50 Days of Wisdom

At the very heart of the Christian gospel is the cross of Jesus Christ, the crucifixion of our Lord. Why was it so important? What was its significance? I mean, approximately 30,000 people were crucified around the era of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, why should the crucifixion of Jesus be singled out for worldwide recognition? To answer that, we have to understand the meaning of the cross. And to do that, we could go to the Old Testament, and we would find that there are prophets who speak about the death of the Messiah. We would find that in the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, where animals were offered as substitutes for the punishment that sinners deserved, there was definitely some teaching about the meaning of the death of Christ. There was also a scapegoat who symbolically bore away the sins of the people. There was the Day of Atonement, in which blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat on behalf of the sins of the people. We could go to the epistles of the New Testament, where the apostles Paul, John, Peter and others give us the meaning of the death of Jesus Christ in no uncertain terms. I suppose some people believe that to understand the meaning of Christ's death, one must look beyond the event itself, viewing it merely as history, and instead use the apostolic writings to provide its interpretation. But that's not really true. In fact, the very narrative of the event itself makes the meaning of the cross absolutely clear. It was God Himself who gave His own commentary on the meaning of the cross while the event was happening. He provided this commentary through a series of miracles that occurred during Christ's death. Those miracles give us the theological and spiritual meaning of His death, and they are profound. Mark tells us in his Gospel that Jesus was crucified at nine in the morning. And the first miracle occurred at noon. We will call it supernatural darkness. Matthew 27:45 says, "Now from the sixth hour (noon), darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour (3:00)." This was not partial darkness. It was total darkness. And what was certain was that this was supernatural darkness. And there's no natural explanation. God made it night in the middle of the day. Why? This was God's first comment on the cross. And all you have to know is that the Bible uses darkness as a symbol of judgment to understand what God was saying. Darkness is a sign of judgment. And God was saying, by the darkness, that the cross was a place of judgment. And this was not a judgment to come at a future time but a judgment right there and then. While it certainly depicts the kind of darkness that will come upon the world in the day of the Lord, it was its own judgment and not just a preview of coming attractions. Listen, God only judges one thing: sin. He doesn't judge anything else, just sin. This then must have been a divine judgment on sin, and indeed it was. And it was a judgment on sin, not His, but ours. Jesus was judged because He was bearing our sins. Hebrews 2:9 puts it this way: "He tasted death for every man." Punishment was borne by Jesus Christ, as God unleashed His fury on Him. And the darkness is clearly a supernatural confirmation that this is indeed a judgment of God on sin. And the judgment of God was unleashed on Christ on behalf of every person who would ever believe. So the first miracle, darkness, speaks of the fact that Christ was being judged for our sin. This was God's first comment on the cross. Repent and believe! GTY.org (90-93) – God's Commentary on the Cross

Today's Wisdom

June 2, 2026

Day: 936

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My name is Mark Paul from Wauchula, Florida, and like the Apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 1:14, “I know that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent." Consequently, my goal is to leave a legacy that will continue to advance the kingdom of God long after I have departed. In other words, bear fruit for eternity. And by simply reading and sharing my free eBooks, you too become contributors to the advancement of His kingdom. Thank you for partaking in this endeavor, and I look forward to greeting you on heaven's shore.

The Truth in Love,

Mark Paul - Servant of God

Now grant, O Lord, that when the souls who read these books cast their eyes upon these lines, their minds may be illuminated and their consciences convinced and awakened, that they may see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and be converted so that You may heal them. Amen