Surely this man was the Son of God!
-Mark 15:39

In the church I attend, a large cross stands at the front of the sanctuary.  It represents the original cross where Jesus died - the place where our sin intersected with His holiness.  There God allowed His perfect Son to die for the sake of every wrong thing we have ever done, said, or thought.  On the cross, Jesus finished the work that was required to save us from the death we deserve (Romans 6:23).

The sight of a cross causes me to consider what Jesus endured for us.  Before being crucified, He was flogged and spit on. The soldiers hit Him in the head with sticks and got down on their knees in mock worship.  They tried to make Him carry His own cross to the place where He would die, but He was too weak from the brutal flogging.  At Golgotha, they hammered nails through His flesh to keep Him on the cross when they turned it upright.  Those wounds bore the weight of His body as He hung there.  Six hours later, Jesus took His final breath (Mark 15:37).  A centurion who witnessed Jesus' death declared, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"  (verse 39).

Jesus, thank You for taking care of my sin 
when You died on the cross. 

The next time you see the symbol of the cross, consider what it means to you.  God's Son suffered and died there and then rose again to make eternal life possible.

Prayer for Today

Dear Jesus, I can't begin to thank You enough for taking care of my sin when You died on the cross. I acknowledge Your sacrifice, and I believe in the power of Your resurrection. Amen.