of the Cross

The Reason for the Cross

Why did Jesus die on a cross rather than some other means?

The Prophetic Reason for the Cross
The Historical Reason for the Cross

The Prophetic Reason for the Cross

The plan of God to send Jesus to die for us on the cross was made before the foundation of the world.

Revelation 13:8

..the lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

Jesus himself prophesied about his death on the cross.

Matthew 17:22-23

²²When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. ²³They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.

Luke 18:31-33

³¹Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. ³²He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; ³³they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”

Matthew 26:2

“As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

He had to die for our sins to be redeemed. He had to be crucified. He had to have his body exposed on a tree according to Deuteronomy 21.

Deuteronomy 21:23

…anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse.

Tree is the Hebrew word for gallows or cross that is made out of wood.

Galatians 3:13

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”

Our redemption requires that Jesus pay the penalty in full to bear the full brunt of the wrath of God against sin that we deserved but now imputed to him.

2 Corinthians 5:21

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

There was a prophetic necessity for the death of Jesus on the cross.

The Trials of Jesus

John tells us that Jesus first was tired by the former High Priest, Annas. He was the father-in-law of the current high priest, Caiaphas.

First trial before Annas.
The trial before Caiaphas.
A third trial before Pilate.
The fourth trial before Herod.

So, there are two trials before Jewish authorities and two trials before Roman authorities.

Charges Levelled Against Jesus

This is important for us to understand the charges that were levelled upon Jesus. Everything depended on the what was the courtroom was all about. If it was a Jewish courtroom then the charge against Jesus for execution was the charge of blasphemy. But that is a charge that has no bearing under Roman law. So, when the case comes before Pilate and Herod, the case has nothing to do with blasphemy but rather with a pretention to be a rival to Caesar.

The Trial before Annas and Caiaphas and the charge: Accusation claiming to be equal to God.

John 19:6-8

⁶As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”

⁷The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

⁸When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid,

Jesus claims to be the Son of God, having the same glory of God.

Jesus’ trial before the High Priest, Caiaphas

Matthew 26:63-66

⁶³But Jesus remained silent.

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

⁶⁴“You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Ps. 110:1; Dan. 7:13; God is the one who rides on the clouds.)

⁶⁵Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.

⁶⁶What do you think?”

“He is worthy of death,” they answered.

Jesus who claims to be the Son of God and at the same time Son of Man is charged with blasphemy according to the Jewish laws.

Son of man means one who came from heaven and has the right to rule; John 3

John 3:13

No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.

The Sanhedrin had all that they needed for death penalty. He did blasphemy by calling himself as God.

Why was Jesus’ trial transferred to Pilate?

The Jews were under Roman rule. The power of the death penalty was taken away from the Jews and only with the Romans. They had to remand any such criminal to the Roman governor.

John 18:28-31

²⁸Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. ²⁹So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

³⁰“If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

³¹Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected.

They did not have the right to execute.

Now, they rephrase the accusation against Jesus so that it can have more standing in the Roman court. They presented Jesus as a King of the Jews who is a threat to the Roman throne.

John 18:33-35

³³Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” (new accusation, an insurrectionist against Caesar.)

³⁴“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

³⁵“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

John 18:36-38

³⁶Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

³⁷“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

³⁸“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.

Pilate made sure that Jesus was not a threat to Caesar. He knew that the kingdom of Jesus is from another realm. Pilate thought it funny and he used this to mock the Jews.

John 19:12-16

¹²From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”

¹³When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). ¹⁴It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.

“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.

¹⁵But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”

“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. (What a terrible thing for a chief priest to say. Israel was never to have another king other than the Lord. God said to Samuel when they asked for a king, God said, “It is not you they have rejected, it is me they have rejected.”)¹⁶Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

John 19:19

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews.

The Shame of the Cross

Crucifixion was all about torture and shame. The cross was intended to shame the criminal where the cross was always located, either in the amphitheater where the great crowds could watch, eat and drink and see the poor victim suffer unspeakable horrors or it was at major crossroads of the travel of the day or up on hilltops, like Golgotha where everyone could see. The superscription or the charge would be on a placard hung around in the individual’s neck.

“Crucifixion the most pitiable of deaths.” – Josephus, Jewish historian

“Crucifixion cruel and the most disgusting penalty.” – Cicero, Roman statesman and lawyer

It was thought to be so degrading that Roman citizens were exempt from it. It was reserved for the slaves and the enemies of the state. Roman citizens if they committed a crime for capital offence could look forward for dignity of a trial, not the shame of crucifixion.

