10. JESUS DIES

Verses

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
— John 15:13 (NLT)

Questions

What was your first experience with the reality of death?
What makes you most angry about death?
What makes you most sad about death?

Meditation

Death is a reality that every human life must eventually face.

On the cross Jesus lays down His life willingly.

Jesus partook in death.

In this image we see the Lamb of God, the One who takes away the sin of the world, being cut in two by the scythe of death. Admittedly, it is a more approachable visual metaphor than an illustrated body hanging lifeless on an execution device. That kind of image can be difficult to look at for long.

So instead we see the image of a slain lamb.

A lamb struck down by the wages of sin.

Throughout Scripture the lamb becomes a symbol of sacrifice — a life given so that others might live. From the Passover lamb in Exodus to the offerings in the temple, the image points forward to a greater sacrifice still to come.

Jesus is that Lamb.

The final book of the Bible describes heaven’s response to His sacrifice:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—
to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing.”
— Revelation 5:12 (NLT)

What looks like defeat on a hillside outside Jerusalem becomes the center of heaven’s worship.

The death of Jesus is not merely the end of a life. It is the moment when the love of God is revealed in its fullest measure.

The apostle Paul reflects on this love when he writes:

“Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?”
— Romans 8:32 (NLT)

At the cross, God does not hold His love at a distance. He gives His own Son for the life of the world.

As Jesus breathes His last, He entrusts Himself to the Father:

“Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!”
— Luke 23:46 (NLT)

The Lamb who was slain is not only the image of death, but the revelation of divine love. In the death of Christ, sin is judged, mercy is extended, and the love of God is made unmistakably clear.

The Church responds in prayer:

“Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross.”
— Book of Common Prayer, p. 276