✝️ 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

📖 𝐋𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝟐𝟑:𝟑𝟑
𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭.

On Good Friday, let us pause and draw near in reverence to that solemn hill outside Jerusalem. 🕊️ There the Son of God was lifted up between two thieves, and in that scene we behold a truth that searches every heart.

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ✝️. One thief, though dying and standing on the very brink of eternity, hardened his heart against the Saviour. With his last breath he mocked the One who alone could save him. What a solemn picture it is. A man so near to Christ, and yet so far from mercy. And is it not still so today? Many hear the Gospel, many know the name of Jesus, many speak of Him with a kind of respect, and yet they will not bow before Him as Lord. They stand at the cross, but they do not come to it. They remain in unbelief, and so they turn from their only hope.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 ✝️. The other thief saw what the first would not see. In the midst of agony he beheld innocence in Christ, purity in Christ, majesty in Christ. He confessed his own sin, saying,
𝐖𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲… 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬.

And then he uttered that humble plea,
𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝, 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦.

What grace is here. No merit, no boasting, no time to repair a wasted life, only a broken heart and a believing cry. And the answer came at once,
𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐞, 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞.

This is the Gospel, bright with mercy for the guilty.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. ✝️ There hangs the Son of God, suffering not for His own sins, but for ours. Every wound, every drop of blood, every moment of darkness speaks of love beyond measure. ❤️ He was bearing sin. He was enduring judgment. He was standing in the sinner’s place. The innocent for the guilty. The Just for the unjust. The Holy One made a sacrifice for the unholy, that He might bring us to God.

O what a sight is Calvary. The love of God displayed. The holiness of God satisfied. The mercy of God extended. The way of salvation opened wide.

And so the question comes to every heart, where do you stand? At the cross of rejection? At the cross of repentance? Or will you come, by faith, to the One on the middle tree, as the dying thief did?

Do not linger at a distance. Do not delay. Come as you are. 🤍 Look unto Christ. Trust in His finished work. For all who come to Him, He will in no wise cast out.

Lord, draw us to Thy Son. Keep us from unbelief. Give us repentance and faith. And may we ever glory in the cross, for Christ’s sake. Amen.