And the Light went out …

On Good Friday we remember what Jesus Christ has done for us. We remember that He went to the Cross and died so that we could be reconciled to God and live with Him eternally.

It struck me when reading through the crucifixion scriptures that when Jesus gave up His spirit and breathed His last human breath, the world went dark. The Light went out.

Jesus taught us during His ministry on earth that He is the Light of the world. So it stands to reason that when He died, the light went out. The world was dark. The scriptures tell us that it was dark. Middle of the night dark. Need for candles to see dark.

The Pharisees celebrated. The haters rejoiced. They had won … or so they thought. No one really believed that He would rise again. No one understood that when Jesus said that He would rebuild the temple in three days, that He was talking about Himself. That after three days, he would be raised from the dead, defeating death, and paving the way for humankind to be reconciled with God the Father.

What a terrible price Jesus had to pay for each one of us. He was whipped and beaten. He was so badly beaten that He was unrecognizable. He had a crown of thorns jammed onto His head causing blood to drip down His face. He left a trail of blood behind Him as He dragged the cross to Golgotha, the place of the skull. He was humiliated and scorned and nailed to the cross. He died a violent, brutal, painful death. He died for you and for me. And He went willing to the Cross because He loves us!

He paid the price of our sin, our debt. He paid the price for our salvation and our healing. The bible tells us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). We were born into a broken world without hope. Jesus brings redemption and hope through His death on the cross. Our debt of sin has been paid in full. All we have to do to receive that gift of debt forgiveness is to receive it. Receive Him. All He asks in return is your heart. The choice is yours. Choose wisely (Deuteronomy 28-30).

Love won! The Light is risen and alive! And he is coming again!