Cicero, “Even if death is set before us, we may die in freedom. But the executioner, the veiling of heads, and the very word “cross,” let them all be far removed from not only the bodies of Roman citizens but even from their thoughts, their eyes, and their ears.”

Crucifixion was so vile.

All the preliminaries including the arrest and trial that Jesus experienced involved shame. Preparing the Lord for the crucifixion, they mocked him and degraded him in his 3-fold office. Mocking him for his office of prophet, king and priest.

Prophet:

As prophet as he stood before the chief priests and the Sanhedrin, he had prophesied: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven; Mt. 26:64.

Matthew 26:64

Matthew 21:67-68

⁶⁷Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him ⁶⁸and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”

Prophesy games to mock the Saviour, the one who just prophesied that the time is coming when he is going to judge all mankind.

John 5:27

And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

He is the one whom the Father has given authority to judge and here are the judges of this world, spitting on his face, mocking him in his office of a prophet.

King:

When he went before the Romans, the Roman authority, gathered a whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him and they twisted together a crown of thorn and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him, “Hail, king of the Jews,” They said. They spit on him and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again and after they had mocked him they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him and they led him away to crucify him. They mocked him as a king.

Priest:

They mocked him on his priestly office when he was on the cross. They took delight in teasing him that his prayers would never be heard, his intercessions. He trusts in God, let God rescue him now if he wants him for he said I am a Son of God. He saved others but he cannot save himself. Even one of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him.

Matthew 27:41-43

⁴¹In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴²“He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

They mocked him as prophet, they mocked him as king, and they mocked him as priest. They mocked him also of his priestly office by stripping him naked. No priest is allowed to go into the altar naked or exposing himself in anyway.

Exodus 20:26

And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts may be exposed.’

Jesus who is offering the highest priestly ministry is now mocked in terms of that ministry having the shame of nakedness.

John 19:23-24

²⁴“Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,

“They divided my clothes among them

and cast lots for my garment.”

So this is what the soldiers did.

They stripped Jesus’s clothes. “You are no priest. God is not going to listen to you.” So, the shame of crucifixion continues.

In 1968s, archeologist found the skeletal remains of a crucified victim at Ammunition Hill. They found the heelbone with a 7-inch spike through both the heel bones half an inch thick, pinning the two heelbones together. Initially scholars suggested that when the crucified victim was nailed to the cross, they have their legs together in parallel and bent to one side. That is the picture you might see on the pictures. But the final reconstruction decided that, it was heel to heel in opposite directions, knees bent.

The text tells us that the soldiers took Jesus’ clothes and the intention of nailing his legs in this way was to make the degradation all the more heinous. That he would be exposed and he would be totally degraded and humiliated. This is the price for our redemption.

Jesus accomplishes our redemption by embracing shame and degradation.

The Crucifixion of Jesus

John 19:28-34

The Death of Jesus

³¹Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. ³²The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. ³³But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.

Jesus hung on the cross and said 7 profound statements:

Seven sayings on the Cross.

Father, Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing; Luke 23:34.
Today you’ll be with me in paradise; Luke 23:43.
Dear woman, here is your son; John 19:26.
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?;” Matthew 27:46.
“I’m thirsty;” John 19:28.
“It is finished;” John 19:30 .
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit;” Luke 23:46.

On the festival days, bodies of crucifixion would be released to them and not allowed to be there overnight. So, the soldiers would break the legs of the crucified victims in order to hasten death. A crucified victim has struggle and loss of blood but the greatest problem is asphyxiation. The crucified victim would stretch his body up to inhale and lower his body to exhale. By breaking the legs, you eliminate that ability of the victim to stretch his body up and they easily die from asphyxiation.

The skeletal remains of a crucified victim archeologists got in 1968 in Ammunition Hill where in fact the bones, tibia of both the right and left legs are fractured. The left leg is in fact broken right in half by the hammer.

But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. He was clearly dead.

John 19:36

These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” (Ps. 34:20; Psalm of David)

OT Reference regarding not breaking the bones:

David:

Psalm 34:19-20

²⁰The righteous person may have many troubles,

but the Lord delivers him from them all;

²⁰he protects all his bones,

not one of them will be broken.

