Connect360: Standing by the Cross

  |  Source: GC2 Press

Lesson 5 in the Connect360 unit “The Beauty of Restoration: The Final Days of Jesus” focuses on John 19:17-27.

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  • Lesson 5 in the Connect360 unit “The Beauty of Restoration: The Final Days of Jesus” focuses on John 19:17-27.

The Gospels offer only a few particulars of the crucifixion process and of Jesus’ death. The Gospels do illustrate a complete picture of Christ’s obedience and his commitment to fulfill the ultimate act of grace and mercy. God offers salvation and restoration for anyone who would believe in Jesus.

According to Roman tradition, those condemned to death by crucifixion were required to carry their own cross. Jesus likely carried only the crossbeam as the vertical beam was secured in place at the site of the crucifixion. The historical process of crucifixion reveals the barbaric and cruel methods used to exact this punishment. Carrying only the crossbeam to the site was, in and of itself, a physically excruciating task.

To those who lived in the first century, the cross was a symbol of punishment and shame. Jesus transformed the meaning of the cross. The cross stands as an eternal symbol of God’s immeasurable grace, and the cross demands a response.

What does the cross mean to you? The cross should inspire us to resist temptation. The cross should shape our relationships. The cross should compel us to grow in compassion.

John began his Gospel declaring, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (1:5). John then wove an anticipation of Christ’s triumph over death in his crucifixion account. Though Jesus would be triumphant over death, he had to first go to the cross.

For us, the journey to the cross is the way home. On this journey home, we will encounter painful experiences (1 Peter 5:10). However, John’s Gospel offers hope as we witness Jesus’ compassion for others as they were suffering. Jesus proved we can “have peace” and “take heart” because God still sees, and God will walk with us through the valleys (16:33). The cross was the ultimate manifestation of God’s grace, and the cross bridges death to life for all who believe.

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