Page 19 - May 2024 - Truth & Tidings

" hen I survey the wondrous we owe to the Man on the middle cross.
In a way, we see ourselves in the story of
cross on which the Prince of
Wglory died …” Those familiar Barabbas. His name means “son of the
words are from a hymn by Isaac Watts that father” – and that’s where our problems
he initially entitled Crucifixion to the World began. Our forefather Adam disobeyed
By the Cross of Christ. Today we sing four of God in the garden. His transgression
the original five stanzas, and few hymns brought sin and death into the world and
are more beloved around the world. death passed upon all men, for all have
What would it have been like to stand sinned. As Adam’s sons and daughters,
there that day and look upon the cross of we received his sinful nature and thus
Christ? Some of the people who were there became slaves of sin. The wages of our sin
wept at what they saw. Others mocked. was death. Although God’s Law was holy
The soldiers gambled to pass the time. and good, it couldn’t redeem us, because
I’ve often wondered if Barabbas was there we were unable to keep it. It only exposed
that day. If he was, what did he think as our sinfulness and helplessness. And so,
he looked upon that middle cross? Did he we lived in the flesh, we walked after the
say to himself, “That Man is dying in my flesh, and our minds were set on the things
place. I should’ve been there”? It would of the flesh.
be one thing to be there as a bystander, What was God’s remedy for our con-
simply witnessing the sufferings of Jesus, dition? He sent His Son to suffer in our
but how different it would be to realize place. As our substitute, Jesus bore God’s
that this Man was your substitute, dying wrath and paid our debt. His suffering
in your place. at Calvary should’ve been our suffering,
Sometimes we approach Calvary as His death, our death, but He gave His life
mere bystanders – observing, discussing, there for you and me. “Love so amazing,
learning about these events – but fail to so divine, demands my heart, my life,
go beyond that to appreciate how much my all!”

147
TruthandTidings.com I May 2024 147