The righteous have no immunity from suffering. In the end there is a reminder the fact that Jesus’ bones were not broken is the fact that God is protecting his own Son even in the midst of death, symbolically.

The Passover Lamb

There is another OT reference of not breaking the bones, that is the Passover lamb. Twice we are told in Exodus 12 and Numbers 9 that you do not break the bones of the Passover lamb. That is not said about any other sacrifice. This is pointing us again to Jesus death as a Passover lamb who bears our guilt now in reality, not just in symbol.

John 19:34

Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.

Sudden Flow of blood and water from Jesus’ side

This is the clinical evidence that ancients would recognize as the absolute proof of death. According to medical science, if a person has had blunt trauma or prolonged suffering there can be accumulation of blood and water in the pleural space.

The blood and the water prove that Jesus is a man. But he is also God, see the miracles. But he is also a man.

2 John 1:7

…many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.

Jesus is man. He is a human being. He is God; truly God and truly man. So he is a true redeemer and mediator between God and man. Therefore, his redemption is all sufficient.

Another symbolism of the water and the blood.

If we look at the Bible there are a number of passages where blood and water are combined.

When a person with a skin disease is cleansed, you sprinkle them with water mixed with blood.

Leviticus 14:4-7

⁴the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the person to be cleansed. ⁵Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. ⁶He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. ⁷Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the defiling disease, and then pronounce them clean. After that, he is to release the live bird in the open fields.

Water reminds us what we mean by cleaning. You use water when you want to clean. But when you need deep cleaning, what is need is a sacrifice. What you need is not just water but a death to symbolise death of a victim, a sacrifice in the case of Leviticus it is a bird that actually dies, that provides the blood in the water.

When Jesus died what came out was water and blood reminding us that his is a cleansing death, a death that provides cleansing for the kinds of sins that when you look into your heart you know that you are defiled by it.

The Result Of The Cross

The Cross – A Radical Provision into God’s Kingdom.

Cancelled our certificate of debt

Colossians 2:13-15

¹³When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

The Cross Disarms the demonic forces

Colossians 2:15

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

The Blood of Jesus Cleanses Us.

Hebrews 9:13-14

¹³The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. ¹⁴How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

You are in a church filled with sinners who have been cleansed by the blood of Christ.. Forgiveness is only by the blood of Christ and Jesus who died on the cross. He took all the punishment our sin deserves. We are cleansed by the blood that comes from Jesus mixed with water which cleansed even lepers in the ancient world, forgiving us and purifying us.

How can God cleanse us?

How does God qualify us to stand before him?

How does God qualify us to minister before him?

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

From heaven’s point of view, I am cleansed, I am loved, I look pristine white because I am born again.

Proverbs 28:13

Whoever conceals their sin does not prosper,

but the one who confesses them and renounces them find mercy.

There is another alternative: You can cover yourself with some fig leaves or you can let God cover your sins.

Psalm 32:1-2

¹Blessed is the one

whose transgressions are forgiven,

whose sins are covered.

²Blessed is the one

whose sin the Lord does not count against them

and in whose spirit is no deceit.

God covers our sin.

The angel’s message to the church at Laodicea.

Revelation 3:17-18

¹⁷You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

Confess your sins and allow him to cover them.

1 John 1:6-10

⁶If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

The Cross is the Pathway to Jesus’ Kingdom

John 18:36

³⁶Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

Jesus endured the pain and was patient when he was insulted. He prayed for those who mistreated him. His followers do the same; endure pain, are patient when insulted, and pray for those who mistreat them. Jesus did accept the way of shame.

1 Peter 2:21

²¹To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

²²“He committed no sin,

and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

²³When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. ²⁴“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

We are to follow our master’s footsteps.

Romans 12:14

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Romans 12:17-19

¹⁷Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

Romans 12:21

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Is that how you and I respond?

Paul sums it up and says:

1 Corinthians 6:7

Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?

We serve a saviour who was wronged, so we do not get upset when we are wronged.

We will defend others when they are wronged, but when it comes to me, “Why not I be wronged?” I am following the saviour who accomplished our redemption by precisely that attitude.

He accepted the shame that we might ultimately be honoured.

God’s Divine Mercy has taken up human Pain.

