Friday, March 31, 2017
John 19:30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
BOWED HIS HEAD
When we were called by the Gospel, whether young or old, it was a wonderful day. His forgiveness and life brought joy. But as time goes by, we may also come to times of disappointment and dryness, times when our cherished hopes seem at an end, and we seem to have little strength or desire to go on. For such crossroads of life, we need strength to stand, to lift up our heads and walk lively in the way of our Master. We find such strength in the hanging head of our dearest Friend, made meaningful through His victorious cry.
When Jesus was mocked, scourged, and crucified, He could not have appeared more helpless. But when the time of His departure came, He laid down His life as He said He would. "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself" (John 10).
Not many of us have such a choice in our life, to lay down our life for a friend. For us it's more like "a few minutes of our life here, a couple of hours there, a few dollars of our life elsewhere." We may know some who have lost their lives defending their country, or trying to rescue others. But for most of us, the call may come when we are not able to be much help to our friends.
Jesus, however, not only laid down His life to rescue us, but He did it when we were not even His friends. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). He did it willingly, and He did it completely.
