The Cross

October 3

(Luke 23:32-33 NIV) ““Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. {33} When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals--one on his right, the other on his left.

(Psalms 22:16 NIV) “Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.”

(Galatians 2:20 NIV) “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Crucifixion is extremely painful and brings a slow, torturous death. This was the death suffered by our Jesus. Christians love to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. It is the most important event in human history. It literally changed the world. We love our Easter Sunday. But before Sunday, came Friday -- before the resurrection, came a crucifixion. To get to the resurrection, Jesus had to go through the cross -- and so must we. Many Christians today would prefer to skip the cross. They would rather go directly to the resurrection. But without the cross, there is no resurrection. Without the cross, there is no forgiveness of sin. Without the cross, there is no eternal salvation. We must die to ourselves, before we can be born again. We must accept our crucifixion, before Christ can live in us. All roads to the resurrection lead to the cross of Christ. We cannot skip the cross. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day