How did Jesus die?
And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Mark 15:24-27
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” Galatians 3:13
And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. Revelation 5:9
According to God’s plan, although he had done nothing wrong, Jesus was handed over by the Jewish leaders to be crucified by the Romans.
Have you ever been accused of something you didn’t do? Maybe at the time you knew about it, or maybe you didn’t. Maybe you knew who did it, or maybe you didn’t. But you knew that you didn’t do it.
Being blamed for something you didn’t do can be very frustrating—and can make you angry.
Did you know that this is exactly what happened to Jesus? He’d come into the world as the perfect, sinless Son of God. He loved this world and intended to rescue it. He didn’t do anything wrong. But it didn’t matter. He was blamed, accused, and punished anyway. And it did it all for us.
When Jesus came to Jerusalem to share the good news, he was arrested by the Jewish leaders— who then handed him over to the Roman officials. And though the Roman officials knew that he’d done nothing wrong, they handed him over to be crucified as a criminal. Talk about irony! The only sinless person to ever live was punished as a criminal!
And though he’d done nothing wrong, though he’d never sinned, Jesus took upon himself the sins of the whole world. The sinless one became sin. The righteous one became unrighteous.
Jesus willingly suffered for things he never did. He suffered for you.
That’s how much God loves us. It’s the great exchange. The sinless one dies for sinners; the righteous one for the unrighteous; the holy one for the wicked.
Spend some time today thanking God for his great sacrifice and his love for you. Ask God to show you how to love him more fully.