Pain is an unavoidable fact of life. You cannot really deny pain, pain exists. We spend a lot of time in our life trying to deal with it, overcome pain. But we cannot deny pain, pain is so fundamental to human life.

At the Cross we have Jesus:

As someone at the extreme limit of pain.
Someone person at the limit of suffering.

Suffering:

Physical Suffering: There’s physical suffering and we all experience it even I mean little kids with cuts and bruises and broken bones and everything. All human beings experiences physical suffering. Physical suffering just accompanies us throughout life.

Psychological Suffering: In many ways more acute and more difficult is psychological suffering. The life experience of rejection, loneliness, isolation, humiliation, losing a loved one, being betrayed. These are all different types of psychological suffering.

Existential suffering: This is a loss of meaning a loss of purpose. Some people might be physically fine. It might even be psychologically balanced but they’re experiencing this loss of meaning, a sense of a wider purpose. There is no reference to my life. No ultimate meaning in my life.

So these different dimensions of pain. Now, there’s a tight connection between pain and Sin, and the slightest reflection of it reveals it. When I am hurt, I hurt others. Whatever pain we are going through, it tends to give rise to bad behavior. Our pain and sin are linked.

Well, go back to the cross of Jesus, right?

Jesus is that the limit of physical suffering. Jesus is in excruciating pain on the cross. Think of all the physical suffering of your life, Jesus has experience that on the cross. The limit of physical suffering is there.
There’s also on that cross terrible psychological suffering. Jesus who is betrayed by his friend, abandoned by his friends, denied by Peter, being mocked and humiliated. It’s the limit of psychological pain.
There is the limit of existential suffering. That that utterly mysterious cry of Jesus on the cross, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” Existential pain is being manifested.

Someone who’s at the limit of all these different forms of pain on the cross.

What’s the hinge upon which this whole thing turns and the reason why the church puts that rather horrific vision before our eyes is that it’s not just a man on that cross. It’s a man who’s also God.

It’s God who experiences the limit of physical suffering.
It’s God who experiences the limit of psychological suffering.
God who experiences the limit of existential suffering.

God has entered into our pain and has thereby wrapped it up in the ever-greater Divine Mercy. God’s love and God’s mercy is greater than the totality of human pain.

Our sin comes from our pain. If God’s mercy has wrapped up and conquered pain in a very real sense, He’s wrapped up and conquered Sin, that’s why we say he became sin on the cross. Sin was dealt with on the cross.

Pain is basic to human nature but finally the Divine Mercy is basic. The divine mercy that accompanied our pain all the way down and enveloped it and in that we find our

Redemption.

Conclusion:

The crucifixion of Jesus was a profound act of self-sacrifice and redemption, fulfilling both historical and prophetic purposes. Through his death on the cross, Jesus bore the shame and degradation to offer cleansing and forgiveness to humanity. The blood and water that flowed from his side symbolize the cleansing power of his sacrifice, offering hope and redemption to all who confess their sins and trust in him.

Life Applications:

Embrace Forgiveness and Cleansing. Just as Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross cancels our certificate of debt and cleanses us from sin, we are called to embrace forgiveness and allow God’s mercy to cover our transgressions. Through confession and repentance, we can experience the profound cleansing power of Christ’s sacrifice in our lives.

Live in Victory Over Evil. The cross disarms demonic forces and triumphs over the powers and authorities of darkness. As followers of Christ, we are called to live in victory over evil by embracing the authority we have been given through the cross. By standing firm in our faith and resisting the schemes of the enemy, we can experience the freedom and victory that Christ has secured for us.

Surrender to God’s Kingdom Values. The cross is the pathway to Jesus’ kingdom, characterized by humility, selflessness, and sacrificial love. As followers of Christ, we are called to emulate his example by enduring pain, showing patience in the face of insult, and responding to hostility with love and compassion. By surrendering to God’s kingdom values, we participate in the redemptive work of Christ and bear witness to his transformative power in the world.

Experience Divine Mercy in Human Pain. Just as Jesus entered into our pain and suffering on the cross, God’s divine mercy accompanies us in our own struggles and challenges. Through the lens of the cross, we can find meaning and redemption in the midst of pain, knowing that God’s love and mercy are greater than any human suffering. By entrusting our pain to God and allowing his mercy to envelop us, we can experience healing, redemption, and hope in the midst of life’s trials.

City Harvest AG Church

Cross: Shame to Glory | John 19:16-37