“Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A 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”…

“From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’)” (Matthew 27:45-46, NIV). Have you ever felt forsaken? Perhaps you’ve…

“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother’…” (John 19:26-27, NIV). Even in the bloody brutality of the crucifixion, we find moments of tenderness and compassion. Suspended…

“ ‘…today you will be with me in paradise’ ” (Luke 23:43, NIV). We do not know much about the criminal who hung on the cross next to Jesus. Only a few of his words are recorded, culminating with his plea “ ‘…remember me’ ”(Luke 23:42, NIV). I suspect that…

“ ‘…today you will be with me in paradise’ ” (Luke 23:43, NIV). I’m not for sure who first made the following statement, but it is one that has always stuck with me. “Grace is: God’s riches at Christ’s expense”. In other words, we gain forgiveness and salvation because of…

When Jesus said, “ ‘Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do’ ” (Luke 23:34, NIV), he undoubtedly had in mind those most closely involved in his crucifixion. This would have included Pontius Pilate, who with a word could have spared Jesus’ life, but instead gave in…

  “ ‘Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do’ ” (Luke 23:34, NIV). Have you ever thought about what you would say if you only had a few moments to live? What would you wish to communicate to your family and friends, to those who have…

Was it the nails that pierced his wrists and feet, or maybe the spear that punctured his side? Was it the cruel words that echoed in his ears, their shouts to crucify, crucify? Maybe it was his gasping for breath, or his thirst, or his breaking heart. Whichever of these…

“Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he…

“By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though…